Measuring Teacher Growth in Beliefs and Behaviors During a Sustained Professional Development Experience

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Evaluating Teacher Professional Development Experiences

Abstract

In this study, the authors examined how a sustained, site-based professional development intervention model shifted teachers’ classroom practice. The current study details the scale of indicators predicative of teachers’ engagement in and growth from such professional development. To assess teachers’ engagement, observers used the “Voluntary Sustained Professional Development Implementer Rating of Teacher Use of Supports” (SITES-PD) to create a numeric score reflecting how the teacher used his or her instruction time during the observation window. Teachers’ interactions with children and general teaching practices were measured on the basis of multiple classroom observations each year. Early results indicate that more teacher engagement with professional development opportunities has a positive correlation to a positive impact on teachers’ beliefs and practices.

Authors

• Cara Lynn Kelly, University of Delaware

• Laura L Brock, College of Charleston

• Julie D. Swanson, College of Charleston