Every year, certified school employees in NC are evaluated in collaboration with school leaders and complete an individual professional growth plan. The purpose of the plan is to:
1) identify the activities, outcomes, resources needed, and timeline related to two of our own professional goals that are aligned with the NC School Social Work Standards and Elements (within the standards);
2) document mid-year progress; and
3) document end of year progress. The PGP is usually incorporated into the evaluation process as well. For this project imagine you are a school social worker just starting your first job in a school.
Also imagine the type of school/ student population you work with. You must complete your first self-assessment and PGP to submit to your principal. (If you are a current school social worker, you can develop this more realistically).
First, use the NC School Social Work Evaluation Instrument to complete an ACCURATE assessment of your CURRENT knowledge as a school social worker. Complete the NC School Social Work Evaluation Instrument to complete a self-assessment of your current knowledge and skills as they relate to the NC School Social Work Standards.
Next, complete the professional growth plan. Identify two goals you want to accomplish in your first year as a school social worker, then complete page 1 of the professional growth plan. Your goals should be related to generalist practice in school social work.
Read pages 2 and 3 of the professional growth plan for your own knowledge. We will not complete these in class. In real life, you would revisit this plan with your principal periodically throughout the year to gauge your progress.
Write a 1 page, APA-style reflection on this process, answering the following questions IN ORDER:
What are your thoughts, questions, or concerns regarding the NC School Social Work standards and evaluation expectations?
What were some of your considerations when deciding how to align the school social work standards and elements with your plan as a first-year school social worker? (How/ why did you choose the focus of your PGP? What was the school setting/ student population you were focused on?)
What was it like to complete page 1 of the plan? What was easy/ clear? What was difficult/ unclear?
What are your thoughts, questions, or concerns about the process of completing a professional growth plan 1) as a new social worker; and 2) every year?
What are your thoughts, questions, or concerns about including the professional growth plan as part of the evaluation process you would complete with your principal?
What further questions do you have about this process?
Submit your self-assessment, professional growth plan, and 1 page reflection.
Example: