Kentucky Department of Education

Professional development (PD) is defined in 704 KAR 3:035 Section (2) as "those experiences which systematically over a sustained period of time, enable educators to acquire and apply knowledge, understanding, skills, and abilities to achieve personal, professional, and organizational goals and to facilitate the learning of students."       

KRS 158.070 requires four (4) days of the minimum school term to be used for PD activities for the building level professional staff.  Programs should engage educators in effective learning processes and foster collegiality and collaboration.  They should provide support for staff to incorporate newly acquired skills into their work through practicing the skills, gathering information about the results, and reflecting on their efforts.      

While the district superintendent has the discretion to use one of the four days for district-wide activities, the content to be delivered on the remaining three days is at the discretion of the local school based decision-making council.  Priority must be given to programs that increase teachers' understanding of curriculum content and methods of instruction appropriate for each content area based on individual school plans or staff members' individual professional growth plans.