Fine Print: Proposed Teacher Professional Development RulesNo more 100-hours requirement, more flexibility for districts and teachers
What it is: The Christie administration last week presented its Education Transformation Task Force report, with more than 400 recommendations for streamlining and eliminating requirements on school districts. Among the changes is a rewriting of the state’s rule that every teacher have 100 hours of professional development every five years, instead proposing more individualized plans less driven by clock hours.
What it means: The development of the state’s existing rules a decade ago was months, if not years, in the making. Among the first of the code changes that the administration is proposing this time around, revisions are sure to take some time -- and considerable debate.
What is specifically proposed: The report presented last week calls for a series of changes in the requirement and even the definition of professional development. For instance, it places much