SCSC > Assessment Leadership > Professional Development

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development services are available, for example, in the areas of data driven decision-making, SMART goals, and instructional coaching or can be customized to meet the specific needs of school districts.  Strategic professional development and access to relevant resources promote the thoughtful use of data to make instructional, programmatic, and policy decisions.

• CUSTOMIZED TRAINING
  Customized training is tailored to the professional development needs of a district in the areas of assessment, assessment interventions, and technology.
  
  
• DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
  Data driven decision-making (DDDM) is making choices based on the analysis of relevant information.  It is a diagnostic tool that enables and empowers teachers to tailor their instruction to better meet the academic needs of their students.  Data driven decision-making is not about crunching numbers but about figuring out what the numbers mean and taking appropriate action.  Data is used to drive policy, programmatic, and instructional decisions.
  
  e2t2 Baseline Survey (MS Word Format)
  
  
• INSTRUCTIONAL COACH
  Just as an athletic coach recognizes and strengthens the innate talents, skills, and motivation of her players, an instructional coach recognizes and strengthens the talents, skills and passions of her teachers. Instructional coaches do not tell;  they ask.  Through thoughtful, open-ended questions and prompts, they encourage teachers to become self-diagnosing, self-correcting, and reflective and, ultimately, autonomous.
  
  
• SMART GOALS
  Creating SMART goals is a learned skill that moves goal-setting from a hit or miss proposition to a bull’s eye.  SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound.  These collaborative goals are driven by data, agreed upon, and clearly communicated.  They are the “meat and potatoes” of teaching and learning.