Section 281.23.7. High-quality professional development.

         23.7(1) Responsibility of program. Adult education and literacy programs shall be responsible for providing professional development opportunities for professional and volunteer staff, including:

            a.               Proper procedures for the administration and reporting of data pursuant to rule 281—23.8(260C);

            b.               The development and dissemination of instructional and programmatic practices based on the most rigorous and scientifically valid research available; and

            c.               Appropriate reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, English language acquisition, distance education, and staff training practices aligned with content standards for adult education.

         23.7(2) Professional development requirements. Professional development shall include formal and informal means of assisting professional and volunteer staff to:

            a.               Acquire knowledge, skills, approaches, and dispositions;

            b.               Explore new or advanced understandings of content, theory, and resources; and

            c.               Develop new insights into theory and its application to improve the effectiveness of current practice and lead to professional growth.

         23.7(3) Professional development standards. The department and entities providing adult education and literacy programs shall promote effective professional development and foster continuous instructional improvement. Professional development shall incorporate the following standards:

            a.               Strengthens professional and volunteer staff knowledge and application of content areas, instructional strategies, and assessment strategies based on research;

            b.               Prepares and supports professional and volunteer staff in creating supportive environments that help adult learners reach realistic goals;

            c.               Uses data to drive professional development priorities, analyze effectiveness, and help sustain continuous improvement for adult education and literacy programs and learners;

            d.               Uses a variety of strategies to guide adult education and literacy program improvement and initiatives;

            e.               Enhances abilities of professional and volunteer staff to evaluate and apply current research, theory, evidence-based practices, and professional wisdom;

            f.                Models or incorporates theories of adult learning and development; and

            g.               Fosters adult education and literacy program, community, and state level collaboration.

         23.7(4) Provision of professional development. Adult education and literacy program staff shall participate in professional development activities that are related to their job duties and improve the quality of the adult education and literacy program with which the staff is associated. All professional development activities shall be in accordance with the published Iowa Adult Education Professional Development Standards.

            a.               All professional staff shall receive at least 12 clock hours of professional development annually. Professional staff who possess a valid Iowa teacher certificate are exempt from this requirement.

            b.               All professional staff new to adult education shall receive 6 clock hours of preservice professional development prior to, but no later than, one month after starting employment with an adult education program. Preservice professional development may apply toward the professional development requirements of paragraph 23.7(4)“a.”

            c.               Volunteer staff shall receive 50 percent of the professional development required in paragraphs 23.7(4)“a” and 23.7(4)“b.”

         23.7(5) Individual professional development plan. Adult education and literacy programs shall develop and maintain a plan for hiring and developing quality professional staff that includes all of the following:

            a.               An implementation schedule for the plan.

            b.               Orientation for new professional staff.

            c.               Continuing professional development for professional staff.

            d.               Procedures for accurate record keeping and documentation for plan monitoring.

            e.               Specific activities to ensure that professional staff attain and demonstrate instructional competencies and knowledge in related adult education and literacy fields.

            f.                Procedures for collection and maintenance of records demonstrating that each staff member has attained or documented progress toward attaining minimal competencies.

            g.               Provision that all professional staff will be included in the plan. The plan requirements may be differentiated for each type of employee.

         23.7(6) Waiver. The requirement for professional development may be reduced by local adult education and literacy programs in individual cases where exceptional circumstances prevent staff from completing the required hours of professional development. Documentation shall be kept which justifies the granting of a waiver. Requests for exemption from staff qualification requirements in individual cases shall be kept on record and made available to the department for review upon request.

         23.7(7) Monitoring. Records of staff qualifications and professional development shall be maintained by each adult education and literacy program for five years and shall be made available to department staff for monitoring upon request.

[ARC 1775C, IAB 12/10/14, effective 1/14/15]