Professional Development

Pittsford Central School District places a high value on professional development and provides staff development offerings that are research based, aligned with district goals and matched with individual staff and student needs.

Professional development planning begins with multiple assessments of student and staff needs.  Data acquired through surveys, focus groups, needs assessments and environmental scans are used to plan appropriate professional development programs.  Information is collected from Central Office administrators, the Teacher Center, Instructional Leadership Council, building principals and building teams, Special Education department and teacher leaders.  The program is dynamic and evolving as needs change. 

 Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

All teachers new to Pittsford are required to participate in our Induction Program. The two year Induction Program is designed to accelerate the learning and enculturation of new teachers, and teachers new to Pittsford, so that we can guarantee that every child has access to a highly skilled teacher, regardless of the length of time that teacher has been in the classroom.

Induction begins in August just prior to the start of the new school year when teachers new to Pittsford complete approximately 30 hours of training on Standards Based Planning and the Frameworks for Effective Teaching. In addition, during this week, new teachers receive an orientation to the District’s technology resources and meet with Standards Leaders to become acquainted with the curriculum they will be responsible for teaching.

Throughout their first year in the District, new teachers come together for four half-day and four after school sessions to continue their learning on best practices in assessment, special education services, universal design principles, and other pertinent topics. During their second year in the District new teachers spend two days together in the summer in addition to two half-days and two after school sessions.  Much of this time is devoted to using a structured Tuning Protocol for the purposes of strengthening lesson design. 

Teacher leaders (Standards Leaders, Department Leaders, Team Leaders, Grade level chairpersons) are required to participate in additional training designed to assist them in providing leadership to their colleagues. Teachers working as mentors to new teachers are trained on the roles and responsibilities of mentors, observing and giving feedback, and communication techniques.

All teachers in the District are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours of professional learning annually. This can take the form of Teacher Center courses during the summer or after school, participation in a Collegial Circle, or attendance at a relevant conference outside of school hours. The vast majority of Pittsford teachers exceed this minimum requirement as they continually seek to improve their practice.

 Please follow the Teacher Center link below for training and other professional resources.