Choosing Professional Learning
Guidelines and Standards for Professional Learning
Micro-Credentialing 101
National Board Certification
OPI Learning Opportunities Portal
Teacher Learning Hub
Additional OPI Resources

Choosing Professional Learning

There are many approved providers, but how do you know which opportunities are aligned with the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARMs), your licensure requirements, and your professional learning goals?

We have created some guidance to help you choose the professional learning that meets your needs.

Professional Learning Considerations for Montana Educators

Guidelines and Standards for Professional Learning

Professional learning for educators in the state of Montana should follow certain guidelines and standards. The guidance and standards below can help educators understand professional learning requirements.

Federal Definition of Professional Learning

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) § 8101(42) defines "professional development," specifically noting that professional development activities are to be "sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused..." (ESEA § 8101(42), pg. 401).

Administrative Rules of Montana

There are a number of Administrative Rules of Montana (ARMs) that guide professional learning for education-related personnel, including:

ARM 10.16.3135 Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPDs) - CSPD is a regionalized structure that provides special education-related professional learning for pre-service and in-service educators, administrators, and paraprofessionals.
ARM 10.55.601 Accreditation Standards: Procedures - Continuous School Improvement Plans (CSIPs) are developed, implemented, and evaluated yearly by school districts and schools. The CSIPs include a professional development planning component.
ARM 10.55.714 Professional Development - The Professional Development ARM specifies the standards that professional development opportunities must meet.
ARM 10.57.215 Renewal Requirements - The activities that are eligible for renewal units are professional development activities and college credits that are of a planned and structured experience and an activity that provides "exposure to a new idea or skill or an extension of an existing idea or skill."
ARM 10.57.216 Approved Renewal Activity - Approved renewal unit providers must offer activities that are "deemed appropriate for professional development of licensees in compliance with ARM 10.55.714 and 10.57.215."

Other ARMs address professional learning requirements for specific licenses and endorsements. Additional resources related to licensure can be found on the Montana Educator Licensing website.

Standards

Learning Forward's Standards for Professional Learning "outline the characteristics of professional learning that leads to effective teaching practice, supportive leadership, and improved student results" (2017). The standards include:

Learning Communities - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students occurs within learning communities committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal alignment."
Leadership - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate, and create support systems for professional learning."
Resources - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students requires prioritizing, monitoring, and coordinating resources for educator learning."
Data - "Professional Learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students uses a variety of sources and types of student, educator, and system data to plan, assess, and evaluate professional learning."
Learning Designs - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes."
Implementation - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students applies research on change and sustains support for implementation of professional learning for long term change."
Outcomes - "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students aligns its outcomes with educator performance and student curriculum standards."

Micro-Credentials Defined

Micro-credentials are based upon skills and/or competencies outlined by the micro-credentialing issuer. The micro-credential is awarded upon verification that the participant has demonstrated the skills and/or competencies necessary to earn the micro-credential. The micro-credential is "micro" because it generally takes less time and money to earn a micro-credential when compared to the time and money it takes to earn a traditional degree. Educators who engage in micro-credentialing often provide the micro-credential issuer with artifacts, such as student work samples, lesson plans, and videos, that demonstrate their competencies and skills related to the micro-credential topic.

It's More Than a Badge

Digital badges have been awarded for many years upon completion of an activity. For example, people who have engaged in online learning may be familiar with the concept of earning a badge after completing a module of learning. While micro-credentials often use digital badges, the badges are not simply provided upon completion of a unit of study or after a certain amount of time has passed; instead, the digital badge is awarded after the participant has demonstrated their ability to perform the skills and/or competencies required of the micro-credential. The digital badge can then become a part of the participant's "learner record," similar to a visual resume, that provides specific information regarding the micro-credential, the issuer of the micro-credential, and other important metadata. Therefore, the digital badge is more than an image, and the participant's credentials can be easily verified through the metadata stored within the badge.

Additional information posted to this website will include links to micro-credential resources and important considerations for educators and administrators regarding the utilization of educator micro-credentials at the district level.

National Board Teacher Stipend Program

Montana provides a state stipend to teachers who receive National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The current program was enacted into law by the 2017 Montana legislature.

Since the legislation was partially aimed at helping the recruitment and retention of teachers at impacted schools, the stipend amount is higher for teachers at schools with critical educator shortages and those schools who qualify for school wide free and reduced lunch.

More information about the National Board Teacher Stipend Program can be found on the Educator Recruitment & Retention website.

OPI Learning Opportunities Portal

The OPI Learning Opportunities Portal shares information about professional learning opportunities happening across the state from the OPI and Montana's many other professional learning providers. The OPI Learning Opportunities Portal contains a calendar of already scheduled events and a catalog of professional learning available online or by contacting the provider directly.

OPI Learning Opportunities Portal

Teacher Learning Hub

The primary purpose of the OPI Teacher Learning Hub has been to address the challenges of cost, distance, time, and equity of access to high-quality professional development for Montana educators.

There are three types of courses available:

Facilitated Courses

These courses are typically 3-5 weeks. There are deadlines for each activity or assignment and a facilitator will be online to guide you through the course and provide feedback. These courses are typically capped between 20 and 30 participants and run 2-3 times throughout the year.

Self-paced Courses

These courses do not have a start or end date, but are continuously open. Complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. There is a facilitator listed in case you have questions. They also monitor the course but do not grade assignments.

Group Courses

Virtually guided group courses blend the convenience of online learning with the power of collaboration. Gather a group of teachers, pull up the course on a projector, and follow along. These courses guide your group through the content using materials (which you print ahead of time), activities, and discussion prompts.

With over 125 courses, you are sure to find courses that meet your professional learning needs.

Teacher Learning Hub

Additional OPI Resources

We make every attempt to list all professional learning opportunities for educators on the OPI Learning Opportunities Portal. The following webpages also contain additional professional learning opportunities that you may be interested in!