Teachers are, and shall continue to be, a major source of development and innovation in improving educational programs of the District. Changes in programs and the adoption of new educational plans shall be based upon valid educational research, when available. Teachers shall participate in the overall coordination of studies, projects, and other activities directed toward the development, improvement and implementation of such programs, toward the continuous evaluation of all programs, and toward research in pertinent educational and related areas. The Association recognizes the existence of the other institutional and community resources capable of making great contributions toward these ends, and that utilization of such resources should be coordinated with the efforts of the school administration and the professional staff.
As the District strives for excellence in its schools, the District and the Association agree to work cooperatively to align the school district curricula and classroom activities with the New York State Learning Standards. To achieve this worthy goal, it will be necessary to encourage the professional growth of all staff and to foster collaborative working relationships established on research-based effective practices.
The District and the Association also agree that the curriculum development process is integral to quality instruction and to the improvement of student learning. The District and the Association further acknowledge and agree that creating a clear direction and consistency for curriculum and staff development, and delivery is a policy responsibility and right of the Board of Education.
With the above in mind, the District and the Association pledge their commitment to establishing opportunities for working together with teachers, administrators, parents and the community to support the curriculum and staff development policy established by the Board of Education.
Components of this collaboration are:
A. Coordinating Committee on Professional Development (CCPD)
1. This team shall be made up of eight (8) members appointed by the STA President or designee and eight (8) members appointed by the Superintendent or designee. One co-chair will be appointed by the STA President or designee and one co-chair will be appointed by the Superintendent or designee.
2. The major functions of the team are to: recommend Superintendent’s days as District or site-based initiatives to allow for long range planning; monitor the District’s implementation of the PDP; and ensure the necessary professional development is in place to support the implementation of new or existing textbooks, programs and curriculum.
- In order to provide well-informed guidance the committee will review: the ELA action plan (Curriculum Audit), the District CDEP, Textbook Committee and Program Adoption sub-committee recommendations, Curriculum and Evaluation Committee recommendations, Special Programs grants/initiatives, and data that includes but is not limited to student test scores, adequate yearly progress, attendance, graduation rate, individual growth plan (IPGP) summaries, School Improvement Plan (SIP) addendums, and other information from School Leadership Teams (SLT). See Article 22 (Association and Board Rights).
- The committee will meet for a total of approximately forty (40) hours per year within a twelve (12) month period. Unit 1 appointees will receive the extension of service rate for their service (See Appendix C)
B. Professional Development Planning Team (PDPT)
- The major function of the team is to fulfill its state-mandated role to create and revise the District’s Professional Development Plan (PDP) in alignment with District goals and seek input from the CPSDT, the Needs Assessment Team (NAT), and the Teacher Center Policy Board and the Teacher Center staff.
- The team is co-chaired by STA and District appointees. PDPT is composed of a minimum of ten (10) Unit 1 members, higher education members, community members, and district administrators in numbers that assure that Unit 1 members hold a majority of seats.
- Unit 1 members will receive the professional committee contractual hourly rate for up to twenty (20) hours per year for their service on this team.
C. Needs Assessment Team (NAT)
1. There shall be a Needs Assessment Team consisting of four (4) members appointed by the Association and four (4) District members appointed by the Superintendent who shall also be members of the Teacher Center Policy Board. This team will serve as a sub-committee of the CCPD and is responsible to summarize data and make related recommendations to the CCPD.
2. The NAT shall gather and examine data from Individual Professional Growth Plan summaries, School Improvement Plan addendums, and other data to determine staff and District needs that will influence the full range of in-servicing in the Syracuse City School District including: District in-service, site-based in-service, classroom visitation by colleagues, prescriptive focused in-service, targeted in-service, online professional development, productive in-school activities and individual faculty in-servicing, exploring and proposing new flexible ways of accumulating hours for in-service credit, and any other matters relating to professional development.
- New Initiatives
- The Association and the District agree that the introduction of instructional initiatives and programs that will increase student achievement and support adult professional development are critical to achieving our mutual goals. These new initiatives and programs may be introduced at the district-wide or school-wide or multiple school level.
- It is also agreed that the identification and evaluation process for all new initiatives and programs should adhere to a set of principles. These will include:
a. All instructional initiatives and programs will be aligned with district goals, New York State standards, curriculum, School Improvement Plans, Individual Professional Growth Plan professional development needs, and other pertinent criteria and standards;
b. All instructional initiatives and programs will be designed to begin and sustain the initiative or program with necessary resources.
c. All instructional initiatives will include planning for capacity building through professional development;
d. All instructional initiatives and programs will include an evaluation of the impact on student achievement;
e. All instructional initiative and program requirements will be clearly communicated throughout the identification and adoption process to staff charged with implementation
3. The communication plan shall include conferring with the Association to ensure that requirements of new initiatives and programs are consistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
4. Whenever possible, the Coordinating Committee on Professional Development (CCPD) will recommend which programs will be in-service credit bearing or paid at the hourly rate. Matters for CCPD to consider are the funding source and the short and long term benefit of the program. When the funding is derived from grants, the needed professional development may be paid at the contractual hourly rate. Participants will be aware of the method of payment prior to taking the course or workshop.
E. Curriculum Writing and Implementation and Textbook Recommendation
- The District and the Association agree that curriculum committees shall be established as needed for curriculum writing and professional development to aid members and administrators in the effective and coordinated implementation of newly developed curricula.
- Committees shall be established in accordance with the following:
a. These committees shall be comprised of teachers from Pre-K through 12th grade level, and appropriate administrators such as, but not necessarily limited to, the field coordinators and Director of Curriculum and Staff Development;
b. Qualifications and duties for teacher representatives on these committees shall be established by the Board of Education upon recommendation of the Superintendent. Opportunities for teacher representatives to serve on the committees will be posted by the District. The District and the Association shall interview interested teacher candidates and shall forward to the Superintendent the names of those individuals recommended for appointment. The Board of Education shall have final approval of appointments to the committees, upon recommendation of the Superintendent;
c. Teachers who serve on the curriculum writing committees, or who are in-service instructors for curriculum implementation, will be compensated for authorized work performed outside the scope of the normal work day in accordance with the hourly rates specified in Appendix C of this Agreement;
d. Work hours for curriculum writing shall not exceed seventy-two (72) hours per committee member unless approved in advance by the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee. It is the expectation that most curricula can be completed in varying times under seventy-two (72) hours per committee member;
e. Textbook recommendation committees shall be established by the District as needed to select textbooks to support the New York State Standards. The textbook committees shall be comprised of appropriate teachers and administrators. Qualifications and duties for teacher representatives on textbook recommendation teams shall be established by the Board of Education upon recommendation of the Superintendent. Opportunities for teacher representatives to serve on the textbook recommendation committees will be posted by the District. The District and the Association shall jointly review the applications of interested teacher candidates, and interview (unless jointly accepted prior to the interview), and shall forward to the Superintendent the names of those individuals recommended for appointment. The Board of Education shall have final approval of appointments to committees, upon recommendation of the Superintendent. Textbook recommendation committees will be compensated for authorized work performed outside the scope of the normal workday in accordance with hourly rates specified in Appendix C of this agreement.
F. Half Days for Professional Development
Subject to the regulations of the Commissioner of Education, and with the approval of the Superintendent, students may be dismissed one-half (1/2) day per month for faculty curriculum study and development and/or other kinds of continuing education. The School Leadership Team in each building will be encouraged to innovate and experiment with the form such in-service shall take, and all programs conducted pursuant to this section shall be developed through faculty involvement in planning and evaluation.
G. Attendance at Conferences and Meetings
All members of the Unit shall attend all conferences and meetings for which they are released, and shall present themselves, as assigned, when schools are closed for staff participation in professional functions. Absence from conferences and meetings shall be governed by the same rules which apply to other absence from duty. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be construed as requiring the attendance of any teacher at a meeting which is voluntary and not required under law, regulation, or local policy.
H. Experimental and Demonstration Program (Mini-Grant Proposals)
Prior to September 15th, the Superintendent will issue an Administrative Bulletin detailing procedures and guidelines under which proposals may be submitted for the expenditure of monies to be used for experimental and demonstration programs. The total amount available for this program shall not exceed Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000). Proposals shall be granted at the discretion of the Superintendent whose determination as to the approval and amount of any such proposal shall be final and not subject to the Grievance and Arbitration Procedure of this Agreement. This section shall not in any way be construed as a continuing obligation or commitment by the District to continue to appropriate monies for this purpose in future budgets beyond the duration of this agreement and/or a guarantee to exhaust the sum indicated above.
I. Teacher Center Policy Board
Subject to funding, the District shall provide for professional assistance, growth, and enrichment for members of the Unit through a Teacher Center governed by a Policy Board, a majority of whose members shall be teachers appointed by the Association. |
