In June 2012, QTEL published a report, outlining the impact of QTEL professional development in two large districts, Austin Independent School District and San Diego Unified School District over the course of several years (2006-2010).

In Austin, QTEL worked intensively with three specific high schools, offering professional development and coaching to all core content teachers. In addition, at two of the high schools, QTEL apprentices were trained. In each school, QTEL staff provided situated professional development and coaching to administrators, to support their capacity to lead and support the work on-site.

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In San Diego, QTEL’s work involved three separate initiatives affecting elementary, middle, and high school teachers across the district. Middle school ELA/ELD teachers at nine schools participated in professional development institutes and coaching, and secondary teachers at schools throughout the district participated in disciplinary institutes in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. In addition, QTEL trained a cadre of apprentices, who are now providing professional development to elementary and secondary teachers. In many cases, teams of teachers participated in professional development institutes, but QTEL did not work with entire school faculties. In addition, most SDUSD teachers did not receive coaching.

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A summary of the findings show positive gains for students and teachers alike:

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• Growth in teachers’ knowledge and awareness about quality teaching for ELLs

• Change in teacher practice and collaboration

• Improvements in student engagement, motivation, and classroom interactions

• In Austin, substantial gains in the state standardized test pass rates, especially for ELLs

• In Austin, standardized test growth that outpaced statewide growth

• Decrease in the achievement gap between ELLs and all other students in all content areas

• In San Diego, an increase in CST ELA scores in all schools

 

To read about results of the study, follow this link: