Teachers Professional Development | Staff | Polk County Public Schools

Teacher Professional Development

Professional Development Public Folders

Below is a list of some of the documents and content folders available in Outlook Public Folders under Professional Development:

TARGET, Quick Reference and examples
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) Folder
Lesson Study Folder
National Board Folder
Team Teaching Folder
PD Forms Folder:
- Individual Research
- Inservice Through Conference
Teacher Assessment Forms Folder

Professional Educator Competency (PEC) Program

The PEC Program is a required program for any new teacher who needs to demonstrate competencies in the Educators Accomplished Practices. It involves orientation, planning, observations, documentation, etc. Teachers participating in the PEC Program are assigned to the Academic Intervention Facilitator for mentoring. Below are forms for this program:

Florida Educator Accomplished Practices Revisions

Intern Placement

Qualifications:

Clinical Supervision (Blackboard or Face-to-Face) Professional Development
Three years of successful teaching experience is recommended
Florida statute requires that directing teachers "must successfully demonstrate effective classroom management strategies that consistently result in improved student performance" to help assure optimal learning opportunities for preservice teachers

Protocol for Accepting Student Interns:

Protocol for Accepting Student Interns

Procedures:

Sign up occurs during the months of October and February
Sign up sheets are sent to administrators at all schools
Teachers may sign up to request an intern. Administrator will make their recommendations based on the sign up sheets.
Forms are returned to Professional Development for placement of interns by college and university intern placement supervisors.

Teacher Mentors

Thank you so much for providing support for new teachers in Polk County Schools. Please do not underestimate the importance of the teacher mentor! The mentoring that you provide will make all the difference this year in the life of a new teacher and in the lives of the students with which the new teacher interacts. Mentoring is a daily activity that may encompass a realm of activities from something as quick as sending an uplifting e-mail to hours of collaboration and planning. The support that you give may mean the difference between a teacher lasting the school year and returning the following school year.

Research regarding mentoring of teachers has indicated:

40 to 50% of new teachers leave teaching within the first five years of teaching. (Ingersoll and Kralik, 2004)
Effective mentoring strategies result in:
- increased student test scores and other benefits for students of new teachers
- new teachers becoming more reflective thinkers
- more teacher satisfaction
- more professional school culture
- more teacher collaboration (Mahler, 2001)
Ingersoll, Richard and Michael Strong, (2011) The Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for Beginning Teachers: A Critical Review of the Research . Review of Education Research. Summer 2011. All rights reserved © 2011 Sage.

Mahler, Brenda, Beginning Teacher Advisory Programs: Effects On Beginning Teachers. Mentoring Leadership and Resource Network, May, 2001. http://www.mentors.net/03library/beginningteacher.html.

Mentoring Links:

Are Mentor Teachers Teacher Educators?
Three scenarios of mentoring, observations and follow-up.
Mentor Teachers' Home Page
Lots of free information for mentoring teachers.
Examples of Teacher-Mentor Journals
Examples of teacher-mentor reflections.

Mentoring Forms:

Bullying in the Schools

View information about this course by visiting the Non-Instructional Professional Development page.

Polk County Public Schools, Staff

Programs and Scheduling

Teachers