1. What is it we want our students to learn?

2. How will we teach our students?

3. How will we know when each student has mastered the essential learning/skill?

4. What will we do if the student does not master the skill?

5. What will we do for students who master the skill early?

What is a Professional Learning Community

(PLC)?

A professional learning community is a community where educators create an environment that fosters mutual cooperation, emotional support, and personal growth as they work together to achieve what they cannot accomplish alone.

Educators collaborate.

Mutual Respect – A requirement for highly effective collaborative teams.

Consensus Rules – Honor what has been said and agreed upon.

Data Driven – Use data to make improvements

Continuous Improvement – Allows teams to continue to improve and reach their goals

Elements of a PLC

For the 11-12 year we will continue to utilize effective Collaborative Teams to IMPACT Student Achievement in a Professional Learning Community.

Dr. Eric Twadell – Adlai Stevenson H.S.

The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community. The path of change in the classroom lies within and through PLCs.

Collaboration provides an opportunity for educators to work together toward a common goal. It increases the effort of one by the effort of many. These efforts allow us to attain uncommon results.

Why Collaboration?

Camelback High School’s Collaborative Structure/Culture

Will Have: A Focus on Student Achievement / Student Learning

Collaborative Teams

Team Leaders

Time to Collaborate

SMART Goals

Specific Artifacts

Data Driven Focus

Student Support Programs/Teams

Action Plans (Implementation)

Steps for Successful Teams• Teams decide on their own norms and protocol• Teams create their own mission, vision, and values• Teams build shared knowledge (curriculum experts)• Teams decide on “essential learning”• Teams write common assessments• Teams write criteria to grade student work• Teams administer common assessments to all students• Teams analyze results to drive future learning• Teams identify and implement improvement strategies

Our PLC Teams Will Focus On:

Common SMART Goals (Student Achievement) Common Assessments (Summative & Formative) Common Instructional Strategies (Focusing, Processing)

Mission, Vision and Values

Artifacts Are Evidence of Your Collaborative Efforts

Common Plan for Success

SMART Goals for Student Achievement / Learning

Curriculum Map

Common Unit/Chapter/Skills Assignments

Common Unit/Chapter/Skills Assessments

Common Review Material for all Summative Assessments

Common Instructional Strategies

Standardized test review materials (AIMS &/or Terra Nova)

Examples of Artifacts Your Team Can Work on…

Mission, Vision and Values

MISSION probes the question:

What is our purpose?

VISION asks the question:

What do we want to become?

VALUES explore the question:

How must we behave in order to make our vision a reality?

Camelback High SchoolMission Statement

• "Camelback High School's mission is to provide the best education possible for all students to assist them in achieving their maximum potential, motivate them to strive for success in everything they do and support them as they master the skills needed to prepare them for success in college, career and life."

School Improvement Plan Missions & Goals

Mission StatementCamelback High School

will prepare all students for the choices and

challenges of the 21st century 

Math – All students willdemonstrate reasoning andproblem solving in math andacross the curriculum.

Literacy – All students willdevelop effective readingand writing skills.

Responsibility – All studentswill develop and use responsible decision-makingskills.

Why Should We Establish Norms?

“Norms put the ‘Golden Rule’ into practice for groups.”

“Having a set of norms or ground rules that a group follows, encourages behaviors that will help a group do its work.”

“Writing norms is an effective way to democratize a group.”

“Writing norms helps create groups that are able to have honest discussions that enable everyone to participate and be heard.”

Team Interaction Norms

Examples:

We will participate without dominating.

We will maintain confidentiality.

We will focus on what is best for students.

We will support the decisions of the team. We will come prepared to actively participate.

We will address the issues/concerns.

Refrain from doing work that does not pertainto the team agenda during the meeting.

Responsibilities of PLC Team Members:

We will:

1. Adhere to norms.

2. Enforce norms by communicating with team members who do not adhere to the norms.

3. Be informed of what takes place at team meetings if absent.

Identify SMART Goals for Your Team

Strategic and Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Results-oriented

Time bound

Refer to handout: SMART Goals

Are these SMART Goals? Are they…

By the end of first semester, the D and F rates will decrease by 25%.

Our students will increase their scores on the CRT test.

As a result of our new writing strategy, 20% more freshmen will pass the ACE test second semester.

Strategic and Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Results-oriented

Time bound

Purpose for Assessment:

Assessment will support learning of important content and furnish useful information to both the teacher and the students.

Adapted from, Classroom Assessment for Student Learning. Rick Stiggins

Why Common Assessments?

Some of the Benefits are…

• Focus instruction on essential learning

• Reinforces common core curriculum

• Creates better (more valid and reliable) exams

• Results identify curricular areas and instruction thatneeds attention.

• Requires collaboration among teachers

• Provides objective indicators of effectiveness

FormativeAssessment

FOR Learning

Ubiquitous assessments that occur during the learning.

Both students and teachers should help make decisions

about these assessments.

SummativeAssessment

OFLearning

This type of assessmentis used to evaluate

students’ attainment ofcourse objectives/skills.

This type of assessment takesplace after the learning

has occurred.

Types of Assessments

- Unit Exams

- Semester Exam

- Projects or Performance

- Formal Essay/Term Paper

- Homework

- Bell work

Focusing Strategies

- Processing Strategies

- Checking for Understanding

- Quizzes

FormativeAssessment

FOR Learning

Types of Assessments

SummativeAssessment

OFLearning

The PLC “Cycle” for Continuous Improvement for All Teams

Shared Mission – Fundamental Purpose … Why? Shared Vision - What are we to become

Shared Values – Commitments to Action

School-Wide

SMART Goals: Student Achievement

Action Plan to Achieve the Goals

Risk-taking culture- focus Inquiry & Action

Results Orientation – Data collected to

reflect Goals

Analysis of the Data

Radical Celebration!

Where do we start?

Form content area teams

Select a Team Leader

Establish Team Norms

Write the Mission, Vision and Values Statements

Analyze the data

Write 1-2 SMART Goals

Develop an Action Plan for each Goal

Collect Artifacts

Collaboration vs. Integration

Collaboration Integration

Like courses/ same content

area

Aligned to same course standards

Same artifacts,

same rubric

Different courses/

content area

Aligned to different course

standards

Some common artifacts,

different rubric

Teachers in teams

Tied to student learning