Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 005 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division 16 - Division of Human Resources ***
Rule 005.16.11-005 - ADE 207: Rules Governing Professional Development; revisions to Rules Governing the Distribution of Student Special Needs Funding and the Determination of Allowable Expenditures of Those Funds

Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 005.16.11-005

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024

1.0 Regulatory Authority

1.01 These Rules shall be known as the Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing Professional Development.

1.02 The State Board of Education (SBE) enacts these Rules pursuant to its authority as set forth in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-5-405, 6-10-122, 6-10-123, 6-11-105, 6-15-1004, 6-15-1703, 6-17-701 et seq.,6-20-2204, 6-20-2305, 6-61-133, and 25-15-201 et seq.

2.0 Purposes

2.01 It is the purpose of these Rules to develop a high quality professional development system for all educators.

2.02 The purpose of professional development is to improve knowledge and skills in order to facilitate individual, team, school-wide, and district-wide improvement designed to ensure that all students demonstrate proficiency on the state academic standards.

3.0 Definitions

3.01 Professional Development-a coordinated set of planned learning activities that:

3.01.1 Improve the knowledge, skills, and effectiveness of teachers;

3.01.2 Address the knowledge and skills of administrators and paraprofessionals concerning effective instructional strategies, methods, and skills;

3.01.3 Lead to improved student academic achievement; and

3.01.4 Are research-based, standards-based, and continuous.

3.02 Educator - any individual holding a license issued by the State Board of Education, specifically including without limitation teachers, administrators, library media specialists, and counselors.

3.03 Arkansas On-line Professional Development Initiative- a partnership between the ADE and the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) to provide on-line programs, courses, and workshops through the AETN.

3.04 Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP)-a plan developed by a local school team based on an analysis of student performance data and other relevant data that provides a plan of action to address deficiencies in student performance and any academic achievement gap as evidenced in the Arkansas Comprehensive Assessment Program as defined in ADE rules.

3.05 Learning Teams-a group of educators who meet regularly as a team to identify essential and valued student learning, develop common formative assessments, analyze current levels of achievement, set achievement goals, share strategies, and then create lessons to improve upon those levels.

3.06 Study Groups - a group of educators who meet to learn, implement, and reflect on research-based techniques in a focus area(s). Members read and discuss current research, examine and reflect on effective instruction, or examine student work.

3.07 Professional Development Plan - outlines the professional development program of activities for a district, school, or educator that is based on student data and is aligned to the ACSIP.

3.08 Approved Professional Development Provider - means any organization which provides content for professional development credit, whether delivered in a face-to-face or electronic mode of delivery, whose content has been approved by the ADE to meet the annual professional development credit requirements imposed upon educators by Arkansas Statutes and ADE Rules. The term "Approved Professional Development Provider" does not apply to an Arkansas public school district which provides a professional development program solely to its own personnel or to an Education Cooperative which provides professional development to districts/schools. The term "Approved Professional Development Provider" does not apply to professional development programs provided by the Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Department of Career Education, or Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.

3.09 Mentoring/coaching - means increasing capacity for coaching and mentoring others to assist in growth of instructional skills and effectiveness of colleagues.

3.10 One professional development day is equal to six (6) hours of professional development credit.

3.11 Professional Development Program ("Program") means a course of instruction intended to provide content which fulfills the requirement for professional development credit for educators.

3.12 Illness - means disorder of health of an educator or an educator's immediate family (to include a spouse, child, parent, or other relative living in the same household as the educator).

3.13 ADE - means the Arkansas Department of Education.

4.0 Time Requirements

4.01 All educators shall complete sixty (60) hours of approved professional development each year.

4.02 The 60-hours professional development requirement must be fulfilled between July 1 and June 30 or June 1 and May 31 as approved by the local district. The local district shall document the district's option.

4.03 The sixty (60) hours of required professional development shall include:

4.03.1 Technology

At least six (6) hours shall be in the area of educational technology.

4.03.2 Arkansas History

For each teacher who provides instruction in Arkansas history, the sixty (60) hour professional development requirement shall include two (2) hours of training in Arkansas history. It is the responsibility of the school district to provide this training or make it available through other providers.

4.03.3 Parent Involvement

Each teacher shall be required to have two (2) or more hours of professional development designed to enhance understanding of effective parental involvement strategies.

Each administrator shall be required to have three (3) or more hours of professional development designed to enhance understanding of effective parent involvement strategies and the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parent participation.

No more than once every five (5) years, an educator may substitute for this parent involvement requirement no more than two (2) hours of the training required under section 4.18.

4.03.4 Administrator

For each administrator, the sixty (60) hour professional development requirement shall include training in data disaggregation, instructional leadership, and fiscal management.

4.03.4.1 This training may include without limitation the Initial,

Tier 1 (twelve (12) hours) and Tier 2 (four (4) hours) training required for superintendents and district designees by ADE's Rules Governing the Arkansas Financial Accounting and Reporting System and Annual Training Requirements.

4.03.5 Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Act

Each superintendent, assistant superintendent, grades 7-12 principal, grades 7-12 assistant principal and grades 7-12 guidance counselor shall be required to participate in professional development on the availability of, eligibility requirements for, and the process of applying for state-supported student financial assistance. These educators shall:

4.03.5.1 Participate in a three-hour course within the first year of employment; and

4.03.5.2 Complete a one-hour course annually.

4.04 College Courses

A three-hour undergraduate or graduate-level college credit course from an accredited college or university counts as fifteen (15) hours of professional development, if the college credit:

4.04.1 is related to and enhances the educator's knowledge of the subject area in which the educator is currently employed;

4.04.2 is part of the requirement for the educator to obtain additional certification in a subject matter that has been designated by the ADE as having a critical shortage of educators; or

4.04.3 is otherwise approved by the ADE as a graduate level course eligible for professional development credit. No more than half of the required 60-hours of professional development time may be met through college credit hours.

4.04.4 Graduate level courses in educational leadership are eligible for professional development credit based on approval by the ADE. The focus of the course must specifically relate to the job assignment as approved by the district.

4.04.5 Nothing in this section 4.04 shall prevent or restrict a school district from requiring additional in-service training.

4.05 Advanced Placement

Each hour of approved training received by educators related to teaching an advance placement class for a subject covered by the College Board and Educational Testing Service shall count as professional development up to a maximum of thirty (30) hours.

4.06 Approved professional development activities which occur during the instructional day or outside the educator's annual contract days may apply toward the 60-hour minimum professional development requirement.

4.07 Educators in positions not directly related to instructional activities shall be responsible for completing sixty (60) hours of professional development each year. However, the focus of their professional development may be prorated among those areas specifically related to their job assignment as approved by the district.

4.08 Any educator who misses any part of regularly scheduled professional development activities for any reason (such as sickness) must make up that time in other approved professional development activities so that the 60 required hours of professional development are earned during the approved timeframe required under Section 4.02 of these Rules, except as provided in section 4.08.1.

4.08.1 If the educator is absent because of illness of the educator or the educator's immediate family, the educator shall be allowed to make up the hours missed during the remainder of the current school year or succeeding school year. The educator may earn the professional development hours through Arkansas IDEAS, on-line professional development.

4.09 Any educator who provides approved professional development may count two (2) hours professional development credit for each one (1) hour of time spent in presenting professional development content.

4.10 Sixty (60) approved professional development hours annually are required to renew a license issued by the State Board of Education.

4.11 Those educators who have not maintained a license but who wish to renew their license shall be required to meet the conditions of the Rules Governing the Requirements and Procedures for Renewing a Standard/Advanced Arkansas Teaching License.

4.12 Adult Education

Educators working solely part time in one of the following settings shall be required to obtain thirty (30) hours of professional development.

4.12.1 Adult basic education;

4.12.2 General adult education;

4.12.3 English as a second language for adults; and

4.12.4 General Educational Development Test examiners.

4.13 Thirty (30) approved professional development hours annually will be required to renew a license for those educators working solely part time in a setting described in Section 4.12 of these rules.

4.14 An educator meeting the criteria of Section 4.12 of these rules who has not maintained a current license but who wishes to renew his or her license shall be required to meet the conditions of the Rules Governing the Requirements and Procedures for Renewing a Standard/Advanced Arkansas Teaching License.

4.15 All Institutions of Higher Education will be required to maintain documentation for employees who wish to meet the professional development hours to maintain a license according to, and in compliance with this Rule.

4.16 At least once every three (3) years, each person employed as a coach shall obtain training in recognition and management of the following events or conditions that may be encountered by a student during athletic training and physical activities:

4.16.1 A concussion, dehydration, or other health emergency;

4.16.2 An environmental issue that threatens the health or safety of students; and

4.16.3 A communicable disease.

4.16.4 The training may include a component on best practices for a coach to educate parents of students involved in athletics on sports safety.

4.17 Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, all educators shall obtain, at least once every five (5) years, two (2) or more hours of in-service training in teen suicide awareness and prevention.

4.17.1 Up to two (2) hours of in-service training, no more than once every five (5) years, may be obtained by self-review of suitable suicide prevention materials approved by ADE.

4.18 All educators shall obtain, within twelve (12) months of initial licensure and within twelve (12) months of any subsequent renewal of a license, up to two (2) hours of training in:

4.18.1 Recognizing the signs and symptoms of child maltreatment;

4.18.2 The legal requirements of the Child Maltreatment Act, Ark. Code Ann. § 12-18-101 et seq., and the duties of mandated reporters under the Act;

4.18.3 Methods for managing disclosures regarding child victims; and

4.18.4 Methods for connecting a victim of child maltreatment to appropriate in-school services and other agencies, programs, and services needed to provide the child with the emotional and educational support the child needs to continue to be successful in school.

4.19 The training required in section 4.18 shall be based on curriculum approved by the Arkansas Child Abuse/Rape/Domestic Violence Commission and may be obtained in-person or online.

5.0 Professional Development Criteria

5.01 Professional development is the means by which educators acquire or enhance the knowledge, skills, and expectations necessary to increase student learning and must meet the following criteria. All approved professional development shall be aligned to the following Standards developed by the National Staff Development Council:

5.01.1 Context Standards

Requires skillful school and school district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement;

Organizes educators into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and school district; and

Requires resources to support educator learning and collaboration.

5.01.2 Process Standards

Uses disaggregated student data to determine educator learning priorities, monitors progress, and help sustain continuous improvements;

Uses multiple sources of information to guide educator improvement and demonstrate its impact;

Prepares educators to apply research to decision making;

Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal;

Applies knowledge about human learning and change; and

Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.

5.01.3 Content Standards

Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments and hold high expectations for their academic achievement;

Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately;

Provides educators with knowledge and skill to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately;

Provides educators with knowledge and skills needed to teach students with disabilities, including without limitation autism; and

Provides educators with knowledge and skills needed to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students.

5.02 Approved professional development activities shall relate to the following focus areas:

5.02.01 Content (K-12);

5.02.02 Instructional strategies;

5.02.03 Assessment/data;

5.02.04 Advocacy/leadership/fiscal management;

5.02.05 Systemic change process;

5.02.06 Standards, frameworks, and curriculum alignment;

5.02.07 Supervision;

5.02.08 Mentoring/coaching;

5.02.09 Education technology;

5.02.10 Principles of learning/developmental stages;

5.02.11 Cognitive research;

5.02.12 Parent involvement/academic planning & scholarship;

5.02.13 Building a collaborative learning community; and

5.02.14 Student health and wellness, which may include but not limited to appropriate training for anticipated rescuers in the use of

5.02.14.1 automated external defibrillator; or

5.02.14.2 cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

5.03 All approved professional development, whether designed for the educator, school or district, shall be based on the improvement of student achievement on State assessments and increasing student achievement and academic performance.

5.04 Approved professional development takes on many forms and may be earned in the following ways:

5.04.01 Conferences/workshops/institutes

5.04.02 Mentoring/peer coaching;

5.04.03 Study groups/learning teams;

5.04.04 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification;

5.04.05 Distance learning/on-line opportunities;

5.04.06 Internships;

5.04.07 State/district/school programs;

5.04.08 College/university course work;

5.04.09 Action research; or

5.04.10 Individually-guided as noted in an educator's individual professional development plan.

5.05 An educator may be entitled to up to twelve (12) hours of professional development credit approved by the district/school which may be applied toward the sixty (60) hour professional development requirement for that time period at the beginning of each school year which is used to plan and prepare curriculum or develop other instructional material provided:

5.05.01 The time is spent in his/her instructional classroom, office or media center at the public school;

5.05.02 The time is prior to the first student teacher interaction day of the school year; and

5.05.03 The time is spent in the focus areas listed in Section 5.02 of these Rules, and may include but are not limited to the following:

5.05.03.1 Grade level and/or vertical team planning to integrate subject areas;

5.05.03.2 Team work to analyze student data;

5.05.03.3 Team work to develop academic improvement plans (AIP) or individual educational programs (IEP);

5.05.03.4 Developing assessments for learning (formative assessments);

5.05.03.5 Professional book studies;

5.05.03.6 Developing student-centered units tied to the State academic standards and student learning expectations;

5.05.03.7 Developing intervention strategies to support remediation;

5.05.03.8 Developing and/or revising the Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (ACSIP);

5.05.03.9 Developing and/or revising curricula maps and/or pacing guides;

5.05.03.10 Pursuing study as noted in individual professional development plan; and

5.05.03.11 Arkansas IDEAS, on-line professional development, related to ACSIP or the educator's professional growth plan.

5.05.04 No professional development credit shall be given for activities under Section 5.05 of these Rules unless those activities meet the criteria and standard requirements set out in Sections 5.02 of these Rules. Specific activities which do not qualify include without limitation:

5.05.04.1 Making and putting up bulletin boards;

5.05.04.2 Clerical work associated with documents such as ACSIP, AIP and IEPs; and

5.05.04.3 Administrative faculty or team administrative meetings.

5.05.04.4 Educators who meet the requirements of Sections 5.02 and 5.05 of these Rules shall be entitled to earn one (1) hour of professional development for each hour of approved preparation, not to exceed twelve (12) hours.

5.06 There is created the Arkansas Online Professional Development Initiative. Requirements for the initiative include:

5.06.1 All professional development delivered by technology shall be aligned to the required focus areas listed in Section 5.02 of these Rules.

5.06.2 The ADE shall determine the content and approve all professional development delivered through the Arkansas On-line Professional Development Initiative that counts toward the required sixty (60) hours.

5.06.3 The ADE shall select courses/products, which are research-based and are available from sources, with expertise in technology delivered professional development courses.

5.06.4 Courses shall align with the Southern Regional Education Board Multi-State Online Professional Development Standards.

5.06.5 Online professional development courses shall include online registration, course evaluation, and attendance and completion documents.

6.0 Professional Development Plan

All school districts, schools and educators shall develop and implement a professional development plan.

6.01 The district and school plan shall be included in the ACSIP.

6.02 Individual educator plans shall support the district and/or school plans.

6.03 Teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals shall be involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of their respective professional development offerings under the plan.

6.04 School Improvement

6.04.1 ADE may require specific professional development programs for the district or the school designated in school improvement or academic distress.

6.04.2 These requirements may become part of the district or school school improvement plan.

6.04.3 In order to receive professional development credit, the district or school educators shall participate in, complete, and pass the assessment for the professional development requirements included in the district or school improvement plan.

7.0 Approval Process

7.01 All professional development programs must be approved by the Arkansas Department of Education in order to receive credit toward the 60-hour requirement.

7.02 At least thirty (30) days before a program is offered to educators, the professional development provider shall provide a detailed description of the entire program including staff qualifications to the ADE in an electronic format prescribed by ADE.

7.03 The ADE shall promptly review the content of the program for compliance with all applicable statutes and department rules to determine if any or all of the program content shall be deemed to provide professional development credit and shall establish the time period the professional development provider is approved to offer the program.

7.04 Upon notification by the ADE of approval of the program (or a part or parts thereof) for professional development credit, the professional development provider may enroll participants in the program and offer the program for professional development credit for the set time period.

7.05 The program provider shall be responsible for the preparation and dissemination of proof of completion of the program (or parts thereof) to all attendees. All such proofs, or copies thereof, shall be submitted by the attendees who are employed by an Arkansas school district to the superintendent of the district.

7.06 Each school district shall maintain all documents for its employees which reflect completion of professional development programs, whether such programs were provided by an outside organization or by the district itself.

7.07 Each school district shall report the amount of all professional development programs completed by its employees to the ADE at the time and in the matter specified by the ADE.

7.08 The ADE shall monitor all school districts, and all educators to whom these Rules apply, for compliance with these requirements, and shall administer appropriate sanctions specified in statute and Rule to any district or educator whom it finds to be in noncompliance.

7.09 District and School Providers

School and district professional development plans shall be included in the ACSIP and shall be reviewed annually by the school/district and the ADE.

7.09.1 The ACSIP will include an assurance statement that each educator in the school/district shall have an individual professional development plan that has been developed in cooperation and collaboration with the educator and the school and/or district.

These individual plans shall include:

7.09.1.1 Six (6) hours of technology, two (2) hours of parent involvement and two (2) hours of Arkansas History may be selected with approval of the district.

7.09.1.2 Up to twelve (12) hours may be selected with the approval of the district in keeping with the identified needs of student data as defined in the ACSIP plan or the educator's individual professional development plan.

8.00 Funding

Professional Development Funding provided under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-20-2305 must be directed to activities that meet the conditions described in these Rules and shall not be used for any other purpose unless otherwise allowed by law or rule.

9.00 Monitoring/Evaluation

9.01 Regular monitoring activities of the professional development requirements within these Rules shall occur when the superintendent of the school district provides written assurance to the Commissioner of Education as required by law. However, the ADE may directly monitor the professional development activities of any school or school district to determine compliance with the professional development requirements.

9.02 The criteria for evaluating the impact of professional development shall be the improvement of student achievement on State criterion-referenced assessments, State norm-referenced assessments, other related indicators as defined by ACTAAP and the evaluations of the professional development offerings. These data shall be used to revise ACSIP and the district, school and individual professional development plans associated with the local improvement plan.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

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