Practice:

Evaluate implementation to document what you

are doing
Key Action: Measure quality of implementation activities

SAMPLE MATERIAL: Professional Development Observation Protocol

Purpose: This protocol can be used to create a “snapshot” of an

observation during a professional development session.
The observation, coupled with pre- and post-interviews
and focus groups, can help you document the quality of
the training for magnet school staff.

Source: Collaborative Evaluation Led by Local Educators: A

Practical, Print- and Web-Based Guide, by Ann Brackett
with Nancy Hurley, Copyright © 2004. San Francisco:
WestEd. Reproduced with permission. Downloaded
from http://www.neirtec.org/evaluation/PDFs/
PreparingtoCollect2d.pdf (last accessed December 16,
2008).

1
 Practice: Evaluate implementation to document what you
are doing
Key Action: Measure quality of implementation activities

SAMPLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OBSERVATION PROTOCOL: PROJECT A

Integrating Scientific Inquiry into High School Science

This protocol might be used to guide the observation of a professional development

session provided through a project. The observation would ideally be coupled with pre-
and post-session interviews with the presenter/facilitator as well as possibly a focus group
of teacher participants.

SESSION BACKGROUND
1. Objectives of the professional development session as stated by the
presenter/facilitator:

2. Activities planned for the session:

3. Date of the session: ________________

4. Number of participants: _____________
5. Length of the session: ______________
6. Location of the session: _____________

SESSION ACTIVITIES OBSERVED

7. Major activities observed and amount of time for each:
Check the box next to each activity observed during the session and fill in the total
amount of time for that activity:
‰Facilitator introduction, instructions, statement of objectives ___minutes
‰ Discussion of prior knowledge of participants, learning from previous
session, or learning needs of participants ___minutes
‰ Small group work ___minutes
‰ Whole/large group work ___minutes
‰ Exploration with materials ___minutes
‰ Participant development of questions and/or hypotheses ___minutes
‰ Experimentation and data gathering/documentation ___minutes
‰ Discussion/sharing of findings ___minutes
‰ Sense-making based on findings ___minutes
‰ Discussion of science concepts in question ___minutes
‰ Identification of emerging questions and/or additional experiments to
perform ___minutes
‰ Discussion of how activities would work with teachers’ own students
___minutes
‰ Other (Please specify.) _____________________________
___minutes
Collaborative Evaluation Led by Local Educators: A Practical, Print- and Web-Based Guide, by Ann Brackett with Nancy Hurley, Copyright © 2004. San
Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. Downloaded from http://www.neirtec.org/evaluation/PDFs/PreparingtoCollect2d.pdf (last accessed 2
December 16, 2008).
 Practice: Evaluate implementation to document what you
are doing
Key Action: Measure quality of implementation activities

2
ENGAGEMENT OF PARTICIPANTS
8. To what extent did most or all participants in the professional development session
do the following? Please mark the box that best displays your response on a scale
of (5=to a great extent, 1=not at all).

a. Engage in hands-on activities?

To a Great Extent Not at All Not Applic.
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1) NA

b. Engage in the small group discussions?

To a Great Extent Not at All Not Applic.
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1) NA

c. Engage in the large group discussions?

To a Great Extent Not at All Not Applic.
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1) NA

d. Treat each other respectfully?

To a Great Extent Not at All
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

e. Stay on task during the session?

To a Great Extent Not at All
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

f. Interact with teachers from science disciplines different from their own?
To a Great Extent Not at All Not Applic.
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1) NA

PRESENTER/FACILITATOR
9. To what extent did the professional development presenter/facilitator do the
following? Please mark the box that best displays your response on a scale of (5=to
a great extent, 1=not at all).

a. Conduct/facilitate activities as planned?

To a Great Extent Not at All
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

b. Achieve objectives as stated?

To a Great Extent Not at All
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1)

c. Speak with members of all small groups?

To a Great Extent Not at All Not Applic.
(5) (4) (3) (2) (1) NA

Collaborative Evaluation Led by Local Educators: A Practical, Print- and Web-Based Guide, by Ann Brackett with Nancy Hurley, Copyright © 2004. San
Francisco: WestEd. Reproduced with permission. Downloaded from http://www.neirtec.org/evaluation/PDFs/PreparingtoCollect2d.pdf (last accessed 3
December 16, 2008).