Design includes long-term, intensive, and consistent application of early pedagogy and early learning content (Marcon, 1999; National Research Council, 1999)
		Emphasis on supporting teachers as reflective and active adult learners (Sparks & Hirsch, 1997; Saracho & Spodek, 1993; Tertell et al, 1998)
		Focus on local capacity building and classroom implementation based on the knowledge and skills introduced at the professional development sessions (Clark, 1988; National Research Council, 1999; National Research Council, 2001).

The elements are reinforced in early childhood programs at public schools, Head Start, and child care settings. Certified teachers participating in MMSR receive one Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credit per two full-day staff development sessions. Early educators with Head Start or child care are either eligible for college credit or receive hours of training which enable them to receive a bonus through the Maryland Child Care Credentialing System.

With the application of the MMSR statewide, the professional development component has been implemented for each local school system. Through a planning process prior to the school year, MSDE and the local school system develop a series of professional development activities (typically several one-day sessions) that follow a particular sequence in the methodology and content of the MMSR. For instance, during the first year, teachers will participate in staff development sessions which introduce the early learning outcomes and indicators that define the level of school readiness statewide. The subsequent sessions stress the teachers’ observational skills to gain insight of children’s learning and inform their instruction. Additional modules stress the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, instructional planning, and communication of children’s learning with families.

There are currently nine full-day modules on the pedagogy of the MMSR (i.e., supporting children’s learning through observation and documentation of learning, individualized instruction, and use of performance indicators) and six modules for kindergarten teachers representing the content areas language and literacy, mathematical, and scientific thinking. Each of the modules, including hand-outs, teacher handbooks, and other resources, has been developed by a group of early childhood and teacher education experts. A cadre of professional developers delivers the modules to the kindergarten, prekindergarten, and preschool special education teachers of the respective local school system as planned several months prior.

Since the local school systems phased in the MMSR at different points in time, each local school system has its customized staff development plan. Newly hired teachers participate in the first year of staff development at regional locations.

Incorporated into the staff development content for kindergarten teachers is the protocol of evaluating entering kindergarten students for a selected group of performance indicators on the Work Sampling System (WSS)® as part of the annual school readiness report. This aspect of the MMSR is regulated by the Code of Maryland in response to a legislative mandate.

The active participation among teachers is reinforced in two ways:

		Opportunities to reflect on teaching practices and their effects on student learning
		Opportunities to apply new skills and to have a basis for reflections at subsequent meetings through assignments between professional development sessions.

For instance, early in the staff development program teachers are asked to collect observation data on two students in relation to specific performance indicators. At the next sessions, teachers reflect on their successes, challenges, and any questions using a personal journal and share their information on the students with other teachers. According to the staff development evaluation results, teachers find the sharing and reflection of teaching strategies very helpful.

As part of the planning process, the early learning coordinators at the local school systems supervise the staff development activities and administer the distribution of materials and the collection of the kindergarten assessment forms. In addition, local school systems are advised to integrate the MMSR with other early learning initiatives and the existing classroom practices. For instance, local school systems that emphasize early reading instruction in kindergarten integrate any staff development activities with the MMSR modules. Most of the local school systems revised their kindergarten and prekindergarten report cards to reflect MMSR’s domains of learning. Field experience has shown that the implementation of the MMSR in all-day kindergarten programs is significantly more effective than in half-day kindergarten sessions.

The intent of the MMSR has been to apply the school readiness outcomes and indicators to all settings of early childhood education. The implementation at Head Start and child care is emerging. Head Start and child care use the nine full-day modules on the pedagogy of the MMSR that were developed by MSDE. With slight adaptations to meet the needs of a more diverse adult learner community, these modules are delivered by a cadre of professional developers who either received training on the delivery of the modules by MSDE or by the Maryland Committee for Children (MCC). In alignment with the MMSR readiness outcomes and indicators, Head Start staff is using the Maryland Head Start Child Outcomes Framework that reflects the national outcomes framework for Head Start children. In 2002, MSDE, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families, developed and delivered, as a pilot, MMSR staff development modules for home visitors.

¹ The MMSR readiness outcomes and indicators have been revised in 2001 to reflect the drafted content standards for prekindergarten and kindergarten.
² The modules pertaining to Scientific Thinking have been developed in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the those pertaining to Mathematical Thinking have been developed by Math Works©
³ MSDE works closely with each local school system to customize the staff development program by adapting the modules to meet the local learning objectives.