Wednesday, April 28, 2010

PIP/PDP

In January 2008, the Professional Improvement Plan (PIP) was changed to the Professional Development Plan (PDP). This change was in name only. All certified staff members must complete a PDP each year. The PDP should be developed between the teacher and his/her administer/supervisor. These plans are designed to encourage professional development in order to better serve and educate students. PDP’s must follow the NJ Professional Development Standards. Additionally, these standards are aligned with the NJCCCS.
There is a positive change taking place in PDP’s in the state of NJ. We have realized that disconnected professional development opportunities do not have the same effect of long lasting, continued goals. Professional Learning Communities (PLC) is the newest trend in professional development. PLC’s encourage collaboration between staff members. Goals can be set for the year and teacher’s can work together towards their goals. PLC’s also allow for follow up to the goals. When you meet regularly, you will likely be reporting on your progress. This is much more effective than training with no follow-up. Recently, my district held an in-service training for a new reading program. We were told the same company representative will be back a few times in the next couple of months to make sure we don’t have any questions and to assist us in whatever way possible. It is a very nice feeling to be supported in our professional development endeavors.
Many staff members have varying opinions in regards to PDPs. Most people seem to agree with the idea of having a PDP. It is obvious that educators need to continue to develop their skills in order to effectively teach our students. Also, professional development helps to keep up with new technology in schools. By developing PDP’s, we meet professional development requirements of the state. In a PDP, we not only meet the goals of the state but we can also incorporate our own goals. By making our own goals, the PDP can be very effective. By working towards a plan that we believe in, we will end up benefiting our students. We have the opportunity to set goals for ourselves and later be held accountable for these goals. The PDP is a chance to hold ourselves accountable and also for administrators to hold us accountable.
When we sit down to discuss our PDP with an administrator, we have a chance to talk, which is sometimes hard to do. It is a time to reflect and self-critique the year. It is a good time to look back at the year, and help to reassess for the upcoming year. It is a time to hear compliments and constructive criticism which can help us grow as educators. It can be very beneficial to have this opportunity with your supervisor.
Overall, most people agreed that PDPs are not overwhelming and really quite simple. Many districts provide many in-service opportunities for professional development time. However, a question can be raised concerning if the PDP is “too easy”. Many people felt that the PDP is just a formality. To some it is a piece of paper that we only look at once a year when it is time for our annual evaluation. We fill out the paper before meeting with our principal, and don’t think of it again until the following year. Also, many PDPs are intentionally designed to be very general. This way, any professional development hours provided by the district will “fit-in” to our PDP. This is clearly not a sign that employees are working towards very specific goals, but only trying to get required hours completed.
The PDP does tend to become a lot about paperwork. This is often the time of year that people are scrambling to compare notes with others to make sure they have written down all of the in service dates and PLC meetings. This may lead one to believe that the goal of the PDP is not as important as getting the hours completed is. For an administrator with a big staff, scheduling all of these meeting is very time consuming.
Overall, I think most people agree with and support the idea of PDP’s. However, I think there are ways to manage PDP’s so that they are more effective. Making more specific goals, that the employee is invested in, will lead to more valuable professional development goals. Having an ongoing goal and ongoing development (like a PLC) is an idea that both educators and administrators seem to like. Professional development is an important piece of our job and when properly structured, can be very effective.

No comments:

Post a Comment