Florin High School Professional Learning Communities Rationale Flexibility Effectiveness Sustainability

FHS Core Values “Inspiring and Educating Our Diverse Community to Achieve Excellence” PROFESSIONALISM – Florin High School Staff Values: Professional behaviors and qualities we instill in our students. Autonomy and innovation while encouraging and supporting collaboration. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT – Florin High School Staff Values: High expectations for academic achievement and personal growth. Meeting individual student needs and offering varied paths for student success. FLORIN HIGH COMMUNITY – Florin High School Staff Values: Parents, community members and local businesses as partners in the education of their children. A safe and inviting campus. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE – Florin High School Staff Values: Critical thinking and problem solving as the focus of instruction. The use of engaging instructional practices.

A focus on the essential teaching and learning questions What are we supposed to teach? How do we prioritize, sequence and deliver our instruction? How do we know they’re learning? What do we do when they’re not learning?

Key Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities –A focus on student learning –A collaborative culture –Collective inquiry into research-based best practice –Action orientation – professional learning by doing –All members mutually accountable for targeted results

Why Professional Learning Communities? Abundant research indicates they work Collective intelligence is more powerful than any individual Do we believe in this? – We have addressed this question and reached a strong affirmative consensus.

SUSTAINABILITY How can we work to create learning communities that support enduring change that results in: – Improved teaching and services to all students? – Improved student achievement for all students?

ENSURING FLEXIBILITY Having the freedom to pursue important tasks for a long period of time (staying the course) Being nimble enough to confront new challenges, to take on new members with alacrity Expanding focus when the need arises

ENSURING FLEXIBILITY How do we balance – – Depth and Breadth? – Stability and Change? – Diversity and Focus? – Networking and Integration? These are often times opposing forces.

PLC EFFECTIVENESS Not all PLCs are equally effective We need to ensure there is clarity, precision, rigor, discipline and clear purpose to the work of PLCs so that it successfully raises both staff and students higher levels of performance.

What are we supposed to teach? How do we prioritize and order our instruction? How do we know they’re learning? What do we do when they’re not learning? Training in district standards and expectations for learning Strategies for enhancing awareness of the standards Examining research-based practices Developing essential questions Grade-level and course specific collaboration Curriculum planning and mapping Examining of student work (protocols) Determining exemplars of proficiency Guiding the development of common formative and summative assessments, and rubrics Pyramid of Interventions Student study team process Academic literacy Data analysis of intervention programs

Site PLCs Elements of a PLC Site Support Contibutions A focus on student learning A collaborative culture All members mutually accountable for targeted results Collective Inquiry into research-based practices Action orientation Departments Grade-level or Course-pecific Teams Academies Action teams Professional Development PLCs Leadership Professional development Courageous conversations Meeting facilitation Project management Action research Data analysis Team building inc norms and agreements