PLC’s That Really Work! Floyd County Schools

Model to Raise Achievement and Close Gaps

District Alignment Mission/ Vision District Strategic Plan School Improve- ment Plans PLC Goals Classroom Goals and Student Level

Rationale – “Throughout our ten-year study, whenever we found an effective school or an effective department within a school, without exception that school or department was part of a collaborative professional learning community.” - Milbrey McLaughlin - From Learning By Doing, DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many

Criteria for Setting Up PLC Collaborative Teams Same subject or curriculum Same grade (if they teach the same subject) Must meet together at minimum of three hours per week Clear parameters, priorities, and products that guide the work of the team toward the goal of improved student learning

Components of PLC Model 1. Team norms 2. Student performance baseline data 3. Strategic SMART goals 4. Clearly defined essential learning targets 5. Collaborative team meetings 6. Focus on Four Stages of PLC Benchmark requirements 7. Tightly aligned professional development

Getting Started… 1. Norms: How will we need to behave in order to work well together? 2. Baseline Data: What do our students know right now? (pre-assessments) 3. SMART Goals: What should our goal be in order to close the gap between what they know and what they need to learn? 4. STAGE ONE - Clear Targets: What is it that we want our students to know and be able to do? (deconstruction of standards) 5. STAGE TWO - Design Common Assessments: How do we know when they know it? (formative & summative classroom assessments, interim benchmark/balanced assessments)

Continued….. 6. STAGE THREE - Plan Best Practice Instructional Strategies: What instructional strategies/activities/procedures will I implement that are rigorous and congruent with my learning targets/”I can statements” to engage my students? (Plan procedures & activities for learning to occur) 7. STAGE FOUR - Analysis of student work and assessment data: What do we do when they don’t? What do we do when they do? (Re-teach and provide interventions or extensions)

Data Turnaround Time “The challenge for schools is to provide each teacher with powerful and authentic information in a timely manner in order to impact his or her professional practice in ways that enhance student learning.” – Rick DuFour

An astonishing number of educational leaders make critical decisions … on the basis of information that is inadequate, misunderstood, misrepresented, or simply absent. – Doug Reeves No Random Acts Of Continuous Improvement

Systematic Data Analysis: The Four Questions 1. What are the strengths indicated by the data? 2. What are the weaknesses indicated by the data? 3. What other information do we need? 4. What are our next steps?

Weekly Collaborative Meetings Same grade/subject teachers meet together during planning time to complete Benchmark products. Team meeting sheet keep teams focused on improving student performance.

Collegiality Team members need to work collegially and avoid falling into a congenial conversation. (DuFour) Stay FOCUSED.

Product Driven Approach “… One of the most effective ways to enhance the productivity of a team is to insist that it produce. (A collaborative team) must produce artifacts related to the team’s collective inquiry into the critical questions focused on learning.” Rick DuFour

Four Stages of Professional Learning Community (PLC) Work ( ) Principle practice of PLC’s Four Stages of Work Strategies and Action Steps Who is Responsible Targeted Date or Timeline Evidence of Implementation Stage one: Deconstruct Standards I will be able to clearly define what I want my students to know and be able to do by the end of this lesson/unit. Principal or Designee District expectation is for PLC’s to meet 3 hours minimum per week. Completion of Team Meeting Lesson and/or unit plan Stage two: Design Assessm ents I will be able to contribute to design of high quality common formative assessment to check for learning and summative assessment of learning. Principal or Designee Dates for DISTRICT REVIEW of PLC Work Team meeting sheet Products will include assessments developed by team

Four Stages of Professional Learning Community (PLC) Work ( ) Stage three: Plan and implement strategies: I will be able to plan an interactive Best Practice instructional strategies/activities that are both rigorous and congruent to impact student learning. Principal or Designee Sept. 24,2010 Nov. 4, 2010 Dec. 15, 2010 Feb. 15, 2011 April 8, 2011 May 20, 2011 Team meeting sheet Walkthrough Data Lesson and/or Unit Plans Stage four: Students work and data analysis I will be able to use an analysis of student work protocol to analyze samples of student work and assessments to adjust instruction and provide interventions. Principal or Designee Team meeting sheet Protocol Documents Samples of student work Lesson/unit plans Balanced assessments Walkthrough Data

Look-For: Monitor deployment of PLC’s Inspect what you expect. Professional Learning Communities- COILT Monitoring Form School: Principal: Date: Implemented:(0 – Not Present 1 – Infrequent 2 – Frequent, Absent in few cases 3 –Systemic) Evidence: (Documentation, Lesson Plans, Administrative Notebooks, Team Sheet, E-walk data, Agenda/Sign- In, Interviews) Comment: Next Step(s): Look-For: Building level leader provides timely, constructive feedback to all PLC’s before lesson/unit is taught. PLC’s meet a minimum of three hours per week and all teachers participate. PLC is facilitated by a teacher leader or administrative leader. Building level leader attends each PLC. Principal uses Professional Learning Community as a vehicle for School Improvement. Classroom practices reflect the work of the PLC.

Team Meeting Sheet School Name:_________________________________________________ Meeting Date:________________________________________________ Team SMART Goals: What should our goal be in order to close the gap between what students know and what they need to learn? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Review Norms: Team Members Present:Team Members Absent (List Reason) ______________________________________________________ Summary Statements of Meeting Outcomes: Next Steps: What do team members plan to do as a result of this meeting? Resources used/needed Recorded by:_________________________________________ Date:_______________________________________________ Building Administrator Or Designee Feedback

Alignment Between Requirements and Professional Development PLC requirement: Deconstruct Standards………. Common Formative Assessment …. Best Practice Strategies ……………… Gap Analysis ……………………………… Aligned Professional Development: … School, district, regional, and state guidelines and support … Stiggins’ Assessment FOR Learning … Marzano’s High Yield Instructional Strategies.... Data Analysis

World’s Best School Systems The quality of a school system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction. High performance requires every child to succeed McKinsey Consulting Report

Instructional Facilitator Support CIA members and building leadership provide job- embedded training, feedback, coaching and support for collaborative teams and individual teachers. Their focus is on helping to build high performing teachers, teacher teams, and classrooms.

Lessons Learned Along the Way Just Do It. Learn how to do it by actually doing it. (Learning by Doing, DuFour, Eaker, Many) Don’t wait for the process to become popular or perfect. Timely data in the hands of teachers is empowering. Job embedded professional development is not easy, but it’s worth it. High performing teachers build high performing classrooms. Stay the course. (building systematic process is crucial) Defines Success (Teamwork) _-TPOTmovie

Deconstructing an Everyday earning Objective: “Will drive a car with skill” Deconstructed Learning Objective Knowledge/Understanding Know the law Understand informal rules of the road, e.g., courtesy Understand what different parts of the car do Read signs and understand what they mean Understand what “creating a danger” means Understand what “creating a hazard means” Reasoning Analyze road conditions, vehicle performance, and other driver’s actions; compare/contrast this information with knowledge and past experience; synthesize information; and evaluate options to make decisions on what to do next Evaluate “am I safe” and synthesize information to take action if needed Skills Steering, shifting, parallel parking, looking, signaling, backing up, etc. Fluidity/automaticity in performing driving actions Products none

Student-Friendly Learning Target Statements Knowledge/Understanding I can explain the laws about driving—speed limits, stopping, how to take turns with other drivers, when to signal, when to use my lights, etc. I can describe what different parts of the car do—steering wheel, gear shift, lights, brakes, gas pedal, mirrors, gauges, etc. I can read traffic signs and I can describe what they mean-- -yield, stop, merge, etc. I can describe several ways drivers can “create a danger” and list ways to prevent or avoid such dangers. Reasoning I can decide what to do next based on my understanding of how cars work, what other drivers are doing, and road conditions I can figure out when I am safe and when I am in danger. When I am in danger I can figure out what to do to reduce my danger. Performance/Skills/Process I can keep the car going in the direction I want using the steering wheel I can shift gears smoothly and at the right time I can parallel park within one foot of the curb without hitting anything I can drive the car well without having to think about it every minute, etc. Products none