WORTH COUNTY R-III STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The Worth County R-III teachers and administrators participated in professional learning on September 29. Built into the district’s calendar are ten professional development days for staff to acquire and develop skills to improve instructions. On Monday, the staff was joined by members of the Kansas City Regional Professional Development Council to learn strategies on collaboration and instructional coaching. In the afternoon, the teachers and administrators examined data and the new Missouri Priority Standards.
As part of the school’s District Continuous Improvement initiative, the staff spent the morning learning strategies on how to provide instructional coaching to their colleagues. These strategies are designed to provide effective feedback that will improve instructional processes. The continuous monitoring of educational practices is important in the development and improvement of curriculum and instruction. One strength of the Worth County R-III staff is the relationships that they have developed with their colleagues. These professional relationships lead to good coaching opportunities and open the door to dialogue that produces solutions.
The second portion of the days was focused on looking at the new Priority Standards that were released by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Many of these standards are integrated into the current Worth County curriculum, but the staff continually analyzes data to make educational decisions that will improve instruction. These standards are designed to identify what students need to know, and it’s up to our staff to develop the units to help students master the content.
Professional development days are an important part of the educational process. WC staff are constantly examining data to improve teaching practices and to better student learning. The various professional development initiatives are geared toward specific needs identified by the professional development committee. A majority of the 2021-2022 professional development will be focused on the peer instructional coaching to help provide new strategies and improve current teaching practices.
