Professional Learning

High-quality professional learning is an integral part of a comprehensive talent management system that develops, supports, grows, and retains educators throughout their careers.

In Rhode Island, we believe that high-quality professional learning (HQPL) consists of coherent learning experiences that are relevant, purposeful, systematic, and structured over a sustained period of time with the goal of improving and building upon educators' practices and student outcomes. HQPL enables educators to impact student learning and well-being through the acquisition and application of knowledge, skills, and abilities that address the whole child. HQPL conforms to best practices in research and relates directly to the educator's professional context through which the learning is applied.

For professional learning-related questions, please email PL@ride.ri.gov

High-Quality Professional Learning Guidebook

The Rhode Island Department of Education is excited to introduce the High-Quality Professional Learning (HQPL) Guidebook, a comprehensive resource aligned with the Rhode Island Professional Learning Standards (RIPLS).  This resource is designed to help districts enhance their systems of professional learning by providing research-based strategies for designing and implementing effective professional learning systems, checklists for action to help identify and reflect on the next steps needed for professional learning planning, and guidance on supporting the implementation of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CPBL). By utilizing this guidebook, leaders can create professional learning experiences that enhance equitable student outcomes and educator growth.

 Why This Matters: Professional learning is the cornerstone of high-quality instruction. The HQPL Guidebook offers actionable guidance to help you reflect on, assess, plan, and implement professional learning initiatives that meet the diverse needs of your educators and students.

 What You Can Do:

  • Access the HQPL Guidebook: Download and review the guidebook.
  • Collaborate with Stakeholders: Consider setting aside time for your leadership teams to review the Systems Framework for High-Quality Professional Learning found in Part I. This section will help you understand how to structure your professional learning plans around key components such as equitable student outcomes, high-quality instruction, and organizational culture.
  • Use the Checklists for Action: Utilize the checklists provided in the guidebook to assess current professional learning efforts and identify areas for improvement. These tools will help you reflect on the next steps in your planning process.
  • Plan for Ongoing Learning: Use the guidebook as a living resource, revisiting it as your professional learning needs evolve. The research-based strategies will help you adapt to changing demands and ensure continuous improvement.
  • Be on the Lookout: To help professional learning leaders understand and apply the information in the guidebook, RIDE will be hosting a series of webinars and professional learning experiences. Please look out for upcoming virtual sessions in the next few weeks. 

If you have any questions or need further support, please do not hesitate to contact Marisa Edwards.  

 

Professional Learning Resource Network (PLRN)

The Professional Learning Resource Network provides educators with access to a variety of professional learning opportunities. 

Disclaimer: External organizations have not been vetted, approved, or endorsed by the Rhode Island Department of Education.  When selecting a professional learning provider, it is important to ensure that the organization and learning opportunity align with your school's goals and values and effectively address the specific needs of your students and/or staff. If you have any questions about whether an organization is a suitable fit for your learning requirements, please contact your district leadership directly.

*NOTE* For questions about professional learning units (PLUs) for certification in RI, please email the appropriate contact in your LEA regarding the local approval process for PLUs. RIDE does not approve PLUs.

Updated on a weekly basis, this list encompasses free professional learning opportunities including live webinars, on-demand webinars, in-person events, and class packages from national and local providers across a variety of different contents and subject areas.   

  • Is your organization hosting an upcoming free professional learning event?  Please submit the opportunity using this form. 

This list includes local and national organizations that provide contract-based professional learning courses for districts and schools.  Separate from Rivet Education’s Professional Learning Partner Guide, these organizations specialize in Leadership, SEL, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, MLLs, MTSS, Social Studies, World Languages, Physical Education, Health and Wellness, and more!  

  • Application Window: Is your organization interested in being included on the PLRN as a Professional Learning vendor? Our application window is open twice a year. Please submit your application here during one of the application windows below:

    • June 1 - June 30

    • November 1 - November 30 

Rivet Education's Professional Learning Partner Guide 

The Professional Learning Partner Guide features professional learning organizations and curriculum publishers offering high-quality, curriculum-based professional learning services in ELA, Math, and Science.   If your district is looking to partner with external vendors for support with HQIM-specific curriculum in ELA, Math, or Science, please reference the PLPG here. 

Additional Resources

Professional Learning Plans (PL Plans)

RIDE has finalized two Professional Learning Plan (PL Plan) templates and samples to support LEAs in meeting part of the certification regulation requirements beginning in the 2019-20 school year. Knowing that some LEAs have already done this work and some are just beginning, RIDE has provided two different templates. Please know that LEAs are not required to use either of these templates.

The two PL Plan template options are intentionally designed to meet the needs of LEAs in the following ways:

The Existing Plan Template is designed for those LEAs who currently have a stand-alone professional learning plan or already have the necessary regulatory components contained within their district strategic plan. The document is structured to support LEA teams, comprised of educators and district leaders, to cross-walk the LEA’s professional learning plan against the certification regulations to ensure full alignment.

The Comprehensive Plan Template is designed for those LEAs who do not currently have a professional learning plan, either stand-alone or as part of their district strategic plan. Using additional prompts to support LEA teams in the development process, this document is divided into sections that will help codify the existing professional learning structures and offerings within the LEA, and highlight areas that require additional development to ensure full alignment to the certification regulation requirements.

For questions regarding professional learning, email pl@ride.ri.gov.

RI Professional Learning Standards (RIPLS)

RIPLS Document Published with Council Endorsement

RIDE is committed to helping our schools and districts strengthen their professional learning systems and practices. As such, we are excited to share the Rhode Island Professional Learning Standards (RIPLS) document that was endorsed by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education in October 2018. As you begin to unpack and implement the RIPLS with your local teams, we encourage you to review our supporting resources and to reach out to the RIDE team directly with questions at PL@ride.ri.gov.

RIPLS Tools & Resources

Implementation of the RIPLS is the first and necessary step in achieving the type of foundation needed to impact educator and student outcomes. To this end, the development of high-quality professional learning systems and learning experiences requires a variety of tools and resources to support LEAs throughout the process. The RIDE team, in partnership with stakeholders across RI and national organizations, have developed the following tools to complement the RIPLS document as LEAs continue to develop and refine local professional learning systems.

Please see the SurveyWorks Resource Center to find the most recent SurveyWorks results and resources. SurveyWorks Data is used to better understand the professional learning landscape across Rhode Island schools.

RIPLS Audit Tool

This Audit Tool is a strategically-designed companion document for the RIPLS. Its purpose is to support teams of educators and district leaders in conducting an audit of local professional learning and the systems that contribute to this work. Auditing is one strategy to improve the effectiveness of local professional learning systems and practices. We hope this tool becomes a resource in making professional learning relevant and valuable for all educators so they can more effectively support our students in achieving outstanding outcomes.

RIPLS Audit Tool Use-Case

An important part of developing tools for districts is to understand how they are used. These documented experiences can help other LEAs generate ways to use these tool in different contexts, while providing the RIDE team with opportunities to refine the overall tool. We are grateful for the partnership with Bristol Warren Public School District to develop our first documented use of the Audit Tool. The following use-case provides one example for how a district used the RIPLS Audit Tool to analyze a current professional learning initiative and to inform future refinements for this on-going initiative. This specific case is meant to engage readers in dialogue and to generate ideas for using the Audit Tool in a range of settings.

Professional Learning Initiatives & RIPLS Crosswalks

The RIPLS are grounded in existing research and are aligned with key concepts found in strong examples of professional learning. We have developed crosswalks that map Rhode Island-specific professional learning initiatives to the RIPLS. It is our hope that these crosswalks will help users to understand what the RIPLS could look like in practice.

Induction coaching is a professional learning initiative where an effective educator with the right disposition and skill-set “coaches” a beginning teacher through observation, feedback, and goal-setting. The coach’s purpose is to accelerate beginning teacher effectiveness to increase student achievement by providing high-quality, data-driven, and instruction-focused supports.

For general questions related to professional learning, please email PL@ride.ri.gov.

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