Needs Assessment for Professional
Development
According to the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors, a needs assessment is a means of "identifying needs and deciding on priorities among them" (p. 202). Its purpose in professional development planning is to ensure that a professional development program will meet the teachers' needs in improving practice and student outcomes.
A needs assessment is undertaken before planning any professional development activity and typically takes the form of a survey. Educators are asked for their thoughts concerning school-improvement issues and their suggestions of professional development programs that might address those issues. Sometimes educators are asked for comments on previously attended programs; they may be asked to rate the usefulness of material presented and the frequency that they have used a program's presentation format (for example, lecture or hands-on activities) in their own classrooms. Finally, they may be asked their expectations for any professional development effort.
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