MDE Partners to ASSIST Schools With Professional Development Goals

by Bonnie Rockafellow, Michigan Department of Education, Office of Professional Preparation Services

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is committed to addressing the recommendations of the Michigan State Board of Education’s (SBE) task force for Ensuring Excellent Educators. Using a 2002 federal Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant, the MDE worked collaboratively with Michigan State University (MSU), the University of Michigan (UM), and Wayne State University (WSU) to create professional development resources for beginning teachers and mentors. The resulting ASSIST (Advocating Strong Standards-Based Induction Support for Teachers) project aims to improve the quality of Michigan’s teacher induction and mentoring programs.

ASSIST partners have created tools to help administrators and teachers turn schools into dynamic professional learning communities, where professional development addresses the real needs of teachers to meet specific student needs. For example, the ASSIST Web site, http://assist.educ.msu.edu/ASSIST, makes available seven learning modules in the following content areas:

1. Building student comprehension.
2. Developing curriculum.
3. Developing home, school, and community partnerships.
4. Developing literacy in early childhood.
5. Differentiating instruction through technology.
6. Inclusive instruction.
7. Promoting student achievement in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

The ASSIST project supports beginning teachers, experienced teachers, and principals as they work together to study and learn about practice in a professional learning community. Using the SBE approved Teacher Induction and Mentor program standards as a base, the ASSIST resources will support continuous learning for educators, while teaching the value of inquiry and collaboration toward the development of high quality leaders for the profession. The ASSIST materials provide tools for building collegial conditions and practices of support, so beginning teachers are not left alone to learn to teach.

The ASSIST Web site offers more than 200 tools and seven learning modules that schools can use to improve the teacher induction and mentoring process. These tools help principals, mentor teachers, and beginning teachers work together to organize effective programs of induction. ASSIST also provides tools to help teachers examine important areas of teaching such as classroom management, engaging the community, planning activities, leading discussions, and assessing learning.

For more information, contact: Bonnie Rockafellow, Education Consultant, Michigan Department of Education, Professional Preparation Services: Teacher/Administrator Certification, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 373-7861, RockafellowB@michigan.gov.