Professional Development for Standards in Education

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Maricopa County Education Service Agency’s (MCESA) mission is to educate every child through effective systems. The standards department helps achieve that mission by providing professional learning and collaboration opportunities for teachers and leaders to develop expertise in implementing the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). Quality content and instruction is critical for not only ensuring that each citizen has essential skills and capacity to build a career but also to develop a well-prepared and effective workforce that can compete globally leading to sustainable economic growth. Arizona Department of Education (ADE) received a Race to the Top grant; during the application process the concept of regional centers was developed in collaboration with the governor’s office. As one of five State regional centers, and per Arizona’s Revised Statute ARS 15-203, MCESA is charged with supporting the professional development efforts of districts and charter schools across Maricopa County, accounting for sixty-five percent of all educators in Arizona. MCESA worked collaboratively with ADE and other regions, to develop and provide courses and services for teachers and leaders. These efforts helped establish MCESA as a reliable, high quality regional center providing equal access to educational quality for students in Maricopa County.