Office of Shared Accountability Reports

Examining the Role of the Staff Development Teacher (SDT) in Supporting Professional and Operational Excellence

Description:

As part of the FY 2022–2025 Strategic Plan, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) allocated 1.0 full-time equivalent Staff Development Teachers (SDTs) to each school to support district goals aligned with the pillars of professional and operational excellence, academic excellence, and wellness/family engagement. To gauge the effects of having 1.0 FTE SDTs in schools, surveys were administered to SDTs, school administrators, and a random sample of Grade K-12 teachers in spring 2023. This report provides a summary of survey results related to 1) the use of fully released SDTs by schools and 2) the impact of the SDTs on enhancing staff capacity to implement districtwide initiatives, instructional practices, and student learning experiences.

Recommendations:

  1. Maintain the 1.0 FTE SDT allocation to all schools
  2. Structure school-level PLOs to include differentiated subject-specific professional learning
  3. Conduct a feasibility study to assess the viability of implementing a school testing coordinator (STC) in all schools
  4. Review, streamline, and clarify the role of SDTs
  5. Provide consistent and timely guidelines and support from central office leadership charged with oversight over SDTs

A response to the recommendations in this report, prepared by the Office of School Support and Well-Being, can be found here.

File Name: SDT 2022-2023 Final.pdf (4.6MB PDF)