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What's in your professional development (PD) record? If you are a teaching staff member who has been working continuously in New Jersey since Sept. 1, 2000, consider taking a good look at your PD records. Now is the perfect time to assess your progress to meeting the state's five year, 100 hour professional development requirement. Why? Believe it or not, the clock is running. The end of the first five-year professional cycle is a little more than on year away--on Sept. 1, 2005. So, if you still have a significant amount of work to do to meet the 100 hour responsibility, don't delay or wait until the last minute. Who has to meet the requirement? The five-year, 100 hour PD requirement applies to all full-time and part-time teachers who are required to hold a standard certificate and have a Professional Improvement Plan (PIP). Consequently, first-year novice teachers do not begin to work toward the requirement until they have both elements. The state education commissioner and the State Professional Teaching Standards Board decided that this allows those teachers to concentrate on their important first year of teaching. The PPDB is charged with developing the District's Professional Development plan for the school year. The four teaching staff members serve on the Board along with two administrative staff members who are appointed by the Superintendent of Schools. Any professional activities they undertake that year contribute toward their professional growth and show their commitment to continuing in the profession. What counts? Under the state regulations (6A:9-15.2{b}), "The content of each teacher's professional development shall be specified in a PIP…and be developedto meet the needs of the individual teacher in the context of his or her job."
Can I carry over hours to the next five-year-cycle if I've exceeded the 100 hour requirement? No, you cannot carry over any added professional development time to the next five-year cycle. Educators and researchers agree that professional development has a positive impact on teacher and student success. (Martha O. De Blieu, NJEA associate director for professional development program services)
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