Course Assignment of Graduate Student Teaching: Collaborative Professional Development Plan
SPED 756
The collaboration plan is designed to assess graduate student professional development in the
area of gifted education. The purpose is to document how well a graduate student can design
collaborative professional development (PD) activities, working with colleagues and/or outside
agencies in a plan in which they describe the steps they will take, the obstacles they may
encounter, and the solutions they propose to promote gifted education.
CEC Gifted Education Standards Assessed
GT6
Language
GT6K4 Ways of behaving and communicating among cultures that can lead to
misinterpretation and misunderstanding.
GT9
Professional and Ethical Practice
GT9S2 Access information on meeting the needs of students with gifts and
talents.
GT9S10 Engage in professional activities that benefit individuals with
exceptional learning needs, their families, and colleagues.
GT9S11 Conduct professional activities in compliance with applicable laws
and policies.
GT9S16 Reflect on one’s practice to improve instruction and guide professional
growth.
GT10
Collaboration
GT10S5 Use problem solving skills to develop, implement, and evaluate
collaborative activities.
GT10S6 Communicate with school personnel about the characteristics and needs
of individuals with gifts and talents.
GT10S8 Model techniques and coach others in the use of instructional methods
and accommodations.
Description of Assessment
1. One of the ways that we evaluate how well our graduate students have learned how to design
collaborative professional development (PD) activities, working with colleagues and/or outside
agencies, is through a plan of 8-12 pages in which they describe the steps they will take, the
obstacles they may encounter, and the solutions that they propose to promote gifted education.
2. Graduate students are expected to analyze and critically evaluate how to engage in professional
development that benefits the instruction of gifted and talented students using communication that is
culturally sensitive while reflecting on one’s practice to grow professionally (Standards GT6K4,
GT9S2, GT9S10, GT9S11, GT9S16).
3. Graduate students are also expected to know how to communicate and work collaboratively with
other school personnel and/or outside agencies to create relevant gifted and talented education
professional development (PD) that includes, but is not limited to, modeling and coaching others in
the use of instructional methods and accommodations (Standards GT10S5, GT10S6, GT10S8).
GRADING RUBRIC Collaboration Plan SPED 756
In this course, candidates are required to design a professional development (PD) collaboration plan for their schools, working with
professional colleague(s) and/or outside agencies. In lieu of a final examination, the students are asked to create a viable plan of 8-12
pages, double-spaced, providing a theoretically and empirically supported description of the steps they will take, obstacles they may
encounter, and solutions they propose to promote gifted education.
Assessment
Performance Criteria
1. Content mastery
Does Not Meet Standards
Plan demonstrates little or no
understanding of gifted
education theory as it translates
into collaborative, PD practice
(GT9S2, GT9S10).
Plan demonstrates a well-developed
understanding of gifted education
theory as it translates into
collaborative, PD practice (GS9S2,
GT9S10).
2. Critical thinking
Plan includes little or no analysis
of its strengths and weaknesses
(GT9S16).
Plan includes reasonably welldefended critical analysis of its
strengths and weaknesses (GT9S16).
3. Divergent thinking
Plan does not include
implications for collaborative, PD
activities (GT9S11, GT10S5).
4. Synthesis
Plan is fragmented and does not
provide a solid approach to
collaborative PD activities in
gifted education (GT9S11,
GT10S6, GT10S8). The
approach to collaborative PD, as
reflected in the plan, involves
behavior or communication that
can lead to misinterpretation or
misunderstanding among
cultures (GT6K4).
Plan is late, and/or writing is
unclear and/or off topic with
many errors in spelling and
grammar.
Plan includes productive, meaningful,
and/or creative implications for
collaborative PD activities (GT9S11,
GT10S5).
Paper provides a reasonably wellsupported approach to implementing
and evaluating collaborative PD in
gifted education (GT9S11, GT10S6,
GT10S8). The collaborative PD, as
reflected in the plan, does not involve
behavior or communication that could
lead to misinterpretation or
misunderstanding among cultures
(GT6K4).
5. Communication
(professionalism of
written
communication)
Meets Standards
Writing is reasonably clear, effective,
and focused with some errors in
spelling and grammar.
Exceeds Standards
Plan demonstrates a welldeveloped understanding of
complex principles of and research
on gifted education theory as it
translates into collaborative, PD
practice GS9S2, GT9S10).
Plan includes coherent and welldefended critical analysis of its
strengths and weaknesses
(GT9S16).
Plan includes productive,
insightful, and creative
implications for collaborative, PD
activities (GT9S11, GT10S5).
Paper provides a solidly theoretical
and empirically supported
approach to implementing and
evaluating collaborative PD in
gifted education (GT9S11,
GT10S6, GT10S8). The
collaborative PD, as reflected in
the plan, is explicitly sensitive to
ways of behaving and
communicating among cultures
(GT6K4).
Writing is clear, effective, and
focused with very few errors in
spelling and grammar.