Why ACP?
Traditionally, teacher professional development has relied heavily on isolated, one-size-fits-all experiences. Advancement across the salary schedule, especially after a teacher has obtained a graduate degree, currently consists of a series of hoops through which teachers must jump by completing coursework that often has little relevance to, or impact on, their students and their own PD. In fact, post-graduate courses have become a lucrative business for online educational institutions who market these courses to teachers for the specific purpose of quickly moving across the salary schedule. ACP is an organic, teacher-driven initiative that brings ownership, relevance, and impact back to teacher professional development.
ACP Overview Videos, Featuring Project Examples
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Personalized Learning for Educators
We know how impactful personalized learning can be in our classrooms. ACP allows adult learners to experience the power of personalized learning in their own professional development. ACP provides teachers with self-directed personalized learning opportunities while honoring the fact that adult learners have different needs, life experiences, and skill sets than younger learners. More specifically, ACP is aligned with Malcolm Knowles’s theory of Andragogy, which outlines the unique qualities and needs of adult learners. (For more information on andragogy/adult learning theory, see: https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles)
Teacher-Driven Professional Development
Each district’s ACP committee is made up of 5-10 teachers
● Applications are submitted by individual teachers or groups of teachers to the ACP committee
● Project proposals may be driven by unique student/classroom needs, professional interests, building/district goals or initiatives, community outreach needs, identified professional development goals, etc...
● The ACP committee reviews and approves submitted proposals (or suggests revisions necessary before approval)
● Teachers implement their approved projects
● Upon project completion, teachers present their work and findings to the ACP committee
● Upon successful completion of project requirements, the participant is awarded credits
● Applications are submitted by individual teachers or groups of teachers to the ACP committee
● Project proposals may be driven by unique student/classroom needs, professional interests, building/district goals or initiatives, community outreach needs, identified professional development goals, etc...
● The ACP committee reviews and approves submitted proposals (or suggests revisions necessary before approval)
● Teachers implement their approved projects
● Upon project completion, teachers present their work and findings to the ACP committee
● Upon successful completion of project requirements, the participant is awarded credits
ACP Coordinators
Consult with teachers to identify needs, develop project ideas, and draft ACP proposals
● Foster collaboration among colleagues, schools, and districts
● Meet with teachers before they present their ACP proposals to the committee
● Assist ACP committees with application processing
● Help applicants revise proposals that do not meet criteria or that are not immediately accepted
● Provide support through project implementation, including:
● Advocate for ACP in Region 5 and beyond
● Foster collaboration among colleagues, schools, and districts
● Meet with teachers before they present their ACP proposals to the committee
● Assist ACP committees with application processing
● Help applicants revise proposals that do not meet criteria or that are not immediately accepted
● Provide support through project implementation, including:
- in-person and online consultation
- location of resources
- technical support
- assistance in data collection and analysis
- purchase & reimbursement processing
- networking with other professionals
● Advocate for ACP in Region 5 and beyond
