New Hire Information

• You are expected to complete district approved (and offered) Differentiation and SEL courses within your first three years of working in Winchester
• These are meant to support your growth as educators, align you with the district’s expectations (and importance) in these areas, and foster collaboration amongst your Winchester peers
• These courses are offered every summer, with roughly 2 meetings happening in person in the spring, a virtual meeting in the summer, and 2 meetings in the fall.
• Some of the requirements include a unit that you develop, a group project, and 12 additional hours of workshops that you may choose from that fit under the umbrella of each course. These 12 hours (of the required 3-credit time) must be workshops that are offered over the summer, but participants have found it easier to complete these required hours over the summer when workshops are more readily available
• You can still work summer programs - coverage will be provided
• These courses may be taken for Inservice credit (free, but non-transferable between districts) or graduate credit (not free, but super cheap comparatively, and transferable - no extra project required)

• Rough Schedule: 
  • Meet 2 times in the spring in person
  • Meet 2 times in the fall (one is virtual)
  • Meet in the summer (virtual only)
• The Differentiation Course is run by Laurie and Jen, with Lisa Dieker as a special guest
• The SEL Course is run by Laurie, Jen, and Erin, with a special guest Sara Wicht
• You set your own goals under those topics and therefore you take what you want to do (12 hours in summer)
• These are 3 credit courses so expect that to be reflected in the workload (Fitchburg State)
• Reflection journal is required throughout the course
• Group project - helps you meet others across the district
• Also a UbD unit - Take a deeper dive into a topic
• Most of the work is helping you prep for the next year
• Which should I take first? Either!
• Sept to Aug is the work year timeline, so you have 3 summers to complete these (the summer after each of your first 3 years)
• Make sure you still go through course approval (this is consistent for every course)

• Professional Development Points (PDPs) are required by DESE in order to maintain your Massachusetts teaching licenses
• Renew every 5 years
• Sign onto your ELAR account in order to check the status of your various licenses
• When you renew, you only need to check off that you have completed the required number of PDPs (hours) for your license. You do not need to have documentation at the ready
• If you received PDPs from any workshop that did not require a Vector sign up or prior approval form, log your hours under “Record Previous Professional Development” in the PD Tracking page of Vector in order to keep everything all in one spot in case you are audited (see Vector Stuff below)
• Any workshops attended during Professional Days (including days you might take off to attend a workshop) cannot count towards salary scale movement because they are taking place during contractual hours. However, PDPs may be collected for licensure.

• Each year, you are required to fulfill 7 hours of Self-Directed Time, which is negotiated with the WEA. For the 24/25 school year staff are expected to complete 7 hours of self-directed time.
• Does not need to be pre-approved
• Each hour is one PDP, so make sure you log in Vector! 
• Can there be virtual training? Check with your principal. This is more of a case by case basis
• Self-Directed Time (henceforth known as SDT) can be in-house workshops or out of district workshops
• Staff meetings, Grade level/Dept meetings, and SDT must add up to 20 hrs (as stated in the contract) 
• Jessica Palino will help you work through getting through all you need to advance your license
• Over-the-summer courses count for SDT
• If you sign up for after school things in Vector, do you need to add it as SDT? No! But it is good practice to track your PDPs for licensure.
• Can you be paid for SDT? No, but you can add it to Vector as your previous professional development if it was not in Vector originally (see above bullet)
• You can always ask your evaluator to go through Vector with you to make sure you have completed all you need
• SELF-DIRECTED TIME PARAMETERS:
  • Self-directed time is intended to be an opportunity to learn about and apply something new to your practices. It is not intended to be regular planning.  However, when you learn about a new topic and are then embedding or creating a new curriculum unit, that can certainly be part of your self-directed time. The goal is to focus on a new topic; learn more about it, brainstorm with colleagues, and apply your learning.
  • Self-directed time will not require a product.
  • Self-directed time can be any workshops that are offered in the district OUTSIDE of contractual time (It does not need to be approved by your principal).
  • If you want to do professional development for your self-directed time that is not part of a district workshop, please check with your principal for approval so we are all focused on being aligned with the district goals.
  • If a teacher is on an improvement plan, self-directed topics can be assigned.
  • Self-directed Time needs to be logged in Vector (if you do multiple hours on one topic, you can log it once)
  • Serving on committees will not count as self-directed time

• If you would like to log any prior professional development you have done, go to PD Tracking (the mortarboard) → New (green button) → Record Prior Professional Development 
• The benefits of recording prior PD here would be… 
  • Keeping all of your PD organized in one spot
  • If you happen to be audited during the recertification process (DESE), you have everything all in one spot
• Remember, any PD done during the school day (for example, taking a professional day to attend a conference) does not count towards in-service credits for movement on the salary scale. You are already being paid for that work day.
• The courses that are required within your first 3 years of employment may not be counted as PD as they are a condition of employment
• EVERY course you take requires prior approval if you would like it to count towards movement on the salary scale and/or would like to use your PD money. This includes each course you take if you are enrolled in an advanced degree program.
• PD Money = each person is allotted $1,800 over 3 years (NOTE: The pool from which this money comes can be depleted mid-year, in which case no further money would be given - even if you haven’t taken advantage of this option. The sooner you put in prior approval forms, the sooner you can be guaranteed reimbursement.) 
• CLARIFICATION: Prior Approval Forms (on Vector) require that you attach grade/transcript/certificate of completion within 21 days of the final meeting date. If you are requesting any reimbursement, you must include proof of payment within those 21 days as well.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION REGARDING THE TECH COMPONENT OF THE FIRST 3 YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT

• You must take 4 technology-based workshops over your first 3 years (Student Devices, GSuite, using data to inform instruction with technology, and Instructional Technology).
• Anything you take during Professional Development Days (either half days or full days) can count towards these requirements. There will be some workshops offered after school and during the summer, but you should be able to easily do what needs to be done during the school PD time.
• No need to do anything additional in order to "log" these tech hours -- just sign up on Vector as you normally would do!

• DESE requires that all part-time and full-time teachers participate in an approved mentor program. You have hours to fulfill!
• Full year LOAs (Leave-of-absence hires) should be part of the mentor program because
  • It’s a great way to be immersed in the district (supported, etc)
  • These hours count towards DESE’s required mentor hours so if you are hired by Winchester you can enter the Mentor Year 2 program
  • If a position is not available in Winchester after the LOA, these hours can transfer within MA. Reach out to HR Specialist, Marie Altieri, to get a verification letter.
  • Part-year LOAs are welcomed and encouraged (but not required) to join monthly mentor meetings and to reach out to mentor leaders with any questions

• Typically, after 5 years you’d move from initial to professional license (DESE)
• If you get audited during this process, Vector will have the proof of what you’ve done
• Although DESE claims to offer a quick turnaround on licensing, the sooner you file, the sooner you’ll know if other requirements are needed. This is important because having a valid license is a requirement of your employment with WPS
• If you worked in other districts prior to Winchester, you may need to contact their HR department in order to obtain documents verifying previous PD

• Be on the lookout for in-district summer work. At this time we are not sure what this will entail, but over the past few years the offerings have included PBA work, prioritizing standards, etc
• WFEE is a wonderful source for grants! This could include materials, out-of-district workshops, etc. Just remember that WFEE awards proposals that benefit the greater good 
• Regardless of your start date, you will automatically be enrolled in the Mentor Program. The expectation would be that you complete the FULL year 1 program before moving on to the year 2 program.
  • Staff hired after the start of the year will be provided with a Mentor and required to join the remaining Mentor meetings that school year. The Mentor/Protege relationship will continue for the entirety of the next school year, which will be considered their Year 1 Mentor Year. Participation in the entirety of that year’s Mentor Meetings is encouraged, but only required up to the meetings that were already attended the previous year. Thus, if someone is hired in February, they are required to attend Year 1 meetings from February to January the following year. The February-June meetings would then be optional.
  • If someone is hired after April 1, a mentor will be provided, but no monthly meetings would be required. They are welcome to attend, but would officially begin the Mentor Program the following year. 
• Hours for pay or credit must happen outside of school hours
• PDPs for faculty meetings etc can be obtained any time