Professional development continues to be a priority for the Ministry of Education which focuses on literacy and a new leadership programme.

In 2006, public schools adopted Literacy Collaborative, a comprehensive school reform model designed to improve elementary children's reading, writing and language skills through school-based coaching.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Monday, Education Minister El James said teams received training at each primary school in 2006 and 2007.

Between 2007 and 2009, 22 literacy coordinators were trained through Lesley University trainers.

Mr. James said: "Literacy Collaborative in Bermuda is operative in all but three primary school and all five middle schools.

"It operates at different degrees of implementation in this 2009/2010 academic year. This year was dedicated to ongoing professional development with regard to training and coaching teachers in literacy in 14 primary schools.

"Additionally, this was a field year of training and coaching teachers of literacy in three of our middle schools. Two of the middle schools currently have a literacy coordinator in their training year. These trainers will complete their training in July 2010.

"Two primary schools are in their field year of professional development or training and coaching teachers."

Meanwhile, the Ministry will also be establishing an Educational Leadership Programme for aspiring leaders.

Mr. James said: "We will invite and identify potential leaders to enter the programme to learn what it takes to becomes an educational change leader.

"Such a programme will provide us with a pool of trained, capable leaders from which we will be able to choose the principals and education officers who will commence at the Department of Education in the future."

Additional training with the new Cambridge Curriculum has been going on this school year as a transition plan for the implementation of the curriculum was developed, according to the Ministry.

Teachers have been given a welcome package with curriculum documents and classroom activity packages, passwords for teachers to access the Cambridge website, access to an online self study course and more.

Mr. James said within the next month primary schools have been asked to identify teachers who will be certified to score Cambridge International Primary Achievement Test in English, math and science.

By the end of this school year, teaching and learning will reflect the use of the Cambridge Curriculum in English, math and science, students will have had exposure to the curriculum and Cambridge resources in the schools will have been explored.

The curriculum is scheduled to be fully implemented throughout the public school system in September.