Standards and Developmental Guidelines for
Maryland Professional Development Schools

Usage Guide

The Standards and Developmental Guidelines for Maryland Professional Development Schools are two documents that are to be used in tandem to holistically guide the development of a PDS.

The documents consist of the following parts:

Standards — The Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools are statements of expected performance in the areas of Learning Community; Collaboration; Accountability; Organization, Roles and Resources; and Diversity and Equity.

Components — The components of the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools include Teacher Preparation, Continuing Professional Development, Research and Inquiry, and Student Achievement. These reflect elements of the Redesign of Teacher Education that are directly related to PDS.

Indicators — In the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools, the indicators are the statements that appear in the cells of the table. These indicators are examples of how the standard might be met for each component. The indicators are in no way meant to be an exhaustive list of ways the standards may be met. There may be other indicators that equally convey the achievement of or progress toward the standards.

Developmental Guidelines — 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.

Indicators and developmental guidelines list possible ways that a PDS might implement a standard. They are intended as suggestions, not as a required checklist for PDS implementation. The developmental guidelines are formatted so that a PDS practitioner may understand the level of implementation that is necessary to be considered a "beginning" PDS, a "developing" PDS and a PDS that is "at standard." A PDS is NOT required to show evidence of ALL indicators or guidelines to be considered "at standard."

The Standards and Developmental Guidelines for Maryland Professional Development Schools may be used for self-assessment or collegial evaluation of a partnership; however, it is essential that they be used holistically to judge the PDS's implementation of each standard within the four component areas.