Teacher In-Service
Why Do We Have Teacher In-Service and Professional Development Days?
We know parents often wonder: What happens on those days when students don’t have school?
Great question! These days are not days off for teachers—they are valuable times for learning,
planning, and working together so we can better support our students. With several new teachers
in our district, it is imperative that we offer them guidance and support. Not only do we have a
local mentor who helps support our new teachers, we also have hired an instructional coach to
help our new teachers get a solid footing in their careers.
On Professional Development days, the district invites an “expert” to work with staff on a
specific topic. For example, in August we partnered with the Southwest Plains Educational
Service Center to focus on curriculum and standards alignment—an area identified by our
District Leadership Team as part of the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA)
process, the state’s K-12 accreditation model. Teachers spent time reviewing state standards in
their subject areas and ensuring our curriculum aligns with what students are expected to learn.
This is a complex, time-intensive task that cannot be accomplished in just one day, so PD days
allow us the time needed to move this work forward.
In-service days focus more on collaboration within our own staff. On September 8, all K-12
teachers worked together to align curriculum vertically (K-4 and 5-12), making sure there were
no gaps in instruction from one grade level to the next. Including 5th grade teachers with grades
6–12 was intentional, as it helps identify what skills need strengthening at the elementary level to
prepare students for middle and high school.
That afternoon, teachers reviewed fall testing results. This helped us see where students are
doing well and where they may need extra help. From there, we made plans on how we were
going to support all learners.
Why It Matters
Both professional development and in-service days are critical to teaching and learning. While
some may think these are “days off,” the reality is quite the opposite. These days provide
valuable time for educators to collaborate, review progress, and strengthen instruction.
Looking ahead, on October 13 our staff will travel to Colby with other NWKL schools. This
regional collaboration allows our teachers to connect with colleagues at the same grade levels
and subject areas, share strategies, and build a network with teachers who can offer them
support. Our staff is eager for this opportunity to learn from others and bring new ideas back to our classrooms.
