Hannibal School District 60

Professional Development

Increasing the effectiveness of professional learning has the greatest potential for strengthening and refining the performance of all educators. The purpose of professional development is for educators to develop the knowledge, skills, and practices; they need to help students perform at higher levels. The decision to attend a District Professional Learning event (whether the event is held in-district or requires travel to an out-of-district venue) means you are taking an active role in the continuous development of learning by:

Attending presentations that align with district needs
Offering and presenting Professional Development for district employees
Actively implementing the practices in your classroom

For most educators working in schools, professional learning is the singular most accessible means they have to develop the new knowledge, skills, and practices necessary to better meet students' learning needs. If you have been chosen as an educator to attend a workshop, you will be expected to share and facilitate professional learning opportunities back into our district. This information heightens the quality of learning new information, performance of all educators, and student learning. Increased educator effectiveness makes possible quality professional development in our schools.

For certificated staff, twelve hours of professional development equates to one credit towards the Hannibal Public Schools payscale. Six credits (72 PD hours) may be accumulated per year. Any PD hours over 72 will roll over to the next school year. Accrued credits allow certificated staff to move horizontally on the payscale, however, if a certificated staff member with a Bachelor’s degree earns a Master’s degree, the previously accrued credits start over at zero.

Action Groups: A minimum of three people is all it takes to form a PD action group. The group must meet a minimum of ten hours to be awarded PD credit. This group can earn PD credit for work you are already completing, learning about current research that is practical to your teaching, have opportunities to explore content within a specific field of study, or develop lessons and activities that are significant to the development, implementation and improvement of teacher/student learning. Action groups can also be formed as a result of a book study for teachers to implement what they learned. To form an action group, fill out a proposal form, obtain your principal’s signature, and send it to the Professional Development committee for approval. Once approved, each meeting requires signatures of those present and a summary of what was accomplished at that meeting. Action groups must meet outside of contract time.

Book Studies: Three times a year (fall, spring, and summer), the PD committee puts together a list of popular book titles dealing with a wide range of topics from classroom management, content specific topics, literacy, engagement strategies, differentiated instruction, etc. Podcast options are also available. Faculty sign up to participate in either a face-to-face group or an online group. A facilitator provides discussion questions and participants respond to the discussion questions as well as engage in responding to each other. Book studies are worth up to 10 PD hours. These hours are strictly earned based on the time spent in discussion and conversation with other group members, not awarded for reading time. Face-to-face groups may meet a maximum of 2 hours per week. Facilitators are granted an additional 2 PD hours for the time they spend preparing for the group study and tracking of participant hours. During the fall and spring sessions, participants may only choose one title. During the summer session, participants may choose up to three titles (only one of which may be a wellness title). The Hannibal Public School District provides the book study books. Participants who sign up and decide not to participate are responsible for returning the book or reimbursing the district. In-person and online book studies must take place outside of contract time.

Individual Book Study: Maybe you do not have time or a desire to participate in a book study group or maybe you run across a book title that interests you and it wasn’t offered on the district-wide book study list. You are still encouraged to read the book! Books need to be educationally based and related to your position within the district. Individual book studies are worth 3 PD hours. You’ll need to break your book into three parts and fill out this form for each part that you read earning one PD hour for each part. If you feel the book title you chose is worthy of adding to our district-wide book study offering, please share the title with your building representative. You may complete one individual book study per book study session (fall, spring, summer) and you may still participate in a group book study while also doing your own study. Individual book studies must take place outside of contract time.

Individual Podcast Study: Staff who love podcasts or find it easier to listen than read in their downtime, are invited to earn 1 PD hour for every 4 hours of listening. Podcast topics need to be educationally based and related to your position within the district. Fill out this form detailing what you listened to for an accumulated 4 hours and provide insight as to how you were impacted by what you heard. Individual podcast studies must take place outside of contract time.

Online Videos/Training: Staff spend countless hours outside of contract time doing research on topics that will enhance what they do as professionals within the Hannibal School District. Staff may choose videos on their own or may research a wide variety of topics on sites such as Teacher Tube. Videos should be educational in nature and should be related to your position within the Hannibal Public Schools. Videos must be watched outside of contract time and should be logged using this form.

In-District Workshops: Workshops and professional development offered within the Hannibal Public School District may be counted for professional development hours. The presenter or person in charge of the professional development should have each participant sign-in using this sign-in sheet. These workshops and PD opportunities should be outside of contract time to count for PD hours.

Out-of-District Workshops: Staff who attend conferences outside of our district may earn PD hours for any sessions attended outside of contract time. This form should be filled out and turned in to the Board Office within one year of the conference date.

NEW (beginning May 1, 2027): Vector Training: Staff are allowed to count required district Vector training for PD hours as long as it is done outside of contract time. Staff who would like to earn PD hours for Vector training will log their individual training in a different form than what is currently used. A form for this will be linked beginning May 1. The time required for each Vector training video is equivalent to the number of PD hours each participant will earn.

NEW (beginning May 1, 2027): Online Videos: To be consistent with individual book studies and individual podcasts, staff who watch FOUR accumulated hours of online videos will receive ONE PD hour. A form for this option will be linked beginning May 1.

If you have suggestions for book titles, podcast titles, or workshop topics that you would like to see offered, please reach out to your building representative.

Board Office: Michele McCoy

Hannibal High School: Whitney Noland

Hannibal Career and Technical Education: Sabrina Mahaney

Hannibal Middle School: Kaitlyn Willing

Veterans Elementary: Jennifer Curtis

Mark Twain Elementary: Leigh Anne Ford

Stowell Elementary: Elizabeth Klenk

Oakwood Elementary:

Early Childhood/SPED: Lexi White

Technology: Corey Lovelace

Instructional Coach: Leah Otte

Library: Angie Odom