Table
of
Contents
Section
1:
A
Vision
for
Professional
Learning ............................................................................................................. 3
FOUNDATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ............................................................................................................ 4
STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ............................................................................................................... 5
Section
2:
The
License
Renewal
Process ..................................................................................................................... 8
STATE REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................................ 9
College or University Course ............................................................................................................................... 10
LEA/School Level In-Service Courses or Workshops ......................................................................................... 10
Classes Approved by DPI/Other Agency ............................................................................................................. 11
Completion of Portfolio Process for National Board Certification ...................................................................... 11
Participation in an Institute/Seminar/Conference ................................................................................................. 11
Serving as a Clinical Teacher ............................................................................................................................... 12
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS.................................................................................................................................... 12
ONLINE LEARNING .................................................................................................................................................... 13
PROFESSIONAL LEAVE REQUESTS ............................................................................................................................. 13
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLCS) .................................................................................................... 13
APPLICATION/IMPACT CREDIT .................................................................................................................................. 13
PROCESS FOR PCS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ........................................................................................................... 15
PROCESS FOR NON-PCS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING .................................................................................................. 16
Section
3:
Planning
Professional
Learning ............................................................................................................... 17
LOCALLY SPONSORED ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................................ 18
Section
4:
Professional
Learning
Communities ........................................................................................................ 22
Section
5:
References
&
Research .............................................................................................................................. 24
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 25
The
term
Professional
Learning
is
used
by
Pitt
County
Schools
to
escape
the
deficit
model
often
thought
of
when
one
hears
the
terms
Staff
Development
or
Professional
Development;
where-as
professional
development
is
often
something
that
is
provided
for
a
teacher,
professional
learning
is
something
providers
facilitate
for
teacher
participants.
Killion
(2008)
writes,
Too
many
staff
development
efforts
are
still
focused
on
selecting
and
implementing
interventions
rather
than
achieving
specific
results.
Professional
learning
is
on-going,
job-embedded,
relevant
to
current
classroom
needs,
results
in
changes
in
teacher
practice,
and
leads
to
improvements
in
student
achievement
(Easton,
2011;
Moir,
2013);
it
is
PCS
answer
to
Killions
observations.
High-Impact
Professional
Development
is
a
term
coined
by
Reeves
(2010),
and
refers
to
professional
learning
that
has
three
characteristics:
(1)
a
focus
on
student
learning,
(2)
rigorous
measurement
of
adult
decisions;
and
(3)
a
focus
on
people
and
practices,
not
programs.;
in
PCS
the
terms
High-Impact
Professional
Development
and
Professional
Learning
are
synonymous
and
summarize
the
philosophy
that
guides
our
teacher
learning.
Current
research
concludes
that
PLCs
are
the
single
best
method
available
to
schools
to
improve
both
teacher
instruction
and
student
achievement
in
a
school
(Dufour,
et
al.,
2010;
Reeves,
2008;
Schmoker,
2006;
Schmoker,
2011;
Zepeda,
2012).
As
such,
Professional
Learning
Communities
(PLCs)
form
the
backbone
of
our
districts
professional
learning.
Pitt
County
Schools
believes
that
people
and
not
programs
empower
students
to
succeed
(Reeves,
2010).
As
such,
we
value,
protect,
and
prioritize
time
as
the
primary
method
for
instructional
improvement;
PLCs
are
not
something
we
do,
rather
they
are
how
we
do
what
we
do
-
namely,
ensuring
the
success
of
every
child
every
day.
Teachers
working
in
PLCs
make
data-informed
decisions
based
on:
An
agreed-on,
guaranteed
curriculum
Results
of
common
formative
assessments
given
at
specified
intervals
Data
is
then
used
to
inform:
Professional
learning
targeted
to
the
needs
of
individual
teachers
based
on
data
collected
from
student
achievement
and
teacher
performance,
and
Schedule
students
for
remediation
and/or
enrichment
based
on
their
unique
needs.
PLCs
cannot
fulfill
100%
of
the
staff
development
needs
in
our
district,
and,
as
additional
needs
are
identified,
small-group
and
whole-group
professional
learning
workshops
are
developed.
Workshops
are
application-based
and
align
to
the
best
practices
of
adult
learning
(Zepeda,
2012).
Workshops
should
not
be
one-shot
sessions
but
rather
should
be
sustained
throughout
the
year,
spiraling
deeper
and
deeper
into
core
concepts
so
that
teachers
become
masters
of
their
craft
and
experts
in
the
science
of
teaching
and
learning.
The
goal
of
workshops
is
not
mere
knowledge
transfer
but
deep
understanding
and
application
in
the
classroom;
in
short,
workshops
are
designed
to
facilitate
changes
in
Curriculum
(WHAT we
teach)
NCSCOS (CCSS &
NCES)
Curriculum Guides
Year at a Glance
Standard III
Science
Notebooking
Guided Reading
Reading/Math
Foundations
Literacy
21st Century
Skills
Summative
RBT
Assessment
PLCs
EOC/EOG
Benchmarks
Assessment of WHAT
students know (may or may
not have been learned in
the class)
Instruction
(HOW we
teach)
Thinking Maps
SIOP
9 High Yield
Strategies
Write from the
Beginning
Standard IV
Formative
Assessment
Read 3D
Assessment
(How We Know
What Was Learned)
Standard IV.H
Assessment of HOW
teachers taught; this drives
instruction
Figure 1: The model for the delivery of professional learning in Pitt County Schools
STATE
REQUIREMENTS
The
renewal
process
ensures
that
professional
school
personnel
continually
update
their
professional
knowledge
and
technical
competency.
Each
license
holder
is
responsible
for
knowing
and
satisfying
license
renewal
requirements.
Failure
to
renew
a
license
makes
an
individual
ineligible
for
employment.
The
State
Board
of
Education
has
approved
the
following
requirements
to
renew
the
Standard
Professional
2
license,
to
which
Pitt
County
Schools
Professional
Educators
must
adhere:
Professional
Educators
teaching
in
grades
K-8
(any
certification):
3
renewal
credit
for
literacy
3
renewal
credit
in
the
specific
academic
subject
area
and
2
general
credits
Total:
8
Credits
All
other
Licensed
Educators
(any
certification):
3
renewal
credit
in
the
specific
academic
subject
area
and
5
general
credits
Total:
8
Credits
Administrators:
3
credits
focused
on
the
school
executives
role
as
instructional,
human
resources
and
managerial
leader
5
general
credits
Total:
8
Credits
In
determining
whether
a
workshop/course
can
award
literacy
credits,
the
following
criteria
must
be
met:
The
course/workshop
must
be
aligned
directly
with
Standard
III.a
of
the
NC
Teacher
Evaluation
Rubric
The
instruction
must
focus
directly
on
teaching
reading
skills,
writing
skills,
or
literacy
in/through
the
content
area.
In
determining
whether
a
workshop/course
can
award
academic
credits,
the
following
criteria
must
be
met:
The
course/workshop
must
be
aligned
directly
with
Standard
III.b
of
the
NC
Teacher
Evaluation
Rubric
The
instruction
must
focus
directly
on
the
licensure
content
area.
A
unit
of
renewal
credit
is
equivalent
one
in-service
credit
from
a
North
Carolina
public
school
system.
Generally,
a
unit
reflects
ten
contact
hours.
The
DPI
Licensure
Section
does
not
accept
renewal
credits
of
less
than
one
unit
(10
hours).
For
a
professional
educator's
license
to
remain
current
all
credit
must
be
earned
by
the
expiration
date
of
the
existing
professional
educator's
license.
Individuals
can
earn
license
renewal
credit
through
several
options.
These
include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Renewal
credit
can
be
earned
by
taking
courses
through
any
accredited
college
or
university,
including
technical
and
community
colleges.
Credit
is
earned
as
follows:
A
quarter
hour
is
the
equivalent
of
1.0
renewal
credit.
A
semester
hour
is
equivalent
to
1.5
renewal
credits.
A
course
which
is
audited
(not
taken
for
college
credit)
cannot
be
used
for
renewal
credit.
The
school
system
reserves
the
right
to
deny
credit
for
course
work
not
related
to
ones
license
area
or
deemed
inappropriate
to
an
area
of
certification/professional
growth.
At
the
conclusion
of
the
course,
the
individual
must
submit
the
appropriate
form
on
My
Learning
Plan
as
well
as
send
a
transcript
to
the
Licensure
Specialist.
10
Participation in an Institute/Seminar/Conference
11
that
individuals
may
obtain
credit
for
these
activities
that
are
sustained
over
a
minimum
two
day
period
of
time
and
are
focused
on
recent
research
related
to
effective
instruction.
It
cannot
be
used
for
one
day
conferences.
Requests
for
CEUs
for
one
day
conferences
will
be
denied
unless
after
attending
the
conference
participants
are
able
to
demonstrate
how
the
conference
impacted
their
instruction.
1. The
attendee
must
request
prior-approval
at
least
two
weeks
before
the
conference
through
MLP
using
the
Prior
Approval
for
Conferences
form;
2. Once
the
form
has
been
submitted
in
MLP
it
will
be
reviewed
by
the
employees
principal/supervisor
as
well
as
the
districts
Professional
Learning
Specialist
and
Licensure
Specialist
before
it
is
approved;
3. Upon
completion
of
the
activity
it
is
the
employees
responsibility
to
mark
the
activity
complete
in
MLP
so
credit
can
be
granted;
proof
of
completion
is
to
be
submitted
to
the
employees
principal/supervisor.
The
employee
has
90
days
(or
the
end
of
the
current
school
year,
whichever
is
sooner)
to
mark
an
activity
complete
after
it
has
finished,
otherwise
credit
will
be
forfeited.
Credit
is
awarded
only
for
the
number
of
hours
participants
engage
in
professional
learning
and
does
not
include
breaks
between
sessions
or
for
meals.
Upon
completion
of
the
form
when
the
participant
returns
he/she
will
enter
the
hours
and
break-out
sessions
(if
any)
that
they
attended.
For
example,
day
one
of
a
conference
starts
at
8:00
and
ends
at
4:30.
If
the
teacher
attends
the
opening
session
from
8-10,
then
goes
to
the
exhibit
hall
from10-11,
has
lunch
from
11:30-12:30,
attends
break-out
session
from
1:00-2:30
and
3:00-4:30
he/she
will
receive
5
hours
of
credit
for
that
day
(2
hours
for
8-10
and
1.5
hours
for
the
1-2:30
and
3-4:30
sessions).
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
12
ONLINE
LEARNING
To
receive
credit
for
an
online
class,
the
professional
educator
must
request
prior-
approval
via
My
Learning
Plan
using
the
Prior
Approval
Online
Learning
form.
Online
courses
must
be
offered
through
an
established
educational
agency
and
often
(though
not
always)
require
a
fee
to
participate.
Effective
online
learning
requires
regular,
on-going
interaction
with
a
facilitator
and
other
class
members
and
should
include
the
completion
of
scored
assignments
(group
work,
research,
readings,
etc).
Examples
of
such
agencies
include
(but
are
not
limited
to):
LearnNC
Pitt
County
Schools
NC
Education
NC
Department
of
Public
Instruction
School
Improvement
Network
As
a
general
rule
credit
will
not
be
awarded
for
self-paced
online
learning
opportunities
(unless
sponsored
by
DPI).
Online
courses
taken
through
community
colleges
or
universities
resulting
in
college
credit
and
for
a
grade
are
not
considered
Online
Learning
opportunities
in
My
Learning
Plan
but
instead
must
be
submitted
in
MLP
via
the
College
Credit
form.
APPLICATION/IMPACT
CREDIT
13
14
Par9cipa9on
Instructor
Completes
A;endance
Demonstrate
classroom
implementa9on
(minimum
6
weeks)
Par9cipant
Submits
documenta9on
that
applica9on
lead
to
improvements
in
student
learning
(2x
CEUs
awarded)
Par9cipa9on
Demonstrate
classroom
implementa9on
(minimum
6
weeks)
Par9cipant
Submits
documenta9on
that
applica9on
lead
to
improvements
in
student
learning
(2x
CEUs
awarded)
16
17
4. Upon
completion
of
the
workshop
every
participant
must
complete
the
online
evaluation
form
in
MLP
within
30
days
(or
the
end
of
the
current
school
year,
whichever
is
sooner)
of
completion
of
the
workshop.
Participants
who
do
not
complete
the
evaluation
form
will
forfeit
any
credit
earned.
They
will
be
marked
present
but
they
will
not
receive
any
renewal
credit.
All
workshops,
whether
school
or
district
based,
are
managed
through
My
Learning
Plan
(MLP).
Facilitators
for
workshops
must
submit
a
Professional
Learning
Activity
Proposal
in
MLP
at
least
one
month
prior
to
the
date
of
the
training.
Once
the
proposal
has
been
approved
it
will
appear
in
the
district
catalogue
for
participants
to
register.
In
order
to
complete
the
proposal
process,
the
facilitator
must
submit
the
following
information
as
part
of
the
proposal
form
in
My
Learning
Plan
(see
Figure
2);
answers
to
these
questions
are
designed
to
assist
planners
as
they
design
professional
learning
for
participants:
18
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Activity
Title
Description
of
the
Activity
Description
of
expected
outcomes
for
both
teachers
and
students
Maximum
&
Minimum
Participants
Meeting
Date(s),
Time(s),
and
Location(s)
Number
of
clock
hours
to
be
awarded
(do
not
include
any
scheduled
breaks
or
meals
in
the
hours
to
be
awarded)
(must
be
at
least
10)
7. Breakdown
of
how
hours
should
be
awarded;
while
activities
can
offer
hours
in
different
areas
(Literacy,
Academic,
or
Principal),
the
sum
of
hours
must
equal
the
total
hours
given.
Example,
for
a
10
hour
course
5
hours
may
be
awarded
for
Literacy
and
5
for
Academic.
8. The
activity
must
be
aligned
to
the
NC
Teacher
Evaluation
Standards
(or
Principal
standards
if
it
is
to
offer
principal
renewal
hours)
and
goals
established
by
the
Pitt
County
Schools
Board
of
Education
a. Activities
that
award
literacy
credit
must
address
Standard
III.a
b. Activities
that
award
academic
credit
must
address
Standard
III.b
c. Activities
that
award
principal
credit
must
address
School
Executive
Standards
II,
IV,
or
V.
9. The
activity
should
include
a
plan
for
how
the
activity
will
be
evaluated
for
impact
and
extended
over
time
All
participants
must
sign-in
to
receive
credit
for
the
activity.
Upon
completion
of
the
activity
the
facilitator
will
enter
attendance
into
MLP.
19
20
21
22
PLCs
are
not
random
committee
meetings
that
lack
focus,
nor
are
they
team
or
content
meetings
that
lack
a
measurable
goal.
Rather,
all
effective
PLCs
are
results
driven
(Annenberg
Institute
for
School
Reform,
2004;
Dufour,
1997,
2004;
Schmoker,
2006,
2011),
meaning
they
focus
on
increasing
student
achievement
based
on
specific,
measurable
goals.
In
effective
PLCs,
Every
professional
in
the
building
must
engage
with
colleagues
in
the
ongoing
exploration
of
three
crucial
questions
that
drive
the
work
of
those
within
a
professional
learning
community:
What
do
we
want
each
student
to
learn?
How
will
we
know
when
each
student
has
learned
it?
How
will
we
respond
when
a
student
experiences
difficulty
in
learning?
(Dufour,
2004)
PLC
meetings,
while
they
are
focused
on
data
and
how
teachers
impact
student
achievement,
may
look
different
from
school
to
school
but
the
basic
component
of
measuring
on-going
progress
towards
a
common,
specific,
and
measurable
goal
will
remain
consistent
across
the
district.
Perhaps
Richard
Dufour
summarizes
it
best
when
he
writes,
The
Professional
Learning
Community
model
flows
from
the
assumption
that
the
core
mission
of
formal
education
is
not
simply
to
ensure
that
students
are
taught
but
to
ensure
that
they
learn.
This
simple
shift
from
a
focus
on
teaching
to
a
focus
on
learning
has
profound
implications
for
schools[because
PLCs]
judge
their
effectiveness
on
the
basis
of
[increased
student
achievement]
resultsworking
together
to
improve
student
achievement
becomes
the
routine
work
of
everyone
in
the
school.
Every
teacher
team
participates
in
an
ongoing
process
of
identifying
the
current
level
of
student
achievement,
establishing
a
goal
to
improve
the
current
level,
working
together
to
achieve
that
goal,
and
providing
periodic
evidence
of
progress.
(Dufour,
2004)
23
24
REFERENCES
Annenberg
Institute
for
School
Reform.
(2004).
Professional
Learning
Communities.
Retrieved
from
http://annenberginstitute.org/sites/default/files/product/270/files/ProfLearning.
pdf
Dufour,
R.
(1997).
Functioning
as
Learning
Communities
Enables
Schools
to
Focus
on
Student
Achievement.
Journal
of
Staff
Development,
18,
5657.
Dufour,
R.
(2004).
What
is
a
Professional
Learning
Community?
Educational
Leadership,
61(8).
Dufour,
R.,
Dufour,
R.,
Eaker,
R.,
&
Many,
T.
(2010).
Learning
by
Doing
(2nd
Edition.).
Bloomington,
IN:
Solution
Tree.
Easton,
L.
B.
(2011).
Professional
Learning
Communities
by
Design.
Thousand
Oaks,
CA:
Corwin
Press.
Guskey,
T.
R.
(2000).
Evaluating
Professional
learning.
Thousand
Oaks,
CA:
Corwin
Press.
Guskey,
T.,
&
Yoon,
K.
S.
(2009).
What
Works
in
Professional
learning?
Phi
Delta
Kappan,
90(7),
495500.
Jessup,
S.
(2007).
Professional
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