Microcredential programs offer teachers more personalized PD opportunities

Microcredentials are finding their way into educators’ professional development programming, and while they aren’t a substitute for more robust offerings, they do allow educators to show their skills and expertise, EdSurge reports. Districts in several states — including Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington — are already experimenting with microcredential programs, but Odelia Younge, senior project director of the educator microcredentials initiative at Digital Promise, recommends careful vetting to ensure broad buy-in on their worth. States need to define which leadership roles are most important and create microcredential programs to match — and once the microcredential is earned, teachers must be allowed to share their expertise through teacher-led PD. The teacher-training microcredential trend allows educators to specialize and gain additional training in the areas most relevant to their interests and classroom style. Once they earn those credentials, they can share their knowledge with their peers through teacher-led PD.