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Staff Development
The Saint Mary’s faculty is engaged in ongoing professional development. Professional development meetings are held monthly for collaborative study and discussion of issues of curriculum development, instructional methodology and pedagogy, assessment, and grading. Currently this includes a common faculty study of Understanding by Design and the development of online curriculum maps. In addition, teachers are encouraged to pursue individual areas of professional growth. Saint Mary’s teachers are encouraged to attend educational conferences and workshops to refine their teaching skills and to model for their students what life-long learning is.
A key aspect of each teacher’s ongoing growth is the annual professional growth plan. Each teacher identifies and pursues specific areas to improve their teaching. With a measurable learning outcome that has direct benefit to student learning, the performance growth plan is used as a vehicle to deepen teachers’ professional growth as it enhances student learning. Teachers are also encouraged to continue their education, especially in programs related to pedagogy and the study of their academic subject matter.