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Effective teacher professional development (TPD) is essential for improving teacher learning and, ultimately, educational outcomes. However, the lack of a validated tool to assess the quality of TPD has been a significant challenge in the field. This study presents the 'TPD Monitor', an 18-item instrument designed to measure four critical dimensions of TPD quality: clarity and structure, practical relevance, cognitive activation, and collaboration. The development and validation of the instrument was based on data from 2,381 teachers who participated in 200 TPD courses. A rigorous multi-level confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the TPD Monitor, providing robust evidence of its validity. The instrument demonstrated high reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC1, ICC2) falling within satisfactory ranges. Furthermore, measurement invariance was achieved, allowing for meaningful comparisons between different subgroups of teachers and courses. The 'TPD Monitor' is a valuable and practical tool for TPD providers, enabling them to design more effective courses, and for evaluators, enabling them to monitor and improve the quality of TPD courses. The validated tool fills a crucial gap in the field and provides a standardized approach to assessing TPD quality, facilitating continuous improvement in teacher professional development practice.
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Richter et al. (2023) studied this question.