5.10 PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PROGRAM/ADVANCEMENT ON SALARY SCHEDULE
5.10.1- PHILOSOPHY. The policy of the District is to encourage all professional staff members to improve their effectiveness in their position. To this end, encouragement is offered academic employees to progress from one salary class to a higher salary class by continuing their education.
5.10.2-ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY. The Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development with responsibility for the total Staff Development Program is administrator of the program. For advisory assistance, the Professional Growth Comn1ittee is established.
5.10.3 - COMMITTEE FUNCTION. The Professional Growth Committee is charged with the responsibility of advising the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development, when called upon or when a staff member requests reconsideration of one of that officer's rulings, regarding which courses and/or activities will meet the intent of the philosophy and criteria listed in this section. When called upon, this committee will also recommend how many units of credit on the salary schedule will be allowed for activities for which no units are assigned by an eligible collegiate institution.
5.10.4- APPLICATION PROCEDURES:
(1) Every staff member must apply for credit for advancement using the "Notice of Intent" form which is available in the Personnel Office. Ex post facto approval may be granted if the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development, with the assistance of the Committee if necessary, determines an emergency existed and it was not feasible for the staff member to obtain prior approval.
(2) It is the responsibility of the staff member to provide the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development with a description of the course or activity with an explanation of how it will improve her or his effectiveness in her or his position. Requests for work experience credit should be well documented; e.g., length of employment, type of employment, job classification(s), hours of on-the-job training, variety of tasks performed.
(3) Each application for credit on the salary schedule shall include the comments of the appropriate Dean.
(4) Examples of activities for which salary schedule credit can be given, if justification a11d documentation is supplied, are those which meet the following criteria. The course/activity is:
(a) Pertinent to staff member's current, or projected, Yuba Community College District assignment ("projected" by joint agreement of staff member and administration);
(b) Generally, an upper division or graduate level course and is one which staff member has not previously completed for credit, nor parallels one that has been completed for credit;
(c) Offered by a fully accredited institution of higher education (Western Association of Schools & Colleges or equivalent regional accrediting agency) and is taught by a staff member of that institution (not "Brokered");
(d) Taken to increase knowledge and competency in the teaching subject, method, or technique, or knowledge and understanding in the area of equal opportunity for women, minority, or handicapped;
(e) Related to credential licensure or certification renewal or obtaining an upgraded or more comprehensive credential, license, or certificate;
(f) Such that, if offered off-campus, demands the amount/level/standard of work of the student that will parallel that which would be demanded in an on-campus course of the same type, and the course is offered by a California institution of higher education;
(g) An industrial-service course, provided by a supplied-sponsored clinic or a factory-sponsored clinic for occupational/vocational academic employees, that can be determined by the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development as an activity that will roughly meet the same standards as would occur in a college credit course/activity;
(h) Work experience for an occupational/vocational academic employee that can be determined by Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development as resulting in roughly the same standards of accomplishment as would occur in a college-credit course/activity; ·
(i) One in which the total expense of earning the credit, including expense of a substitute if required, is borne by the staff member requesting the credit (except in the case of a sabbatical leave);
(j) A course/activity in the Student Services functions, one that will meet the above criteria, but is mainly in Student Personnel Services areas, such as Women's Studies, Handicapped, Sign Language, etc.
5.10.5- VALIDATION. Unit credit on the salary schedule will be allowed only if a "C" or better grade is obtained in a graded course. In courses with a two-grade system, credit will be given for the higher of the two categories only. Evidence of completion of such courses must be presented to the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development. In activities not covered by grades, written documentation indicating successful completion of tpe activity shall be given to the committee. To accomplish validation, the staff member files the.: "Notice of Completion" form with substantiating documentation. '·
5.10.6- PERSONNEL FILE. Every academic employee must keep her or his Personnel File up to date.
5.10.7- BASIS FOR ASSIGNING UNITS OF CREDIT FOR NON-UNIT ACTIVITIES. As a general guideline to the committee, it is intended that unit credit be awarded for Yuba Community College District Salary Schedule purposes when the followingl occurs:
(1) The staff member requesting credit does not also request financial reimbursement, of any kind, for attendance at the activity for which he or she is requesting credit;
(2) Attendance involves at least two separate days and a minimum total of 15 hours. There may be an interval of time between two or more days of meetings provided the interrupted meetings represent a unified series on a single general topic;
(3) The academic employee's Dean and the Dean's administrative supervisor agree that subject matter of the meeting/activity is immediately pertinent to the staff member's teaching or service assignment. It is the responsibility of the Deans to ensure that the meeting/activity is analogous to formally organized collegiate instructional classes, as distinct from organizational or professional "meetings."
(4) The time spent in organized instructional meetings/activity is a minimum of 15 hoursfor which one unit of credit shall be awarded. No smaller unit of time/credit shall be acceptable, but additional incremental units shall be acceptable in no smaller increments than Yz unit per 7Yz hours.
(5) After careful evaluation of any non-unit course or activity, the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development and/or the Committee will attempt to evaluate the course on the same basis as if it were taken at an accredited institution. In no case will more credit be allowed than a similar number of hours would generate at an accredited institution.
(6) Work experience will be evaluated on its relevancy to the teaching program, the nature of the work performed, and previous credit granted for similar work experience of the academic employee. An attempt will be made to reach an agreement with the individual concerned as to the number of units to be allowed.
5.10.8- EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE PROFESSIONAL IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES.
Under this provision, an academic employee may be awarded "points" or "units" for participation in a Group Educational Activity; indirectly, the Group Leader is a1s being rewarded for her/his individual activity.
(1) For "Approved" Activities "Of Educational Significance," "points" or "units" will be awarded. As administrator responsible for Inservice and Staff Development programs, Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development determines, upon ' application, which activity may be "Approved" as "of Educational Significance." In the event of a difference of opinion, he/she will seek advice from Staff Development Committee.
(2) "Unit", for this purpose, must involve at least 16 hours of group participation plus whatever outside preparation is necessary. A "Point" is at least 1 hour of group participation plus whatever outside preparation is necessary; 16 "Points" equals 1 "Unit."
5.11 CLASSIFIED STAFF ASSIGNED TEACHING DUTIES
5.11.1 -POLICY The District may allow, on a voluntary basis, a classified staff member to work in an academic employee position, with the approval of the appropriate Dean, classified employee's direct supervisor, and the Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development.
5.11.2- PROCEDURES
(1) Before a classified employee is hired for a part-time teaching assignment, the cognizant Dean of the Division (or Campus) of the teaching assignment will coordinate with the employee's classified managing supervisor to ensure the classified hours can accommodate the teaching assignment. If the managing supervisor concurs, the Vice President Academic and Student Service, and/or President, Director of Personnel Services/Human Resources Development, or Vice Chancellor Administrative Services will have the final approval authority for the altered schedule.
(2) In all cases, when a classified employee teaches a class, there must be clear, written distinction between the duties of the classified employee and those of the certificated position. While this distinction must be clear in all cases, it is particularly significant when a classified instructional assistant teaches a course in the same discipline.