When translating large-scale policy changes into educational practice, classroom-level implementation is crucial and dependent on teachers’ capabilities. Most research underscores the importance of professional development (PD) as a proximal factor to achieve educational change. Connected to the recent Advanced Placement (AP) science examination reform, this large-scale quantitative study (N_Teachers = 9,096; N_Students = 197,589) investigates teacher participation in different PD formats (i.e., face-to-face, online, materials) and their associations with teacher- and student-level outcomes. We found that teacher characteristics (e.g., gender and administrative support) were associated with the choice of the PD format. We also found AP subscore differences between students of teachers who participated in different PD formats. Furthermore, teachers who participated in formal PD activities tended to report higher challenges with the AP reform. Thus, this study encourages PD providers to implement changes alongside a variety of PD programs to account for the potential differential benefits for teachers.

在将大规模的政策变化转化为教育实践时，课堂层面的实施至关重要，取决于教师的能力。大多数研究强调了职业发展 (PD) 作为实现教育变革的最接近因素的重要性。连接到最近的进修 (AP) 科学考试改革，这个大规模的定量研究（N_教师= 9,096；N_学生= 197,589）调查了教师在不同 PD 形式（即面对面、在线、材料）中的参与及其与教师和学生水平成果的关联。我们发现教师特征（例如性别和行政支持）与 PD 格式的选择有关。我们还发现参与不同 PD 形式的教师的学生之间的 AP 子分数差异。此外，参加正式 PD 活动的教师往往报告 AP 改革面临更高的挑战。因此，本研究鼓励 PD 提供者与各种 PD 计划一起实施变革，以考虑教师的潜在差异收益。