Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
In accordance with the professional standards of the teacher, approved in 2013 by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, primary school teachers must have higher education or secondary professional education in education and pedagogy. Teachers can obtain bachelor’s and then master’s degrees in pedagogical education with the specialization of primary education. Pedagogical colleges offer two year programs following graduation from secondary school or four year programs following graduation from basic school. In recent years, earning a diploma from a higher education institution has become more widespread among primary teacher candidates. Even those who received their primary teacher qualification from a pedagogical college typically continue their education in a higher education institution.
The length of a four year bachelor program is 8,540 hours and includes theoretical, practical, and research work; teaching in school takes 10 percent to 15 percent of instructional time.
Teacher Education Specific to Reading
There is no specialization in teaching reading. Training in the teaching of reading is included in modules devoted to the theoretical foundations and technology of the teaching Russian language and literature course.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
There is no specific requirement for ongoing professional development in reading. Nevertheless, in Moscow much attention is paid to the professional development of teachers. Since January 2015, more than 58,000 teachers participated in training programs, or more than 46 percent of all pedagogical staff in the Moscow system of education.
From the 2013–2014 academic year, Moscow schools have received the right to choose educational training programs for professional development of teachers, helping to improve the cost-effectiveness of educational institutions in this sphere.
The Moscow system of education has a regional register of additional professional programs that allows teachers to improve their professional skills purposefully. They have the opportunity to use scientific resources from leading federal universities in Moscow.
Teacher certification is an important step toward the ongoing professional development of Moscow teachers and an effective tool for assessment of their achievements.
The procedure of certification has changed recently and become more objective. The qualification categories are established only by the results of teachers’ activity. Teachers working in schools with high educational achievement that occupy the first 300 places in school rankings are certified in their schools. Their contribution to educational institutions overall is assessed.
The regional system of training for primary school teachers includes express and long term courses. For example, the interdisciplinary course Traditional and Innovative Technologies of Educational Activity Organization of Students in Conditions of Introduction of Federal Standards is designed for 72 hours. Teachers explore active forms of organization of educational process; various ways to obtain, store, and process information; the semantic strategies of reading; and the basics of professional speech culture.4
The results of regional independent assessments, including reading literacy, are taken into account when the training programs are developed. Primary school teachers’ certification includes assessments of professional competence in development of interdisciplinary skills (reading literacy, logic skills, and abilities to solve problems).
The system of certification for Moscow teachers has fully transitioned into electronic format, and now teachers do not have to collect documents and submit large paper reports.