The Academy partners with ETS (Educational Testing Service) to provide Pathwise® professional development workshops and materials to teachers, principals, and other school leaders throughout Wisconsin.

Through this partnership, the Academy is able to offer these programs at a reduced cost. Workshops are delivered by one or more Cadre members, each of whom have met rigorous certification standards established by ETS/Pathwise®.

Scheduled workshops

Overview of ETS's Pathwise® Series

The Pathwise® Series offers a variety of professional development programs that create a framework for improving curricula, teacher performance, and schools. The series of courses, workshops, and books is tied to research-based standards that provide the education community with a common language. The Pathwise® Series helps teachers and school leaders at all levels improve their skills and incorporate recognized best practices.

In scheduling all workshops, the Academy stresses the importance of having both administrators and teachers attend as a team. Much of the value of Pathwise® is tied to school improvement, and for that to happen effectively, both groups must come to a common understanding about what effective teaching looks like and how it can be nurtured. For more information about the workshops or to schedule training, contact the Professional Development Academy at academy@weac.org.

The foundation of Pathwise® is Charlotte Danielson's Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. It recognizes the active nature of learning and the complex decision-making that characterizes good teaching. It identifies these four domains of teaching that intersect: (1) planning and preparation, (2) the classroom environment, (3) instruction, and (4) professional responsibilities.

Training begins with an understanding of the four domains, and continues by expanding into areas such as observing and coaching, classroom management, induction, school leadership, and more.

Two of the most popular Pathwise® workshops are the Introduction to the Framework for Teaching and the Framework Observation Program. Each is summarized below.

Introduction to the Framework for Teaching (FFT)

This one-day workshop introduces participants to the four domains of teaching as described in Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching. Some of the items covered include: the wisdom of teaching, exploring each of the domains, and using artifacts for documentation.

Framework Observation Program (FOP)

This two-day workshop builds on the knowledge gained from the FFT training, and focuses on the process of observing classroom teaching. Workshop participants learn an objective definition of teaching practice and skills, and the means to make impartial and informed judgments based on evidence. With this knowledge, participants are better positioned to provide meaningful feedback and constructive support.

Both the Introduction and Observation workshops can be of great value to the following:

• individual teachers looking to reflect on their own performance
• colleagues observing one another's practice
• mentors and peer coaches who are assisting initial educators or struggling veteran teachers
• principals or other administrators conducting both formal and informal observations as part of an evaluation process, and
• University supervisors or school-based cooperating teachers providing feedback to student teachers.

Other Pathwise® Programs

Additional Pathwise® trainings that the Academy may offer in the future include the School Leadership Workshop Series, the Framework Induction Program, the Framework Portfolio Program, and Understanding Early Science and Literacy Learning.

Why attend these trainings?

Listed below are some of the reasons participants find the Pathwise® programs so valuable:

• Develops a richer understanding of the complex work of teaching
• Reframes one's thinking about instruction due to its anchoring in current knowledge of learning (cognitive psychology)
• Begins a local conversation about what a district's teaching standards and evaluation system are, and how they compare to the framework
• Helps beginning teachers see more clearly what proficient teaching looks like
• Improves peer coaching
• Shapes professional development in districts
• Improves teacher goal setting by anchoring it in a practical framework
• Provides an understanding of how to "unpack" the state teacher standards and make them useful

For More Information about Pathwise®

For more detailed information about Pathwise® programs and materials, go to http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets

How to schedule a workshop

Individual school districts, CESAs, colleges or universities, and others may be interested in sponsoring the training. In many cases the Academy partners with CESAs so that a variety of districts can attend together, learn from one another, and ultimately share the overall cost.

Scheduled programs (includes contact information for registering)

For more information about the workshops or to schedule training, send us an e-mail at academy@weac.org.