The following professional development programs are available to administrators. If you would like more information about school improvement professional development, contact Ron Sismondo by email or at 740-283-3347.

A Model for Change professional development is a two-part, 9-15 hour program for the district administrative leadership team followed by a similar program for teacher leadership teams.  Learning outcomes include: understanding what change is not (textbook series, software, etc.), building a context and environment for change, looking at shared leadership and responsibility for student learning, and moving from “lip service” to sustainability.

Data Teams at district and building levels can help close achievement gaps by following this four-step process as they work with staff in planning and implementing instruction for students:

• Analyze data, take action, and monitor results
• Engage the entire faculty in using data
• Prepare data analyses and documents for use with building, grade level, or department teams
• Identify and share best instructional practices

Professional development occurs at each site in collaborative settings during the school day and ongoing throughout the school year.

The purpose of the CIP is to provide direction for ongoing building / district improvement for the community, staff, students, and administration.  The ESC will provide input (directly/indirectly) and participate in the process at the building and / or district level.  The CIP document will contain the goals the district has established and the strategies that are in place or that will be implemented to achieve a minimum rating of “Effective” on the State Report Card.

All Professional Development that the JCESC delivers - or assists any of our served districts in delivering - is evaluated by comparison to the National Staff Development Standards as our model for High Quality Professional Development.  Professional Development which does not at least meet the standards of being collaborative, data-based, and job-embedded will most likely be evaluated as ineffective and inefficient and a questionable expenditure of an educator’s time.

JCESC facilitates a five-district, 42-member LPDC consortium.  One of our two major responsibilities is to effectively and accurately review renewal credentials and IPDP materials in a timely manner.  The second major responsibility is to assume a leadership role in Professional Development by having each member district facilitate, at a monthly meeting, a segment of proven HQPD, which is formatted for effective dissemination to any individual, building, or district for implementation at their site.

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is one of the most powerful ways to improve student achievement.  This professional development offering will lay the groundwork for the discussion, development, and implementation of a PLC.  It will center around three important elements:  (1) focus on learning; (2) collaborative culture; (3) results-oriented thinking.

The Ohio Standards for Professional Development defines professional development as an ongoing, systematic process linked to the daily practice of educators and based on data-driven needs.  This offering will assist teachers and administrators, as well as the LPDC Consortium to evaluate IPDP’s according to the standards-based criteria set forth in the standards, as mandated by Senate Bill 2.

The Whole-Faculty Study Group concept is a job-embedded, self-directed, student-driven approach to professional development.  It is a professional development system designed to build communities of learners in which educators continuously strive to increase student learning.  This concept will allow professionals to deepen their knowledge and understanding of what is taught, reflect on their practices, sharpen their skills, and share in the responsibility for the students they teach.