Medicine Hat School District #76 PLC’s Building Capability Through Collaborative Learning Developing tomorrow’s citizens through improved learning, living and relationships

District Focus/AISI Focus Enhanced instruction = improved learning. Common language – Instructional Intelligence. Developing school and district collaborative culture – evident in practice everywhere. Maintain focus over long term – not a project but a commitment. Moving forward – Using PLC’s to build on learning. 2

Looking to the Future Guiding Principles Any initiative must remain focused on enhancing our instructional practices. Any initiative must be incorporate ongoing job-embedded PD with regular connections, reflections, goal setting, and sharing of practice within schools and the district. The initiative will involve sharing student artefacts of outcomes within a PLC community. The initiative must have the ability to sustain and continue to develop a common focus and language across the district. Work on innovative instructional practices can be connected to new curriculum and assessment but must reflect a change to current instructional practice. 3

PLC Implementation – Feedback Process: within the framework of the above guiding principles, feedback from school district staff on the March 2011 II pd day and school staff meetings about how to move forward was processed by members of the district PD Council and this became the groundwork for the 2011 – 2012 PLC implementation plan. 2. August/September Staff meetings: Review principles of effective PLC’s, seven norms of collaboration (Adaptive Schools) Present October District PLC agenda. 4

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The Seven Norms of Collaborative Work for PLC’s Pausing. Paraphrasing. Putting inquiry at the center. Probing. Placing ideas on the table. Paying attention to self and others. Presuming positive intentions. 6

PLC Implementation 2011 – Elementary Forming PLC’s Prior to the October district PLC ½ day each grade group teacher will be requested by to submit to their principal the area of II interest they would like to focus on for this year. District principals will facilitate the formation of PLC groups based on the identified areas of focus and this information back to grade level teachers. Teachers will then know what materials – artefacts etc. to bring to the October PLC meeting to begin work. If there are already predetermined groups – such as last year’s grade PLC group – that PLC will that information to Lyle. All PLC’s must have members from more than one school. Current IMAP PLC’s may use PLC district ½ days to continue their work. Members must include more than one school. Special Education teachers – reflecting the action on inclusion initiative – will join grade PLC groups. Teachers with unique teaching assignments will be identified and arrangements, through Lyle will be made to accommodate them within a PLC. 7

PLC Implementation 2011 – Elementary October – December PLC ½ Days Teachers will meet in their grade PLC groups the first district ½ day in October based on areas of interest. The purpose will be to create a common II focus and goals. Must remain with PLC group for one year. PLC’s can change II focus and goals throughout the year. Members from these groups must come from more than one school. School principals, assigned to a grade will facilitate the organization of the PLC grade groups. This will include: opening sessions at both the October and December PLC sessions that will include sharing learning. December PLC – survey teachers to see who would be willing to take on the facilitation role and take the adaptive schools training for days beginning in late January. Goal is to have at least one teacher from each school take the training. 8

PLC Implementation 2011 – Secondary Teachers will meet to form subject PLC groups first district day in October. The purpose will be to create a common II focus and goals. Members must remain with subject group for one year. PLC’s can change II focus and goals throughout the year. Members from these PLC groups must come from more than one school. Determine meeting locations – same school or rotating schools. School administrators, assigned to a subject area will facilitate the organization of the PLC groups. Current IMAP PLC’s may use PLC district ½ days to continue their work. Members must include more than one school. Special Education teachers – reflecting the action on inclusion initiative – will join grade PLC groups. Teachers with unique teaching assignments will be identified and arrangements, through Lyle will be made to accommodate them within a PLC. Department heads and lead teachers will begin Adaptive Schools training on September 28 and 29 so that they can become the PLC facilitators for each subject PLC beginning in October. 9

PLC Member Responsibilities members details for upcoming meeting and required materials. Create simple agenda to keep focus. Complete as a group year focus form – first PLC meeting – and year-end focus form and . After each session, complete as group the PLC reporting form and . Briefly share work with grade/subject teachers at the beginning of the three remaining district days. Help facilitate on-line sharing – implementation of Google Docs. 10

11 Team Members What is the II focus for the year? (General statement – one sentence) What do you hope to accomplish? (SMART Goals) How will you accomplish your goals? List of activities/strategies that your PLC will use to achieve your goals. Who will do what? (May include timeline if you choose) How will you know you have achieved your goals? What will you use to measure your success – changes in instructional practice – greater student engagement and achievement? Please forward an electronic copy of your PLC Focus form to Lyle Cunningham. PLC Year Focus

12 Date:Location: PLC Group: Members Present: What did you cover in your meeting? How are you meeting your focus goals? What’s working – not? Goals for Next Meeting (agenda) Next Scheduled Meeting location as a PLC group Please forward an electronic copy of your PLC reporting form to Lyle Cunningham. PLC Reporting Form Submitted after each PLC Meeting

13 Team Members What was the II focus for the year? (General statement – one sentence) What did you accomplish? (SMART Goals) How did you accomplish your goals? List of activities/strategies that your PLC used to achieve your goals. (May include timeline if you choose) How do you know you have achieved your goals? What did you use to measure your success – changes in instructional practice – greater student engagement and achievement? Please forward an electronic copy of your PLC Focus form to Lyle Cunningham. PLC Year End Focus Report

14 Sample Agenda for PLC Organizational Meeting Introductions Group members – teaching assignments Discuss expectations 1.What makes a group successful? 2.What drives you crazy about meetings? 3.It’s okay to _________ It’s not okay to __________ Agree on guidelines 1.Timeliness 2.Participation 3.Preparation 4.Focused 5.Respect Confirming PLC Instructional Strategy Focus 1.What II strategies, tactics or skills do we want to focus on? 2.What do we hope to accomplish (goals)? 3.What‘s the plan to achieve our II goals? 4.How will we know we have accomplished our II goals? Agenda items/goals for next meeting.

15 Sample Agenda for PLC ½ Days Activity 1: 1 minute PMI: Each teacher gets 1 min to share plus/minus/interesting thoughts. Activity 2: Overview of today’s purpose (5-10 minutes) Activity 3: Share, discuss and work on goal for the afternoon. Activity 4: Review to determine progress on PLC focus goals. Activity 5: PLC team will set agenda for the next PLC meeting. Activity 6: Decide who will do what before next meeting. Activity 7: Fill in PLC Reporting Sheet together.