Our Policy on Professional Development

  • The overriding goal of professional development at AISC is to support the faculty in their ability to actualize the School’s Guiding Statements.  Inherent is the goal of supporting the benefits of lifelong learning, for teachers as well as our students.  At AISC we seek to hire, develop, retain and empower teachers, who are impassioned about learning, are constantly reflecting, sharing, seeking feedback and are inspiring others with their strong commitment to personal and professional development.
  • We seek to grow and continually improve in our practices by engaging with a robust professional development framework designed for our teachers and leaders.  We continually reflect on and refine our teaching and learning practices so that all the needs of the students in the classroom are being differentiated, supported and advanced.

    • Our Investment in our Teachers

    At AISC we invest in our teachers with the following professional development opportunities, structures and plans:

    • An annual individualized Professional Growth Plan written by each teacher
    • An appraisal process based on AISC’s Standards for Effective Teaching and Professional Practice (AISC ETPP)
    • Technology workshops based on department and individual goals
    • Participation in peer coaching and peer classroom visit opportunities
    • Participation in collaborative departmental meetings within the 10-day schedule
    • Providing an early release day – once per week
    • Providing three dedicated professional development days within the school calendar
    • Providing five teacher professional development work days before the start of the new year
    • Opportunities to share best practice sessions throughout the year
    • Encouraging teachers to attend local, regional and international conferences
    • Full funding for IB training funding for every new to AISC – IB teacher
    • Open access to the ESOL Education Professional Learning Community on Rubicon Atlas
    • An open invitation to ESOL Education’s Professional Development Conference every two years
    • Opportunities to work with ESOL Education and outside visiting consultants
    • Benefits of the School’s regional and international memberships (MAIS, CEESA, NESA, ECIS, ASCD, AAIE)
    • Access to professional webinars
    • An AISC Professional Development Library
    • Encouraging teachers to engage in professional book studies
    • Collaborating with the K-12 Cultural Heritage Coordinator to support teacher’s interdisciplinary planning
    • Collaborating with the Elementary Literacy Coordinator to ensure that the Balanced Literacy Framework and expected assessments are implemented and analyzed
    • Encouraging the faculty to be part of an outside accreditation team visits to learn about other international schools