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Wilton School District,
Wilton, CT
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Suburban
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Level: K-12
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School Design: Traditional
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Content Presented By:
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National Awards Program for Model Professional Development
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Results
Test scores offer a quantitative means of evaluation. The need for improved writing instruction and performance has driven professional development over the last couple of years. When third grade writing test scores were examined, discussion ensued with those staff whose students consistently scored high on writing prompts. Certain common best practices emerged. As a consequence, these best practices were formalized and shared with fellow teachers through the writing of curriculum and professional development. Through an end-of-the-year survey conducted by the Administrator for Elementary Curriculum, third grade staff repeatedly stated that the work they had shared improved their effectiveness in enhancing student learning. A post writing prompt test in the spring of 1996 indicated a substantial growth in third grade student scores. 55% of students in fourth grade achieved mastery in the Connecticut State Mastery Tests in 1995-1996. This is the highest percentage of fourth grade students who have achieved this goal in writing since the inception of the test in 1986. 71% of our eighth grade achieved mastery in writing. Only 26.4% of this same class in fourth grade achieved mastery. As sixth graders, 58% of them achieved this goal. This is a reflection of the extensive and on-going professional development offered to the entire staff on reading and writing across the curriculum. Reading test scores and teacher input indicated a need for a consistent core reading program K - 5. Staff training is being offered on their Professional Development Day for all appropriate staff members.
Professional development in technology has revolutionized the way some teachers give instruction. For example, the high school physics program is now technology based and the teacher is a coach and facilitator of student learning instead of a lecturer. The result is a more advanced curriculum. In the middle school, a science teacher who works with students on career choice is utilizing his technology expertise gained through professional development to link students with mentors via e-mail. Some examples of mentoring relationships include matching a young lady with a female astronaut from N.A.S.A., and connecting another student with a theoretical particle physicist/cosmologist at the College of William and Mary.
According to the quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of technology training included in the final Professional Development Report for the Board of Education, all technology workshops except for desktop publishing were rated as superior by staff. The impact on student learning was in the 3.4 - 4.6 range on the scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest.
Informal teacher observations of students provide an important means in the assessment of our professional development programs. For example, teachers trained in the Junior Great Books Program at the middle school level have observed the students' ability to refer to the text independently. This further demonstrates the effectiveness of both the process and the program in place for professional development.
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