2021-22 Professional Development Updates 

  Any certified employee with a 190-day or greater contract must complete at least 36 hours of professional development each school year between June 1 and May 31.   For an employee whose 2020-2021 contract runs past June 1, these hours must be obtained after the last day of your 2020-2021 contract and prior to the start date of your 2021-2022 contract. 

 For the 2021-2022 school year the following hours must be obtained by all licensed employees:

• 18 hours of professional development required pertaining to the educator’s professional growth plan (Requirements of TESS or LEADS)
• 10 hours of professional development (Educator’s Choice)
• 6 hours of Educational Technology
• A minimum of 2 hours of professional development in Child Maltreatment and Reporting    

 Summer Professional Development

The summer professional development window runs from Tuesday, June 1 until Monday, August 9, 2021. During this time, LRSD will provide a variety of PD offerings so teachers can choose the sessions that best meet their professional needs.   FOR THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR, ALL TEACHERS MUST COMPLETE 12 HOURS OF PD INDEPENDENTLY.  TWO CONTRACTED DAYS HAVE BEEN RESERVED IN THE SUMMER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.  TEACHERS CAN COMPLETE THE 12 HOURS ANY DAY BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND AUGUST 8^TH.  In the event that a teacher is unable to obtain these hours before August 8^th, they must obtain the 12 hours of PD independently prior to May 31, 2022.

Professional learning may be obtained from sessions offered by Little Rock School District,  DESE, AR Ideas, Colleges/Universities, or other external agencies approved by the Arkansas Department of Education. 

Employees may receive credit for external professional development by submitting an external credit request into the PD Portal.  Requests submitted after Sunday, August 8^th will not be accepted for Summer 2021 External PD credit.

 External Professional Development Credit

External professional development Must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• supported by the building improvement plan;
• supported by the district plan of support;
• supports the professional growth plan;
• is evidence based;
• leads to improved student achievement;
• follows all guidelines for district, state, federal and grant funding;
• builds capacity for the district;
• content is directly related to employee’s job duties.

 In order to receive credit for hours obtained externally, employees must create an External PD Request in the Talent Ed Portal and attach any of the following as documentation of completion.

• AR IDEAS Certificates (18 hours’ maximum)
• Certificates and/or proof of attendance from external Professional Conferences/Seminars/Webinars
• Digital Learning Platform (prior approval needed by Administrator)
• Transcripts from Colleges/Universities

Employees may begin uploading Summer PD External Credit Requests in the PD Portal on Thursday, July 1.