A highly competent teacher workforce is a critical foundation for continually improving children’s educational outcomes. Teacher Quality (TQ) supports Iowa’s efforts for attracting, supporting, and retaining a diverse workforce of teachers to develop greater mastery and leadership in their classrooms by providing funds for teacher professional development.

TQ Funding Allocations

Funds Allocation

Senate File 277 provides funding for teachers to pursue individual and group professional development.  Funding may include, but is not limited to, fees for professional conferences or workshops, coursework, educational materials, and/or time for learning teams to form and operate.

Funding for individual professional development has increased to $175 annually.  Teachers may combine conference or renewal/recertification credit expenses and/or group work, not to exceed $175 per year.

Application for individual professional development proposals can be found on the District website under Departments>Financial Services, within the Staff resources section of the website, or under Academics>Professional Development.

Applications must be processed by May 15 and Professional Development must be completed by June 10.

See your building principal or the educator members of the Teacher Quality Committee–Liz Fox, Michaela Seeman, or Brigit Storhoff–if you have any questions.

Application

To qualify, “All professional development plans must be aligned with the Iowa Professional Development Model… and must contain the following:

  • Support that meets the career development of individual teachers and is aligned with the Iowa Teaching Standards
  • Research-based instructional strategies aligned with the school district’s student achievement needs and the long-range improvement goals established by the districts
  • Instructional improvement components including student achievement data, analysis, theory, classroom demonstration and practice, technology integration, observations, reflection, and peer coaching.” (Per Iowa Code Chapter 284.6)

Only professional development plans that focus on student achievement will be considered.  Also, they must be developed in cooperation with the teacher’s evaluator (i.e. building principal).

Applications for individual professional development proposals should be submitted below.

See your building principal or the educator members of the Teacher Quality Committee if you have any questions.

Application for Teacher Quality Funds

Before completing and submitting an application for TQ funds, please discuss your request with your building principal or supervisor.

  • Please select the administrator in which this application should be directed.
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
    *Applications must be submitted by May 15 *Professional development must be completed by June 10

  • Description of Request

    Please provide a description of your request below.
  • Because this is an application proposal, specific times cannot yet be listed. Please offer a general timeframe for the competition of the work (i.e. October-December).
  • Please provide an explanation of the alignment with the Iowa Teaching Standards selected above.
  • Please provide an explanation of the alignment with the district long-range goals selected above.
    Select all that apply. Teachers may combine conference or renewal/recertification credit expenses and/or group work, not to exceed $175 per year or $35 per hour for up to 5 hours.
  • If you need additional funds, beyond the $175, please discuss the need with your building principal.
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Teacher Quality Committee

  • Monitor the implementation of the requirements of statutes and administrative code provisions relating to this chapter (284), including requirements that affect any agreement negotiated pursuant to chapter 20.
  • Monitor the evaluation requirements of this chapter to ensure evaluations are conducted in a fair and consistent manner throughout the school district or agency. The committee shall develop model evidence for the Iowa teaching standards and criteria. The model evidence will minimize paperwork and focus on teacher improvement. The model evidence will determine which standards and criteria can be met with observation and which evidence meets multiple standards and criteria.
  • Determine the use and distribution of the professional development funds calculated and paid to the school district or agency as provided in section 257.9 or section 257.10 based upon school district or agency, attendance center, and individual teacher and professional development plans.
  • Monitor the professional development in each attendance center to ensure that the professional development meets school district or agency, attendance center, and individual professional development plans.
  • Determine the compensation for teachers on the committee for work responsibilities required beyond the normal workday

DCSD Teacher Quality Committee

  • Dana Bockman, Facilitator of Instruction & Assessment
  • Liz Fox, DHS ELA Instructor
  • Tim Cronin, Superintendent
  • Michaela Seeman, JCE/CLE Media Specialist
  • Justin Albers, DMS Principal
  • Brigit Storhoff, DMS Interventionist
Guidance for committee members