The Iowa Department of Education has announced an upcoming professional development opportunity for early childhood educators. The SmartTeach GOLD training series will engage statewide preschool programs on the GOLD assessment system and how to best optimize its use for learner development.
The SmartTeach GOLD training features three different learning strands for administrators, veteran GOLD teachers and teachers new to the SmartTeach GOLD assessment. Principals with preschool administration duties and any teacher in a classroom receiving state funding through the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program, special education and Shared Visions are highly encouraged to participate.
“We are excited to bring SmartTeach GOLD professional development to our high-quality preschool programs across the state at no cost,” said Kimberly Villotti, chief for the Department’s Bureau of Early Childhood. “GOLD is a valuable assessment tool that provides opportunities for early childhood providers to review important metrics about their learners’ progress and make data-driven decisions within their classrooms and programs.”
Through SmartTeach GOLD, preschool teachers will learn how to increase proficiency and accuracy of assessment data resulting in improved reliability and validity. Participants will also be able to gain foundational knowledge that assists with becoming interrater reliability-certified.
All SmartTeach Gold trainings will be held virtually over several months. Interested participants can join an interactive cohort in one of the three strands listed below. Participants must be able to attend all training dates assigned to their cohort.
- Fundamentals of Assessment with a GOLD Focus – This strand is intended for new and seasoned teachers seeking to learn more about the implementation of updated GOLD practices. The fundamentals strand features 26 hours of professional development learning. Four cohorts are available, and up to 30 individuals can participate in each cohort.
- Extending Practice in Assessment with a GOLD Focus - This strand is geared toward veteran teachers with experience using GOLD and is not intended for new teachers. The extending practice strand features 17 hours of professional development learning. Three cohorts are available, and up to 30 individuals can participate in each cohort.
- Preschool administration - This strand is tailored for principals and instructional coaches with preschool responsibilities. The administration strand features six hours of professional development learning. Three cohorts are available, and up to 30 individuals can participate in each cohort.
Registration is required by Sept. 12 to participate in the upcoming SmartTeach GOLD professional development series. There is no cost to attend, and license renewal credit will be offered.
For more information on early childhood education in Iowa, visit the Department’s early childhood webpage. Specific questions can be directed to Department Education Program Consultants Celeste Mortvedt at celeste.mortvedt@iowa.gov or Marcie Lentsch at marcie.lentsch@iowa.gov.