• MIAC Call for Proposals & Guidelines 

    Methacton In-service Advisory Committee (MIAC)

    Each year, the Act 48 committee reviews a flexible in-service program for the Methacton In-service Advisory Committee (MIAC). The program offers a variety of in-service workshops designed to meet the instructional, organizational and professional needs of the staff. MIAC offerings are scheduled throughout the school year, during the summer, after school, and on weekends.

    MIAC offerings are professional development hours that are completed outside of your contracted hours, and are used to fulfill the requirement for 3 in-service FLEX days each year. Each professional staff member is required to participate in 18 hours of MIAC in-service.

    Staff members may choose courses, workshops, and webinars from a variety of topics including, but not limited to differentiated instruction, curriculum issues, best teaching practices, technology integration, and co-teaching. Workshops may be delivered via district staff members, webinars, and outside consultants. Student teachers and paraprofessionals may also participate in MIAC activities for professional development purposes.

    In an effort to maintain equity and ensure Act 48 committee reviewers can clearly recognize essential connections between a teacher’s professional development and the district goals, follow the guidelines below when developing MIAC proposals:
    • In the description, articulate the activities’ connections with goals related to general practices associated with curriculum, instruction, assessment, or data analysis, or other connected work you might do with students, parents, or the community.

    • Team/grade level/subject area planning activities should be proposed for a maximum of 6 hours, and should include an agenda.
       
    • Work related to Methacton’s differentiated supervision plan may be proposed, and should include an agenda. Those involved with action research/self-directed or peer collaboration plans are encouraged to develop MIACs to share their learning with their colleagues.

    • Specific curriculum writing activities should reflect established goals as previously discussed between the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment and the Department Coordinators.  Curriculum writing proposals should only be submitted by Department Coordinators.

    • Any staff member wishing to submit MIAC proposals for the development of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) should first discuss their focus with the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment.

    • Book studies should be based on professional books with the goal of informing teachers in areas such as Common Core Standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, data analysis, or with connected work you might do with parents or community. Many of these books have guides that may be accessed online. It is recommended that such guides be used for the book study. The MIAC activity should be designed to provide up to 6 hours for each book. When submitting the MIAC proposal, include the book title(s) along with a description of the connections with the areas identified above. Upon completion, a 1-2 page summary of the learning and applicability is required. A form for this purpose is available on the Methacton Staff Development page under the MIAC tab.

    •  Those who have attended workshops or conferences and who would like to replicate their learning are encouraged to submit a MIAC proposal as an instructor.

    These guidelines are meant to provide a framework for MIAC proposals. Note that areas addressed here are not all-inclusive of proposals that may be submitted. All will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.