RIDLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
GUIDELINES FOR FLEXIBLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS
Activities that are acceptable for professional development contractual days include those opportunities that:
• improve teaching and change instructional practices to increase student learning and achievement
• assist educators in sustaining or acquiring knowledge pertinent to their teaching specialties
• stimulate educators to utilize innovations in instructional and administrative techniques to assess outcomes of courses and programs
• increase educator’s capacity to integrate the use of computers and other technologies into their instructional practice
• promote the goals of the district and engage members of the community through community outreach programs
• engage educators in a collaborative effort to write units of curriculum
• foster professional growth by attendance at conferences, seminars, workshops, or Ridley Professional Institute classes.
The following guidelines apply:
• A full day credit equals six (6) hours in length. These hours are actual staff development contact time and will not include breaks or meals.
• Activities should occur in sessions of not less than two (2) hours, unless approved by principal.
• All flexible professional development day activities must occur outside of the contracted workday and year with the exception of the designated contracted professional development days for those teachers who have not met the obligation prior to the end of the current school year.
• Any teacher wishing to fulfill the flexible professional development days before the end of the school year must complete the Professional Learning Portfolio form explaining the nature of the activities, number of hours, and receive approval by May 1st. The signature of the building principal is required before activities are completed. The teacher should keep the signed statement until the activity is completed.
• Remuneration for the flexible professional development days is part of the teacher’s salary. No additional financial compensation can be earned by involvement in this activity. A teacher cannot get credit for the flexible professional development day if he or she receives pay from any entity including but not limited to the district, intermediate unit, professional organization, university, or Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• All district teachers must fulfill the flexible professional development days before he or she can be eligible for any financial compensation for additional work.
• Flexible professional development days must be completed within the current fiscal year unless there is a specific project that is under the supervision of the curriculum directors or appropriate administrator.
• Teachers who have not fulfilled the flexible professional development day requirement before the end of the current school year or who are not scheduled to participate in a planned staff development activity before the end of June, will be required to attend the two professional development days (or portion thereof) that are scheduled at the end of the school year.
• If a teacher is scheduled for a staff development activity during the summer that is more than two days, the contractual time may be applied to the current year and the following year with district approval.
• Courses for which a teacher receives credit and are paid for by the district’s tuition reimbursement program and/or will at any time in the teacher’s career be used for salary track change may not be used for the professional development contractual days. Any activity for which a teacher receives remuneration in any form such as financial compensation or salary track change does not meet the outlined criteria for flexible professional development days and cannot be used to meet that obligation.
• Credit for flexible professional development day activities will be awarded after the teacher has provided proof that the activity has been successfully completed.
• All activities will be eligible for Act 48 credit in keeping with current Act 48 guidelines. Act 48 hours are submitted with completion of an activity.
• Teachers who do not fulfill the annual flexible professional development days by the close of the fiscal year will be charged with deduct days based on the length of the unfilled obligation, as the teacher has failed to meet a contractual obligation.
Note: Activities that are not acceptable would include any part of the routine day to day teaching activities or extracurricular assignments that are expected of professional employees such as grading papers, planning lessons or practices, preparing individual assessments, organizing classrooms or supplies, attending scheduled in-service sessions, club events, or participating in Back to School night programs. If you have questions regarding eligible activities, contact your principal.