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Our Commitment to Quality

 

Dickinson ISD (DISD) is committed to ensuring that all personnel have the relevant knowledge, skills, and expertise to perform their work to consistently high standards and to increase student achievement. The District recognizes that training and development are fundamental to ensure the quality of services to students. The District supports a culture of lifelong learning and encourages employees to take ownership of their own professional learning.

Professional learning in Dickinson ISD is defined as a process that fosters personal and professional growth for individuals within a respectful, supportive, positive organizational climate.

 

Professional Learning Mission


To develop and provide research-based, best practice, on-going professional learning designed to increase expertise for the advancement of student achievement.

 

Professional Learning Vision


Develop life-long learning leaders who collaborate within their professional learning community in order to develop expertise, and promote campus based, job-embedded, on-going professional learning and meet the instructional needs of all students by building "more" responsive classrooms with relationships, rigor, relevance and results.

 

Social Emotional Learning & Character Education Teacher Training

Dickinson ISD has partnered with National Educators for Restorative Practices to provide in depth support and ongoing training to all classroom teachers and professional staff in the areas of restorative and relational practices.

 

Click on the image below to be directed to the Restorative Practices Website to learn more about the tools and techniques our teachers are being trained to use in their classrooms.
NEDRP

Dickinson ISD is proud to partner with Character Strong to provide our teachers with the skills and tools to implement our character education and social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. 

 

The Character Strong curricula and trainings are focused on fostering the Whole Child with vertically-aligned lessons that teach SEL and character, side-by-side.

  • SEL Competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making

  • Character Development: Patience, Kindness, Honesty, Respect, Selflessness, Forgiveness, Commitment, Humility

Click on the image below to be directed to the Character Strong website.  
Character Strong
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New to the Profession Teacher Training & Support

Dickinson ISD supports all teachers, new to the profession with a two-year teacher induction program. 

In Dickinson ISD we are proud to support all teachers, new to the profession, with a two-year teacher induction program.  In their first year, teachers participate in the "Protégé" program, with the support of an assigned mentor teacher.  Proteges begin the year with two weeks of new teacher induction training designed to to target skills essential for a successful first year.  Throughout the year protégés receive monthly professional development led by curriculum specialists, administrators, and the the Director of Teacher Development and Professional  Learning.  Our protégé induction program provides our new teachers with the tools and strategies they need in the classroom as well as a community of peer support to help them grow and learn.

 

In their second year, teachers participate in the "Navigator" program.  Throughout the year navigators will receive monthly professional development and will build upon the foundation established during their first year by learning more advanced classroom instructional strategies and classroom management techniques.

 

For more information on the mentor teacher program, please select the "Mentor Teacher Program" tab above.

 

Justification

Research on teacher turnover rates reveals that many beginning teachers become discouraged during their initial year and abandon teaching as a career.  Nationally, it is estimated that 30% of first-year teachers at any grade level leave the profession before they reach year three and approximately 50% leave before they reach year five.

Dickinson ISD is committed to providing our teachers with the support they need to ensure they are successful and are  help them remain in the profession.  Mentoring a beginning teacher with an experienced teacher, is at the core of our induction program.  Teachers find this program to be very effective and want this support to help them adjust to the profession.

 

Mentor Qualifications

The role and responsibility of the mentor teacher is crucial in promoting the personal and professional well being of the beginning teacher.  Therefore, it is important that the mentor teachers be selected carefully.  Below are the Mentor qualifications and responsibilities:

 

Mentor Requirements

  1. Attend mentor training in the fall before school begins
  2. Demonstrated expertise in teaching the TEKS
  3. Understanding of beginning teacher development
  4. Effective interpersonal skills and a willingness to work collaboratively and patiently with a beginning teacher.
  5. Effective coaching, problems solving, and conferencing skills
  6. Demonstrated commitment to professional growth and learning
  7. Demonstrated effectiveness as a professional role model
  8. Demonstrated use of instructional best practices
  9. Minimum of three (3) years of teaching or principal recommendation

 

Mentor Activities

  1. Observe the mentee a total of six times through the year (4 in the Fall semester and 2 in the Spring).
  2. Meet with the mentee at regularity scheduled weekly conferences and maintain a weekly communication log.
  3. Submit documentation of observations and communication log to the campus principal and the Director of Teacher Development and Professional Learning each semester.
  4. Participate in ongoing district provided mentor professional development. 
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