Unscheduled In-Service Guidelines '24 - '25

A plan of professional growth activities, which provides for the continuing education of support personnel, teachers, principals, and central office personnel, is an essential component of the instructional program of Knox County Schools. The in-service program is a vehicle by which the professional growth goals of the system, the school, and the individual employee may be persued and should align with the KCS vision for teaching and learning. In developing the following guidelines, the major objectives are to provide coherent and relevant professional learning opportunities, provide flexibility for all staff to personalize their learning according to their needs, and assist the district and individual schools to become learning organizations.

Please read the document in its entirety.

Requirements:

Certified personnel (excluding 242 & 255 day contracts) have twelve (12) unscheduled in-service hours included in their employment agreement. These staff-selected hours are equivalent to two days of contractual obligation. Unscheduled in-service hours may be earned through any combination of building-level or system-provided activities. Each employee shall maintain a record of their accumulated in-service hours under the direction of their principal or immediate supervisor. All activities shall be recorded on the staff's electronic transcript (via Frontline: Professional Growth / Development) which shall serve as the official record of completed activities. It shall be the employee's responsibility to record activities immediately upon completion. “Out-of-district” credit for unscheduled in-service activities MUST be approved by the building-level principal and appropriate supervisor PRIOR to completion of the activity. All activities must occur between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and must be recorded on the electronic transcript no later than 11:59 pm on April 30, 2025.

Certified employees are also required to document six (6) parent contact hours. Principals or supervisors will determine the appropriate procedure for documenting parent contact hours.

It is the responsibility of the employee to regularly monitor their transcript in Frontline: Professional Growth / Development for accuracy.

Classified Personnel (excluding 242 & 255 day contracts) have eighteen (18) unscheduled in-service hours included in their employment agreement. The building-level administrator and / or department supervisor / director, principal, or immediate supervisor will establish a procedure to propose, approve, and/or review the employee's eligible activities for credit. Classified employees should consider school and district instructional priorities as well as relevance to job assignment when engaging in professional learning activities. All activities shall be recorded on the staff's electronic transcript (via Frontline: Professional Growth / Development) which shall serve as the official record of completed activities. It shall be the employee's responsibility to record activities immediately upon completion. “Out-of-district” credit for unscheduled in-service activities MUST be approved by the building-level principal and appropriate supervisor PRIOR to completion of the activity.  All activities must occur between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 and must be recorded on the electronic transcript no later than 11:59 pm on April 30, 2025.

It is the responsibility of the employee to regularly monitor their transcript in Frontline: Professional Growth / Development for accuracy.

Reduction in Pay:

Certified and classified staff are compensated for unscheduled in-service and parent contact hours as part of their emplyoment agreement. Failure to meet the specified requirements outlined above will result in a reduction in pay. Those who do not meet the in-service requirement will be docked ½ day of pay for every ½ day (3 hours) of in-service hours not earned. Please refer to the charts below.

This chart only applies to certified staff who are required to earn 12 in-service hours.

PARTIAL CREDIT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR PARENT CONTACT HOURS. ONE DAY OF PAY WILL BE DEDUCTED IF THE FULL PARENT CONTACT REQUIREMENT IS NOT MET.

This chart only applies to classified staff who are required to earn 18 in-service hours.

Number of Hours and Off-Contract Activities

Certified employee agreements include 12 hours (two paid days) for off-contract (outside of the work day) professional learning activities and 6 hours (one paid day) for parent contact activities. Classified employees agreements include 18 hours (three paid days) for off-contract personal learning activities. Personal leave days may not be used in lieu of unscheduled in-service hours. Activities completed during time for which personnel are already paid may NOT be counted toward the requirement. Paid professional leave, activities that include an employee stipend, release time from teaching, comp days, inclement weather days, and scheduled District Learning Days are examples of situations for which one MAY NOT recieve credit towards unscheduled in-service.

Credit

Depending upon the type of professional learning activity, credit may or may not be “hour for hour.” Traditional professional learning sessions or courses where participant activity is quantified through scheduled start and stop times will most often be credited in the manner. Other activities, which are more self paced or have less defined session attendance, may incorporate demonstrable outcomes related to educator competency in a specific skill or practice. In these cases, the creation and / or collection of artifacts resulting from educators' learning, educators' reflections, the analysis of student work samples, etc. may equate to “credits” professional learning. These less traditional examples of professional learning (e.g. micro credentials, personal learning plans, etc.) May require staff and supervisor collaboration, as well as consultation with the Office of Professional Learning, to determine the appropriateness of a plan and potential for earning unscheduled in-service hours. See #8 under the “Activities that Require Prior Approval” section for the amount of credit received for presenting on a District Learning Day.

Types of Professional Learning Activities

 District-Sponsored

Activities sponsored by the district and/or district staff. These activities align with the KCS strategic plan and district instructional priorities.

Building-Sponsored

Activities sponsored by an individual school and /or school staff. These activities should be driven by the school improvement plan and individualized staff needs.

In-District

Any activity sponsored by KCS or partnering organizations and listed in the electronic catalog may be awarded credit as designated by the proposer. Some activities outside the teaching assignment may require prior approval.

Out-of-District

Any activity sponsored by an organization outside of KCS and NOT listed in the electronic catalog. The building-level principal and appropriate supervisor must give PRIOR APPROVAL for “out-of-district” activities. 

Prior Approval

In addition to out-of-district activities, the principal or supervisor may require prior approval for specific in-service activities based on the needs of the school and / or an individual staff member's professional growth needs. The principal and / or supervisor will communicate those expectations to staff where appropriate.

License Renewal / Professional Development Points (PDP)

Activities completed in accordance with state guidelines must be submitted for approval through the educator's TNCompass profile.

• FAQ for PDP
• Log in to TNCompass

Required Training

State statue required that employees receive Blood-borne Pathogens, Suicide Prevention, Child Sexual Abuse, and OSHA Hazardous Materials training. Knox County Schools offers this training through video. Employees are required to provide documentation of viewing these training videos each school year. The building-level administrator or direct supervisor may award unscheduled in-service hours if this training is completed off-contract.

Approved In-Service Activities

Unscheduled in-service requirements shall be fulfilled by participation in activities from the professional growth categories itemized below. As an educator, the goal is alignment of professional learning activities with the responsibility of your job role. 

Pre-Approved Activities

1. District Sponsored Workshops - professional learning activities (online or in-person) scheduled by Knox County Schools. These are considered “In-District” activities and are listed in the electronic catalog. Examples: instructional technology, reading and math workshops, art workshops, physical education clinics, and instructional or curriculum improvement meetings.
2. Pre-Approved Organizations for “Out-of_District” Credit (no prior approval needed to include IB, ACT, Cambridge, College Board/AP, and State-sponsored training (role-specific.) Follow “Out-of-District” protocol for documentation. Each department may identify additional pre-approved subject-specific organizations. No professional development is awarded when participants are compensated.

Activities that Require Prior Approval

1. School-Sponsored Study Teams
   1. A plan identifying who will participate, a calendar of events, and how the work of the team will be assessed must be submitted to the principal or the appropriate supervisor.
   2. Must have prior approval.
   3. Participants must not receive other remuneration.
   4. If the study team is using a book as part of the study, independent reading time may not count as part of the hours.
2. Area and Regional Conferences, Symposia, and Non-Credit Courses conducted by colleges, educational consortia, or commercial educational enterprises.
3. Regional, State, and National Conferences conducted by professional associations for curricular and /or instructional improvement or program administration. Examples: ASCD, LEAD, Learning Forward, NSTA, NCTE, NCTM, AAHPER, NASSP, AASA, TAMS, NAESP, TAESP, TASCD, etc.
4. School Improvement Planning and Progress Monitoring Teams: Activities must occur during off-contract hours.
5. Independent Writing: Professional published articles.
   1. Must be in state, regional, or national journal.
   2. The writer may not receive other remuneration.
6. Curriculum Development
   1. Organized by subject area supervisor.
   2. May not be receiving other remuneration.
7. Textbook Review and Selection
   1. Organized by departmental supervisors in conjunction with the current textbook adoption cycle.
   2. Must be done beyond regular contract time.
8. Preparing and Leading Professional Learning (advising, presenting, or facilitating)
   1. Must be approved by the principal or content area supervisor.
   2. The leader may not be receiving remuneration other than travel expenses.
   3. Department Chairs are expected to present at DLD.
   4. Maximum credit or TRIPLE the presentation time will be allowed for preparation time if the session is OFF contract.
   5. Maximum credit of DOUBLE the presentation time will be allowed for preparation time if the session is ON contract.
9. Consulting: Serving as a consultant for state, regional, or national conferences
   1. Consultant may not be receiving remuneration other than travel expenses.
   2. Consulting must be done beyond the regular contract time.
10. Leadership responsibilities (holding office) in professional educational organizations (listed in #3 above).

Non-Approved In-Service Activities

Activities and assignments which are a necessary part of the day-to-day operation of the school program are not eligible to be included in the personal professional growth program. Examples of ineligible activities are listed below.

1. College courses taken for credit or certification renewal.
2. Any workshop taken for recertification credit (educators are encouraged to keep additional records regarding recertification activities.)
3. Routine duties such as compiling class rolls, scheduling, counting texts, housekeeping chores, grading papers, marking grades, compiling registers, taking inventory, etc.
4. Routine administrative faculty meetings.
5. Faculty committees.
6. Functions of department chairmen.
7. Routine administrative meetings called by the supervisor on the fourth/fifth Tuesdays.
8. Work assignments for extracurricular activities such as ball games, plays, band practice, etc.
9. Club sponsorship
10. Bus duty.
11. Jury duty.
12. P.T.A, P.T.O, school improvement associations, and school open house.
13. School board meetings.
14. Field trips.
15. Showcase / fairs
16. Standalone viewing of television, movies, or other digital programming.
17. Computer practice.
18. Professional organizations' business meetings.
19. Programs or meetings concerned with personnel benefits such as salaries, insurance, retirement, credit unions, etc.
20. Personal leave.
21. Student device deployment events.
22. Interviewing candidates for employment or students applying for school programs.

Additional Information / Procedures

High expectations, accurate record-keeping, and clear procedures concerning documentation of personal learning hours are critically important each school year.

• Unscheduled In-Service Documentation: The electronic transcript will serve as documentation for certified and classified staff. This electronic documentation will be used for verifying employment agreement obligations. Certified and classified staff are responsible for managing and monitoring individual transcripts and ensuring that all activities are documented appropriately to meet the requirements of their employment agreement.
• Outside Organizations Proposing Activities for Educator Credit: Outside organizations who wish to propose a course for unscheduled in-service credit should contact the Director of Professional Learning and / or the appropriate Content Area or KCS Staff for approval.
• Parent Contact Hours Documentation: Principals should create procedures for documenting building-level parent contact hours in the electronic transcript and communicate those procedures to the appropriate staff. There are multiple options for documenting parent contact hours. Principals should choose the option that is most appropriate for the school.

Leave of Absence (LOA)

Please contact our office (professional.development@knoxschools.org) if you are planning a leave of absence during the year and are unsure of the number of hours you should earn. We can work with HR and Payroll to confirm the requirements.