School District of Philadelphia

CHANGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ACT 48 AND PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

Who is Affected?

All educators holding Pennsylvania public school certification including:

o Educational Specialist I and II, o Administrative, o Supervisory, o Letters of Eligibility,o Vocational certificates,o Non-certified teachers and administrators employed by

charter schools

3 MAJOR CHANGES

Revisions to the ACT 48 Law of 1999 now require that the 180 hours of professional development be in the areas of:

1. CONTENT KNOWLEDGE ALIGNED WITH THE EDUCATOR’S AREA OF CERTIFICATION

2. TEACHING PEDAGOGY/PRACTICES

3. MEETING THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE LEARNERS

When Does the Reporting Cycle Begin?

The first cycle began July 1, 2000 and ended June 30, 2005

We are currently in the second cycle that began July 1, 2005 and will end June 30, 2010.

Those entering the system after the beginning of a cycle will have five years from date of issuance of initial certificate.

Guideline changes will be effective for the 2008-2009 school year.

CONTENT CRITERIAEarly Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Educators

(including Special Education)

Building knowledge of literacy, mathematics and science-specific content

Building knowledge of specific content in other areas covered by the PA academic standards, for teachers who are assigned to those areas

Curriculum development aligned with PA standards

Data analysis training (all aspects of assessment and evaluation)

Courses taken outside of an area of certification or work assignment, except for school administration

Any course/program for personal growth or alternative career

Teacher/parent/student conferences, grade book analysis, and preparation for report cards

Workshops/seminars about subject not applicable to increasing student achievement

Repeating a course or program unless it has significantly changed its focus or approach

Repeat of awareness-level introductory courses, e.g., Introduction to Computers

ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

TEACHING PRACTICES CRITERIAEarly Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Educators

(including Special Education)

Training in assessing students and analyzing student data to implement effective change in instruction

Observing exemplary school and classroom practices and collaboratively designing instructional strategies based on analysis of the observed experience

Training to align and embed literacy, mathematics and science standards and instructional strategies within other academic content areas

Acquiring secondary strategies to increase student engagement and personalize learning

Training in how to create safe and welcoming learning environments Improving, understanding of the academic, social, emotional and physical needs

of the individual learner Developing knowledge and skills in how to involve families and other stakeholder

in the educational process Training in dealing with non-academic issues that may effect learning (grief

counseling, intervening in student-on-student harassment, etc.) School- or district-wide planning (strategic, professional development, induction,

special education, school improvement, technology and student support, wellness)

ACCEPTABLE

TEACHING PRACTICES CRITERIAEarly Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Educators

(including Special Education)

Instruction time, serving as a mentor or cooperating teacher Attending administrative faculty meetings with

superintendent or principal Supervision of school field trips Tutoring Tours of school buildings Preparing and presenting college course lessons Extra curricular assignments (coaching or advising of

sports, drama, debate, clubs or student government)

UNACCEPTABLE

Act 48 Percentage Requirements for Teachers of Special Education

“All teachers certified in Special Education are encouraged

to obtain at least half (50%) of their required hours for Act 48

in one or more academic content areas.”

MEETING THE NEEDS OF DIVERSE LEARNERS CRITERIA

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Educators (including Special Education)

All certified teachers should participate in continued education focused on enhancing their ability to teach diverse learners in the least restrictive environment – with a focus on students who are below proficient or below grade-level.

Activities may include:

o Intervening for struggling studentso Diagnosing students’ educational needso Making appropriate accommodations and adaptations in curriculumo Academic content and materialso Studies about teaching limited English language learners

School CounselorsAll elementary, middle and secondary school counselors will be expected to

participate in content-specific professional development applicable to their assigned level of work over the course of the Professional Education Plan.

Examples of Acceptable Activities:

o Advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access , equity, and success for students

Training that provides an understanding of the cultural context of relationships, issues and trends in a multicultural, diverse society

oStudy of developmental disorders

o Training to disaggregate data in relation to student achievement

o Working with instructional teams to develop curriculum/lesson plans

o Training that builds capacity to collaborate with teams of teachers, school leadership and parents

o Design and implementation of a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program

School CounselorsAll elementary, middle and secondary school counselors will be expected to participate

in content-specific professional development applicable to their assigned level of work over the course of the Professional Education Plan.

Examples of Acceptable Activities:

o Training in the facilitation and evaluation of advisory programs

oTraining that deals with special needs like homelessness, adolescent depression, etc.

oCareer development program: planning, organization, implementation, administration and evaluation

oSchool or district wide planning and team planning activities (strategic, professional development, induction, special education, school improvement, technology, student support, and wellness) with other professional employees, where those professional employees are receiving Act 48 credit

Undefined counselor workshops Sheltered workshop visitation Undefined district meeting Sorting PSSA reports Undefined hot topics seminar Supervision of visits to career sites/colleges Career Day monitoring Parents Anonymous Meeting Community center evening work Undefined independent studies abroad

School Counselors

Unacceptable

Educational Specialists

o Identifying the health and social services needs and assets of students, families, schools and communities by using various types of data

o Training to acquire health risk reduction and prevention strategieso Study of school-based health programs at state and national levelso Student Assistance Program trainingo Learning how to implement school-wide programs and classroom management

strategies designed to improve student conducto Studies related to cross-organizational professional development on social and health

services issueso Prevention training on contemporary health issues affecting school age childreno Training for emergency preparedness: CPR/AED training and certification updateso Professional education programs that grant Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for

purpose of licensureo School- or district-wide planning (strategic, professional development, induction,

special education, school improvement, technology and student support, wellness

ACCEPTABLE

o Independent studieso Union related bargaining behavior studies

UNACCEPTABLE

Educational Specialists

School and District Administrators(and others seeking administrative roles)

Training to facilitate staff analysis of student work

Training in related strategies, curricula and programs that meet student academic needs

Effective coaching practices for proven strategies that boost student performance

Identify the needs of student subgroups and effective strategies for meeting those needs

Training to implement state school improvement planning processes

Collaborative work with parents and community partners to develop collective efforts focused on achievement rate of student subgroups

IU Superintendent Meetings Equipment Expositions Undefined off-site retreats Sorting PSSA reports Hot Topics Career Day Monitoring Supervision of visits of career

sites/colleges

ACCEPTABLE UNACCEPTABLE

Induction for Newly Appointed Principals

Pennsylvania Inspired Leadership (PIL) Legislation (Effective January 1, 2008)

Requires New Principal Induction within 5 years of appointment as: Principal, Vice-Principal or Assistant Principal (Provided by PDE or by SDP)

Requires professional development for school leaders aligned with PA School Leadership Standards

Professional Development Activities

An activity could be a course, a multi-session program, or other specific planned set of activities or instruction – each must be documented:

COURSE(S) - series of lessons offered by a college/university or intermediate unit (14 hours of study and 16 homework hours)

PROGRAM(S) - series of related continuing professional education events with a common theme and outcome - at least 3.5 hours in length

ACTIVITIES - components of programs such as training sessions, specific and relevant conference sessions, walk-throughs, and the alignment of curriculum and standards

Provider Types

All Schools and Intermediate Units (IUs that submit a Professional Education Plan) The School District of Philadelphia is IU 26.

Institutions of higher education Professional Associations – Non-profit

organizations Corporations, partnerships, limited liability

companies Individuals

Professional Development Provider Criteria

Clear objectives Design based upon Adult Learning Theory Content is within approved area of educator’s

certification Aligned to PA Standards (Early Learning,

Kindergarten and Academic) Curriculum based on research or best practices End of course assessment Survey that assesses participant satisfaction Evaluation to determine impact of student learning

and school success

Monitoring Your ACT 48

Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website at

www.pde.state.pa.us

go to the ACT 48 Reporting System get your Professional Personnel ID (PPID) check your credits

New Act 48 Guidelines….

All parties will be held responsible for their role in the process.

- Educators MORE ACCOUNTABLE for their own continuing education credits

- Districts MORE ACCOUNTABLE for their plans, and

- Providers MORE ACCOUNTABLE for the professional development they deliver

THE KEY QUESTION

DO THE HOURS ALREADY ACCUMULATED

STILL COUNT?

YES !Once the District’s new Professional Education Plan is approved for the 2008-2009 school year,

then all accumulated Act 48 hours will conform to the new guidelines.

More Information

Visit the PDE website and click on the ACT 48 reporting system link, scroll down to provider information and click on ACT 48 FAQs to find:

Updated ACT 48 questions and answers Provider Guidelines Professional Education Plan Guidelines

CONTACT INFORMATION

Office of Leadership and Professional DevelopmentWanda Graham - wgraham@phila.k12.pa.us

215-400-4280

Office of Human Resources, Act 48 OfficeAct48@phila.k12.pa.us

Pennsylvania Department of Education - www.pde.state.pa.us

Division of Professional Development 333 Market Street 8th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333

717-772-4944