Developing District LevelProfessional Learning Communities

Woodford County Schools

Jimmy Adams, Candace James and Sam Watkins

Professional Learning Community (PLC)As defined in On Common Ground: The

Power of Professional Learning Communities

A group of teachers who meet regularly as a team to:

Identify essential and valued student learning Develop common formative assessments Analyze current levels of achievement

PLC, continued

Set achievement goals Share strategies And then create lessons to improve

upon those levels.

Who are we?

Central KY: Versailles & Midway

3,900 Students 27% Free/Reduced

Lunch 4 Elementary

Schools 1 Middle School 1 High School

Academic Index 2008 Elementary: 91.1 Middle: 91.3 High: 81.5 District: 84.9

Why did we seek assistance from KASC?

Not satisfied with scores Not satisfied with level of progress School Board request to gather data for

superintendent search Suggestions and strategies to improve

KASC Process for Woodford

October Met with district leadership District leadership observed a Learning

Walk November/December

Learning walks conducted by KASC teams

Principals received feedback from KASC

KASC Process for Woodford

November/December KASC provided Next Step suggestions

January District leadership and principals

conducted Learning Walk with guidance from KASC in neighboring district

KASC Process for Woodford

January ORQ training by KASC for PLC and

teacher leaders Learning Walk findings presented by

KASC at board and faculty meetings KASC recommended and scheduled

visits by our schools to schools with similar demographics

KASC Process for Woodford

February Discussion of characteristics and

attributes of a PLC Book study of On Common Ground ,

chapter 4 “Assessment for Learning: Building a Culture of Confident Learners”

Team norms and ground rules established for PLC

KASC Process for Woodford

February Development of district learning walk

instrument with “Look for” items with guidance from KASC

Learning targets and daily objectives training conducted by KASC

Flashback and goal calculator training conducted by KASC

KASC Process for Woodford

February PLC attended Mike Schmoker

presentation at KLA PLC meeting to debrief presentation and

commit to change

KASC Process for Woodford

March KASC follow up Learning Walk visits

and findings reports District PLC Learning Walks at 2

schools, follow up and BOE report

On Common Ground, Chapter Four If educators are to achieve learning for all,

they must use assessment in very different ways.

Carefully-developed assessments for learning, when done well, can inform teacher/team practice, help students assess and manage their own growth toward clearly articulated and relevant standards, and promote and encourage learning.

Student-involved assessment is prescribed for learning as a central element in any school that hopes to function as a PLC.

On Common Ground,Chapter Four Replace teachers working in isolation

with cooperation and collaboration. Replace student anxiety and

competition with strategies that encourage their confidence as learners.

On Common Ground,Chapter Four

Five step plan for teams

1. Start by clearly understanding the standard to be mastered.

2. Deconstruct it into the enabling classroom achievement targets that form the foundations of learning leading up to the standard.

3. Create a student-friendly version of those targets to share with students from the beginning of the learning.

4. Create high-quality assessments of those classroom targets.

5. Use those assessments in collaboration with students to track improvement over time.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Needed “buy-in” to the process. Schools who embraced the next steps and

team planning process made gains Those who didn’t, didn’t. Score releases have served as wake up calls

to those that didn’t.

Simmons Elementary

Over 50% F/R Lunch

Lowest Scores in District

Teachers loved students too much

“What about my student that works hard but will never achieve a 4?”

2007 2008

Reading 86.6905 89.0285

Mathematics 77.3264 85.1908

Science 82.3918 99.9682

Social Studies 78.5700 81.1300

Arts and Humanities

71.1691 63.4220

Prac. Living / Voc. Studies

75.3089 92.7489

Writing Portfolio 79.8114 87.2300

Writing On-Demand

82.3669 72.0617

Total Academic Index

80.5 86.1

Current Practices from Results

Principals are active participants in weekly team planning meetings.

Schedules are being redesigned to accommodate common grade level planning.

Emphasis of meetings: instructional strategies; common assessments; student achievement.

Central office personnel attends team planning. Learning walks scheduled twice for all schools before

Winter Break On going job embedded PD for all staff School visits continued and encouraged

Current Practices from Results

In all classrooms: Classroom goals posted KCCT like assessments with appropriate DOK

levels Displays of quality student work Agendas Learner outcomes Use of goal calculator Flashbacks Core Content is the floor not the ceiling

Sample PLC Type Activities

Using shared planning to develop units, lessons and activities

Learning from one another by watching each other teach

Collectively studying student work to identify weaknesses and plan new ways to teach to those weaknesses

Sharing articles and other professional resources for ideas and insights

Sample PLC Type Activities

Talking with one another about what and how you teach and the results your teaching produces

Providing moral support, comradeship, and encouragement

Jointly exploring a problem, including data collection and analysis

Attending training together and helping each other implement the content of the training

Sample PLC Type Activities

Participating in continual quality improvement activities

Using collective decision making to reach decisions that produce collective action

Providing support for “help-seeking” as well as “help-giving”

Sharing the responsibility for making and/or collecting materials

From Building and Sustaining Learning Communities Resource Guide, Partnership for Kentucky Schools, www.pfks.org

Questions?