Professional Development:  The Rubric

The KLFA Rubric is suggested as a tool to:

1. identify sites of model staff development practices in Kansas, and
2. guide groups at the school, district and state levels to strengthen current staff development practices.

The rubric may be downloaded and printed from a PDF Version, viewed by scrolling through this page, or viewed by topics as listed from the NSDC Standards.

Directions: As your district/school reviews each level consider what specific evidence you have that would support the key components for that level. Level 4 contains the key elements in the NSDC Standards. To be at Level 4, you would need clear, convincing, and consistent evidence. Evidence is measurable and furnishes proof and/or documents results. Based on this definition, what level would you rate your staff development and what evidence would you be able to provide to support your choice.

Educators seek new information, plan instruction and solve problems independently or with little collaboration with other educators.

Learning and staff development is focused on individual interests and needs.

Individuals make few attempts to align staff development with district or school goals for student learning.

Educators are beginning to participate in collaborative activities regarding instruction, assessment, and problem solving.

Collaboration occurs infrequently and is not a regularly scheduled expectation of professional practice; the group pays minimal attention to the outcomes of student work.

The work of the group is independent of district or school staff development goals.

Several of the educators have formed collaborative teams for the purpose of examining student work, planning instruction and solving problems.

Educators in these teams regard team collaboration as a productive professional development activity and some teams specifically focus on improving student learning.

Team planning time occurs with some regularity and school or district goals are considered as the team's work.

All educators are part of school-based learning teams that meet several times a week to plan instruction, assessment, examine student work, and/or solve problems.

These teams are a primary mechanism of the school staff development plan.

Team efforts align with school improvement goals and members work actively to increase student achievement.

Daily schedules and incentive systems are developed without regard to staff development.

Implementation of improvement efforts typically happens independent of staff development opportunities.

Training for staff development leadership is seldom provided for administrators and teacher leaders.

Daily schedules and incentive systems are designed with little consideration of ongoing professional learning.

Staff development is considered necessary but seldom ties directly to goals for improvement efforts.

Administrators and teacher leaders direct staff development, but with little leadership or skills training.

Yearly calendars, daily schedules, and incentive systems are designed with some connection to professional learning.

Leaders acknowledge staff development as one strategy for supporting improvement.

Administrators and teacher leaders occasionally share the responsibility for purposefully developing knowledge and skills for staff development leadership.

Calendars, daily schedules and incentive systems support professional learning.

Leaders support staff development as a key strategy for ensuring significant improvements.

Administrators and teacher leaders have opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills to be effective staff development leaders.

There is no designated budget line for staff development.

There are few opportunities for staff development.

Little of the budget is set aside for staff development.

Opportunities for staff development occur during the building/district scheduled in-service days.

Some of the district's budget is dedicated to staff development.

Staff has worked out time for collaboration and professional learning several times a week.

The district recognizes the critical importance of professional learning and budgets accordingly.

Staff development is planned based on individual interests of educators with little regard for student learning needs.

Few attempts are made to gather school or system wide information about teacher interests.

No data about student learning serve as a basis for staff development program’s content.

Staff development focuses on teacher wants and interests. Surveys are focused on individual teacher needs and perceptions.

Few educators collect data to determine the effects of their own learning and student progress.

A few educators are reviewing student achievement data and are asking for staff development that prepares them to meet student needs more effectively.

Staff development is focused on teacher needs and based on student learning, which is monitored on a fairly regular basis.

Some educators are collecting classroom-based data in order to evaluate the impact of their own learning on measures of student progress.

Several staff development initiatives are created in response to this data identifying student needs.

Decisions regarding staff development are based on evidence gathered systematically in classrooms and on district and state tests.

All educators routinely gather evidence of improved student learning to determine the effects of their own professional development.

All staff development initiatives are based on disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities.

Educators choose instructional strategies based on teacher preference, not on research or best practice.

Staff is not knowledgeable about the action research process.

Educators are aware of the importance of selecting research-based strategies for improvement.

Some staff are becoming aware of action research.

• Some educators are selecting research-based strategies for improvement.

• Staff use pilot studies and action research to determine if programs should be adapted/continued.

Teams of educators routinely study research prior to adopting improvement strategies.

Staff are skillful users of educational research and use action research to determine the impact of selected improvement strategies.

There are no indicators used to ensure that staff development is focused on student achievement.

Evidence is not collected to determine achievement of staff development outcomes.

No evidence is collected to demonstrate that implementation, follow-up strategies, and impact on student work take place.

Few indicators are used to ensure that staff development is focused on student achievement

Evidence is collected but not used to validate staff development.

Evidence is collected based on immediate reactions to workshops and courses, but does not translate to student learning.

Indicators are used to guide decision-making.

Some evidence is used to validate staff development.

Evidence is based on initial collection of participants’ reactions and begins to look at effect on student impact.

Various types of indicators are used to improve the quality of staff development.

Various types of evidence are used to determine where staff development achieved its intended outcome.

Evaluation of staff development includes all of the following: data concerning knowledge gained by participants, level of implementation, and changes in student learning,

Staff development opportunities are primarily limited to workshop formats.

Follow-up support seldom occurs and is not a part of planning.

Technology use has little if any connection to staff development designs.

Some optional staff development designs are offered in addition to workshop formats.

Follow-up activities occur infrequently.

Technology seldom is used as a part of staff development activities.

Several optional staff development designs are offered to support staff learning. A few designs provide opportunities for practice, feedback and implementation support.

Some follow-up is available for selected innovations.

Planning for technology support occasionally is a part of staff development design.

Educators regularly participate in a variety of staff development designs that facilitate staff learning, practice and implementation.

Well-planned follow-up activities are incorporated in most major change initiatives.

Technology is frequently integrated to support and monitor staff learning.

Most staff development activities are presented without regard for differences in adult learning needs.

Practice and feedback are not part of training.

The change process is not considered.

Occasionally, staff development activities include opportunities for choice.

Practice and feedback occur, but are not systematically incorporated.

The change process receives little attention.

Learning styles, experience and skill levels are considered in the planning and delivery of staff development opportunities.

Educators have some differentiated options that occasionally include practice and feedback.

Some consideration of the stages in the change process is a part of planning.

Staff development options are specifically designed to accommodate and differentiate for adult learning styles, experiences and skill levels.

Staff regularly experience opportunities for practice and feedback.

Consideration of the adult learner’s responses to the change process is systematically incorporated into staff development planning.

Educators work in isolation and are not encouraged to collaborate.

Educators who work in teams avoid controversial issues and conflict.

Technology is not used by the staff as a resource.

Educators work in groups but minimal training is provided to provide staff skills in group processes.

Conflict is allowed to fester or is avoided and is not resolved.

Technology is not seen as a tool for collaboration purposes.

Staff development is provided to prepare staff to work collaboratively

Conflict is talked about and is often resolved.

Technology is used in some situations as a resource for collaboration.

Educators have the structures and training to be skillful members of a variety of groups.

Educators have and use skills to surface and productively manage conflict and reach consensus decisions.

Educators know how to use technology for different forms of collaboration.

Educators use teacher-centered curriculum and instruction with minimal awareness of the cultural backgrounds of their students.

Educators continue to implement the same lesson plans year after year.

Student expectations are not established.

Learning related to culture and diversity encourages educators to plan cultural activities around holidays.

Staff are provided training on individualizing instruction but the achievement gap is not closing.

Staff development is focused on helping educators remediate students.

Some educators implement practices that promote safe environments and convey respect for all students, their families and students’ diverse backgrounds.

Educators are provided training to help them to individualize instruction to close the achievement gap but are inconsistently applying what they have learned.

Staff knows the importance of high expectations.

Educators implement school-wide practices that promote safe environments and convey respect for all students, their families and students’ diverse backgrounds.

Educators are closing the achievement gap by adjusting instruction and assessment to match the learning requirements of individual students.

Staff establish learning environments that communicate high expectations for all students.

Staff development opportunities occur sporadically without regard to needs for developing deeper content knowledge.

Instruction is focused on covering the curriculum

Classroom assessment is used to support grades for progress reporting.

Opportunities are offered for educators to increase content knowledge but most are associated with implementation of new curriculum.

Occasional staff development for instructional skills occurs but is independent of improvement plans and content area.

Staff development efforts occasionally provide educators with knowledge of some classroom assessment strategies.

Staff has opportunities to develop knowledge of their content area.

Several opportunities are available to learn and practice instructional skills but most are independent of content areas

Some staff development is available regarding classroom assessment methods and some educators are beginning to regularly use assessment strategies to monitor gains in student learning.

Staff have many opportunities to develop deep knowledge of their content.

Staff development expands instructional methods appropriate to specific content areas.

Educators learn and implement classroom assessment skills that allow them to regularly monitor gains in student learning.

Staff have no strategies in place to ask for and/or implement input from community members and parents.

Parent participation is thought of as intrusive and unwanted.

There is no technology available for enhancing communication with the community.

Staff use groups like site councils, to seek input from the community and parents, but little if any of the suggestions are implemented.

The goals and mission continue to be developed by the school staff.

Educators communicate with parents by phone and to some degree through e-mails.

Staff recognizes the need for training and technical assistance in how to build consensus among educators and community members concerning the overall mission and goals for staff development.

Educators create relationships with parents to support student learning.

Training in the use of technology to communicate with parents and the community is improving as staff acquire better skill in the use of technology.

Staff development prepares administrators and teacher leaders to build consensus among educators and community members concerning the overall mission and goals for staff development.

Educators establish relationships with parents to support student learning.

Technology is used to communicate with parents and the community.