Professional Development

Question 1

THE SPED teacher facilitates

Answer 1

the collaboration process among the student, parents, general education teachers, special education staff, and campus staff.

Question 2

The SPED teacher is cognizant of the benefit of nurturing

Answer 2

respectful and collaborative relationships among students, parents, and campus and district professionals.

Question 3

The SPED teacher serves as a collaborative resource for students, parents, general and special education personnel, and administrative personnel to effectively

Answer 3

plan, design, and implement a program to address the needs of students with disabilities.

Question 4

If general education teachers do not have the knowledge of how to meet the needs of their students receiving special education services, they

Answer 4

must seek out this information. This is most important in the general education classroom to ensure that the student has access to the curriculum and can progress throughout the year.

Question 5

The implementation of the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is a

Answer 5

collaborative effort between the general and SPED teachers.

Question 6

The role of the SPED teacher is to

Answer 6

provide instructional resources and expert knowledge to support instructional delivery. The SPED teacher also provides instructional resources such as assistive technology, modified assignments, instructional manipulatives, or text resources.

Question 7

If the general education teacher is having trouble implementing the IEP, the SPED teacher

Answer 7

coaches them through the process.

Question 8

Teachers do not work in isolation. It is important for teachers to understand different

Answer 8

roles on campus and how to collaborate effectively to meet the needs of students.

Question 9

Principal

Answer 9

leader of the campus

Question 10

Assistant principal

Answer 10

supports the principal in school management and supervisory responsibilities. Principals and assistant principals typically share the responsibility of conducting teachers’ annual appraisals or evaluations.

Question 11

Team leader / Department Chair

Answer 11

teacher who oversees the subject at a campus level; helps facilitate curriculum alignment and adherence to state standards.

Question 12

Typically, you go to your team leader or department chair for situations that

Answer 12

only affect your classroom or grade level. These would be questions about effective ways to approach teaching a certain learning standard.

Question 13

You would go to your principal for situations that affect the

Answer 13

wider campus. These would be questions about projects or initiatives that involve more than one grade level, such as creating a presentation and having the whole school view it.

Question 14

Counselor

Answer 14

Serves as an advocate and resource for students’ overall well-being; responsibilities often include delivering counseling to individual students and providing guidance for a variety of topics, such as social/emotional skills and future-readiness

Question 15

Special Education Professional

Answer 15

coordinates with classroom teachers to help studnets receiving special education services follow their individualized education plans (IEPs), and work toward their goals

Question 16

Librarian / Media Specialist -

Answer 16

maintains the print and digital resources on campus; helps students and teachers locate and access resources

Question 17

Superintendent

Answer 17

leader of the district as a whole; manages principals and district-level employees

Question 18

Board of Trustees (School Board)

Answer 18

comprised of members elected by the community; makes decisions and has responsibility sat the district level, such as hiring and evaluating the superintendent

Question 19

Curriculum coordinator

Answer 19

oversees a content area, such as language arts or science, at the district level

Question 20

Technology coordinator

Answer 20

facilitates access, procedures for appropriate use, and incorporation of technology into the curriculum

Question 21

Instructional coach

Answer 21

works with teachers to help schools meet instructional goals

Question 22

Collaboration between teachers should be based on

Answer 22

a clear goal. Define what you are trying to accomplish

Question 23

Since education is the focus, the goal should be

Answer 23

student-centered. Define how the goal will benefit students.

Question 24

Work with your collaborating partners to track progress.

Answer 24

Define how you will measure success. Keep ongoing collaboration focused on that.

Question 25

Strive to maintain a positive, professional relationship when c

Answer 25

collaborating with colleagues.

Question 26

Vertical team

Answer 26

composed of teachers from different grade levels. This collaboration helps teachers understand both how students have already been taught in their previous grade levels, and what they are expected to do in the future. This knowledge can help inform teachers’ current instruction for their current group of students. Teachers also use this opportunity o share ideas and learn form teachers in other grade levels.

Question 27

Horizontal team

Answer 27

teachers from different content areas who are all part of the same grade level. Helps teachers understand what their students are doing in the other classes. It provides opportunities for planning ways to integrate curriculum, and, of course, share ideas and learn from what is working or not working for other teachers.

Question 28

Teachers working with teachers ahead of and behind their students are working

Answer 28

vertically

Question 29

Teachers working with teachers at their students’ level are woking

Answer 29

horizontally

Question 30

There is value in contributing to decision-making processes by serving on

Answer 30

committees or participating in special events or projects.

Question 31

It is important to know the appraisal instrument and how

Answer 31

the language of this tool can be infiltrated into your lesson plans to ensure you are meeting those guidelines. This will increase your level of comfort and confidence during the first formal appraisal.

Question 32

Feedback may be

Answer 32

positive or raise a concern or question about some aspect of the classroom. The feedback should not be taken personally but analyzed objectively for the benefit of the students.

Question 33

Some districts will have formal procedures and official expectations for documenting reflection and self-assessments. This may involve

Answer 33

setting clear, measurable goals and revisiting those goals later to evaluate progress.

Question 34

Some example reflective questions that support the overall goal of student engagement and involvement and connected to measurable goals may include:

Answer 34

Have I included student choice in lesson plans and with what frequency?

Have I provided opportunities for student feedback?

Have I used a variety of teaching methods?

Have I facilitated goal setting and reflection methods for students?

Have I connected classroom objectives to the real world?

Question 35

Engaged learners are

Answer 35

active learners. Active learners retain information better than those who are not.

Question 36

It is a good idea to have discussions with other teachers and to share instructional strategies of best

Answer 36

teaching practices and incorporate these into your classroom.

Question 37

By setting clear, measurable, relevant goals, teachers can

Answer 37

reflect and improve their own performance.

Question 38

Teachers should be lifelong learners. In addition to being a positive model for students, the field of education is continuously evolving, and their is always something new for teachers to learn or improve upon. Professional development refers to

Answer 38

continued training and education for someone’s career.

Question 39

Different opportunities for both in-person and online professional development such as:

Answer 39

classes, conferences, workshops, in-service training, books, articles, academic journals.

Question 40

While professional development is packaged in many different ways, it should all have one thing in common. PD should be

Answer 40

research-based to ensure that the methods under study are proven effective.

Question 41

Questions to ask to determine topics for PD.

Answer 41

What areas of my teaching practice could I improve?

What will have the greatest impact on students?

Question 42

A mentor teacher is

Answer 42

an experienced educator who is tasked with helping new teacher to improve their practice. They help new teachers become familiar with the school and discuss concerns and celebrations with them.