2012 Arkansas Code
Title 6 - Education
Subtitle 2 - Elementary And Secondary Education Generally
Chapter 17 - Personnel
Subchapter 7 - -- In-Service Training
§ 6-17-704 - Professional development plan.

(a) As used in this section, "professional development" means a coordinated set of planned learning activities for teachers, administrators, and classified employees that are standards-based and continuous.

(b) The purpose of professional development is to improve teaching and learning in order to facilitate individual, school-wide, and system-wide improvements designed to ensure that all students demonstrate proficiency on state academic standards.

(c) (1) Beginning with school year 2004-2005, each school district shall prepare a professional development plan.

(2) (A) Teachers, administrators, and classified school employees shall be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of their respective professional development offerings under the plan.

(B) The evaluation results shall be given to each group of employees in the school district and used to improve professional development offerings.

(d) The professional development offerings may include approved conferences, workshops, institutes, individual learning, mentoring, peer-coaching, study groups, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, distance learning, internships, and college or university course work.

(e) (1) The professional development offerings may meet the objectives of subdivision (e)(2) of this section developed by the National Staff Development Council and shall comply with the rules of the State Board of Education governing professional development.

(2) Professional development that improves the learning of all students:

(A) Requires skillful school and school district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement;

(B) Organizes educators into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and school district;

(C) Provides resources to support educator learning and collaboration;

(D) Uses disaggregated student data to determine educator learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvements;

(E) Uses multiple sources of information to guide educator improvement and demonstrate its impact;

(F) Prepares educators to apply research to decision making;

(G) Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal;

(H) Applies knowledge about human learning and change;

(I) Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students;

(J) Creates safe, orderly, and supportive learning environments;

(K) Holds high expectations for the students' academic achievement;

(L) Deepens educators' content knowledge;

(M) Provides educators with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards;

(N) Prepares educators to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately;

(O) Provides educators with knowledge and skills to appropriately involve families and other stakeholders in education;

(P) Provides educators with knowledge and skills needed to teach students with disabilities, including without limitation autism; and

(Q) Provides educators with knowledge and skills needed to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students.

(f) A teacher shall complete any missed hours of professional development through professional development that is:

(1) Substantially similar to the professional development missed and approved by the person responsible for the teacher's summative evaluation under the Teacher Excellence and Support System, § 6-17-2801 et seq.; and

(2) Delivered by any method, online or otherwise, approved by the Department of Education under the State Board of Education rules.

(g) Accreditation for or approval of professional development for public school teachers and administrators is governed by the rules of the state board.