All Professional Learning activities under the Professional Learning Catalog (formerly Master In-service Plan) will have the approval of the Christian Schools of Florida Director of Professional Development. Professional learning activities must meet the appropriate guidelines below:

1. Eligibility

Professional Learning will be made available to both certified and noncertified personnel. Participants who wish to obtain component points for recertification (teachers/instructional support/administrators) must have a Florida Professional Certificate with “active” status.

Points can only be earned within the last five years of one’s validity period.

2. Renewal of Professional Certificate

To renew a certificate as an employed teacher, instructional support member, or administrator, the following are necessary:

A. Experience

Provide proof of one (1) year of full-time teacher/instructional support/administrator experience in a Florida public school or a non-public school which has an approved Professional Educators’ Competency Demonstration program (PECD), AND

B. College Credit

Complete at least six (6) semester hours of college credit or its equivalent. (Three of which must be in the area of certification.)

3. Earning Credit

There are several ways in which a Professional Certificate may be renewed:

A. College Credit

Complete six (6) semester hours of college credit. (At least 3 semester hours must be attained in each subject coverage on the certificate. If the certificate covers only one subject area, three semester hours must be earned in-field and three semester hours can be out-of-field.)

B. Inservice Points

Complete 120 inservice points. At least 60 must be earned in the field or fields of certification coverage. Of these, one-half or 30 points may be earned in general education areas related to professional competency in education.

C. Combination

Complete a combination of college credit and PLC training. One semester hour of college credit = 20 inservice points.

D. Subject Area Test

Take and pass a subject area test specific to the coverage area. One passing numerical score on the subject area test is equivalent to three (3) semester hours of college. Credit. A subject area test may be combined with either college credit or inservice points to equal the equivalency of six (6) semester hours of college credit.

4. Credit Transfer Procedures

• Professional Learning credit may be transferred to or from any CSF member school.
• Credit must be earned during the last 5 years of the validity period of the individual’s certificate.

5. Procedural Points

A. All Professional Learning components must be from the approved components of the CSF Professional Learning Catalog.

B. All program components must be at least 10 points. (Some exceptions are made when specified conditions are met)

C. A full day of Professional Learning activity will not exceed six (6) points.

D. A half-day of Professional Learning activity may not exceed three (3) points.

E. All Professional Learning activity must be a CSF-approved Professional Learning component listed in the Professional Learning Catalog.

F. Points must be earned during the certification validity period.

G. No specific Professional Learning component (activity) can exceeed sixty (60) points.

H. No individual can receive more than sixty (60) points for any one component during any one validity period.

I. Each inservice point equals one clock hour.

6. Criteria for Professional Learning Components

A. A professionally qualified individual (group) is to be the organizer and/or consultant.

B. There must be clearly defined objectives and a stated means of evaluation.

C. Each Professional Learning program must consist of not less than 6 hours of actual working time: in knowledge acquisition, demonstrations, and practice/review.

D. Professional Learning activities must be relevant to subject matter or designed to improve professional competency.

E. Activities not eligible for inservice points include the following:

1. Business, committee, or advisory meetings, caucuses, etc.
2. Registration, record keeping, etc.
3. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, banquets (without speakers)
4. Testing/screening students.
5. Chaperoning of students.

7. Professional Learning Catalog Direction

A. Appointment of Director

The CSF Executive Committee, with approval by vote of the CSF member schools, will hire or appoint a Director of Professional Development to serve the Professional Learning needs of the CSF District on a yearly basis.

B. Professional learning Offerings Review

The Director shall review the Professional Learning offerings for the membership on a yearly basis.

C. Activity Evaluation

There shall be written evaluation of all workshops and/or Professional Learning programs at the end of such programs by teachers attending. A summary of such evaluations shall be kept at individual schools and reported online to CSF.

D. Scheduled Activities

Instructionally sound and administratively necessary activities (faculty meetings/Professional Learning programs) as determined by the school administrator may be assigned to teachers during the school day or in after school Professional Learning programs. The scheduling of these meetings will be at the discretion of each individual member school’s policies.

E. Member Enrollment

The Director of Professional Development will encourage member school’s enrollment in the local, state, and national Professional Learning programs available through other school districts. It will be the responsibility of the member school to provide sufficient information concerning the Professional Learning program that the CSF Director of Professional Development can determine the appropriate Professional Learning number for proper credit.

8. Needs Assessment: District Program Evaluations

A. Program Review

Each year the Director of Professional Development is required to review the Program’s performance and to state for the annual report goals, need statements, short term objectives, and strategies for the continuing upgrading and revision of the member’s Professional Learning program. These goals and need statements are summarized through the evaluation information received from the individual teachers and non-certified personnel throughout the member schools and through annual evaluation survey forms filled out by the participating member schools.

B. Director Responsibilities

1. The development of new program offerings
2. The evaluation and upgrading of existing programs
3. The cultivation of Professional Learning programs in new member schools

C. Evaluations

Evaluations will be gathered in a number of strands: member school administrators’ input, individual teacher evaluations, Professional Learning presenters’ evaluations, and research recommendations.

D. Professional Learning Training Reports

At CSF Administrator meetings, Professional Learning trainings reports will be presented for the information of the member schools. At that time, those schools in session will have the opportunity to suggest new directions for CSF Professional Learning.

E. Needs Assessment

Through a survey interview format, a formal needs assessment will be provided for each member school desiring Professional Learning education for their faculty and staff. This needs assessment will be updated on a regular basis as determined by the CSF Director of Professional Development. This will serve as an invaluable link to the changing needs of individual schools.

F. Performance Evaluation

As administrators detect needs in individual teachers, recommendations for certain Professional Learning activities may be made, or if a general need is felt, this is communicated to the Director for analysis and the development into new Professional Learning Catalog Components.

G. Student Data

CSF’s PLC (formerly MIP) will design Professional Learning components and programs that relate directly to the needs of the student population in the member schools. Student data as provided by member schools will serve as an information database for program revision.

H. Objective Assessment of Professional Learning Presenter, Participants, and Programs

CSF Professional Learning personnel conduct the following evaluations that contribute to successful Professional Learning activities:

1. Evaluations of the Professional Learning participants and their skills
2. Evaluations of Professional Learning presenters and programs
3. Evaluations of the materials, methods, and training sites
4. Evaluations of component effectiveness in the educational setting.

I. Planning

Planning is a cooperative, district-wide undertaking. All member schools are encouraged to communitcate with the Director of Professional Development to identify training needs in a particular discipline. This information becomes a database from which new Professional Learning components are designed and implemented. The Needs Assessment procedure provides additional information of the Professional Learning database.

J. Organization

The PLC program for Christian Schools of Florida must by its very nature be decentralized. Member schools must be responsible for the individualized nature of their faculty’s Professional Learning program. The CSF Director of Professional Development offers assistance in program implementations, record maintenance/update, liaison with the State Department of Education, and as a provider of Professional Learning information. Collaborating schools provide input throughout the year. Coordination of these activities is the responsibility of the CSF Director of Professional Development, who maintains close ties with the participating member schools. The Director reviews policies for the following:

1. Scheduling Professional Learning activities
2. Timing and methods of Professional Learning/certification information
3. Providing Professional Learning opportunities for member schools
4. Serving teacher clients

K. Policies

The policies governing the CSF Professional Learning Catalog originate from three sources:

1. Certification laws and DOE regulations regarding them
2. Christian Schools of Florida Professional Learning Catalog Program for Recertification of Teachers
3. Director of Professional Development decisions in areas in which the Director has the authority to advise or make decisions.

L. Evaluation

1. Total Program: The number of participants involved in the total program is calculated and is studied for balance in terms of content, academic level represented, and priority levels set by individual schools. This Total Program Review builds a composite profile of the state-wide Professional Learning design indicating the needs being met during that calendar year.
2. Individual Programs: Each Professional Learning activity is evaluated by each participant in order to give feedback on the participants’ perception of its appropriateness and usefulness; quality of materials presented; preparation and expertise of the consultant; and adequacy of facility and equipment. These records are filed and are available on request. The CSF Director of Professional Development receives a summary of each evaluation of the program, noting the strengths and weaknesses.
3. Participant Evaluation: Each participant is evaluated on a pre-and post-performance measure to determine increase in knowledge and skills. Follow-up in the classroom is sometimes used also.
4. Component Evaluation: Components are reviewed by the personnel most frequently using them to determine their continuing research currency and/or need for revision. A component review/revision cycle will be conducted annually to keep pace with the advances in educational research and methodology. Each component shall remain in the plan for at least 5 years.
5. Follow-up: Some programs, such as Teaching Techniques for Reading in the Classroom, use classroom observation as a follow-up method. Other programs require a shadowing/mentoring follow-up program that may run several weeks. Some programs in educational methodology will require the teacher to develop lesson units, present them, and evaluate them with a peer coach.

M. Program Review and Revision

This program is reviewed annually as Professional Learning needs for the next year are identified. These may result from new educational methodologies, new research, and new technology being developed at individual member school sites. The needs of the participating member schools are the engine that moves the CSF Professional Learning Program. Each component shall remain in the plan for at least five years. A component which is not used, as indicated by the number of participants requesting it or its suitability when evaluated from a research perspective, may be removed after consultation with the person or persons who initiated the component and with the Director of Professional Development; or it may be updated, by additions or deletions, to conform to current needs. Amendments may be made as needed with the approval of the CSF governing board. Data from Professional Learning evaluations may also result in a change in details of the program: a change of emphasis, extension of skills and knowledge, and inclusion of related ideas and activities.

9. Conditions for Components Less Than 10 Hours in Length

Components which count for certificate renewal may be less than 10 hours in length if at least one¬ of the following conditions is met:

1. The component is part of the school’s established plan for improvement or change.
2. The component is for training which is designed to meet a federal, state, or local requirement.
3. The component is part of an individual’s professional growth plan and includes a plan of implementation and measurement as part of the Activities and/or Evaluation section of the component.

Recognizing that this decision is an option for the Christian Schools of Florida and is not mandatory, the CSF Professional Learning Office has selected to make certain components 6-8 hours in length. This meets certification components standards of CSF PLC. The CSF Professional Learning Catalog will assist teachers to recertify a Florida certificate. The CSF Professional Learning Office claims Condition Number 1 has been met, since all member schools use the CSF plan for improvement or change. These standards cannot be changed without losing membership status.

10. State-determined Priorities for Professional Learning

During the initial year of implementation, CSF will review the Professional Learning Catalog to determine if the following State-Determined Priorities are being adequately met. If not, the appropriate components will be upgraded to more fully integrate these priorities.

1. Identification, assessment, and prescription of instruction for exceptional children
2. Competencies in the identification, assessment, and prescription of instruction for child abuse and neglect prevention and for substance and alcohol abuse prevention
3. Instruction for multi-cultural sensitivity in the classroom
4. Components to assist in the certification of teachers of limited English proficiency students
5. A study of the middle grades
6. Understanding students in the middle grades
7. Organizing interdisciplinary instruction in the middle grades
8. Developing critical thinking and creative thinking in students in the middle grades
9. Counseling functions of the teacher in the middle grades
10. Developing creative learning materials for the middle grades
11. Planning and evaluation programs in the middle grades