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    A constant cycle of assessment keeps learning on course.

    By Terry Johanson
    June 2016
    Vol. 37 No. 3
    The purpose of professional learning is to change what teachers know and can do to better support student learning. Over the last decade, professional learning has changed dramatically in an attempt to be more engaging and productive (Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009). What’s missing for many, however, is time or resources to devote to a large-scale evaluation of the professional learning. Districts may track time spent or whether teachers valued the experience (Hirsh, 2013), but this only assesses if the learning was engaging or engaged in, not if it was effective. According to Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning (2011), professional learning needs to start with student, educator, and system data, and that data should be used to assess forward progress. Internal evaluation

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    Authors

    Wendy James and Terry Johanson

    Terry Johanson (johansont@stf.sk.ca) is director of the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit and leads workshops throughout the province. Wendy James (jamesl@spsd.sk.ca) is coordinator of curriculum and instruction for Saskatoon Public Schools and currently on educational leave working on a doctorate.

    References

    Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R.C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. Dallas, TX: National Staff Development Council.

    Guskey, T.R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

    Hirsh, S. (2013). The impact factor: Why we can’t neglect professional learning evaluation. JSD, 34(5), 10-16.

    Johanson, T. (2012). With wonder: Leading a mathematics community [Blog post]. Available at https://iwonderstand.wordpress.com/with-wonder-leading-a-mathematics-community.

    Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.


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