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A professional development assessment is a joint assessment between an employer and employee to define development goals, including training courses, certifications, and learning activities. The assessment is customized for each employee and may be mandatory or voluntary, with some professions requiring ongoing professional development to keep certifications current.
A professional development assessment is a written assessment, usually written by an employer and an employee jointly, of that employee’s development goals. The professional development assessment is used to define an employee’s immediate and long-term development goals in their profession and can contain anything from training courses and certifications to learning activities. Many different professions employ the use of professional development assessments, specifically professions in which it is necessary to continually improve skills regarding technology, new and updated techniques, or intellectual advances in the field.
As part of a professional development assessment, an employer and employee will meet to discuss that employee’s professional development history, areas of strengths and weaknesses, and short- and long-term goals in the field. Based on this information, the employer and employee will develop a plan based on the professional development assessment that will include training courses to be taken, instructional workshops to be attended, new skills to be learned, etc. A professional development assessment is usually customized for each employee, so no two professional development plans are the same.
In some professions, the employer pays most or all fees associated with professional development activities. Additionally, in many cases, as an employee achieves professional development goals, a grant may be issued to that employee. In other professions, assessment and participation in professional development are required by the employer as part of an employee’s regular duties; therefore, no additional compensation or funding is issued to the employee. Such practices are typically set by the employer or, in the case of education, the school district or state department of education.
While some employees participate in the professional development assessment simply out of an interest in continuing education and lifelong learning, others participate as a result of mandatory requirements. Teachers in most states, for example, are required to participate in professional development assessments as part of their contract. They must keep up with new technologies and techniques, but they may also need to participate in professional development to keep their certification current. Certification requirements vary from state to state; therefore, teachers must stay informed about which classes, exams, and activities they must attend to keep their teaching certification valid and current. Teachers may also include curriculum development and writing, mentoring or coaching peers, and career activities (such as credit and non-credit classes) as professional development activities.
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