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A Parent's Guide to
Professional Development Standards for New Jersey Teachers

 

"We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet." - Margaret Mead

What is professional development?

Sometimes called staff development, professional development is the term used to describe a variety of opportunities to continually learn, update and improve the knowledge and skills of any professional.

Why do parents need to know about professional development for teachers?

Teachers and parents are the adults who have the most direct impact on children and how well they learn. As a parent, you need to know about the changes in your child’s classroom: the new learning expectations; the plans that the school has for helping teachers continually improve their practice; and the effects of these plans on your child's education.

New state regulations provide guidelines to New Jersey teachers about the type and amount of professional development they must acquire to best help your child learn. The regulations went into effect on September 1, 2000 and require teachers and educational services personnel to earn 100 hours of professional development credit within five years.

What do the new guidelines do?

The guidelines, called Standards for Professional Development for NJ Teachers, serve two main purposes:

1. The Professional Development Standards explain what teachers need to know and be able to do in order to help students reach the new learning standards in New Jersey.

2. The new Professional Development Standards define the important components of effective professional development for teachers, so that the providers of those services will improve the quality of offerings to NJ teachers.

What is the benefit for your child?

The new learning standards for New Jersey students called Core Curriculum Content Standards and Cross- Content Workplace Readiness Skills, are designed to enable students to learn new things in new ways in order to meet the challenges of the modern workplace.

For children's learning to meet the new standards, their teachers must continually monitor and adapt teaching methods. Professional development provides teachers with the skills and knowledge that are critical for continued effectiveness at teaching students the new education standards.

How can parents be an important part of the community of learners?

Parents play an integral role in assisting student learning. In fact, all of the adults who are important in a child’s education need to keep learning. Any adult who comes in contact with your children has an opportunity to influence them.

As a parent, you need to continually improve your understanding about your child's school. You need to understand how the education that your child receives relates to the new expectations for an excellent education. You need to know about the curriculum, which means that you need to be aware of what the school is teaching and why the expectations have changed.

It is true, schools must play their part by giving you information and encouraging you to assist in your child's learning. The school should give you an explanation of the subjects and skills that your child needs to learn when he/she reaches each grade level, along with some specific directions, so that you can participate in the development of those skills.

There are many ways that an effective partnership can be built between home and school. When you are informed, you can play the important role of education partner by supporting what your child's teacher does in the classroom.

It is only when you have this information that you will be able to participate fully in making your child’s education successful and in meaningful decision-making at your child’s school.

What can parents, students and community members expect?

Teachers and their supervisors will be actively involved in implementing the requirements of the professional development initiative. The results of exceptional teaching are most often visible to the public through student achievement, in evidence through measurable results. Generally speaking, you may not notice any dramatic or immediate changes in your child's day-to-day classroom experience. However, you will ultimately notice the improvements in education because of the higher expectations for both learning and teaching.

 

The following are some possible changes that you may notice:

  • Increased professional time - Your child’s school calendar may contain an increase in the number of inservice days scheduled for the staff. All children will still be offered at least 180 days of education each year, as required by law, but you may need to plan for a few extra days of childcare during the school year.

  • Professional development during preparation periods - If you previously were offered an opportunity to meet with your child's teacher during his/her "prep" period during the school day, scheduling such meetings during a teacher's workday may become more of a challenge. These preparation periods during a teacher's normal workday will often be used for professional development such as teacher research, observing a new teaching technique, or other job-embedded activities. Your child's teacher knows how important communication is between home and school and will provide opportunities for you to freely communicate about your child.

  • Occasional professional days - Your child may come home from school and tell you that a substitute teacher was in the classroom. Just as in the business community, many training sessions and workshops are only offered during the regular workday. This may mean that from time to time your child's regular teacher may need to be away from the classroom in order to attend a professional development event that will improve her/his ability to teach your child. Your school district will provide qualified substitute teachers for these few situations.

  • More professionals in the classroom - If you visit your child's classroom, you may notice other educators in the room. These professionals may be involved in observation and evaluation of the teacher's skills. Often, teachers learn best from other teachers who are creatively applying new teaching concepts in an actual classroom rather than in a workshop or seminar. So, while students are learning academic content from the teacher, the adults are learning new content, teaching methods, and practices.

  • Changes in tradition - As your child's teacher learns new, exciting and effective ways to help your child learn, you or your child may notice a midyear change in the teacher's practice. Helping your child adjust to any changes will ensure that he/she will benefit from the teacher's new skills and knowledge. If you have an older child who had the same teacher, you may notice differences in the way that the teacher handles a variety of instructional or classroom situations after participating in additional professional development.

  • A possible budget impact - When your school district makes plans for offering additional professional development to the staff, it may need to realign budget line items or look for additional funding sources to provide the types of experiences that will ultimately help the children in the district. Parents and community members can feel confident that supporting funding changes for professional development of teachers will ultimately enhance the quality of education for all children in their schools.

  • Local issues and needs - In order for a teacher's professional development to have the most impact on your child's learning, it must be designed to meet local and individual needs. It is important to understand that this is a statewide initiative, but the teachers in your school district will be learning about the specific issues that will bring the most benefit to the children in your community. Your schools may have different needs from the schools in a neighboring community, and, therefore, will have a unique, individually tailored local professional development plan.

What are the effects on student learning?

Numerous national experts have documented the relationship between effective professional development for teachers and improved student learning.

When designing the new Professional Development Standards, NJ education leaders consulted with national experts to develop specific requirements that will ensure a positive impact on your child's learning and future success.

Children are motivated to achieve when learning is valued by families, schools and communities working together in partnership. We must all keep our focus on children as we find new ways to best help them learn.

How can you foster parent, family and community involvement?
  • Parents and community members can communicate their support for high-quality professional development for teachers to their local school board members. In this way your elected representatives will know that you desire and expect your child, as well as every child in your community, to receive the best education available.
  • Individuals serving on local district site-based management teams can prioritize professional development for teachers as a way to improve student learning.
  • Mutual respect and two-way communication are important as you develop your relationship between home and school. Share interesting education information, as it relates to your child, with your child's teacher. By providing ideas and input in a meaningful way, you can let the staff know that you support and encourage them.

Resources and Information

Core Curriculum Content Standards and Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Standards for NJ Students: www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/

Core Curriculum Content Standards for Students with Severe Disabilities: www.state.nj.us/education/specialed/cccsssd800.pdf

Findings from national experts, resources, and other important information on Professional Development for NJ Teachers: www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/

National Staff Development Council: http://www.nsdc.org/parentindex.htm

You may also access this information by sending a request to:

Office of Standards & Professional Development
c/o NJ Professional Teaching Standards Board
NJ Department of Education
PO Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500