How to Develop Professional Learning Communities

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How to Develop Professional Learning Communities

• Passion and Persistence

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The Power of Professional Learning Communities

• PLCs are defined as groups of educators
  committed to working collaboratively in ongoing
  processes of collective inquiry and action
  research in order to achieve better results for
  the students they serve.
• -DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many (2006)

• The path to change in the classroom lies within
  and through professional learning communities.
• -Milbrey McLaughlin (1995)

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The Mission

• We accept student learning as the fundamental
  purpose of our school and therefore are willing
  to examine all practices in light of their impact
  on learning.
• We are committed to working together to achieve
  our collective purpose.
• We assess our effectiveness on the basis of
  processes and results rather than intentions.
• We seek relevant data and information to use to
  promote continuous improvement.

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The PLC 9 Step Cycle

• STEP 1 IDENTIFY ESSENTIAL STANDARDS (the GVC)
• Analyze data
• District Curriculum/Windows
• Assessment Blueprints

• STEP 9 PLAN AND IMPLEMENT INTERVENTION
• Timely
• In and out-of-classroom efforts

BHS EAGLES

• STEP 8 SHARE BEST PRACTICES
• Conversations without judgments
• Use established protocols
• What works, what needs work

• STEP 2 DEVELOP CURRICULUM MAPS
• Instructional Windows
• Common Pacing

• STEP 3 ALIGN WITH PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS
• According to district windows

• STEP 7 LOOK AT STUDENT WORK
• Analyze results of assessments
• Use established protocols
• Inform your practice!

• STEP 4 DESIGN COMMON ASSESSMENTS
• Formative!
• Calendar and Administer

• STEP 6 DELIVER RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION
• Teach!
• Monitor student progress
• Regular checks for content proficiency

• STEP 5 ESTABLISH S.M.A.R.T. GOALS
• Specific Strategic
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Results-Oriented
• Time-Bound

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What Do These 9 Steps Look Like?

• Step 1- Identify Essential Standards
• Teams call out and commit to need to master
  standards.
• Talk these out- this is the real PD!
• Remember there are 4 cycles in the year!
• Look at student performance data for
• Areas for improvement and leverage.
• Alignment with Instructional Windows, CST, and
  CAHSEE results.
• Instructional Guides and Periodic Assessments are
  tools!
• Local District 6 Deadline 8/8/08.

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The 9 Steps (Contd)

• Step 2- Develop Curriculum Maps
• Teams draft Curriculum Maps
• Outline
• WHAT you teach- which standards and strands.
• WHEN you teach- in what order, pace.
• HOW you teach it- pedagogy, instructional
  strategies.
• Dont forget Periodic Assessments!
• Tools used to inform us.
• Account for them in your pacing.
• Refer to new scoreboards for pertinent
  categories of information and formatting.
• Local District 6 Deadline 8/22/08 for Cycle 1.
• Local District 6 Deadline 10/31/08 for Cycle 2.

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The 9 Steps (Contd)

• Step 3- Align with Periodic Assessments
• Synchronize with Instructional Windows to
  reconcile pace, and calendar Common Assessments.
• Step 4- Design Common Assessments
• Formative!
• Calendar and administer.

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The 9 Steps (Contd)

• Step 5- Establish S.M.A.R.T Goals
• Specific and Strategic
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Results-oriented
• Time-bound.
• Remember to distinguish between long (semester or
  year outcomes) and short-term (cycle outcomes)
  goals.

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The 9 Steps (Contd)

• Step 6- Deliver Rigorous Standards- Based
  Instruction
• Teach!
• Monitor student progress.
• Regular checks for content proficiency.
• Step 7- Look At Student Work
• Analyze results of assessments.
• Use established protocols.
• Inform your practice!

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The 9 Steps (Contd)

• Step 8- Share Best Practices
• Conversations without judgments.
• Use established protocols.
• Identify what works, what needs work.
• Step 9- Plan and Implement Intervention
• Timely
• Targeted and specific based on the results of
  the CFA.

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The Curriculum MapNon-Negotiables
Essential Standards Teams call out and commit to need to master standards. Talk these out- this is the real PD! Essential Questions Open-ended, thought-provoking. Engaging to all students. Challenges students to connect learning to other disciplines, real-life. Leads to further questions. G.V.C Instructional Content/Strategies/Resources WHAT is taught Content should be explicitly described, including reading selections, other resources, and calendar pace. HOW it is taught Careful to choose specific strategies that focus learning on the Essential Standards. Common Formative/Summative Assessments/Dates of Administration Team agrees on format and content. Based directly on Essential Standards. Formativeskill based and necessary to meet the Essential Standards Feel free to use PAs, or create your own! S.M.A.R.T. Goals Specific Strategic Measurable Attainable Results-oriented Time-bound. Interventions Timely Directly addresses Assessment results In-classroom (peer tutoring, re-teaching) Out-of-classroom (after-school tutoring, Saturday school, intersession, expert labs)
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Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration!!!

• A systematic process in which we work together,
  interdependently, to analyze and impact
  professional practice in order to improve our
  individual and collective results.
• -DuFour, DuFour, Eaker (2002)

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Seven Keys to Collaboration in a PLC

• 1.) Embed collaboration with a FOCUS ON LEARNING
  in routine practices of the school.
• 2.) Schedule time for collaboration into the
  school day and school calendar.
• 3.) Focus teams on critical questions.
• 4.) Make products of collaboration explicit.
• 5.) Establish team norms to guide collaboration.
• 6.) Pursue specific and measurable team
  performance goals.
• 7.) Provide teams with frequent access to
  relevant information.

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NEXT STEPS

• A Track Orientation and Teaming.
• Cycle 1- review and implementation.
• C Track- CFA administration and LASW.
• A and C Track Curriculum Map Drafting- Cycle 2-
  with on-track team pull outs, if necessary.