The WEA Professional Development Academy, Inc. (PDA) is committed to providing the highest quality professional development for school personnel and districts throughout Wisconsin. Schools are undergoing significant changes, and education personnel are facing new roles, responsibilities and expectations. People serving in the many and varied support staff roles in schools need and desire more attention to their professional development training. Offerings for support professionals have been few, infrequent and sporadic. There is a demand for programs that are relevant, sequential, built upon client need, and easily transferable to the workplace.

Program goals
Recognizing an existing need, the Professional Development Academy, Inc., worked closely with the University of Wisconsin system to develop a Certificate program for Education Support Professionals (ESP). The goals of the program are to:

• Increase the attention given to ESP needs for professional development.
  
• Raise the level of professionalism for ESP.
  
• Develop broad curricular of parameters so that completion of a program assures additional, significant knowledge and skills related to the individual's job and the school organization.
  
• Assure quality and applicability through a pre-approval process.
  
• Assure statewide availability of offerings.
  
• Award Certificate upon completion of a basic course of study.

Administration
The PDA is responsible for administering the ESP Certificate Program. This responsibility includes: reviewing program applications, approving the appropriate number of credit hours of each experience to a given curricular area, collecting program evaluations, maintaining a comprehensive record or approved programs, keeping records of each participant's involvement in the program, consulting with agencies and individuals seeking information, and awarding the Certificate upon completion of the total program.

© 2003 WEA Professional Development Academy, Inc.