Today, teacher quality is on the national agenda as never before. Emphasis is constantly placed on teacher accountability and student results. School districts that only focus on high-stake consequences tied to testing, and have neglected to include professional development for teachers, place limitations on their students' achievement. For teachers to have impact, they must be provided quality professional development that allows them to grow as educators and professionals.

Studies show that knowledge of how to teach is as important as knowledge of what to teach. The Professional Development Institutes (PDI's) offered by the Commission emphasize both content and professional teaching practices. In order to provide quality professional development, OCTP offers professional development that is based on specified guidelines and emphasizes teacher growth and hands-on, experiential learning.

Components of OCTP's Professional Development Institutes

OCTP's Professional Development Institutes (PDI's) must include the following to meet Oklahoma Law:
 

• initial training with follow-up strategies
  
• collaboration with organizations with like goals to expand the training's impact
  
• competency-based curricula
  
• strategies to increase student performance by aligning teaching instruction with state and national standards
  
• hands-on training
  
• active learning
  
• opportunities to practice each new skill
  
• 30 to 45 hours of initial training
  
• sites in all regions of the state with many different program dates
  
• follow-up training to allow transfer to classroom practice
  
• independent evaluation

OCTP's Professional Developments (PDI's) meet the federal definitions of professional development in Title IX, Section 9101 (34) of ESEA.