Name Carolyn Gassmann

EPPSP Group 39
Butler University

The Experiential Program for Preparing School Principals

STANDARD:
9. Design and execute a staff development program for non-certified staff. Explore the
specific concerns germane to the needs of bus drivers, cafeteria staff, secretarial staff, and
other non-certified employees. Design a professional development program that will remedy
a concern in order for non-certified staff to more effectively serve the school and its students.
(ELCC 2.3)

Summary:
As a department chair, I am frequently asked to share information with my department. Some of
those instances include creating and delivering professional development to my colleagues.
Thus far this year, I have created and delivered professional development on two separate
occasions. As I summarize, I will discuss the planning and thought process behind each
presentation, as well as the reception of my colleagues to the material.

The first professional development that I planned was on our new evaluation model, FTEM.
Over the summer, all administrators attended a training, in which we learned the key
components of the evaluation model. We learned the “why” behind it, and how it would end up
being a very beneficial change for teachers. Once the school year started, our principal
introduced the model at an all-staff meeting. He gave a brief overview and explained that this
school year, teachers would be able to choose if they transitioned to the new model or remained
on the old one a little longer. He also explained to teachers that they would receive more
information from their department chairs on the system.

As I worked to plan this presentation, I thought through everything I learned in a six-hour

session and pondered how I would shorten it to a half-hour meeting. I decided to start with the
“why”. Throughout EPPSP I have learned the importance of starting with “why”—it increases
buy-in from staff members and allows for a more thorough understanding of a system. I chose
to explain the reason for shifting from the old model to the new, and how it was truly designed to
benefit teachers and serve as a coaching tool, rather than catch them and “ding” them for
unpreparedness or a snapshot of their classroom struggling. Once I had the attention of the
group by explaining the positives of the system, I continued into the “nuts and bolts” of the
presentation by explaining the logistics. I explained that this model would allow me to support
them more closely and work on coaching them to become better educators through a series of
formal and informal observations.

Overall, the department was very receptive to the change. No one that I oversee chose to stay
on the old model, and I am now able to move forward into observing them and coaching them to
become stronger educators.

The second professional development that I planned was on Success Criteria. When I first
switched to high school, I quickly learned that there was more resistance to using learning
targets and success criteria at this level, than there was at elementary. Coming from the
elementary level, I was very well-versed in the use of success criteria and how it could be
intentionally implemented to benefit students’ learning.

As I planned this session, I again started with the “why” behind success criteria—why it has
proven to be helpful, why students should engage directly with it. Teachers had heard these
words a thousand times before, so I made this portion brief. We then moved on to a hands-on
component. I provided the department with a standard and asked them to break into partners to
turn that into a learning target and success criteria. Each group had a different approach, but
eventually landed on a similar product. They took turns sharing the thinking process and what
they ended up writing. As teachers left, I received feedback from them that they liked being able
to actually work on something and walk away with a “product”.

Reflection:
Overall, it has been an exciting new challenge to design and deliver professional development
to my department. I have enjoyed being able to think through the presentations and work to
make them meaningful and engaging for my colleagues.

I think one of the most important things about designing professional development for a group of
educators is to make it feel worthwhile. Teachers are very busy, and when they must spend
time in a meeting, the goal should always be for them to walk away feeling like the session was
worth their time and effort.

In these two instances, I believe that both sessions were worth their time and effort. The first
was such, because it took a concept they had already been briefly introduced to and given them
more in-depth insight and understanding as to why we were switching and how this system was
going to benefit them. Teachers left with the notion that they were going to be more supported
than in prior years.

As mentioned in the summary, teachers left the second presentation enjoying the fact that they
were able to leave with a take-away product they could post in their classroom that day. The
collaboration piece was important to the in this session, and I could tell that this session was
energizing to them.

Although professional development is planned by administrators in most cases, I think that it is

most beneficial to a staff when it is designed through the lens of a teacher. It should be worth
their while and help them feel supported, engaged, and ready to improve and continue to grow
the profession and their students.
Artifacts:

Evaluation and Success Criteria PD: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19miil-Flna8U-

CkuvT6ZmRE1OUBTU8VJgxkQ_vkXBWA/edit?usp=sharing