Professional Development Plus!

Improving Instructional Delivery & Academic Performance For K-12 Schools And Districts in the US

What is our mission ?

To improve academic performance of students through customized, high-quality professional development that maximizes educational leadership and refines teacher instructional practices.

What do we do ?

Our professional learning for teachers supports districts and schools to accelerate and sustain the performance of our diverse student populations. The foundation of PDP is to ensure instructional equity which increases academic performance and leadership skills for all students.

Why choose Professional Development Plus ?

01.

Proven Data-Centered Framework for guaranteed results

02.

Customized strategies for improving academic performance in schools

03.

Attention to differentiated PD for professional learning teams and teachers

04.

High-level partnerships for “beyond the book” learning

05.

Both onsite and online professional development for teachers and leaders

06.

Professional development for teachers that creates an environment for sustainable school improvement

We guarantee

Measurable Improvement

Improve student understanding of the content, concepts and skills through performance on high stakes assessments

Instructional Equity

Provide teachers with tools to ensure that every student of every culture is held to high standards and expectations

Program Fidelity

Dynamic and consistent implementation of the core curriculum

On and Above Grade Level Achievement

Continuously monitor performance of grade level standards with an emphasis on differentiation and rigorous instruction

Sustained Capacity-Building

Achieve and sustain school improvement goals through ongoing professional development and coaching for teachers and leaders

Proven Results

Results that are on target, and go beyond expectations.

Test scores alone are not enough to evaluate a school or district’s success. It often results in discouraging the performance progress of the students and teachers. But most importantly, it can take away the satisfaction and joy that come from working in creative, professional learning communities.

We help ensure you see improved teaching and learning overall. As a result, we guarantee improvement in test scores.

The best results from our partnership are when your school is committed to:

We help you create truly professional learning communities that ignite passionate, life-long learners and proud school leaders, long after school is out.

See some schools that we’ve helped succeed in the US:

The Chicago Story (Large Urban District)

The exciting success story about a school that overcame their resistance to change, and made a big difference for their students.

Our goal during the two-year partnership we had with 10 Chicago Public schools was eliminating the school’s probationary status and improving school results in literacy.

What did the school need?

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the lowest-performing schools
Removal from probationary status
More effective school leadership and instructional teams for literacy
Core program fidelity
Data collection to inform teaching and learning
Overcoming “New Initiative Fatigue” and resistance to change

What were the results of our partnership?

Double-digit increase in reading over two years
Principals improved their knowledge about literacy
Principals developed a new outlook on effective school leadership
Formative assessments were used more consistently
Significant improvement in guided reading
Differentiated instruction for the students
Renewed confidence in Teacher Leaders
New collaborative, productive grade-level meetings

After the success of the Chicago School District, and seeing the methods that truly worked to get results, the PDP Data Centered Framework was officially born!

Alfred Nobel Elementary School

Our partnership with Chicago’s Alfred Nobel Elementary school began in February 2018. Nobel’s principal, Manuel Adrianzen, partnered with PDP to assist with maintaining his status as an Independent School Principal (ISP) school designee.

An inspiring story of diverse learners and newly inspired teachers who came together for success.

Advanced from Underperforming to Commendable on Illinois School Report Card
Updated protocol and co-teaching strategies
Maintained Level 1 status
“Data savvy” trained
Continuous partnership resulting in improved performance of teachers, students, building coaches, and the school leadership team
A successful switch to Remote Learning

PDP’s initial charge was aimed at supporting teachers of diverse learners with an IEP but developed into a deeper partnership focused on the leadership team, the coaches, data collection and monitoring, and co-teaching practices.

What did the school need?

To raise the reading achievement level of the subgroup (Students with an IEP) as identified on the 5-year plan
A research-based curriculum designed for students with severe reading difficulties
Sustainable academic gains for identified student subgroups
A data plan to monitor progress of Tier 2 and Tier 3 students
Staff training on co-teaching strategies to strengthen instruction in an inclusive classroom setting
Expanded coaches and teachers knowledge on identifying power standards and assessment tools for targeting student growth
Revised protocol for professional learning communities to analyze data

What were the results of our partnership in 2018?

Through our recommendation, the Special Education (SPED) staff implemented a reading curriculum aimed at students with severe reading difficulties
Special Education staff set up weekly progress-monitoring to measure gains of Tier 3 students
The school leadership team of administrators, coaches, and grade level leaders engaged in a two-day data retreat to identify school improvement goals for the coming year

How are they doing now in 2020?

Maintained status as an ISP Level 1 school
Moved from Underperforming School with IEP to Commendable on the Illinois State Report Card
The staff demonstrated their ability to analyze data to create their continuous improvement plan based on S.M.A.R.T. goals
Greater impact on student learning in SPED through intensive reading and co-teaching strategies that include Tier 2 students
A sharpened focus on teaching to the standards
Using Intensive Reading to address the gaps in Tier 3 students’ reading skills
Confidently analyzing data and using it for informed planning and teaching

Principal Andrianzen and his team have decided, once again, to select Professional Development Plus as Nobel’s IL Empower Learning Partner for SY2020 – SY 2021!

Carter G. Woodson Elementary - Chicago Public Schools

A small, low-income school transforms its instructional delivery from the inside out for huge report card gains.

Carter G. Woodson Elementary School is a PreK to 8th-grade school in Chicago’s Bronzeville community. They’re a small school with 320 students (SY 19-20). The school is considered Low Income (85% social-economic status) and is predominantly African American (96% of students).

Our partnership began in the 2016-2017 school year when the principal, Mrs. Tamara Littlejohn, approached PDP requesting technical support for the staff and the Leadership Team.

What did the school need?

To increase NWEA attainment in reading and mathematics
To improve teacher understanding and implementation of ELA and Math concepts, student engagement, and integrating technology with instruction
To implement data-driven decision making that informed instruction and on-going professional development for teachers
To elevate the school’s Accountability Status of intensive support

What were the results of our partnership?

School Report Card 2016: 82% of the students were below the “approached category” in ELA, then in
2017: The percentage of students below the “approached category” decreased to 69%! (13% decrease)
NWEA Winter 2017-2018 to Winter 2018-2019: A gain of 70 points (-0.39 to 0.31) from students meeting their RIT Target
Newly assigned roles and clear teams for collaboration
Newly designed Math and Reading Action Plans based on data

West Harvey Dixmoor School District 147 (Rosa Parks Middle School)

West Harvey Dixmoor School District 147 is a suburban district south of Chicago, IL. The student population is 61% Black, 38% Hispanic, and 1% White, with 99% of the students being low-income.

A success story won by supporting the teachers and creating more effective school leadership.

Improved classroom structure
Deep professional development for teachers
Increased engagement
Increased student interaction
Teacher skill development
Higher attendance

PDP began a partnership with West Harvey Dixmoor district during the 2018-2019 school year. Once PDP and the District Leadership established their goals, we zoned in on the support of the teachers and administrative team of the Rosa Parks Middle School.

What did the district need?

Improve the instructional delivery of Mathematics of grades 5-8
Improve the academic achievement of middle school students in the area of Mathematics
Increase the level of rigor, student engagement, and small group instruction

What were the results of our partnership?

Increased student interaction and discussion through small group learning
More opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking and problem solving
Teachers grew in skill and dexterity
Growth in student attendance and interactive engagement
The teachers provided engaging and interactive learning opportunities for their students
The Partnership expanded to support the entire school district for the 2020-2021 SY focusing on The Gradual Release Model, Remote Teaching and Learning and Mathematics Instructional Delivery
Successfully adapted to a new, virtual teaching platform