Personalizing professional learning
Big innovations, small district: Designing a micro-credential system in Nazareth, PA
Leaders in Nazareth Area School District (NASD) knew micro-credentials could accelerate professional learning and more effective practice. CTQ helped administrators and teachers work together, designing a plan to meet ambitious goals without overextending capacity in their small district.
Who:
Nazareth Area School District
When:
Spring 2018
Where:
Nazareth, PA
What:
Personalizing professional learning & redesigning education systems
The challenge
Micro-credentials offered a way for Nazareth ASD to personalize and show results of professional learning. But district leaders knew they had to get the plan right, right from the start – or risk wasting time, money, and educators’ willingness to engage with a new approach.
Start your own strategy.
NASD’s success relied on understanding their starting point, asking the right questions, and then designing a plan that fit their needs and capacity.
Take our short survey for tailored suggestions on your next steps.
The process
A team of teachers, school administrators, and district officials convened for an initial design day. CTQ facilitated sessions to level-set their understandings about micro-credentials, clarify key goals and markers of success, and then map out where to use existing micro-credentials or develop their own. Five virtual follow-up sessions supported the team through planning and launching a pilot.
“The opportunity to participate in a decision-making process that can directly impact my future professional development brings great satisfaction.”
– NASD design team participant
The results
- Educator participation in the micro-credential pilot exceeded goals by more than 50 percent.
- NASD learned an effective process to take on big challenges as a small district, by drawing on educators in many roles.
- Wide engagement positioned NASD to “build up” a plan that every educator felt invested in, saving time and energy of getting “buy in” later.
How else is CTQ making an impact?
Our work transforms teaching, learning, and leadership — one partnership and one educator at a time.
