How to Align Professional Development With Federal Funding

What schools need to know about using federal funds to pay for professional development activities

By Kathy Dunn, CCOSA Director of Professional Learning for State and Federal Programs

WHO: School leaders who want to use federal funds to pay for professional development

WHAT: New limits on how professional development money can be spent from Title programs in recent guidance from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) Office of Title Services

WHEN: Starting with the Fiscal Year 2025 Consolidated Application

WHERE: Within the budget applications for Title programs

WHY: For a school district to use federal funds to pay for professional development activities, the OSDE Office of Title Services will require professional development that is:

■ aligned to the district’s goals developed using data from the needs assessment for providing a well-rounded education with academic success for students.

■ part of the ongoing work of the district toward its goals; sustained (not standalone, one-day, or short- term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroomfocused.

■ aligned to one of the 18 approved professional development activities listed in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 8101(42) listed on the next two pages.

HOW: Plan using the framework below. Start now to meet the professional development requirements in districts’ FY25 federal budgets.

“Goals” Requirement

The first step is to create district and school goals for the coming year using your district’s data from the Needs Assessment usually done in the spring. From these goals, you will develop action steps for your district in the Comprehensive District Academic Plan (CDAP) that is a new template for the 2024-2025 school year. From your sitelevel goals, you will develop the new Title I Schoolwide Plan (SWP) that is also a new template for next school year.

“Ongoing” Requirement

The next consideration is to determine what professional development will help your district reach the goals in your CDAP and SWP. If you wish to use federal funds to pay for professional development expenses, you must show how the district will continue to train and monitor the strategies learned during the professional development activity. For example, if your district has PLC meetings or instructional coaches, you could use those supports to continue the learning, or you might have continuing training at your site led by the principal or a lead teacher. Some districts use book studies to deepen their understanding of how the professional development helps them reach their goals.

“Alignment to 1 of 18 Approved PD Activities” in ESSA Requirement

The OSDE Office of Title Services is requiring that any professional development paid with federal funds must align with one of the 18 approved activities described in Title II guidance, ESSA, Section 8101(42)(B)(i)-xviii) listed below.

1. Improve and increase teachers’: a. knowledge of the academic subjects the teachers teach; b. understanding of how students learn; and c. ability to analyze student work and achievement from multiple sources, including how to adjust instructional strategies, assessments, and materials based on such analysis;

2. Are an integral part of broad schoolwide and districtwide educational improvement plans;

3. Allow personalized plans for each educator to address the educator’s specific needs identified in observation or other feedback;

4. Improve classroom management skills;

5. Support the recruitment, hiring, and training of effective teachers, including teachers who became certified through State and local alternative routes to certification;

6. Advance teacher understanding of: a. effective instructional strategies that are evidence-based; and b. strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers;

7. Are aligned with, and directly related to, academic goals of the school or local educational agency;

Example of how a district might develop the professional development plan to satisfy Federal Programs monitoring and the requirements for using federal funds to pay for professional development:

FUNDING SOURCE (i.e. State, 511, 541, etc.)

511

DATE

8-5/6 and 9-24-2024 and ongoing FY25

PLANNED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION WITH ONGOING TRAINING

Creating Uplifting Classrooms to Support All Learners (CCOSA/K-20 Center)

Instructional Coaches monthly meetings and continuing jobembedded support

Book studies selected by the individual sites

Planning Effective Instruction for English Learners Using Lexia

541 9-3-2024

Plan instruction based on Lexia data for English Learners presented at PLC meetings 2 times per month led by teacher leaders and instructional coaches

Add rows for all planned PD

STAFF TO BE TRAINED

All new teachers (~8) 8 x $450 = $3,600

Support early career teachers with classroom coaching including management strategies #4. Improve classroom management skills to meet academic goals.

All elementary teachers who teach ELs (~35)

All elementary instructional coaches $3,500

Develop teachers’ understanding of how to use the Lexia program effectively with English Learners #9. Give teachers of English learners, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction, language, and academic support.

8. Are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, representatives of Indian tribes (as applicable), and administrators of schools to be served under this Act;

9. Are designed to give teachers of English learners, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those children, including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments;

10. To the extent appropriate, provide training for teachers, principals, and other school leaders in the use of technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), so that technology and technology applications are effectively used in the classroom to improve teaching and learning in the curricula and academic subjects in which the teachers teach;

11. As a whole, are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement, with the findings of the evaluations used to improve the quality of professional development;

12. Are designed to give teachers of children with disabilities or children with developmental delays, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and academic support services to those children, including positive behavioral interventions and supports, multi-tier system of supports, and use of accommodations;

13. Include instruction in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice;

14. Include instruction in ways that teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and school administrators may work more effectively with parents and families;

15. Involve the forming of partnerships with institutions of higher education, including, as applicable, Tribal Colleges and Universities as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)), to establish school-based teacher, principal, and other school leader training programs that provide prospective teachers, novice teachers, principals, and other school leaders with an opportunity to work under the guidance of experienced teachers, principals, other school leaders, and faculty of such institutions;

16. Create programs to enable paraprofessionals (assisting teachers employed by a local educational agency receiving assistance under part A of Title I) to obtain the education necessary for those paraprofessionals to become certified and licensed teachers;

17. Provide follow-up training to teachers who have participated in activities described in this paragraph that are designed to ensure that the knowledge and skills learned by the teachers are implemented in the classroom; and

18. Where practicable, provide jointly for school staff and other early childhood education program providers to address the transition to elementary school, including issues related to school readiness.

As districts begin to plan for a new school year, professional development activities can be an integral part of the district or school’s overall strategy to reach the goals that have been established by a comprehensive needs assessment and consultation with stakeholders. Follow the steps in this article to spend federal Title II funds for training, and enjoy your professional growth! ■