Series 4000: PERSONNEL -- CERTIFIED & NON-CERTIFIED

4131 Staff Development

“Staff development” is viewed by the Board of Education (Board) as a continuous systematic effort to improve educational programs in this school district through (1) staff involvement in organized program planning, implementation and evaluation efforts, and (2) activities to upgrade the skills, knowledge and ability of educators to improve student learning.

Each certified employee shall annually participate in a program of professional development, of not fewer than eighteen hours in length, of which a preponderance is in a small group or individual group settings. The professional development program shall:

1. be a comprehensive, sustained and intensive approach to improving teacher and administrator  effectiveness in increasing student knowledge achievement;

 2. focus on refining and improving various effective teaching methods that are shared between and  among educators;

 3. foster collective responsibility for improved student performance, and

 4. be comprised of professional learning that is aligned with state student academic achievement  standards, conducted at the school among educators and facilitated by principals, coaches, mentors  and distinguished educators or other appropriate teachers, occurs frequently on an individual basis or  among groups of teachers and includes a repository or best practices for teaching methods developed  by educators within each school.

Staff development experiences, made available by the Board directly, or through a RESC, with another Board of Education or through a provider approved by the Commissioner, shall be guided by activities designed to:

• improve the integration of reading instruction, literacy and numeracy enhancement and cultural  awareness into instructional practice,

• include strategies to improve English language learner instruction into instructional practice,

• improve teacher and administrator practice based on general results and findings from teacher  evaluations reported by the Superintendent or his/her designee,

• be comprehensive, sustained, and intensive enough to improve teacher and administrator effectiveness in raising student performance,

• be aligned with state student academic achievement standards,

• foster collective responsibility for improved student performance.

Teachers must constantly review curricular content, teaching methods and materials, educational philosophy and goals, social change and other topics related to education to enhance the capabilities of educators to improve student learning. The Board of Education recognizes that it shares with its certified staff responsibility for the upgrading and updating of teacher performance and attitudes. The Board of Education and teachers’ organizations support the principle of continuing training of teachers and the improvement of instruction.

All employees shall be provided opportunities for the development of increased competence beyond that which they may attain through the performance of their assigned duties.

The Board, in order to determine its professional development program seeking the advice and assistance of teachers, shall establish a professional development committee, consisting of certified employees, including their union representatives, and other school personnel the Board deems appropriate. The duties of the committee shall include, but not be limited to, the development, evaluation and annual updating of a comprehensive local professional development plan, in fulfillment of the statutes, for certified employees of the District. Such plan shall (1) be directly related to the educational goals proposed by the Board pursuant to C.G.S. 10-220(b), and (2) be developed in full consideration of the priorities and needs related to student outcomes as determined by the State Board of Education.

The members chosen by the Board to be on the Professional Development Committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.

Special effort shall be made to prepare teachers and other school personnel to meet the needs of students of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Planning and implementation of such programs shall be done cooperatively by administration, teachers and parent advisory groups. Special effort shall also be given to administrators and/or supervisors in training pursuant to their obligations in the evaluation of the teacher.

Staff development activities should respond directly to the educational needs of the student body, including, (a) content areas such as language arts, including reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and enacting; math, social studies and science; (b) methodological areas such as motivation, teaching techniques, including the use of computers in the classroom and classroom management; and second language acquisition and (c) affective areas of interpersonal relations of students and faculty, student growth and development and staff communication, problem solving, and decision making. The in-service program shall fulfill all applicable statutory requirements, especially those delineated in CGS 10-220a.

The Board will allow any paraprofessional or noncertified employee of the District to participate, on a voluntary basis, in any in-service training program provided to certified staff on those topics mandated per C.G.S. 10-220a, subsection (a).

The District, as required, will participate in compliance audits of the professional development program, as required and conducted to the State Department of Education.

The Superintendent is to report annually to the Board of Education on the professional development program and its effect with recommendations for changes as needed.

Professional Development Pertaining to Teacher Evaluation and Support Program

The Board, prior to implementing the teacher evaluation and support program contained within P.A. 12-116, An Act Concerning Educational Reform, but not later than July 1, 2014, shall provide training for all evaluators and orientation to all certified District employees relating to the provisions of such teacher evaluation and support program. Such training shall provide instruction to evaluators in how to conduct proper performance evaluations prior to the use of the new evaluation and support program. Such orientation shall be completed by all certified personnel, below the rank of Superintendent, before the certified employee receives an evaluation under the teacher evaluation and support program.

(cf. 4115 - Evaluation)

Legal Reference: 

Connecticut General Statutes

10-27 Exchange of professional personnel and students.

10-220a In-service training. (amended by PA 04-227, PA 08-160, June 19

Special Session, Public Act No. 09-1 and PA 10-91 and PA 12-116, An Act Concerning Educational Reform)

10-153b Selection of teachers’ representatives

0-226f Coordinator of intergroup relations.

10-226g Intergroup relations training for teachers.

10-145b Teaching certificates (as amended by PA 01-173)



10-151(b) Employment of teachers. Definitions. Tenure, etc. (as amended by P.A. 12-116, An Act Concerning Educational Reform)

Policy adopted: April 11, 2016 THOMASTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Thomaston, Connecticut