PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP

 

WASHINGTON COLLEGE AND CECIL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

 

 

 

Rationale

 

The purpose of this agreement is to develop a collaborative learning community between Washington College and the Cecil County Public Schools to improve the education of Bohemia Manor High School and Middle School students and Washington College education students. To achieve this goal, both partners will combine their resources to provide ongoing quality internship placements for teacher candidates, and ongoing professional development for faculty at Bohemia Manor High School, Bohemia Manor Middle School, and Washington College.

 

It is our belief that all those working at the school site must be committed to ensuring that all students learn and develop to their potential. It is further believed that all school staff ultimately should be committed to providing quality student teaching and pre-student teaching placements in an authentic diverse environment. Two paramount goals will always be at the heart of our work and, therefore, form the basis for assessment and evaluation:

·  educated and motivated students and

·  prepared and committed teachers.

 

Belief Statements

 

1.   The preparation of future teachers is the responsibility of the entire profession, both school based personnel and those in higher education.

 

2.   All parties will be preparing teachers to meet the culturally diverse needs of their school communities.

 

3.   A multiple teacher approach to working with college education students is more effective than only a one-to-one approach.

 

4.   A true partnership shares resources and responsibilities.

 

5.      It is important for the faculties at Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School to understand the goals of the Washington College Teacher Certification Program; and it is important for the college faculty to understand the goals of the schools.

2

Benefits

 

1.      Students at Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School will benefit from the presence of additional teaching assistants who can provide ongoing attention to individual student needs in the classroom.                                                         

2.   Faculties at Bohemia Manor High School, Bohemia Manor Middle School, and Washington College will benefit from the chance to grow professionally with resources that may not be otherwise available to them.

3.   Washington College students will have the opportunity to observe and practice a variety of instructional and management techniques in an authentic school environment.

4.   Washington College will benefit from having Professional Development Schools where its teacher candidates can be trained by partnership faculty who are knowledgeable about the college program and trained in the use of supervision skills.

5.   The teaching profession will benefit from having new teachers who have been trained and nurtured in an environment where excellent professional practice and commitment to high principles have been modeled by the professional staff.

 

Membership

 

The Professional Development Schools Steering Committee will consist of the following members:

·        Washington College Liaison

·        Principals of Bohemia Manor High School and Middle School

·        PDS Site Coordinators for Bohemia Manor High School and Middle School

·        County Leadership Team Representative

·        Faculty Representatives – minimally two from each school

 

Responsibilities

 

The Professional Development Schools Steering Committee will:

·     develop PDS program priorities and recommend program procedures and policies to their governing bodies;

·     oversee the expenditure of PDS grant funds;

·     annually assess annually in a formative context the PDS, including the role of the school Site Coordinator, school mentors, and college PDS Liaison;

·     prepare yearly summative assessments of the effectiveness of the PDS program using both qualitative and quantitative data related to both teachers and students; the Steering Committee will determine the specific data to be collected and analyzed; and

·     attend an annual strategic planning meeting to analyze the effectiveness of the partnership and plan continuation grants.

 

3

 

The Cecil County Public Schools Leadership Team will:                                                        

·     select a representative to attend Steering Committee meetings and to serve as a liaison between the Steering Committee and the Leadership Team and Board of Education; and

·     actively support the Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School PDS programs with funding, staff, and materials.

 

The School Based Administrators will:

·     select PDS Site Coordinators;

·     select mentors for non tenured teachers in conjunction with the Cecil County Staff Development Coordinator;

·     select, in cooperation with Washington College and the Cecil County Associate Superintendent, supervising teachers for teacher interns;

·     include a Washington College Liaison on the School Improvement Teams (SIT);

·     coordinate with Washington College to provide the following:

                        - training for mentors and supervising teachers

- orientation for all PDS school faculty

                        - joint professional development opportunities for PDS administrators,                                 tenured and non-tenured teachers, interns, teacher candidates, and                                      support staff

                        - content support for PDS professional staff.

 

The PDS Site Coordinators will:

·     oversee the day-to-day operation of the PDS program at the school sites;

·     report on the progress of the PDS program to the Steering Committee at its regular meetings;

·     assign college education students to individual teachers or teams of teachers in consultation with the school principals and with the College Liaison;

·     inform the PDS College Liaison about the performance and progress of college students;

·     share responsibility with the College Liaison and the Cecil County Public Schools Information Officer for public relations and communications; and

·     work collaboratively with one another and with the College Liaison.

 

Bohemia Manor Teachers will:

·     be responsible for involving the college education students in the instructional activities of the school as appropriate;

·     be involved in assessing the performance of their assigned college students and keeping the PDS Site Coordinators informed about the students’ progress; and

·     if designated as Mentor Teachers. assist beginning teachers as directed by the school system.

 

 

4

Washington College will:

·     cooperate with Cecil County Public Schools to provide the following:

-   training for supervising teachers;

-   orientation for all school faculty about the PDS program                             

-   joint professional development opportunities for PDS administrators, tenured and non-tenured teachers, interns, teacher candidates, and support staff

-   content support for PDS professional staff

·     appoint a PDS College Liaison

           

The Washington College PDS Liaison will:

·     work with the Site Coordinators to establish dates and times of field assignments for college education students;

·     supervise the college students and oversee their performance assessment;

·     visit the schools frequently to establish rapport with the staffs and meet frequently with the Site Coordinators;

·     share responsibilities with the Site Coordinators and the Cecil County Public Schools Information Officer for public relations and communication;

·     report on the progress of the PDS program to the Steering Committee at its regular meetings; and

·     be a member of the School Improvement Teams.

 

 

Resource Sharing

 

Washington College will:

·     assist in providing professional development for PDS faculty subject to provision of funding from college grants and school system grants;

·     provide PDS school faculty with college library support for professional development activities;

·     provide curricular, supervisory, and developmental support for college education students working at the PDS;

·     provide a stipend to PDS school faculty who supervise Washington College interns during their student teaching semester.

 

Cecil County Public Schools Leadership Team will:

·     coordinate the use of professional development time to permit PDS activities and professional development at Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School; and

·     actively support the Bohemia Manor High School and Bohemia Manor Middle School PDS programs with funding, staff, and materials.

 

 

5

Time Line

 

This time line will be reviewed and revised by the Steering Committee as needed:

 

Fall 2000

·     high school Site Coordinator and college Liaison selected

·     pilot group of college education students placed at Bohemia Manor H.S.

·     membership of Steering Committee determined

 

Spring 2001

·     Memorandum of Understanding drafted

·     plans for PDS program developed by Steering Committee

·     professional development priorities established by Steering Committee

·     Title II grant application submitted to MSDE

 

Summer 2001

·     PDS program extended to include Bohemia Manor Middle School

·     middle school Site Coordinator selected

·     strategic planning for 2001-2002 PDS program developed

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Signatures of Agreement

                                                                                                                                                           

 

Washington College

Cecil County Public Schools

 

 

 

 

                                    Signature                                                                  Date               

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________                                                           

John S. Toll

President, Washington College

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________                                                           

Carl D. Roberts

Superintendent, Cecil County Public Schools