The main function of the Professional Development (PD) Data Center is to process the professional development records of over 40,000 employees holding professional certificates within Miami-Dade County. In addition, the PD Data Center manages the Professional Development Menu & Registration System, the Staff Development Education System (SDES) record entries, and various web support sites.

The PD Menu & Registration System provides a convenient online tool that allows personnel to conveniently access their professional development records and opportunities. Employees can chart their professional growth using system features that facilitate online registration and provide a search facility that enables employees to identify relevant courses. Course participants also complete online evaluations through the system, thereby expediting the ability to promptly analyze the effectiveness and impact of any professional development activity.

Customer Service
All operations at the PD Data Center are undertaken with an underlying goal of delivering quality customer service to those the PD Data Center serves. A fully automated call center telephone system helps to assure that telephone calls are received and assistance is provided to our customers. E-mails are automatically generated for every process of the P D Menu & Registration System. We provide service to the participant, the sponsoring department, and the instructor/facilitator of all PD course sessions facilitated through the P D Menu & Registration System. Our customers include all employees of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), private schools in Miami-Dade County, and anyone living in Miami-Dade County holding a valid Florida teaching certificate.

Quality Control
M-DCPS' PD Menu & Registration System requires that all PD in the district be reviewed through a qualitative lens, aligned with national and state PD standards as well as the state academic content standards, in addition to the district strategic plan and student academic standards. This system establishes a single point of entry for all personnel, as well as retired and private school educators, to access both on-line and face-to-face PD. In addition, all professional development opportunities posted through the system include follow-up support and workplace application of knowledge and/or tools acquired through professional learning.

All course templates and course sessions are reviewed by the PD Data Center to assure adherence to guidelines. Sign-in sheets are collected, reviewed, imaged, and posted to the P D Menu & Registration System. Learning values (Master Plan Points) are awarded to each participant after verification of a completion grade from the course session instructor, an evaluation from the participant, and signatures on the sign-in sheets delivered by the instructor.

Job-Embedded
As an extension of District PD operations, school-based PD Liaisons have been established at each school site to foster job-embedded professional development, and enhance communication between the District and the school sites with regards to professional development opportunities. PD Liaisons have received training on identifying the elements of high quality professional development, understanding adult learning theory, facilitating professional learning communities, differentiated instruction, and analyzing student work. A recent major focus is to promote professional learning communities at every school, including lesson study teams, as an effective method of job-embedded professional learning.