PDS Resources

Standards for MD Professional Development Schools

The Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools, authored by the Superintendents and Deans Committee of the Maryland Partnership for teaching and Learning K-16, are statements of expected PDS performance in the areas of Learning Community; Collaboration; Accountability; Organization, Roles, and Resources; and Diversity and Equity. This is the final version of the Standards for MD Professional Development Schools, revised October 23, 2002.

Developmental Guidelines for MD
Professional Development Schools

The Developmental Guidelines for Maryland Professional Development Schools are intended to further elucidate the indicators found within the cells of the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools. The Guidelines provide a developmental continuum to aid PDS implementation and self-assessment. This is the final version of the Developmental Guidelines for MD Professional Development Schools, revised October 23, 2002.

Essential Dimensions of Teaching

The Essential Dimensions of Teaching are Maryland's standards used to measure intern effectiveness and to guide program development for teacher preparation programs.

Interstate New Teachers Assessment
and Support Consortium (INTASC) Principles

Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSO) that has developed model performance-based standards and assessments for the licensure of teachers. Maryland's Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) may use either the INTASC Principles or EDoTs in their teacher preparation programs.

Guidelines for Multiple-Site Professional
Development Schools

The Guidelines for Multiple-Site Professional Development Schools are intended as a resource for PDS networks that include more than one school, school system, or IHE.

Teacher Education Task Force Report
(The Redesign of Teacher Education)

Authored by the Teacher Education Task Force and formally endorsed by the Maryland State Board of Education and the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 1995, this report is the guiding document for reform efforts in teacher preparation throughout the state of Maryland.

Teacher Preparation Improvement Plan (TPIP)

The Teacher Preparation Improvement Plan is the plan developed by all Maryland IHEs that have teacher preparation programs to document implementation of the Redesign of Teacher Education and to provide an action plan for the future.

The Redesign of Teacher Education Major Components

Extracted from 18 recommendations of the Teacher Education Task Force Report which apply to teacher education, the major components address four broad areas of pre-service teacher preparation. The document followed the request for better articulation between teacher preparation programs and expectations of K-12 student achievement particularly focusing on state-wide assessments.

Professional Development Schools: Implementation Manual

This manual, authored by the Superintendents and Deans Committee of the Maryland Partnership for Teaching and Learning K-16, provides a history of professional development schools in Maryland and a thorough discussion of the Maryland PDS Standards, best practices for professional development schools, and PDS evaluation.

Glossary

The Glossary defines terms related to the implementation of the PDS Standards and the use of the Developmental Guidelines for MD Professional Development Schools.

Standards and Developmental Guidelines for MD Professional Development Schools Usage Guide

The Usage Guide explains the intended use of the Standards, their Components and Indicators, and the Developmental Guidelines as tools to be used in the implementation of PDS partnerships and for the holistic assessment of the partnerships.

Sample Memoranda of Understanding

The Maryland PDS Standards call for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be developed and signed by PDS partners. Within this MOU, individual commitments of the IHE and PreK-12 education partners are defined. The MOU clarifies the commitment, the expectations and the resources that each party brings to the partnership. The memorandum is endorsed at both the school system level and at an administrative level of the IHE. An MOU can range from a simple letter to a detailed contract.

For your information, four sample MOUs are provided here (Baltimore City P.S.S., Cecil County P.S., Towson, and Prince George's County P.S.) They do not represent a required MOU template; they are simply provided to give you samples of some of the agreements that have been formed in PDSs across the State.