To get approval to attend professional development offerings outside your school district:

1. Know and follow your school district’s procedures for requesting approval and reimbursements.
2. Include a statement in your Personal Growth/Development/Improvement Plan (PIP) each year that justifies your attendance at professional development activities sample statement under ProfessionalDevelopmentTemplates.
3. Find out if the organization offering the workshop or conference you wish to attend is recognized by the state as a registered New Jersey professional development provider. (If not, the activity will not count toward 100 hours) Directory: http://www.state.nj.us/education/profdev/providers/provsearch.htm
4. Provide a strong justification for how your participation in this activity will benefit the school community.
5. Share the information you have learned with your supervisors, administrators, colleagues and students in a timely manner.
6. If appropriate, bring recommendations for professional development providers to the attention of those in charge of planning district in-service workshops.