Cleveland County Schools Professional Development Plan
Professional Development in Cleveland County Schools is aligned to the Strategic
Plan Goal 2.1, the core values, vision, and mission of the district. PD offered also
responds to the needs of teachers and administrators with district-wide and schoolspecific offerings. Evaluations of PD, staff surveys, professional growth conferences
and goals, and state initiatives are used to inform the professional development
plan. The district utilizes software from Cook Consulting to monitor and document
professional development presented in the district, as well as, staff participation in
PD outside of the district.
The implementation of Common Core Standards and new Essential Standards in
North Carolina prompted the need for professional development K-12. In the 201213 school year nearly 400 different staff development sessions were offered in the
district and over 40% of those sessions focused on understanding and implementing
the new standards. Sessions were presented by lead teachers, experts in the field,
and curriculum support staff (Curriculum/Technology Coordinators and Secondary
Curriculum Coaches).
In response to current research, educational trends, and the NC teacher evaluation
tool, professional development sessions on the implementation of effective
professional learning communities has been offered. The goal has been to develop
the leadership capacity of administrators and lead teachers in using professional
learning communities to increase student learning.
 High School Principals visited Stevenson High School outside of Chicago to
see PLC’s in action.
 Lead teachers and administrators have attended sessions led by the DuFours
in the surrounding area over the past three years.
 In the 2012-13 school year, The Center for Quality Teaching and Learning
was contracted with to lead a focused collaborative cycle in all secondary
schools.
Cleveland County Schools has utilized Positive Behavior Intervention and Support
(PBIS) to improve social competence, reduce discipline referrals and suspensions,
and increase academic achievement. PD is offered to sustain and increase PBIS in
the district.
Another major component of the PD plan is sessions offered in increasing the use of
technology in the classroom. The goal is to provide teachers with technology tools
that engage students and to have students use technology as part of the learning
process. Sessions offered included SmartBoard training, Cloud Apps, Google Apps,
web tools, and iPad training.
Professional Development Summary
2012-2013 Professional Development Data for CCS
# PD Sessions
Topic of Sessions
20
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS )
29
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
57
Technology
124
EC Support, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training (NVCI),
Teacher Evaluation Process and Testing
167
Understanding and Implementation of New Curriculum Standards
397
Miscellaneous Topics (offered within district)
794
TOTAL PD Sessions offered within the district
852*
TOTAL PD Sessions attended outside the district**
*411 staff members participated in outside registrations.
**Outside registrations include graduate courses, National Board Certification, state
and national level content-specific conferences, Department of Public Instruction
trainings, etc.
2013-2014 Professional Development Data for CCS
# PD Sessions
Topic of Sessions
239
TOTAL PD Sessions offered or planned.
319
TOTAL PD Sessions attended outside the district.
*292 staff members participated in outside registrations.