The Raymore-Peculiar School District is a finalist for a statewide award that honors excellence in professional development.</p><p>The district applied for, and has advanced to the third stage in the review process for the 2012 Missouri Commissioner&#x2019;s Award of Excellence for Professional Development. This third stage includes a site visit, during which four leaders from other school districts in the metropolitan area will review documents and interview Ray-Pec administrators and teachers. </p><p>The award is supported by the Missouri Staff Development Council, which is an affiliate of Learning Forward (formerly the National Staff Development Council) in partnership with Missouri Staff Development Leadership Council and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.</p><p>To apply for the award, the district had to be fully accredited and achieve a required score on the Annual Performance Report. The district had to show how professional development impacted teacher practices and student learning. The application included a scoring guide that corresponds with 12 professional development standards of the National Staff Development Council. The award is based on the degree to which a district meets these standards.</p><p>The district also had to show how the professional development goals are aligned with the district&#x2019;s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.</p><p>The Ray-Pec Professional Development Committee leadership team prepared the submitted the nearly 40-page application for this award. Team members are: Dr. Kevin Daniel, assistant principal for academic services; Karmin Ricker, coordinator of 7-12 curriculum and assessment; and teachers Matt Majors, Elizabeth Oldham and Karen Perry.</p><p>The primary consideration for selection is a district&#x2019;s alignment with the 12 professional development standards. In addition, MSDC selects districts that reflect the size and geographic diversity of the state.</p><p>MSDC oversees the review and selection process. After reviewing applications for eligibility, multiple readers evaluated the applications to select the semi-finalists for the site visits. The on-site review enables the district to provide additional documentation in support of its application. On-site team members will also make classroom visits and conduct personal interviews with district teachers, administrators, board members, and parents.</p><p>The site visits continue across the state through the end of January. Based on the results of these on-site visits, districts will be recommended to the Commissioner of Education for the award. The Commissioner will make the final determination, and MSDC will notify award-winning districts by Feb. 20.</p><p>The winning districts will be honored at a banquet at the annual Missouri Staff Development Council&#x2019;s Show-Me Professional Development Conference, March 11-13.</p><p>The award-winning districts will be expected to present at the 2013 Show-Me Conference to promote the use of best practices in other districts. Winning districts will also serve as a resource for other districts, professional development committees, and legislators on best practices in staff development.</p><p>The award is designed to highlight best practices in staff development. In addition, this award it provides opportunities for teachers and administrators to collaborate, network and learn from each other so that these best practices can be adopted and adapted throughout the state.