West Virginia Code of State Rules
Agency 126 - Education
Title 126 - PROCEDURAL RULE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Series 126-149 - Professional Learning for West Virginia Educators (5500)
Appendix B

WVDE Definition of Professional Development and Standards for Professional Learning

In 2012, the West Virginia Board of Education approved a definition of professional learning (see section 2.2) and adopted the Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council) Standards for Professional Learning (2011).

Definition of Professional Learning

Professional learning includes sustained experiences that lead to the development of knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions educators need to help students perform at higher levels and achieve college- and career-readiness.

Standards for Professional Learning

Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students:

* occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment;

* requires skillful leadership to develop capacity, advocate for, and create support systems for professional learning;

* requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources for educator learning;

* uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning;

* integrates theories, research, and models of human learning into learning designs to achieve its intended outcomes;

* applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long-term change; and

* aligns its outcomes with educator performance and student content standards.