The Work of a Team Professional Learning Communities What Does It Look Like If We Really Meant It? Janel Keating and Bob Eaker

Our goal was not to become a PLC. Our goal was to improve student learning. A PLC is simply a way of thinking. We worked to make sure everyone understood that PLC concepts and practices were a means to an end.

Start With the Why by Simon Sinek Dr. King was absolute in his conviction. He knew change had to happen in America. His clarity of WHY, his sense of purpose, gave him strength and energy to continue his fight against often seemingly insurmountable odds…and that speech was about what he believed, not how they were going to do it. He gave the “I have a dream speech”, not the I have a plan speech. (p 126-129)

Is It Good Enough For My Own Child? The standard for “If we really meant it” should be this: “Is it good enough for my own child?” Every School Every Classroom Every Teacher Every Lesson  

Promises to Keep Think about it! Each day parents send to us the most precious thing in their lives—their children! Here’s what they want us to promise them in return— We will keep them safe. We will make them feel special. And, we will ensure that they learn!

Jon Saphier believes teachers should be consistently and constantly sending this message” “I believe that all my students have the intellectual ability to do rigorous work and meet high standards. Unfortunately not all my students share that belief. It is my job to help them come to believe this, along with the conviction that is would be worth their while to do well in school. Therefore, in our minute to minute interactions, I communicate to students in every way I can the message:

This is important. You can do it. I won’t give up on you. --Jon Saphier

Four Questions to Guide PLCs Eaker- Keating 2012 What do we expect students to learn? CCSS, NGSS, C3, CTE, essential outcomes, power standards, learning targets, pacing, clarifying standards, what standards look like in student, instruction/engagement and rigor 2. How will we know if they learn it? Pre-assessment,, quick checks for understanding, ommon assessments benchmark assessments, state assessment, ACT, SAT, results analysis 3. How do we respond when students experience difficulty in learning? Differentiated instruction, Interventions in the CORE, POI, RTI and PBIS 4. How do we respond when students do learn? Differentiated instruction and rigor

The Prerequisite Conditions of a True PLC Educators work in collaborative teams and take collective responsibility for student learning rather than working in isolation. Collaborative teams implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum, unit by unit. Collaborative teams monitor student learning through an ongoing assessment process that includes frequent, team developed common formative assessments. Educators use the results of common assessments to: Improve individual practice Build the teams capacity to achieve its goals Intervene/enrich on behalf of the students The school provides a systemic process for intervention and enrichment Dufour 2015

The Prerequisite Conditions of a True PLC Attention…… “You don’t get to pick 3 out of 5! You must do them all deep and well.” Rick Dufour 2015

Organizing Into Collaborative Teams Team Structure Grade Level Department Interdisciplinary Singletons Music - PE - Library Special Education – Title Programs Support Staff Every aspect of district culture will be addressed in collaborative teams

Team Effectiveness Establish Norms Establish Accountability Protocols

#8 Teacher clarity John Hattie Teacher clarity defined as organization, explanation, examples and guided practice, and assessment student learning.

The Learning Mission: Simultaneous Loose–Tight Leadership Teams Time 4 Critical Questions Repeating Process Chapter 9 in Learning by Doing Norms Accountability Protocol Clear on the products generated by the team Agenda Bookshelf Instruction Unit Planning template non-negotiables Data tool/TACA Celebration for adults and kids

Role of the Principal Communicate the WHY PLC time weekly for teams within the school day Appropriate team structure/Vertical team time PLC work is organized under the 4 critical questions of learning Understand that a PLC is not just a data meeting Monitor/feedback to the products generated by the team with the team and the principal Focus on next steps Ensure master schedule reflects the values Evidence, Evidence, Evidence/Layers of Accountability

Repeating Process for Each Unit: Tight (Eaker & Keating, Every School, Every Team, Every Classroom, 2012) Set SMART Goal Identify essential standards. Create the end-of-unit formative assessment. Write learning targets/design instruction/engagement. Design checks for understanding aligned with learning targets - and feedback. Additional time and support aligned to the target and check for understanding. Come to the team meeting prepared to discussed what the students have learned based on the check for understanding – data or student work. Give the assessment. Score and analyze the assessment/protocol. Written reflection process Look at data and student work. Apply interventions and extensions. Review SMART Goal Repeat.

Team Meeting—Collaboration What Does It Look Like? What did you teach last week? Are we prepared? Standards – Learning Targets – Quick Formative Assessment – Feedback What evidence do you have of student learning? Data—Student work Then what? Time and support in the classroom, team support, move to next lesson. What standards and targets are we working on this week?