Nation's Trusted Provider of Research-Based Online Courses Responds to Rapidly
Soaring Market Demand for Professional Development With Expanded Course
Offering
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Gearing up to meet the explosive
demand for teacher training courses, PBS TeacherLine(R) today launches a
national professional development program. PBS TeacherLine, the nation's
trusted provider of facilitated, online professional development for preK-12
educators, offers 80 courses. These courses aim to enhance teacher quality
and address competency requirements under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.
"We've researched and developed these courses in collaboration with PBS
member stations during a four year pilot period," said Rob Ramsdell, senior
director of PBS TeacherLine. "Our goal is to provide superior professional
development experiences to teachers nationwide. We know the American public
trusts PBS to provide award-winning educational programming to our nation's
schools. PBS TeacherLine offers high-quality professional development to our
nation's teachers because the better our teachers are prepared, the more
effective students will learn."
Teacher quality provisions in NCLB -- along with increased federal funding
to states for teacher professional development -- have created a large upswing
in the number of teachers enrolling in professional development courses. At
the same time, standards for professional development have become more
rigorous, creating an acute need to provide high-quality courses to American
teachers.
Under NCLB, educators who teach core academic subjects -- including
reading, language arts, mathematics, and science -- must meet the definition
of "highly qualified" by the 2005-2006 school year. The highly qualified
provision requires teachers to possess a bachelor's degree, be certified in
the subjects and/or grades they teach, be licensed to teach in the state,
demonstrate subject knowledge and teaching skills, and not teach with a
provisional, emergency, or temporary license.
Funded by a Ready to Teach grant from the U.S. Department of Education,
PBS TeacherLine offers research- and standards-based online professional
development programs for educators. Courses cover instructional technology,
mathematics, reading, science, curriculum mapping and instructional
strategies. Among the 80 courses, including 10 new elementary reading and
math offerings, are "Teaching Reading in the Content Areas," "Enabling
Students with Special Needs to Succeed in Math Class," and "Children's Authors
on the Web: Online Sites that Motivate Students to Write." Courses focused on
secondary teachers include "Ready to Teach Algebra" and "Building Critical
Thinking Skills for Online Research". In addition, PBS TeacherLine offers
ISTE/Capstone courses that help teachers demonstrate their mastery of the ISTE
NETS*T and earn certification in technology integration. With today's
announcement, all PBS TeacherLine courses are now available nationwide. The
PBS TeacherLine program was piloted and refined over a four-year period to
establish measurable results before today's nationwide rollout. The online
courses, led by facilitators who are trained and certified by PBS TeacherLine,
are $150 per course.
"We make every effort to ensure a successful online learning experience
for teachers," said Ramsdell. "Courses are scheduled for a manageable amount
of time, typically six weeks, and have a specified start and end date, so it
is easier for teachers to plan their time and complete the courses. Most
importantly, a trained facilitator is available to provide on-going support to
course participants." Teachers who are unfamiliar with the online learning
format can participate in a free, two-hour preparatory course, Practice
Learning Online with TeacherLine, available at
http://teacherline.pbs.org/teacherline/modules/learning_online.cfm .
The need for professional development grows daily as states begin
implementing programs to ensure that teachers meet NCLB's "highly qualified"
definitions. New legislation in Virginia, for example, requires that teachers
pass a skills assessment known as the Technology Standards for Instructional
Personnel (TSIP) for re-licensure. Along with submitting an electronic
portfolio for review and participating in a principal observation exercise,
teachers must also take specified professional development courses to
demonstrate they meet TSIP requirements. Norfolk Public Schools, working with
local PBS member station WHRO, identified four PBS TeacherLine courses that
teachers in their division could take as one option to fulfill TSIP
certification requirements. In collaboration with Old Dominion University,
teachers earned graduate credit along with their TSIP certification. Through
local PBS member stations, and now through national course offerings eligible
for graduate credits, PBS TeacherLine can ensure that every teacher in every
state has access to exceptional, research-based professional development in
the major areas of need.
About PBS
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 349
public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people
each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS
provides high quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently
dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider
of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of
educational services for adult learners. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and
Web site, PBS KIDS Online ( http://www.pbskids.org ), continue to be parents'
and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More
information about PBS is available at pbs.org, the leading dot-org Web site on
the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.
About PBS TeacherLine
PBS TeacherLine, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education,
is committed to helping teachers acquire the skills they need to prepare
students for a successful future. PBS TeacherLine offers online professional
development through facilitated courses that are based on national standards,
supportive and collaborative learning communities and exemplary Internet-based
resources. Currently, 15 colleges nationwide grant graduate credit to
teachers for course completion. PBS TeacherLine courses are developed by
instructional and content experts such as Mid-Continent Research for Education
and Learning (McREL), Education Development Center (EDC), Tom Snyder
Productions, WNET, Indiana University, and the Concord Consortium. Course are
aligned to content standards from such leading organizations as the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of
English, the International Reading Association, and the International Society
for Technology Education. For more information, to view a full course
catalog, or to register for courses, visit PBS TeacherLine at
http://www.pbs.org/teacherline .
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