Killeen Independent School District (ISD), whose more than 6,100 staff members serve approximately 42,000 students, is expanding its relationship with ASCD to meet its professional development goals.
In 2011, Killeen ISD’s professional development team chose ASCD’s PD In Focus® online application to support district professional development goals, solve learning challenges, and answer questions in real time for educators in their professional learning community. ASCD’s PD In Focus application is a professional development tool that provides videos, related resources, activities, and insights from important voices in education today. Killeen ISD now implements the PD In Focus application in all 32 of its elementary schools and 17 of its secondary schools, which reaches approximately 3,600 educators.
Recently, Killeen ISD’s professional development team sought to expand their professional development efforts again, this time to support middle school mathematics educators as they work to meet the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™), which has replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). To help meet this need, Killeen ISD’s professional development staff chose ASCD’s Capacity-Building solution. Available to schools, districts, regional service agencies and state departments of education, ASCD’s Capacity Building solution can be delivered on-site, virtually, or through a blended model.
“Working with a trusted partner, one who knows Killeen ISD and the unique challenges we face in serving the students outside one of the largest military bases in the world, was important,” explained Killeen ISD Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Diana Miller. “ASCD’s ability to consult with our professional development staff, ascertain our needs, and then build an effective, custom solution that would interface neatly with our existing professional development efforts was a critical determinate in building on our relationship.”
Built on the idea that school improvement needs structure and procedures that support ongoing sustainability, ASCD’s Capacity Building solution is customized for each partner through a process that focuses on awareness building, skill development, implementation, and maintenance of targeted educational behaviors over time.
Currently, ASCD and Killeen ISD staffs are collaborating to plan the roll out this latest professional development effort. In September of this year, Killeen staff will begin implementing this program with a mixture of online and in-person professional development events.
