Quality Professional Development

Teachers' assessments of the degree to which professional development has influenced their teaching, helped them understand students better, and provided them with opportunities to work with colleagues and with teachers from other schools. High levels indicate that teachers are involved in sustained professional development focused on important school goals.

Definition of Categories Charted Above

Category	In Chicago Public Schools:
1 Very low quality	teachers strongly disagree that their professional development activities were supported and that these activities provided opportunities to work with teachers from other schools and enough time to think about and judge new ideas. They disagree or strongly disagree with all other items on the scale.
2 Low quality	teachers disagree or strongly disagree that their professional development activities were supported and that these activities provided opportunities to work with teachers from other schools and enough time to think about and judge new ideas. They disagree that their professional development provided opportunities to work with other colleagues, was sustained and focused, and addressed students' needs. Some teachers agree and others disagree that professional development was closely connected to their School Improvement Plan and that they received help in seeking out professional development.
3 High quality	some teachers agree and others disagree that their professional development experiences provided opportunities to work with teachers from other schools. They agree with all other items on the scale.
4 Very high quality	teachers agree or strongly agree that professional development experiences were supported and that these activities provided opportunities to work with teachers from other schools and included enough time to think about and judge new ideas. They strongly agree with all other items on this scale.