Academy Overview

The goals of the Academy are to meet the professional development needs of the staff as they address District 67 goals, state priorities and individual pursuits; to provide a myriad of opportunities for professional growth and improvement of the knowledge base, skills and competencies of the staff; and to support the staff in the state certification process.

Academy classes are free to District 67 teachers and for every 13.5 hours of academy hours you receive 1 graduate credit toward lane advancement. Teachers of Academy classes get paid a stipend for the hours of contact.

The four major areas that classes can fall under are curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment, child development, leadership and organization, and technology.

In addition to these areas we can have Academy Study Groups where Academy credit can be earned for staff working in small groups for the purpose of curriculum development and instructional strategies. Some examples would be to gain knowledge about curriculum, create assessments and rubrics; develop thematic units or units of study; develop anchor papers; view and evaluate staff development videos; collect and interpret data; develop instructional strategies.

Guidelines:

• At least two people collaborate together outside the 7 1/2 hour school day
• Each group must have a facilitator who will organize the paperwork for the study group. This facilitator will be paid a fee of $50.00.
• A product must be created.
• The director of the curriculum area must approve the product.
• The product must be shared with District 67 staff.
• Study groups can meet between 5 and 20 hours.