9. Coordinating CPD in School

• a
• b
• c
• d

Monitoring and Evaluating

It is important that CPD is monitored and evaluated to determine:

• Whether specific provision has met its purpose - for example a short-term check on the delivery of a course or school-based session.

Monitoring and Evaluating Provision

Often this is done through a short questionnaire, which focuses on items such as:

• The venue and the domestic arrangements
• Did the activity meet its objectives?
• Encourages comment on the content and methodology used

Please tick √ as appropriate

	Completely	Fairly	To some extent	Hardly	Not at all
I felt the session addressed my needs
I felt able to express my views
I became involved in the discussions
The tasks were appropriate

Analysis of the responses may suggest changes are made in subsequent sessions; for example, a change of presenter, different forms of engaging participants or changes to the tasks.

• What long-term impact it may have on the individual teacher, pupils and school.

Often evaluation is a neglected aspect, but schools are increasingly conscious of issues associated with 'value for money' and accreditation of experience or gaining credit for achievement. Long-term evaluation of the impact and results of CPD may have to be planned and allowed for in any Professional Development Plan agreed by a school.

Perhaps other ways of determining impact need to be employed and gathering data over a number of years might provide evidence of impact?

Nicola Sharkey remarks on the positive experience the observation schedule and how it has strengthened her teaching

Classroom ObservationsClassroom Observations

Nicola Sharkey, West Dunbartonshire
"At the beginning of the year, my very first one in particular, I used to feel they were like 'crits', and the same level of preparation went in. As much as we tried to prepare for every lesson, it was always a bit different knowing that someone was coming in. You had to prepare for every eventuality, but as time's gone on I don't feel anxious about it..."

The evaluation focus:

For West Lothian

Impact of CPD KeyImpact of CPD Key

Colin Hutcheon, West Lothian
"It's definitely about impact on learning and teaching. How you measure that is maybe more difficult."

For Inverclyde, Gus Macdonald also suggests that it is the impact of CPD on learning and teaching which is the key indicator

Quality of ImpactQuality of Impact

Gus Macdonald, Inverclyde
"What's done has to have a visible and noticeable effect"

Alan McLean makes the point why some CPD is unsuccessful

Imposed CPD AgendaImposed CPD Agenda

Alan McLean, Glasgow City
"Thinking back to recent staff development exercises that I've been involved in that were unsuccessful, they all have the same recurring common obstacles to meet someone elses agenda that hasn't been made explicit. It's usually an agenda that is being imposed, usually for good reason, but it's not shared with the participants."

CPD as an isolated experience is not effective

CPD Follow-upCPD Follow-up

Iain Smith, University of Strathclyde
"A key obstacle in terms of failure is a failure to follow up. In other words, the staff development event, be it large or small, that is essentially of a one-off nature and has no kind of follow up thereafter."

The site "Coordinating staff development" has further information on evaluating staff development

Coordinating staff development: Evaluationhttp://sitc.education.ed.ac.uk/CSD/Site/Evaluation/CSD-4.html