CREIGHTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 14
PERS11 - Professional Development: Required Staff Development
Section P - Personnel
PROFESSIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT
The District actively promotes and supports professional development for certificated teachers and speech therapists. Professional development should be research-based, job-embedded, systemic, and transferable to the classroom. It should encourage reflection on current practices and provide valuable knowledge about content, pedagogy, and students.
In-District professional development opportunities may include, within budgetary limitations, special training courses, workshops, school visitations, and assistance from supervisors and consultants. Certificated employees may also participate in professional development activities outside of District offerings, such as university coursework and conferences.
The Superintendent will establish protocols for professional growth levels, salary advancement based on professional growth, and guidelines for acceptable professional growth credit.
In-District Professional Development Opportunities
The Superintendent or designee may establish in-district professional development courses for certificated teachers and speech therapists. These courses, if completed outside of work hours, may be eligible for salary advancement credit, similar to university coursework, provided they meet the following criteria:
- The course content, scope, quality, and level must be equivalent to college-level work.
- The instructor must be qualified to teach at the college level.
The Superintendent or designee will set guidelines for selecting and approving such courses for credit. Attendance will be recorded, and credit will only be granted if the teacher successfully completes the assigned coursework.
If the District compensates the certificated teacher or speech therapist for attending in-district professional development courses, no credit will be allowed for salary advancement.
Out-of-District Professional Development Opportunities
Certificated teachers and speech therapists may receive credit toward salary movement for successfully completing approved university coursework and other out-of-district training activities taken outside of work hours.
If the District compensates the employee for attending out-of-district professional development activities, no credit will be allowed for salary advancement.
(Legal References)
A.R.S.
15-342
PROFESSIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
The following regulation is written with the intent that professional development will benefit students and the District as an end product.
Professional Growth Levels
Certificated Teachers
The District's certificated teacher salary system reflects additional pay for completion of approved coursework beyond a bachelor's degree. Acquiring this coursework is intended to improve the effectiveness of the teacher. The certificated teacher salary system includes the following professional growth levels:
- Level 1: Bachelor's degree
- Level 2: Bachelor's degree, plus fifteen (15) semester hours
- Level 3: Either of the following:
- Master's degree in education or related field, or
- Bachelor's degree, plus thirty-four (34) semester hours
- Level 4: Either of the following:
- Master's degree in education or related field, plus fifteen (15) semester hours, or
- Bachelor's degree, plus forty-nine (49) semester hours
- Level 5: Either of the following:
- Master's degree in education or related field, plus thirty (30) semester hours, or
- Bachelor's degree, plus sixty-four (64) semester hours
Professional Growth Advancement within the Salary System
The following procedures apply to a teacher or speech therapist who accrues professional growth credits after his or her initial salary placement and desires to advance via the appropriate salary system:
A. For activities that occur outside of District offerings, such as university coursework and in-service or specialty training sessions, the teacher/speech therapist is requested to complete a Course/Credit Approval Form prior to the event. One (1) form per course or training session is required. A form is not required for in-District professional growth activities. B. The completed Course/Credit Approval Form should be submitted to the Director of Professional Development for approval. C. If there are no questions regarding the Course/Credit Approval Form, the Director of Professional Development will sign and date the form and return it to the teacher/speech therapist. D. If there are questions or concerns, the Director of Professional Development will contact the employee or submit the request to the Professional Growth Appeal Committee for further discussion and recommendation. E. Upon completion of the course or training event, the teacher/speech therapist must return a copy of the signed, approved Course/Credit Approval Form, attached to the official documentation of completion, to the Human Resources Department. F. Teachers/speech therapists must record their completed course information on the Professional Growth Register Form and submit it to Human Resources for inclusion in their personnel file. If they believe they qualify for a salary increase, they must submit a Request to Review Credits for Salary Advancement Form. G. Professional growth courses/training events must be completed by August 31 and recorded by October 1 for salary advancement at the beginning of the school year. Any pay increase will be retroactive to the first paycheck of the work year. H. Professional growth courses/training events must be completed by January 15 and recorded by February 16 for salary advancement at the halfway point of the work year. I. Salary advancement paperwork will be processed as expeditiously as possible by Human Resources, but there is no guarantee that it will be processed by the salary advancement effective date. J. Discrepancies in professional growth salary advancement should be promptly reported to Human Resources. Salary adjustments will be made effective only in the current fiscal year.
Guidelines for Acceptable Credit
Professional growth credit shall be granted for approved graduate hours earned and accepted at an accredited college or university. Approved undergraduate courses shall be limited to the employee's teaching assignment and to other curricular areas taught in the District. Ultimately, an approved course must assist the employee in improving service to students or the District.
The following limits and exceptions will apply:
A. All courses must have prior approval from the Director of Professional Development (except for in-District professional growth activities). B. Surplus undergraduate courses taken prior to completing a bachelor's degree shall not be accepted for professional growth credit. C. Any given course may be taken a maximum of two (2) times for credit. D. Arizona and federal constitution courses required for teacher certification are unacceptable. E. A minimum of a "C" grade or its equivalent, or a passing score in a pass/fail course, is required for the course to apply for credit on the salary program. F. Employees compensated by the District for attending courses may not use those credits for salary advancement. G. Credit for conventions, conferences, or workshops may be accumulated by clock hour (fifteen [15] clock hours equaling one [1] District credit).
Professional Development Activities for Certification Renewal
The following activities, completed either during regular work hours or outside of regular work hours, may be used to satisfy professional development requirements for certificate renewal:
| Activity | Documentation Required |
|---|---|
| College Course | Official transcripts from an accredited university/institution (One [1] College Credit = fifteen [15] Clock Hours) |
| In-Service Training | Written verification from the sponsoring district or school stating date(s) and the number of clock hours earned |
| Professional Conference/Workshop | Conference agenda and statement or certificate from sponsoring organization indicating clock hours earned (Maximum of thirty [30] Clock Hours per Year) |
| Business Internship | Written verification by sponsoring business and district/school, including dates and the number of clock hours earned (Maximum of eighty [80] Clock Hours Total) |
| Educational Research | Published report of research or verification by sponsoring agency, including dates and the number of clock hours earned |
| Leadership Position | Written verification by the governing body of the professional organization, including dates of service and the number of clock hours earned (Maximum of thirty [30] Clock Hours per Year) |
| Accreditation Team | Written verification from accreditation agency, including dates of service and the number of clock hours earned (Maximum of sixty [60] Clock Hours per Year) |
| National Board Certification | Written verification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and a statement from the employing district or school, including dates and clock hours earned during the certification process |
Recertification
Each employee whose position requires Arizona Department of Education (ADE) certification is responsible for maintaining a valid certificate. The following provides an overview of professional development requirements for certificate renewal:
- Activities must represent professional growth (related to education) and provide training to improve teaching or administrative skills.
Renewal of Speech-Language Pathologist Certificate
The District will comply with the rules determined by the Arizona Department of Education. Professional development activities in the field of speech pathology may include topics such as articulation, voice, fluency, language, disabilities, curriculum, instruction, and ethics.
Recertification Recordkeeping
Each certificated employee is responsible for maintaining a record of professional development activities for recertification and should record activities on the Teacher/Administrator Certificate Renewal Professional Development Activity Record.
Recertification Procedures
Employees should contact the Human Resources Department for detailed information on recertification procedures.