Article 3. Staff Development of California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 30. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 3.

Staff development programs shall be provided for regular and special education teachers, administrators, certificated and classified employees, volunteers, community advisory committee members and, as appropriate, members of the district and county governing boards. The programs shall be coordinated with other staff development programs in the special education local plan area, including school level staff development programs authorized by state and federal law.

Staff development programs shall include, but not be limited to, all the following:
  (a) Provision of opportunities for all school personnel, paraprofessionals, and volunteers to participate in ongoing development activities pursuant to a systematic identification of pupil and personnel needs.
  (b) Be designed and implemented by classroom teachers and other participating school personnel, including the school principal. Teachers shall comprise the majority of any group designated to design local staff development programs for instructional personnel to be established pursuant to this part. Positive efforts shall be made to ensure the individuals with exceptional needs and parents of such individuals are involved in the design and implementation of staff development programs.
  (c) Allowance for diversity in development activities, including, but not limited to, small groups, self-directed learning, and systematic observation during visits to other classrooms or schools.
  (d) Scheduling of time which is set aside for such purpose throughout the school year, including, but not limited to, time when participating school personnel are released from their regular duties.
  (e) Evaluation and modification on a continuing basis by participating school personnel with the aid of outside personnel, as necessary.
  (f) Inclusion of the school principal and other administrative personnel as active participants in one or more staff development activities implemented pursuant to this chapter.
  (g) Provision of a budget for reasonable and necessary expenses, relating to staff development programs.

It is the intent of the Legislature, pursuant to this article, that a local educational agency provide regular classroom teachers serving individuals with exceptional needs appropriate training each year relating to the needs of those individuals.

The superintendent shall, to the extent possible using federal and state funds appropriated for this purpose, provide staff development to child care center staff and family day care providers to improve child care services to individuals with exceptional needs.

The Legislature encourages the inclusion, in local in-service training programs for regular education teachers and special education teachers in local educational agencies, of a component on the recognition of, and teaching strategies for, specific learning disabilities, including dyslexia and related disorders.