WILLIAMSBURG LOCAL SCHOOLS L.P.D.C.

Philosophy

The Local Professional Development Committee supports the mission of Williamsburg Local Schools as it strives to guarantee that young people achieve academic excellence, be well-rounded, be competent in creative and critical thinking, be resourceful, responsible, productive citizens and to inspire them, as well as the adults in the Williamsburg community to become life-long learners through the use of effective teaching methods, innovative staff, superior curriculum, modern equipment and facilities and by the uniting of family, school and community resources.

Purpose

The Local Professional Development Committee is responsible for reviewing Individual Professional Development Plans submitted by educators of the Williamsburg Local Schools, consistently using established operating procedures and criteria.

The Local Professional Development Committee is responsible for determining whether course work or equivalent professional development activities related to teaching and/or the area of licensure meet the requirements of the Standards set by the Ohio Department of Education for renewal of certificates or licenses.

Criteria for Individual Professional Development Plan

The Individual Professional Development Plan will identify an educator’s goals for learning and will not be tied to an employee’s evaluation.

The Local Professional Development Committee will review and evaluate the Individual Professional Development Plan of each educator seeking certificate renewal or licensure in the district.

The Individual Professional Development Plan must follow the Williamsburg Local Schools’ Mission Statement and relate to the educator’s teaching and/or area of licensure.

The Individual Professional Development Plan must meet the needs of the district, the school, the educator and the students.  The needs of the district are given in the strategic plan’s operational strategies:

           1.          Develop and implement grant writing to obtain funds.

           2.       Develop and implement Williamsburg Schools’ standards of academic                        excellence that exceed state minimums and therefore motivate K-12 program improvements.

           3.          Develop and implement a student service learning program.

           4.       Develop and implement an ongoing K-12 inservice program that will empower staff to be innovative and supportive.

           5.          Develop and maintain programs to involve all parents/guardians in their

                  Child(s) education.

           6.       Develop and implement a positive multi-faceted community-school partnership.

           7.          Develop and implement an innovative and aggressive program for the use of

                  a renewed desire for learning.

           8.    Develop and implement an innovative and aggressive program for the use of

                  evolving technology throughout the Williamsburg Local School District.

           9.          Develop and implement a program to assess the district’s facility usage and

                  needs for the future.

         10.          Develop and implement an aggressive plan to eliminate and prevent

                  drug/alcohol usage by students.

The Individual Professional Development Plan must include professional development goals for learning, plans to integrate new knowledge into the educator’s job assignment and a list of professional development activities, which would accomplish these goal. 

Individual Professional Development Plans will be reviewed and evaluated at LPDC meetings.   Copies of approved IPDP’s will be returned to the educator.  Committee members will aid educators whose plans are not approved so that such plans may be amended and thereby approved. 

Criteria for Course Work and Equivalent Activities

The decisions of the Local Professional Development Committee regarding professional development activities (college coursework, workshops, institutes, conferences, and other equivalent activities) are based on and aligned with the educator’s Individual Professional Development Plan, the strategic plan strategies and the mission statement of the Williamsburg Local Schools.  LPDC standards are based on Ohio Department of Education guidelines.

Williamsburg Local In-services are approved upon completion of inservice form with no limit on the number of contact hours per renewal cycle.

College coursework is approved for certificate renewal upon submission of transcript or grade card verification.  Preapproval is required for licensure.  College coursework needs to relate to the educator’s individual professional development plan (IPDP).  There is no limit on the number of credit hours per renewal cycle.(six semester hours minimum)

Workshops, institutes, and conferences require preapproval and verification documentation.  These activities need to relate to the educator’s individual professional development plan (IPDP).  There is no limit on the number of contact hours per renewal cycle.

Other equivalent activities require preapproval and verification documentation.  These activities need to relate to the educator’s individual professional development plan (IPDP).  The total limit for these activities is 130 contact hours (13 CEU’s) per renewal cycle.  These activities may include:

            Committee work

                        Curriculum development

                        Student focused committee meetings

                        WHS Strategic Planning Committee

                        Professional committees                                           Up to 90 hrs = 9 CEU’s

                Grant Writing

            planning and preparation                                                           Up to 20 hours = 2 CEU’s

            Publication in a professional journal                                  Up to 20 hours = 2 CEU’s

            Observation of experts or models at work                          Up to 20 hours = 2 CEU’s

            National Board Certification                                               Up to 130 hours=13 CEU’s

            Cooperating Teacher for a Student Teacher

            or Practicum Teacher                                                            Up to 50 hours = 5 CEU’s

            Professional Presentation/Project Development

                        first time on a topic                                                     Up to 20 hours = 2 CEU’s

Additional information/data required as proof of completion as determined by the LPDC.

These activities may include:

            Self-directed education development

            research, educational travel, professional reading              Up to 20 hours = 2 CEU’s

            College coursework taken for no credit                        Up to 50 hours = 5 CEU’s

            Mentoring

            colleague or youth                                                            Up to 30 hours = 3 CEU’s

                Supplemental contract workshop/clinic                         Up to 10 hours = 1 CEU

Membership of the Committee

The Williamsburg Local Schools Local Professional Development Committee shall consist of five members.

There shall be three teacher members of LPDC, said teachers being bargaining unit members (WEA).

There shall be one principal member and one other administrative appointee of the Superintendent.

As Amended Substitute House Bill 770 provides:  Whenever an administrator’s Individual Professional Development Plan is being voted upon, the local professional development committee shall, at the request of one of its administrative members, consist of two administrative members and one teacher voting on the plan.  The teacher member shall not be on the staff of the administrator whose IPDP is being voted upon.  This provides administrators with the option of a peer review.

Selection of Teacher Members and Terms of Office

The three teacher members shall be elected for three year terms with alternate election.  Election shall be as follows:  one K-4 teacher, one 5-8 teacher, one 9-12 teacher.

Vacancies shall be filled through appointment by the Executive Committee of the Williamsburg Local Education Association.

Operational Procedures

            Meetings - The LPDC shall meet a minimum of three times per year.  Additional meetings may be held when called by the chair or a majority of the members.   Meetings shall be held at the administrative offices or other school building as determined by the chair.

            Duties of Committee Members:

            The committee chair shall -

                        be elected by the majority;

                        schedule and conduct LPDC meetings;

                        represent the committee as needed;

                        complete the ODE verification form for the educator who is renewing a

                        certificate or license;

                        notify the Superintendent’s office of meeting dates to comply with the

                        Sunshine Law.

            The committee secretary shall - record minutes of LPDC meetings including a list of educators’ whose IPDP’s have been approved; send copies of the minutes to the Superintendent, building principals, LPDC members, Board of Education members and the WEA president; maintain a supply of necessary LPDC forms and distribute as needed.

            The committee clerk/recorder shall -process, as outlined in the Document Progression section, the LPDC forms submitted by the district’s educators, submit educator’s professional development data to State’s Department of Education data base, maintain all LPDC files in the designated central office filing cabinet.

            All committee members will ensure that proper notification of educators regarding committee decisions is handled at their respective buildings and/or grade levels.   Committee members will assist educators with their Individual Professional Development Plan.

  Document Progression

Individual Professional Development Plans, must be submitted to the LPDC at the beginning of each certification/licensure cycle.

An approved IPDP must be filed with the LPDC or no professional development credit will be granted for the educator. 

A preapproval form, for each professional development activity except Williamsburg Local Schools inservice, shall be submitted to the LPDC as soon as possible prior to the commencement of the activity. 

A verification form, together with any documentation required, shall be submitted to the LPDC at the completion of the professional development activity.

A summary form shall be submitted to the LPDC when the educator is renewing a certificate or license.

The Certificate Renewal/License Summary form shall be completed by the LPDC for an educator ready to renew a certificate or convert to or renew a license.  The LPDC shall file a copy and send the completed form to the educator.  The educator sends his/her application and check to the Superintendent’s office to be forwarded to the Ohio Department of Education.

All forms for activities during the current school year must be submitted to the LPDC. If your license/certificate expires you must summit forms by April before your expiration date. Forms submitted after this date will not be approved and CEU credit will not be given.

The Local Professional Development Committee Plan of Operation and all forms generated by the committee may be evaluated, redesigned and/or revised as necessary.  All changes require a majority vote of the committee members.

Appeal Process

The appeal process allows an educator to appeal the decision of the Local Professional Development Committee.

Reconsideration

A request for reconsideration must be submitted in writing to the committee chair.  The educator must state his/her reasons for the appeal for reconsideration.

This request for reconsideration shall be submitted within ten business days from the date of the LPDC’s initial decision.  During the summer months, all notification will be done by mail.

The educator will be given the opportunity to meet with the LPDC in person to discuss the IPDP and to discuss his/her case.  An attempt will be made to provide this opportunity during a regularly scheduled LPDC meeting; however, a special meeting may be called.  The LPDC shall notify the educator in writing as to meeting time and place.

The educator will be notified of the LPDC’s reconsideration decision within five business days of this meeting.

Third party review

If, after the reconsideration process has taken place, the LPDC and the educator are still unable to come to agreement, a third party shall review the decision.

The educator may request a third party review within five business day of the reconsideration decision.

Within 15 business days of this request, the LPDC shall schedule a meeting attended by the educator, a reviewer representative from the Regional Professional Development Committee, and an LPDC representative appointed by the chair.

The reviewer will either uphold or overturn the LPDC decision.

Notification of the reviewer’s decision will be sent to the educator and the LPDC members within five business days of this meeting.

Conversion Guide
Quarter Hours to Semester Hours