NORTH CAROLINA STANDARDS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

THE STANDARDS

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The standards are organized according to the context/process/content schema:

Context Standards

Address the organization, system, and culture in which the new learning will be implemented

Learning Communities: Professional development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.
Leadership: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.
Resources: Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.

Content Standards

Refer to the "what" of professional development.

Equity: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement.
Quality Teaching: Professional development that improves the learning of all students deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with researchbased instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.
Family Involvement: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately.

Process Standards

Refer to the "how" of professional development describing the learning processes used in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills and addressing the use of data, evaluation and research.

Data-Driven: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.
Evaluation: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.
Research-Based: Professional development that improves the learning of all students prepares educators to apply research to decision making.
Design: Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.
Learning: Professional development that improves the learning of all students applies knowledge about human learning and change.
Collaboration: Professional development that improves the learning of all students provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.

Standards At-A-Glance
Based on research by the National Staff Development Council (NSDC), the State standards provide the vision and framework for making professional development more responsive to the learning needs of both educators and students. The standards clearly describe behaviors and attitudes that will lead to maximized teaching and learning.
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