struggling teachers improve with pd - pd 360 case study
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8/4/2019 Struggling Teachers Improve with PD - PD 360 Case Study
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Small Virginia District
Increases TeacherEnthusiasm for PD
PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, VIRGINIA
Case StudySchool Improvement Network
DISTRICT PROFILE
Petersburg City Public Schools (PCPS) is located in
Petersburg, Virginia, along the eastern seaboard just 23
miles south of the state capital, Richmond. It is a small
district with a student population of 4,630 in seven
schools.
FOCUS
PCPS, like many districts, has experienced difculties.
• PCPS did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
for the 2009-2010 school year and had four Title I
schools.
• PCPS did not meet full Standards of Learning (SOL)accreditation.
• PCPS had the highest dropout rate in central Virginia,
with 19.2 percent of the Class of 2010 not making it
to graduation. However, that number marked a sharp
drop from 2008 when 31.1 percent of potential
graduates dropped out.
SOLUTION
PCPS Staff Development Coordinator, Gail Wade, was
anxious to assist struggling teachers and thereby benetstudents. She wanted a cost effective single source that
would provide many avenues of professional devel-
opment (PD) for all educators. School Improvement
Network, the producers of PD 360, contacted her with
an invitation to learn more in an area User Group and to
sample a free trial to see it for herself. She quickly real -
ized it was a perfect answer for the district’s PD.
ABOUT PD 360
PD 360 is an on-demand library of professional teacher
development resources that leverages technology to
make professional learning more effective, convenient,
and sustainable. With over 200 hours of research-based
video content, plus tools for follow-up, tracking, reec -
tion, and group training, PD 360 is the most comprehen
sive solution to your professional teacher development
needs.
More than 600,000 educators across North America
already use PD 360 to access individualized support on
the most relevant topics, like differentiation, minority
student achievement, English language learners, class-room instruction that works, leadership, assessment,
and many more. PD 360’s content is divided into hun-
dreds of indexed and searchable segments that make
it easy for teachers, administrators, aspiring leaders,
coaches, mentors, paraprofessionals, and professional
learning communities to nd the answers they need.
New content is continually added to keep you up-to-date
See a demonstration at www.pd360.com.
DRIVING USAGE AND IMPLEMENTATION
Ms. Wade has created an ideal paradigm by leading an
excellent PD 360 implementation and the usage num-
bers of PCPS educators reect it.
> First Year Implementation
• PD 360 CHAMPIONS user group was formed to
assist with implementation and to oversee usage at
each school site. They were the rst in the district to
be trained.
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• PD 360 CHAMPIONS met on a monthly basis
throughout the year to discuss implementation and
usage of PD 360 at the school level, network with
each other for support and new ideas, learn about
new features, create reports, and receive additional
training and support.
• One person was identied from each school to
serve as the PD 360 Point of Contact (POC) for the
school. The PD 360 POC is responsible for guiding
the implementation at the school level.
• Teachers and staff were assigned to watch videos
that aligned with a school initiative. Follow-up and
discussions on the assignments were done in grade
level or team meetings and/or faculty meetings.
> Focus Objectives
• Division level administrators set focus objectives
for the PCPS division based on instructional needs
and district initiatives.
• Principals set focus objectives that are aligned
with the district’s objectives, as well as their school
improvement plan that focuses on individual school
needs.
>Struggling Teachers
Every teacher has a yearly evaluation with their princi-
pal when they decide together which modules will be
worked on in the coming year. This information be-
comes a part of the teacher’s evaluation process.
>Group Training
Principals are excited to have collaborative viewing read-
ily available. They use PD 360 videos to show in small
group, large group, and faculty meetings to illustrateinstructional strategies and learning.
>Second Year Implementation
Additional PD 360 training for administrators and PD 360
Champions includes plans to:
• Provide updates and additional training on existing
features in PD 360.
• Provide updates and additional training on setting
focus objectives and the reporting features.
• Provide instructions and information about how to
use and access new and additional features(Learning Communities, Groups, and collaborative
viewing) and content in PD 360.
• Support increased and expanded use of PD 360.
>Second Year Goals
All school staffs will be trained on the new features in PD
360 and learn more about the Learning Community and
Groups features.
• School administrators will set new focus objectives
for this school year and they will begin to use the
Learning Community and Groups features.
• The Learning Community and Groups features will
be used at the district level.
• PD 360 Champions will meet on a monthly basis
and continue to monitor and support successful
implementation in schools.
BENEFITS
> First Year District Usage Summary
• 413 registered users
• 38,522 minutes viewed
• 2,660 programs viewed
• 7,026 learning segments viewed
• 8,637 reection questions answered
• 5,350 follow-up questions answered
> Educator Enthusiasm
PCPS teachers have been very happy with PD 360.
They were given an end-of-year survey concerning their
experiences.
• Of those who responded to the survey 90%
indicated that they spent 25-40 minutes per week
accessing professional development using PD 360.
• Asked when they use PD 360
• About half responded that they used it mostlyat home
• About half responded that they used it mostly
at work
• The top three advantages cited in PD 360 usage
• Ease of use
• Accessibility
• Use of real classroom examples/variety
of instructional strategies
> Cost Effective
PD 360 has been very cost-effective for PCPS. The
expenditure is much less than traditional PD and can bepurchased with a variety of funding sources available to
districts and schools, including Title I, II, III, IV, V, VII, state
funds, foundation funds, federal and state grant monies,
math funds, reading funds, technology funds, etc.
> Customizable
PD 360 can be customized to align with state, district,
and school requirements and initiatives in the coming
year. As teachers and administrators use these aligned
segments, they can actually see what the standards
and best practices look like when implemented in real
classrooms.
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“PD 360 is a positive tool for principals. They feel
empowered because they now have the tools they
need to lead teacher focus and they are able to be PD
directors themselves.”
Gail Wade
Staff Development Coordinator
Petersburg City Public Schools, VA
> Individual Needs/Differentiated LearningProfessional development should meet the diversity of
teacher needs and not be a one-time, one-size-ts-all
event, but rather an evolving process of reection and
growth that is sustained in communities of practice, and
focused on job-embedded responsibilities. As questions
and situations arise in classrooms, teachers can easily
nd answers in PD 360 to improve teaching and give
support when needed instead of waiting for workshops.
> Individual Accountability
With PD 360, teachers are responsible for their own
professional growth and administrators can ensure
that it happens consistently with PD 360’s integratedtracking, reporting, and follow-up. This strengthens
teacher commitment that translates into positive
changes in the classroom.
>Real Classroom Examples
PCPS teachers like being able to see real classroom
examples that show how to implement the strategies
they are taught. The wide varieties from across the
country are essential as teachers can actually see how
to implement best practices in their own classroom
management.
> Interactive Communities
PD 360 Learning Communities allow PCPS teachersto communicate and collaborate with other teachers.
Through it, they can present each other with
implementation ideas, participate in discussion forums,
upload lesson plans, and share Web links to helpful
resources. Educators can share best practices, learn
from one another, and eliminate classroom isolation
regardless of location. Learning Communities can be
created as public or private domains.
>Real Experts
Over 120 respected education experts are available at
each teacher’s ngertips whenever they need them.
PCPS no longer has the frustration of not sendingeveryone to conferences because of the high costs
associated with them. Now, educators do not have to
wait to attend workshops and conferences; yet can learn
from the best authorities.
The district has had great experiences with PD 360 in
its rst year and it has become a vital part of the PCPS
professional development program. Ms. Wade and the
Staff Development department praise it as an integral
ingredient in their accomplishments such as:
• Four schools are now accredited, one is accredited
with warning.
• Peabody Middle School is accredited for the
rst time.
• The decline in the dropout rate from 31.1 to 19.2
percent is enormous and crucial for the success of
PCPS students.
PCPS is moving forward and learning more about the
possibilities of PD 360 and how to delve deeper into its
usage. Moreover, as the district reaches its potential,
the students will be the victors.
“I am a true advocate for PD 360 -- and so are my
Champions. It has denitely provided more quality PD
than our district could afford if purchased separately.
We are completely passionate because we see the great
potential of PD 360 and highly recommend it.”
Gail Wade
Staff Development Coordinator
Petersburg City Public Schools, VA
ABOUT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK
The School Improvement Network is the leading pro-
vider of teacher education and teacher training, spe-
cializing in on-demand, research-based professional
development anytime, anywhere. As the home of The
Video Journal of Education, PD 360, and the Leader-
ship and Learning Framework, School Improvement
Network’s education training resources focus on the
most relevant topics, such as classroom management.
The resources also feature top experts such as Michael
Fullan and Douglas Reeves, and show how to put theory
into practice. With its focus on long-term improvement,
sustainability, and greater internal capacity, the School
Improvement Network helps its clients close achieve-ment gaps, meet high standards and increase student
learning for both elementary education and secondary
education.
To learn more about School Improvement Network’s
dynamic resources, visit www.schoolimprovement.com.
CONCLUSION
To read more case studies, scan this QRcode with a smartphone or visit www.schoolimprovement.com/casestudies