School Improvement in Maryland

Educator Effectiveness Academies

Welcome, Maryland Teachers

As part of the Race to the Top grant, MSDE will conduct 10 regional Educator Effectiveness Academies during the summer 2012, and 2013. Academy content will be delivered on-line in future years. Evaluation results provided by participants after the 2011 Academies indicated that the structure and activities were highly successful at achieving academy outcomes. Transition plans produced by school teams to guide professional development activities with school staff members during the 2011-2012 school year demonstrated that Academy activities were highly engaging and focused on implementation of the Common Core State Curriculum and Maryland’s STEM initiatives.

  Outcomes for the Academy in 2012

  1. Review final version of Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics Frameworks, identify changes, and introduce content literacy frameworks.
  2. Develop knowledge of the Maryland STEM Standards of Practice and Frameworks.
  3. Develop knowledge of the format, lessons, and media resources in the Reading/English Language Arts and Mathematics.
  4. Develop knowledge of STEM unit components and resources.
  5. Practice navigating curriculum toolkits and develop applications based on curriculum toolkit models.
  6. Update participants on PARCC assessment development, design and timeline (and if possible, engage in activities related to innovative item types).
  7. Create a school plan that will guide school staff in delivering content and curriculum toolkit.

Academy Participant Responsibilities

Staff members attending the academies with their principal agree to plan and organize, in collaboration with the principal, professional development activities during the year that will assist all staff members in developing a working knowledge of the Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Framework. Members of the school team also agree to participate in on-line follow-up sessions. In future years, academy outcomes will expand to include effective use of Maryland's Instructional Improvement System as described in the Race to the Top application. This includes information regarding new summative assessments to be developed by the PARCC consortium, effective use of formative assessment tools, and the Instructional Improvement System. The composition of school teams in future years will also be determined by the principal.

Academy Format

Master teachers will facilitate academy sessions which will group participants by content area and grade level (elementary, middle, high) in classes of approximately 25. School principals will engage in activities with other principals that provide an overview of all three content areas. Time will be provided for school team planning during the last half-day of the academy.

Master Teacher Information

Application materials for master teachers will become available in December. Note that the following training dates for master teachers have already been established: April 30, May 24, and Saturday, June 9 at Stevenson University in Owings Mills Because the 2012 Academies run from Tuesday till Thursday, the preparation day for each academy will take place the Monday prior to the Academy. Finally, please note that the structure of the 2012 Academies that provides a half-day "principals alike" session on the first day of the academy will require that some master teachers only work one day if they choose to facilitate this strand. These one-day master teacher commitments will be in addition to other academy commitments.

Ask the PD Team

Scott Pfeifer
Christine Stockett
Gail Coffin
Cassandra Smith
Richard Marquart
Heather Lageman

Email your questions or comments to the MSDE Educator Effectiveness Academies Team using the space below. Please provide your email address so we can respond: