Professional Development Standards
Draft
AALPD Quality Professional Development Standards
(updated 3.20.08)
Setting
the Context for Professional Development Standards
In 2006 the Association of Adult Literacy Professional
Developers (AALPD) identified the development of quality
standards in professional development as a priority area.
Over the last year, an AALPD committee formed to research
and draft a set of professional development standards.
These standards, in conjunction with the AALPD policies
http://aalpd.org/priorities_pdpolicies.htm,
are designed to enhance professional development systems
at the state and local levels.
The
policies provide the infrastructure to support access
and participation of adult basic education, literacy and
ESOL practitioners and administrators in professional
development. They provide the support, structure, and
resources for professional development. The standards
define the characteristics of quality professional development
that develops effective and reflective adult educators.
The
proposed AALPD standards can be used:
-
By
state ABE leadership to set a vision for professional
development
-
By
professional developers to guide them as they design
and deliver professional development activities
-
By
practitioners to help them understand the characteristics
of effective professional development
In
drafting professional development standards in adult education,
the committee reviewed other professional development
standards initiatives (e.g., National Council on Staff
Development http://www.nsdc.org/standards/index.cfm
and Colorado Statewide Systemic Initiative for Mathematics
and Science); standards developed by states for adult
education and K-12 education (e.g., Massachusetts draft
professional development standards, New Jersey, South
Carolina); and research in the field.
The
standards reflect findings from two primary research studies
on professional development.
-
How
Teachers Change: Study of Professional Development
in Adult Education, conducted by the National Center
for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL).
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=23#pd
-
Findings
from the Evaluation of the Eisenhower Professional
Development Program as cited in Garet, M. S., Porter,
A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon,
K. S. (2001). What makes professional development
effective? Results from a national sample of teachers.
American Educational Research Journal, 38, 915-945.What
makes PD Effective: Results from a National Sample
of Teachers http://aztla.asu.edu/ProfDev1.pdf
The
standards are broad guidelines for providing quality professional
development experiences. Therefore, the committee has
also developed a set of indicators for each standard to
operationalize the standards in adult education.
The next phase in the standards development process will
be to gain feedback from adult educators. The draft standards
will be placed on the AALPD web site http://www.aalpd.org
for review and comment. The National Institute for Literacy
(NIFL) will host a discussion of quality professional
development standards on the professional development
discussion list November 12 - 30, 2007, where subscribers
will review and discuss the AALPD draft standards. Click
here for details: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/07QStandards.html
Feedback
may also be emailed direct to Renee Sherman at rsherman@air.org
.
