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District details how early‑release time supports literacy, MTSS and staff well‑being
Summary
Director of professional learning Mari Treblecock presented the district's goals for professional learning on early‑release days, explaining building‑level planning, required trainings, and focus areas including literacy pilots, MTSS and social‑emotional learning.
Mari Treblecock, speaking to the MSAD 51 Board on Jan. 16, outlined how the district uses early‑release Wednesdays and other scheduled professional‑learning time to advance district goals in literacy, math and social‑emotional learning.
Treblecock said the district aligns professional learning with strategic priorities and devolves much planning to building leadership teams so that training meets students' developmental needs. She described weekly and annual time allocations: elementary professional learning after dismissal typically runs about 1:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.; secondary professional learning often begins after 1:45 p.m. and runs to about 3 p.m. Full days before school and October/March events provide longer blocks for mandatory and curriculum work.
Treblecock described required training components (annual mandatory trainings totaling 2.75 hours this year plus ALICE updates and multi‑year trainings), district‑level vertical alignment dates, and building‑based work on literacy pilots, data analysis and classroom strategies. She said principals are primarily responsible for allocating building professional learning time to address each school's needs, and that the one‑campus project planning is beginning to be addressed in professional learning time.
Board members asked whether teachers wanted more or different PD time, whether teachers could propose sessions, and how external training opportunities were funded; Treblecock said teachers value regular, frequent sessions and that building principals weigh budgetary tradeoffs for external conferences or virtual options. She also noted other funding routes: tuition reimbursement, district professional‑learning grants, and occasional foundation support.
Treblecock concluded that the district's professional learning is intentionally aligned to district priorities and is primarily building‑based to reflect different grade‑level needs.
