All teachers and administrators must be provided with professional development that supports the implementation of valid and reliable School-Wide Diploma Assessments such as exhibitions or graduation portfolios. It is crucial that not only students, but also teachers are afforded "opportunities to learn." It cannot be assumed that all teachers and support staff possess the knowledge and skills needed to successfully support students throughout the exhibition process. Few of these adults will have had any formal training to prepare them for their roles as teachers, advisors, and/or mentors in School-Wide Diploma Assessments such as exhibitions or graduation portfolios.
Professional development for teachers and administrators will be needed as a school's exhibition or graduation portfolio system is developed, implemented, reviewed, revised, and sustained. Faculty and staff must be made aware of the Rhode Island Diploma System and their responsibilities and options as educators within it. Schools that have chosen exhibitions or graduation portfolios as a method for their students to demonstrate proficiency may want to identify schools that are already successfully implementing these systems and arrange to visit and observe them in action. Additionally, several professional organizations and regional collaboratives offer professional development opportunities focused on exhibitions and graduation portfolios. Schools should consider school wide professional development opportunities provided by knowledgeable consultants in this field. Professional development should focus on curriculum, instruction, and assessment in support of exhibitions and graduation portfolios.
Planning for professional development is critical. Teachers and administrators cannot be expected to successfully design and implement a system for student exhibitions or graduation portfolios without targeted professional development and training. There are numerous local and national organizations that provide the training that districts/schools will need. The existing curriculum, instruction, and assessments of most schools will not be of sufficient quality or quantity to support the successful implementation and assessment of valid and reliable exhibitions or graduation portfolios. Consistent, targeted, focused, and ongoing professional development will be needed to support the development, implementation, review, and revision of School-Wide Diploma Assessments. Some important topics for professional development include:
- Setting school-wide Expectations for Student Learning
- Identifying knowledge and skills students need to complete a successful exhibition
- Curriculum mapping
- Differentiated instruction, performance based assessment, multiple measures of assessment
- Scoring and evaluating student work using rubrics
- Training for exhibition panelists
