Professional Development Units (PDUs) were new to the AISD REACH program in 2010-2011. This report summarizes participants' experiences with PDUs and the influence of PDUs on student performance on the state academic tests (TAKS) and Student Learning Objectives.

An expanded conception of behavioral consultation is presented, which includes explicit and ongoing attention to teacher variables as well as student behaviors. A conceptual framework is presented for systematic assessment of consultee knowledge, skills, cognition, and effect. Strategies for enhancing consultee functioning in each area are…

Discussion of effective inservice teacher training highlights minimal intervention training as an effective method for providing inservice education to teachers in isolated areas. Instructional design features for minimal intervention training are described, and five elements required for effective training aimed at changing teachers' classroom…

To help teachers develop a repertoire of instructional strategies that will effect positive changes on students' learning outcomes is essential for both general education and the field of gifted education. This article introduces readers to a classroom observation tool that is designed to help assess professional development needs of teachers of…

The development of faculty individual activity/performance agreements, a systematic set of procedures through which the goals or objectives of an institution are expressed as specific behaviors of an individual teacher, are discussed. These types of agreements also have been called growth plans or performance contracts. University objectives and…

Assertive Discipline (AD) advocates a systematic approach which enables teachers to set firm, consistent limits for students while remaining cognizant of students' need for warmth and positive support. This article describes effective and ineffective teacher disciplinary behaviors, AD competencies, and the implementation of AD at Rice Elementary…

An approach to supervision and evaluation of student teachers includes identification of generic teaching competencies and a systematic appraisal with reference to established desirable teaching behaviors. Structured Classroom Observation Guides, focusing on particular skills during each week of the practicum experience and progressing from basic…

This report represents efforts by the secondary education team at Indiana University Northwest to reorganize its secondary teacher education program. The new program evolved from the professional roles that the team envisioned for its graduates and the behavioral competencies needed to fulfill these roles. A model was designed to characterize the…

A number of studies indicate that student teachers can change their behavior quickly, sometimes dramatically, when under a supervisory program which focuses upon behavioral change during the experience. Such change is contingent upon the extent to which student teachers have specific objectives to achieve and regular, precise feedback about their…

The current work is the first article in a two-paper series exploring the role of explicit learning objectives in undergraduate mathematics instruction. A definition of student-learning objective (SLO) is introduced. We give examples of SLOs for topics from introductory college and university mathematics courses. We list potential advantages of a…