1. Increasing student achievement through the plc Process
Mayte Ramirez, Principal North Elementary
Tania Salinas, Director of Assessment & Accountability

2. Introductions
Please introduce yourself by stating your name, current position and why you are seeking your administrative credential.

3. A Day in the life of a Site administrator……
From day to day site administrators are pulled in multiple directions requiring them to prioritize and make decisions quickly to meet the needs of the school and students.
In small groups, please prioritize how you would handle the following tasks all occurring right as the bell is about to ring to start the school day. Be prepared to share with the class how you prioritize and address the events?
Angry parent in the front office demanding to meet with an administrator.
Student in the office with a referral for hitting another student.
Report of a loose dog on campus.
Teacher observation scheduled to begin in 5 minutes.
The sub did not show and you have a class without a teacher.
A student reports to your secretary that her friend is cutting and doing other self harm.

4. Today’s objective
By the end of this presentation, I will be able to explain:
What is the PLC process?
Explain the 3 Big Ideas of the PLC process.
What are the key components to have successful Professional Learning Communities?

5. How do site administrators maintain a school wide focus on student learning while “managing” the school?
…..Through the implementation of the PLC Process!
What do we know about PLC? (Thumbs up or down)
I know what PLC stands for?
I have had some training on PLC?
I work at a school that has implemented and believes in the PLC process?
Next, share with an elbow partner your understanding of PLC.

6. What is plc?
“ PLC is an ongoing process is which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve……..”
Richard DuFour

7. 1 of 3 big ideas of plc Focus on Learning-
Teams of teachers work to one, clarify the knowledge and skills all students must acquire. (Priority Standards).
Two, monitor each student’s learning on a timely basis (common formative assessment and summative assessment)
Three, provide systemic timely and directive interventions when students don’t learn.
Four, develop strategies to extend and enrich the learning for students who are proficient. In schools functioning as PLC’s principals insist teachers use assessment results to determine if students are learning.

8. Foundational Blocks of Developing a Shared Purpose
Mission asks Why? – “Why do we exist?”
Vision asks what? – “What do we want to become?”
Values and collective commitments asks how? – “How must we behave to create the school that will achieve our purpose?”
Goals asks how? “How will we know all of this is making a difference?”

9. Case Study p. 25
Defining a Clear and Compelling Purpose: The Case Study: Clarifying Our Purpose
In groups of 3
Read the case study and answer the following questions:
What advice would you give Principal Dion if you were called on to mentor her as she was beginning to initiate this process with her staff?
How would leaders of a high-performing PLC work to build consensus, and what steps would they take to move from dialogue to action?

10. 2 of 3 big ideas of plc
Collaborative Culture- Every teacher is part of a team in which members work together interdependently to achieve a common goal for which they are mutually accountable. 
It requires significant changes to traditional schooling practices that have endured for over a century. It is no longer “teach and work in isolation.” It changes the way everyone relates to each other in the school and across schools and systems.
It is certain to create conflict.
It is multifaceted. Leaders do not have the luxury of focusing on a single aspect of the organization that requires attention.
It is an experimental process of trial and error. There is no formula to be followed that guarantees the desired outcomes. It is complex finding out what is working and what isn’t, and making adjustments based on these findings. Good news – there are clear ideas for guiding the process.
This process never ends. Creating commitments to continuous improvement in the PLC process means you never arrive.
It requires significant changes to traditional schooling practices that have endured for over a century. It is no longer “teach and work in isolation” In particular, it changes the way that just about everyone relates to each other in the school and across schools and the system.
It certain to create conflict.
It is multifaceted. Leaders do not have the luxury of focusing on a single aspect of the organization that requires attention.
It is a heurist process of trial and error. There is no formula

11. Collaborative team structures
Grade level teams
Course and content teams
Vertical teams
Interdisciplinary skills
District and regional
Electronic teams

12. As a team you will…
Develop norms to ensure team meets a common, minimum level of behavior, process, and respect.
Are we clear on the commitments we have made to each other regarding how we will work together as a team?
Have we stated our commitments as explicit behaviors?
Have we discussed how to addresse the issue if we feel someone is not honoring our norms?
All voices are heard
Revisit norms often.
Less is more.
Establish a process to address violation of norms.
With an elbow partner, develop 3-5 norms that you feel are important in a PLC team.

13. Case Study 57
Building the Collaborative Culture of a Professional Learning Community
Case Study: Are We Engaged in Collaboration or “Co-blaboration”?
In groups of 2 read the following case study and answer the questions.
Why did Principal McDonald's efforts to build a collaborative culture in his school go awry?
What steps might he take to improve the situation?

14. 3 of 3 big ideas of plc
Results Orientation- Schools constantly seek out evidence that students are learning at high levels.  Principals and staff efficiently  and effectively use data in a continuous improvement process to improve student achievement.
Assess effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions. Individuals, teams, and schools seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote continuous improvement.

15. Your thoughts on Assessments/monitoring results
Discuss with your partner
How do you view assessment?
How do you use assessment as an instructional tool?
How do you use assessment to support self –efficacy?
Does your partner have the same view of assessment as you do?
Be ready to share out.

16. Assessment in a Collaborative Team
Pre-assessment
Common Assessment quiz
Intervention or Enrichment
Post assessment
Write common assessments
Analyze Data
Develop Plan of Action
Assure Common Response

17. Data
Which specific students did not demonstrate mastery in which specific standards?
What does the data tells us?
Where did our students struggle the most?
Was there a consistent pattern in the mistakes?
Which instructional practices proved to be most effective?
What will be the intervention plan?
What classroom check will be used and when?

18. so....what does that look like?
Video

19. How do we get started? What do we want our students to learn?
Embed collaboration in routine practices of the school with a focus on learning.
Schedule time for collaboration into the school day and school calendar.
Focus teams on key questions:
What do we want our students to learn?
How will we know they are learning?
How will we respond when they don't learn?
How will we respond when they do learn?
Make products of collaboration explicit.
Establish team norms to guide collaboration.
Pursue specific and measurable team performance goals.
Provide teams with frequent access to relevant information.

22. A word about leadership
The Myth
A single leader has all the expertise, knowledge, time, influence energy, or skill to ensure that all students will learn at high levels.

23. As a leader these are the non-negotiables in a PLC
The staff works collaboratively, takes collective responsibility, and clarifies commitments for working together.
Collaborative teams work interdependently to achieve common goals for which all members are held mutually accountable.
Teams establish a guaranteed, viable curriculum, unit by unit.
Teams develop frequent common formative assessments.
The school creates a system of interventions and extensions.
Teams use evidence of student learning to inform and improve individual and collective practices of the members.

24. Leadership in plcs Know you can’t do it alone.
Be clear about your primary purpose.
Disperse leadership throughout the school.
Focus on the right work.
Employ a system of reciprocal accountability.
Create a school climate that is simultaneously loose and tight.
Know what gets monitored gets done.
Learn by doing.
And…

26. Case Study 75
Creating a Results Orientation in a Professional Learning Community
Case Study: Creating a Results Orientation at the School, Team, and Teacher Levels
In groups of 2 read the case study and answer the question below.
How does a school or district create a results orientation among administrators and teachers –the very people who are called on to improve results?

27. Wrap up of 3 big Ideas What are the 3 big ideas of PLC?
What are the key components to have successful Professional Learning Communities?
As a future principal, what will be your first steps in starting the PLC process at your school? If PLC’s have been established, what will you do to continue supporting and fostering the PLC process?

28. Questions