PLC’s – A Menu For Success Tammy Brown, Director of Elementary Education Jill Hager, Instructional Coach at North Newton Elementary

Appetizer – District Focus Instructional Coach Meetings- Weekly Roles of the Coach What are PLC’s?

What the Research Says… 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 to change in the classroom lies within and through professional learning communities. - Milbrey McLaughlin

Research Says…. Staff development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district – NSDC, Standards for Staff Development, 2001 In order to take advantage of the broad range of professional knowledge and expertise that resides within the school . . .Teachers are Members of Learning Communities. – One of five core propositions from: What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do: The Five Core Propositions of the National Board

What are PLC’s Educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research in order to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLC’s operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators. - DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, 2006

Characteristics of a PLC Shared mission, vision, values, goals Collaborative teams FOCUSED ON LEARNING Collective inquiry into “best practice” and “current reality” Action orientation/experimentation Commitment to continuous improvement Results orientation - Rebecca DuFour, Solutions Tree Institute, 2006

How are PLC’s different from traditional teacher meetings? Individual experts in the school/district (Educational roulette) Excuses of why students aren’t making progress (parents, previous teachers, home life) Teachers don’t discuss personal weaknesses Teacher’s experiences and previous trainings vary PLCs Focus is on teaching methods and what works Teachers see each other’s student results and discuss personal teaching strengths and weaknesses Teachers work to share experiences and training to improve all teachers (build a collective capacity)

Roles of a Coach… Coaching and Training Organize, plan for, and help facilitate PLC’s (grade level meetings and support staff) Coach/train staff members weekly in PLCs on(with agenda): Differentiation, Instructional Guides, Best Practices, K-2 assessments, Balanced Literacy, Developing higher order questions, Assists teachers in incorporating the use of technology into the instructional program, Guided Reading, Subgroup strategies (SIOP, AIG strategies, etc.), Common pacing, common assessments Assist with district training as assigned Provide curriculum support to classroom teachers Provide coaching, modeling, and make informal classroom observations Assist teachers with alignment of teaching with essential curriculum and assessments Coordinate vertical planning meetings across grade levels Assist with other school level trainings as needed Coach teachers on how to plan, monitor, measure and improve instruction

Roles of the Coach… Teacher and Student Support Identify at-risk students and assist teachers in creating student support strategies for closing their identified gaps Identify high performing and on-grade level students and assist teachers in creating student support strategies for raising their achievement levels Identify sub-groups and assist teachers in creating student support strategies for raising their achievement levels and closing their gaps Assist teachers with small groups (as needed) and individualized tutoring (as needed) Provide personal support and encouragement to individual staff members, as needed Recognize teacher successes, use of best practices, sharing of ideas, etc. Train and coach teachers on effective use of PEPs Coach teachers on including best practice in lesson planning Work with principal and teachers to identify effective remediation or tutoring programs

Roles of the Coach… Resource Acquisition Data Analysis Analyze and report out on all sources of school data (EOG scores, writing scores, Predictive Assessment scores, K-2 Assessments, etc.) Organize Quarterly Assessment and data analysis -Utilize a systematic process that gives breakdown by school, grade, class, and subgroups Assist teams in writing SMART goals based on student assessment data Help teachers monitor progress toward goals and evaluate their instruction based on assessment results Acquire resources for teachers from various sources throughout the district (including textbook adoption and missing curriculum items) Highlight and share out resources to assist with the total instructional program Pull information on a specific topic, genre, concept when asked Highlight web and technology based resources

Roles of the Coach… School and District Collaboration Help teachers with answering the 5 questions as they plan for the needs of their students (What will you teach based on the SCOS? How will you teach it? How will you know if the students learned it? What will you do if they already know it? What will you do if they didn’t learn it?) Attend weekly Instructional Coach district meetings, training events and other events as directed by the Curriculum Department to acquire new information on curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the system and state levels Collect feedback on all school processes, and work to adjust systems to better meet the needs of all staff and students Assist with vertical planning, support staff, EC, and ESL to strengthen the instructional program Meet with the principal weekly to communicate staff development plans and needs Provide timely feedback from training events to participants, principal, and Curriculum Director

Then comes the Salad… The Instructional Coaches from each elementary meet together to: Share District vision Conduct research to keep abreast of new policies, curriculum updates, and instructional strategies Provide Professional Development for Coaches Discuss & Plan for Professional Development Analyze District Data and School Data Create District Wide Formative and Summative Assessments Plan for weekly PLC’s

Big Idea #1 – Focus on Learning The school commits to high levels of learning for all students as the fundamental purpose of our school and therefore we are willing to examine all practices in light of their impact on learning.

Focus on Learning What is your school’s response when kids don’t learn? Is your response. . . Directive or Invitational? Timely or Sluggish? Systematic or by individual teacher? Or. . . . . . . . . . .

Five Learner Centered Questions How will we communicate the learning requirements? How will they learn it? How will we know if the students learned it? What if the students didn’t learn it? What if the students already know it?

Big Idea #2- Collaborative Culture We commit to PLCs at each school. We do this by cultivating a collaborative culture though the development of high performing teams.

Keys to Effective PLC Teams: Collaboration with a focus on learning is embedded into routine practices Time for collaboration is built into the school day and calendar Teams focus on the key questions Products of collaboration are specific? What are we expected to produce, when, and for whom? Team norms guide collaboration

Advantages of teachers working in collaborative teams. . . Gains in student achievement Higher quality solutions to problems Increased confidence among all staff Teachers able to support one another’s strengths and accommodate weaknesses Ability to test new ideas More support for new teachers Expanded pool of ideas, materials methods - Judith Warren Little

Collaborative Culture… Ultimately there are two types of schools: learning enriched schools and learning impoverished schools. I have yet to see a school where the learning curves. . . of the adults were steep upwards and those of the students were not. Teachers and students go hand and hand as learners, or they don’t move at all. -- Roland Barth

Big Idea #3 – Focus on Results Our school has to know how we are doing. We focus on results rather than intentions. Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote continuous improvement.

Focus on Results… Unless you subject your decision-making to ruthless and continuous judgment by results, all your zigs and zags will be random lunges in the dark. --James Champy

Focus on Results… How does it all come together?? Predictive Assessment Data Individual Growth Plans Classroom assessment data

Main Course Facilitate the PLC Empower Teachers to be leaders Analyze school, grade level, and classroom data Create SMART Goals (Grade Level and Classroom) Provide Staff Development

SMART Goals

PLCs in Action!

Dessert - Results Celebrate Successes Develop plans for at-risk students Look ahead

Data Walls in the School!

Working VIS Wall

Data Walls in the PLC Room

A Word of Thanks from Shirley Hord! “Additional results have been your reports that reveal the learning that you and your colleagues do to increase your effectiveness, and the work that you do so diligently and wisely to apply your learning to your school and classroom practices so that students learn more successfully.” -Shirley Hord

References Marzano, 2003 What Works in Schools National Assn of Secondary School Principals Breaking Ranks II, 2004 National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future 2005 National Report Rick and Rebecca DuFour 2006 Solution Tree Institute