281—83.5(284) Professional development for teachers.
	83.5(1) Professional development for school districts, area education agencies, and attendance centers. The following provisions apply to professional development for school districts, area education agencies, and attendance centers:
	a. 	Professional learning standards. Professional learning within an area education agency or local district is aligned with the state standards for teaching and learning and aligned to the following standards for professional development. Professional learning increases educator effectiveness and results for all students when it:
	(1)	Occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment.
	(2)	Requires skillful leaders to develop capacity, advocate, and create support systems for professional learning.
	(3)	Prioritizes, monitors, and coordinates resources for educator learning.
	(4)	Uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate effectiveness of instruction.
	(5)	Integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve intended outcomes.
	(6)	Applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long-term change.
	(7)	Aligns its outcomes with educator performance and student curriculum standards.
	b. 	District or area education agency professional development plan. The district or area education agency professional development plan is to be a long-term plan designed and implemented to increase student achievement and includes all on-site and district or area education agency personnel responsible for instruction. The district or area education agency professional development plan is to contain, but not be limited to, the following:
	(1)	Implementation of a school district’s or area education agency’s plan for professional learning.
	(2)	Documentation that the professional development is based on student data; aligned with district or attendance center student achievement goals; and focused on instruction, curriculum, and assessment.
	(3)	The study and implementation of research-based instructional strategies that improve teaching and learning.
	(4)	Collaborative inquiry into the area of greatest student learning need.
	(5)	Research-based training strategies (e.g., theory, demonstration, observation, practice, coaching, reflection, evaluation) that promote transfer and positive outcomes as needed for learning new practices.
	(6)	Allocation of time to collectively study content, instruction, and impact so necessary adjustments can be made to ensure student success.
	(7)	Accountability and an evaluation that documents improvement of practice and the impact on student learning.
	c. 	Attendance center professional development plans. Each attendance center within a school district will develop an attendance center professional development plan as a means of promoting group professional development. An attendance center professional development plan will further the needs of personnel responsible for instruction in the attendance center and enhance the student achievement goals of the attendance center and the goals of the district.
	d. 	Individual professional development plans. The school district and area education agency shall support the development and implementation of the individual teacher professional development plan for each teacher as outlined in subrule 83.5(2). Each individual teacher professional development plan will align to the fullest extent possible with the district professional development plan.
	e. 	Beginning teacher mentoring and induction. A school district will develop and implement a beginning teacher mentoring and induction plan as outlined in subrule 83.2(1) or a framework for beginning teachers as outlined in subrule 83.2(2). The district’s beginning teacher mentoring and induction plan or framework for beginning teachers will align with the district professional development plan described in paragraph 83.5(1)“b.” An area education agency will develop and implement a beginning teacher mentoring and induction plan as outlined in subrule 83.2(1), which will align with the area education agency’s professional development plan described in paragraph 83.5(1)“b.”
	f. 	Organizational support for professional development. The school district will provide resources and support for the district professional development plan, including opportunities for professional development, time for collaborative work of staff, budgetary support, and policies and procedures that reflect the district’s commitment to professional development.
	83.5(2) Individual teacher professional development plan. Each school district and area education agency shall support the development and implementation of individual teachers’ professional development plans for teachers other than beginning teachers. The purpose of the individual plan is to promote individual and collective professional development. At a minimum, the goals for an individual teacher professional development plan are based on the needs of the teacher and on the relevant Iowa teaching standards that support the student achievement goals of the teacher’s classroom or classrooms, attendance center and school district or area education agency, as appropriate, as outlined in the comprehensive school improvement plan. The goals will go beyond those under the attendance center professional development plan described in paragraph 83.5(1)“c.” The learning opportunities provided to meet the goals of the individual teacher plan include individual study and collaborative study of district-determined or area education agency-determined content to the extent possible. The individual plan will be developed by the teacher in collaboration with the teacher’s evaluator. An annual meeting will be held between the teacher’s evaluator and the teacher to review the goals and refine the plan.
	83.5(3) Professional development provider standards.
	a. 	A provider may be a school district; an area education agency; a higher education institution; a public or private entity, including a professional organization that provides long-term, ongoing support for the district’s or area education agency’s professional development plan; or a consortium of any of the foregoing. An educational organization or program with specific professional development accreditation or approval from the department is an approved provider.
	b. 	Providers that are not currently accredited or approved through state accreditation procedures will follow approval procedures identified in the district’s or area education agency’s professional development plan. The potential provider will submit to the school district or area education agency a written application that provides the following documentation:
	(1)	How the provider will deliver technical assistance that meets the Iowa professional development standards provided in paragraph 83.5(1)“a.”
	(2)	How the provider intends to assist the local district or area education agency in designing, implementing, and evaluating professional development that satisfies paragraph 83.5(1)“b.”
	(3)	A description of the qualifications of the provider.
	(4)	Evidence of the provider’s expertise in professional development.
	(5)	A budget.
	(6)	Procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of the technical assistance delivered by the provider.
[ARC 7662C, IAB 3/6/24, effective 4/10/24]