orlando, fl • july 28–30 · elevator occc administration ofﬁces ... acbd w240 rr rr west e/f...

Agenda Orlando, FL • July 28–30

Thursday, July 28

6:30–8:00 a.m.Registration Upper Lobby OverlookContinental Breakfast Tangerine Ballroom 4

8:00–9:45 a.m.Keynote—Rebecca DuFourFirst Things First: Building the Solid Foundation of a Professional Learning Community at Work

Tangerine Ballroom 1–2

9:45–10:00 a.m. Break

10:00–11:30 a.m. Breakouts Titles & Locations: pp. 3–5 Descriptions: pp. 9–21

11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

1:00–2:30 p.m. Breakouts Titles & Locations: pp. 3–5 Descriptions: pp. 9–21

2:30–2:45 p.m. Break

2:45–3:45 p.m.Panel DiscussionA Q&A time with presenters. Receive practical answers to your most pressing questions.


Friday, July 29

7:00–8:00 a.m.Registration Upper Lobby OverlookContinental Breakfast Tangerine Ballroom 4

8:00–9:45 a.m.Keynote—Richard DuFourIn Praise of American Educators … and How They Can Become Even Better


9:45–10:00 a.m. Break


11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Lunch (on your own)

1:00–2:30 p.m. Breakouts Titles & Locations: pp. 3–5 Descriptions: pp. 9–21

2:30–2:45 p.m. Break

2:45–3:45 p.m.Team TimeA collaboration time for your team. Presenters are available for help in team discussions.

Tangerine 1–2

Saturday, July 307:00–8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Tangerine Ballroom 4


9:30–9:45 a.m. Break

9:45–11:45 a.m. Keynote—Mike MattosWhen All Means All Tangerine Ballroom 1–2

Agenda is subject to change.

1

Breakouts at a Glance

Presenter & TitleThursday, July 28 Friday, July 29 Saturday,

July 30

10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Tim BrownDid You Come to School Today Ready to Learn? Communicating High Expectations 240A 240A

Student Data Notebooks: Developing Ownership, Motivation, and a Growth Mindset

240A 240A

Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading Practices 240A

Luis F. CruzWe’re Sold on PLCs, but Now What? Understanding the Who and How of the PLC Process

331 B–D

Professional Learning Communities: A Vehicle for Eliminating the Achievement Gap

331 B–D

English Learners and PLCs 331 B–D

Collectively Responding When Students Do Not Learn 331 B–D

Implementing a PLC From Theory to Practice: How All Schools—Even High Schools—Make It Happen

331 B–D

Matt Devan

Take the Fear Out of High-Stakes Testing! 240B 240B

Free, Limitless, High-Quality Professional Development: It Can Be Your Reality 240B

Simple Questions Students Need You to Be Able to Answer 240B 240B

Rebecca & Richard DuFourBuilding the Collaborative Culture of a Professional Learning Community at Work (Part 1)


Building the Collaborative Culture of a Professional Learning Community at Work (Part 2)


Rebecca DuFourRaising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Whatever It Takes in Elementary Schools

Sunburst Room

Lights, Camera, Action! Setting the Stage for PLC Success in Elementary Schools

Tangerine Ballroom 3

3



July 30

10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Richard DuFourCommon Formative Assessments: The Lynchpin of the PLC Process


Getting Started: Building Consensus and Responding to Resisters

Sunburst Room

Timothy D. KanoldTeaching, Leading, and Living a High-Energy and Well-Balanced PLC Life


Central Office and School-Site PLC Leaders: Becoming Great at Sustaining Change


Your K–12 PLC Mathematics Focus: Great Instruction


Your K–12 PLC Mathematics Focus: Homework, Grading, and Great Assessment


Mike Mattos

More Powerful Than Poverty Sunburst Room

Simplifying Response to Intervention: How to Systematically Respond When Students Don’t Learn

Sunburst Room

Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Whatever It Takes in Secondary Schools


Guiding Principles for Principals: Tips and Tools for Leading the PLC Process

Sunburst Room

Uniting Academic and Behavior Interventions: Solving the Skill or Will Dilemma


Anthony MuhammadBuilding a High-Performing Middle School PLC (Part 1) 330 A–C

Building a High-Performing Middle School PLC (Part 2) 330 A–C

All Means All: Creating a PLC Culture (Part 1) 330 A–C

All Means All: Creating a PLC Culture (Part 2) 330 A–C

Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap: Liberating Mindsets to Effect Change 330 A–C

4



July 30

10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 10:00–11:30 a.m. 1:00–2:30 p.m. 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Maria Nielsen

Teaching Elementary Writing Standards 331A

Teaching Secondary Writing Standards 331A

Show Me What Ya Got: Student Engagement Strategies to Keep the Pulse on Student Learning

331A 331A

PLC 101: The 15-Day Challenge 331A

Regina Stephens OwensWhat Do You Want Students to Learn? Critical Thinking, Cool Technologies, and Global Competencies

240C 240C

PLCs for Singletons in Small Schools With Cyber Connections 240C 240C

A Data Discussion for Teachers: From Data to Design and Demonstration of Learning 240C

Steve PearceFlip My School: Keys to PLC Leadership and Change 240D 240D

The Genius of And: Meshing Middle School Departments and Teams 240D

The Flex Schedule That Ensures Success 240D 240D

Agenda is subject to change.

5

Orange County Convention CenterWest Concourse, West Building

Level 2

WEST CONCOURSE

W

L E G E N DAED Automated External

Defibrillator (AED)

FedEx Office Business Center

+ First Aid

Board Rooms Guest Services/Information

C Concession/Food Courts Meeting Room

Concourse = = Movable Partition

Concourse-Carpet Not Accessible

Elevator OCCC Administration Offices

EE Emergency Exit Only Access Registration Area-Carpet

Escalator Registration Office

Exhibition Hall RR Restroom

E Exit Only Support

MEETING ROOMS–

LEVELS I–IV

• Total 313,140

gross square feet

• 49 Meeting Rooms/

141 Breakouts

(Includes Valencia)

EXHIBITION HALLS–

LEVEL II

• Total 1,103,538

gross square feet

• Halls (WA, WB, WC, WD,

WE and WF)

REG AREA REG AREA

FoodCourt Food

Court

KitchenRR

Stairs RR RR

REGISTRATION CONCOURSE 102' x 180'

RR

RR

RR

Entry Entry

Kitchen

WEST A/BLOBBY

28,000 Sq. Ft.

Conc

ours

e

Covered Bus Loading12 Buses

Elevator

Entry

StairsStairs Stairs

Elevator

REGISTRATION CONCOURSE 103' x 224'

Stairs StairsStairs Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs

WEST ALOBBY

ENTRANCE/EXIT

REG

REG AREA

W10

7 W108A B

B W104

A B W103

A W101

A B W102

A B

W105A B W

106

Reg.WA1

Reg.WA2

Reg.WA3

Reg.WA4

Reg.WB1

Reg.WB2

Reg.WB3

Reg.WB4 Ram

p to Leve

l Two

E

E

EE

E

E

E

EE

EE

EE

EE

EE

EE

ALTERNATEENTRANCE/

EXIT West Concourse

AED

AED AED

2

3

4 5

6

17 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

35'x

18'H

35'x

18'H

32'x

12'H

32'x

12'H

30'x

18'H

30'x

18'H

30'x

18'H

30'x

18'H

RR30'x30'H

Ground LevelFreight Entry

Receiving

RR

RR

RR

RR

RR RR

RR

RR

Co

Kitchen

Sta

irs

RR

RR

RR

Open To BelowOpen To Below

OpenTo

Below

Stairs

FoodCourt

Ramp to

Level

One

RR

WA1 WA2 WA3 WA4 WB1 WB2 WB3 WB4

WEST HALL C

FedEx O

fficeB

usiness Center

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')507 10x10 Booths

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')507 10x10 Booths

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')507 10x10 Booths

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')507 10x10 Booths

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')508 10x10 Booths

91,800 SF8,528 SM

(180' x 510')508 10x10 Booths

45,900 SF4,264 SM

(90' x 510')205

10x10 Booths

45,900 SF4,264 SM

(90' x 510')205

10x10 Booths

RRRR

RR RR RR RR

RR

RR

RRRR StairsStairs RR Stairs StairsRR Stairs StairsRRStairs RR Stairs RRRR

CC

42'x

18'H

56'8

"x18

'H

56'8

"x18

'H

26'8

"x18

'H

26'8

"x18

'H

6 Movable Walls/7 Tracks

RRRR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR RR

56'8

"x22

'8"H

26'8

"x18

'H

25'x

18H

18'2

" C

eilin

g H

eig

ht

18'2

" C

eilin

g H

eig

ht

WEST HALL B275,400 SF

25,585 SM(510'x540')

1,521 10x10 Booths40' to Beam

WEST HALL A367,200 SF

34,113 SM(720'x510')

2,031 10x10 Booths40' to Beam

665 Linear ft./16 Covered Truck Bays/4 Drive In Ramps 1000 Linear ft./48 Covered Truck Bays/5 Drive In Ramps

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Stairs

WEST C LOBBY50,850 sq.ft.

RR

C

C C

OpenTo

Below

C

RR

108,000 SF10,033 SM(360'x300')

530 10x10 Booths33' to Beam

MO

VA

BLE

WA

LL

Stairs StairsFood Court

21

+

OVERSIGHT PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

ROSEN CENTRE

SKYWALK

106,272 SF9,874 SM

(328'x324')498 10x10 Booths

40' to Beam

69,000 SF6,410.31 SM

(220'x300')300 10x10 Booths

30' to Beam

81,000 SF7,526 SM

(270'x300')354 10x10 Booths

30' to Beam

RR

C C

RR

Elevator

49,468 SF4,596 SM

(166'x298')240 10x10 Booths

40' to Beam

WEST HALL F

W20

1

A B CW202

A B CW203

A B CW204

A B CW207

A B CW208

A B CW209

A B C D

E F G

A B

AB

W224 W23

0

E

D

C

B

A

W222

BA

W231 W232

A

B

C

W20

5

A

B

C

W20

6

ConventionCenterAdmin.Offices

RoomW220 W

221

W22

3

W22

5

E

E

E E

EE E

E

E

E

Stairs

Sta

irs

Sta

irs

E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E

E

EE EE

EE

EE

ENTRANCE/EXIT

ENTRANCE/EXIT

ENTRANCE/EXIT

900 Linear ft./33 Covered Truck Bays/4 Drive In Ramps

WEST DLOBBY

West Concourse

WEST HALL D

WD1 WD2 WE1 WE2

WEST HALL ESHOW MANAGER

OFFICE E1Second Floor

SHOW MANAGEROFFICE D2Second Floor

AEDAED

AED AED AED

AEDAED

RR

A CB DW240

RR RR

WEST E/F LOBBY

AED

W23

3W

234

W23

5W

236

1

4

2

3

TANGERINEBALLROOM

HONEYBELLH BOARDROOMS

West Building Level II - Exhibit Halls/Meeting Room

West Building Level I - Registration

P.O. Box 691509, Orlando, FL 32869-1509 • Phone: 407-685-9800 • Fax: 407-685-9876 • Toll Free: 800-345-9845 • www.occc.net

Level 3

WEST CONCOURSE

WL E G E N D

AED Automated ExternalDefibrillator (AED)

FedEx Office Business Center

+ First Aid

Board Rooms Guest Services/Information

C Concession/Food Courts Meeting Room

Concourse = = Movable Partition

Concourse-Carpet Not Accessible

Elevator OCCC Administration Offices

EE Emergency Exit Only Access Registration Area-Carpet

Escalator Registration Office

Exhibition Hall RR Restroom

E Exit Only Support

OpenTo Below

RR

RR RR

Stai

rs

OpenTo Below

OpenTo Below

OpenTo Below

Open To Below

OpenTo Below

Exhibition Halls Below

OpenTo

BelowOpen

ToBelow


RR

RRRR

RRRRRRRR RR RR RR

SHOWMANAGEROFFICES

SHOWMANAGER

OFFICE

SHOWMANAGER

OFFICE

SHOWMANAGER

OFFICE OpenTo

Below

RR

RR

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator

Elevator Elevator

LectureHall

Elevator

RR

RR

RR

OpenTo

Below

RRStairs

Stairs Stairs Stairs Stairs StairsStairs Stairs Stairs

W300

AB

CD

AB

EFGH

ABCD

AB

C

WA1WA2 WA4

W304

EFGH

ABCD

W311W307

AB

CD

W308

W313

WB4WB1

BW315

A

BW314

A

OCCC COURTYARD

CONFERENCERM. W324

OCCC CLIENT PRE-CONFERENCE

RM. W323

W30

3 AB

C

W31

2

W30

5

ABW

306

ABW

309

ABW

310

OCCCINTERNATIONALCONFERENCE

RM. W322

Gary Sain Memorial Skybridge

toRosen Plaza

Hotel

Hall WF

GARY SAINCAFÉ

West Concourse

Westwood Lobby Entrance(Elevator/Stairs to

West Parking at Ground Level)

SALES & MARKETING OFFICES

AED

AED

AED

AED

340A 340B

C B A

331A

331

330

D C B

W320

CHAPINTHEATER

INTERNATIONALDRIVE

PEDESTRIANBRIDGE

Target Completion Date 2017

SUNBURST ROOM


Atrium Open

To Below

Atrium Open To Below Atrium Open To Below

Kitchen

Open To Below

RR

Roof

RoofRoof

OpenTo

Below

Entry

Entry

Entry

VALENCIACarpeted

6000 Max. CapacityR

RR

R RR

RR

RR

RR

Elevator

Elevator

Elev

ator

Balc

ony

W420

Elevator

D

C

B

A

A C DB

W414

W415

CHAPINTHEATER

West Concourse

AED

West Building Level IV - Meeting Room/Valencia

West Building Level III - Meeting Room/Auditorium

FEATURES INCLUDE

• 1,103,538 square feet

of exhibition space

• 49 meeting rooms/

141 breakouts

• 62,182 square foot multi-

purpose Valencia Ballroom

• 2,643-seat Chapin Theater

• 160-seat lecture hall

• 1 full-service restaurant

(Gary Sain Café)

• 4 food courts

• Digital sponsorship signage

• Wayfinding signage

• Business center

P.O. Box 691509, Orlando, FL 32869-1509 • Phone: 407-685-9800 • Fax: 407-685-9876 • Toll Free: 800-345-9845 • www.occc.net

Sunburst Room

7

Tim Brown Did You Come to School Today Ready to Learn? Communicating High Expectations

Lee G. Bolman and Terrence Deal write in their book Leading With Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit, “Organizations without a rich symbolic life become empty and sterile. The magic of special occasions is vital in building significance into collective life.”

Tim Brown offers practical strategies for students and staff to communicate, motivate, and celebrate. Using positive strategies, educators can identify high expectations for learning—for students and one another.

Participants discuss and share thoughts and practices on these essential questions: • How do principals and teachers communicate high expectations to students? • How can teachers establish a classroom culture centered on learning rather than

compliance?• Why are celebrations important, and how do we make them part of our symbolic life?

Student Data Notebooks: Developing Ownership, Motivation, and a Growth MindsetEducators in a school with a focus on learning promote a strong sense of self-efficacy in their students. Several studies show this may be one of the greatest factors for student motivation and engagement. In this session, participants examine the essential characteristics for building student self-efficacy and a growth mindset through data notebooks. Tim Brown shares actual products teams have developed to engage and empower students in self-reporting and reflection.

This session addresses the following questions: • What are the key components of a highly motivated and engaged classroom?• What products do teams create to improve student learning and ensure self-efficacy in the

PLC process?• How can teachers use these products effectively to help students own their learning?

Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading PracticesTalking about grading practices is a touchy subject full of emotions, opinions, and personal beliefs. However, when schools make the shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning, they must be willing to examine policies, practices, and guidelines to see if they support the principles of learning. Tim Brown shows how a staff can engage educators in a collaborative process committed to grading practices aligned with learning.

Participants discuss and share beliefs and practices on essential questions, such as: • What do the principles of learning, student motivation, and grading have in common?• What is the reasoning and rationale behind changes in grading practices? • What grading practices and guidelines have successful teams and schools implemented?

Session Descriptions

9

Luis F. Cruz We’re Sold on PLCs, but Now What? Understanding the Who and How of the PLC Process

Research from academia and accounts from educators worldwide confirm that professional learning communities, when implemented effectively, increase high levels of learning for all students. However, questions indeed remain. Who is responsible for initiating PLCs? Is this the job of the administration or district office? How does this process take shape?

Luis F. Cruz explains in practical terms the who and how associated with the PLC process. Administrators and teachers can work together to formulate a shared consensus about learning for all students and discover that the most essential question to ask in initiating a PLC is not who or how, but why.

Participants at this session learn:• Why it is important to first create shared consensus in initiating a PLC• How administrators and teachers formulate a guiding coalition or leadership team to lead

staff in implementing the PLC process• How to ensure critical aspects of the PLC process are in place before establishing a

fundamental focus on collaboration

Professional Learning Communities: A Vehicle for Eliminating the Achievement GapThe gap in learning between traditional and diverse students has extended beyond urban communities and is found in most schools nationwide. How can schools use the PLC process to make strides in closing the achievement gap? How can effective collaboration be used to ensure learning for all students, including those historically underserved? Luis F. Cruz details how schools can use the PLC process to provide a laser-like focus on high levels of learning for even the most challenging student cohorts.

Participants in this session learn:• The complexities associated with the achievement gap and how to make sense of learning

deficiencies found within the gap• How to formulate a data picture of their school to identify learning gaps between student

cohorts and generate a greater focus on learning• How to use effective leadership practices to create a partnership between the school’s

guiding coalition and teacher-led taskforces

English Learners and PLCsLuis F. Cruz shares how schools infuse characteristics of PLCs into strategies to help English learner populations flourish. This session details PLC components teacher leaders use to close the achievement gap for students learning English as a second language. Dr. Cruz shows how taskforce leadership can reculture and restructure, while introducing best practices and enhancing learning for all students.

Dr. Cruz discusses how:• Teacher-led taskforces increase academic performance for English learners.• PLC practices can highlight stark realities when English learners are not learning.• Adults change their expectations and behaviors when listening to the needs of English

learners, resulting in significant improvements in student achievement.


10

Luis F. Cruz Collectively Responding When Students Do Not Learn

When educators focus on the four critical questions of a PLC, the third question, What do we do when students don’t learn?, often stumps teachers. Luis F. Cruz showcases methods that schools throughout the country use to reculture and restructure, enabling them to respond when students do not learn.

Participants learn why it is vital that teams reculture and restructure their PLC efforts. They see how Tier 1 interventions are essential to the process. Dr. Cruz exposes participants to structures that allow schools to respond when students do not demonstrate learning.

Implementing a PLC From Theory to Practice: How All Schools—Even High Schools—Make It HappenHow do schools in low-income, Spanish-speaking, mostly immigrant Latino communities make learning for all students a priority? Luis F. Cruz, former principal of Baldwin Park High School in California, shares how Baldwin Park, along with schools where he served as consultant, made the transition to high-achieving schools focused on learning for all students.

Participants in this session learn:• How the journey began, starting with a meaningful mission statement, followed by

collective commitments• How to establish effective collaboration• Types of leadership that support an evolving PLC culture year after year• Structures that allow PLCs to work during the school day

Matt Devan Take the Fear Out of High-Stakes Testing!

Educators, schools, and school systems have been judged, misrepresented, or maligned by the results of high-stakes testing. Imagine if teachers could remove this major anxiety and focus their energy on preparing students for their future. It is possible to do, and PLC schools have been doing it for years. In this session, Matt Devan shows how to take control of student learning so teachers and students can break free from the stress created by high-stakes testing.

In this session, participants:• Learn the process to determine what students have learned before high-stakes testing

begins.• Begin to trust that teaching less content can lead to students learning more.• Review the planning processes that highly effective teams use.

Free, Limitless, High-Quality Professional Development: It Can Be Your RealityTeachers need support, training, and opportunities to learn. The problem is budgets are tight, time is limited, and scrutiny is high. But not to worry! Teachers and school leaders can structure job-embedded professional development that ignites their passion for learning and inspires the same in their students.

Matt Devan examines structures and processes that allow teachers to learn from each other, increase mutual trust, and function interdependently. In this session, participants explore job-embedded routines—proven to be exponentially more effective than stand-alone or occasional professional development. He shows how shared commitments and positive accountability routines can ultimately make teachers’ jobs more enjoyable and impactful.


11

Matt Devan Simple Questions Students Need You to Be Able to Answer

It is the nature of bureaucracy to complicate what should be simple. Education bureaucracies would win every time if there was an award for adding layers of complexity, initiatives, and documentation.

Teachers have to fight to stay focused on student learning. A fundamental part of that focus is making learning outcomes understandable to staff, students, and parents. In this session, Matt helps educators answer basic questions for guiding schools, using examples from highly effective PLCs.

By addressing key questions, educators can concentrate the collective and collaborative efforts of school staff on the most important areas.

Rebecca & Richard DuFour Building the Collaborative Culture of a Professional Learning Community at Work

(Parts 1 & 2)Powerful collaborative teams are the fundamental building blocks of a professional learning community and a critical component in building a collaborative culture.

Learn how educators transform their congenial groups into high-performing collaborative teams, and get a sense of the specific work those teams undertake. Discover ways to provide time and support for collaborative teams during the school day. Most importantly, identify structures and strategies to help teams stay focused on doing the work that results in student achievement.

This two-part continuing session is designed for educators at all levels and is highly recommended for all participants who are new to PLC concepts.

Rebecca DuFour

First Things First: Building the Solid Foundation of a Professional Learning Community at WorkAs distinguished author Steven Covey writes, “Effective leadership is putting first things first.” The first step in the never-ending journey of continuous improvement of a PLC at Work™ is establishing a solid foundation for all subsequent efforts.

This foundation rests on four pillars, each of which asks a particular question: 1. Why does our school or district exist, and what is our fundamental purpose?2. What must we become as a school or district to fulfill that purpose?3. How must each of us behave to create such a school or district?4. Which targets will we pursue first and which initial steps must we take to reach them?

Becky DuFour leads participants through an examination of each question and ways to move educators’ responses beyond rhetoric to a reality that shapes the culture of their schools and districts.


= Keynote12

Rebecca DuFour Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Whatever It Takes in Elementary Schools

Schools that function as PLCs must ultimately do two things: 1) Build a collaborative culture to promote continuous adult learning, and 2) Create structures and systems that provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Participants examine strategies to collectively: • Respond to each student’s learning needs in a timely, directive, and systematic way.• Create and sustain strong parent partnerships to enhance student learning.• Make celebrations part of the school culture.

After examining different models of systematic intervention and enrichment, participants receive criteria to assess their own schools’ responses and an action-planning template for next steps in raising the bar and closing the gap.

This session is recommended for elementary school educators.

Lights, Camera, Action! Setting the Stage for PLC Success in Elementary SchoolsElementary school educators beginning the PLC journey face the immediate challenge of how to provide time and structure essential to the PLC process. This interactive session is designed to help elementary educators address that challenge.

Becky DuFour provides effective templates and proven strategies for reallocating existing resources to support learning for all. Participants are invited to bring their creative ideas to this session.

This session is recommended for elementary-level educators who have an interest in and/or a responsibility for creating schoolwide and team schedules.

Richard DuFour

In Praise of American Educators … and How They Can Become Even BetterThis keynote is based on the following assertions:

• The current generation of American educators is achieving the best results in history.• The consequences for students who do not succeed in the American educational system

have never been more dire.• Our profession has within its sphere of influence the ability to create conditions that can

lead to dramatic improvement in student and adult learning.• We must accept responsibility for the fact that these conditions are not yet the norm in

American schools.

Richard DuFour provides explicit information regarding the conditions we must create and presents a candid assessment of how many schools are skirting their responsibility to do what must be done.


= Keynote13

Richard DuFour Common Formative Assessments: The Lynchpin of the PLC Process

The effective use of team-developed common formative assessments is the single most powerful tool available to a school for accelerating its progress on the PLC journey. Richard DuFour demonstrates how educators can use these assessments to better meet students’ needs and inform and improve their practice.

As a result of this session, participants are able to:• Define common assessment.• Define formative assessment.• Use common formative assessments as a powerful catalyst for school improvement.• Clarify the right and wrong way to use common assessment results.• Develop more powerful common formative assessments.

This session is recommended for teachers and administrators at all levels.

Getting Started: Building Consensus and Responding to ResistersThe most significant barriers to building a school culture focused on continuous improvement are the traditions of privatizing practice, of isolation, and of individual autonomy that have characterized teaching. How can a faculty build consensus for significant change? What are the most effective ways of addressing the concerns of those who resist even when the staff has decided to move forward?

As a result of this session, participants can:• Define consensus.• Apply the most effective strategies for building consensus.• Utilize seven research-based strategies for addressing resistance.

This session is recommended for teachers and administrators at all levels.

Timothy D. Kanold Teaching, Leading, and Living a High-Energy and Well-Balanced PLC Life

It is easy to be sapped by the relational energy and chaos of a school culture, but educators can create practices in their personal and professional lives to sustain balance and have a solid impact on the world around them. In this session, participants examine the irrefutable benefits of an energized and well-balanced school life. Timothy D. Kanold draws from his book The Five Disciplines of PLC Leaders to offer insights and tools for living and leading a more dynamic and fully engaged life. He provides researched strategies on becoming part of a relationally intelligent PLC culture and shows how PLC teachers and leaders can effectively engage every day on a powerful educational journey.

Participants can expect to:• Examine the importance of leading a high-energy life in a PLC culture.• Understand how to personally and professionally live in the flow every day. • Discover ways to pursue and sustain increased balance and energy and the positive

changes this can effect at work and home.


14

Timothy D. Kanold Central Office and School-Site PLC Leaders: Becoming Great at Sustaining Change

When educators choose a leadership role in their school or district—a role that requires them to lead other adults in sustaining a PLC culture—it can certainly be a challenge. This session is designed for central office leaders, principals, assistant principals, deans, counselors, instructional coaches, and program leaders who work with adults in the central office and at the school site. Participants at this session closely examine three ways that support leadership in a sustainable PLC culture and examine the roles they play in providing meaningful feedback to the adults they lead.

Becoming great in these leadership actions helps all stakeholders gain a clear understanding of what it means to produce a high-quality PLC work culture that results in improved student achievement every day, all year long. These actions also hold the promise of helping one become an influential person others will naturally want to follow through the PLC process in his or her school or district.

Learning outcomes include:• Creating and using the power of vision: knowing what to monitor • Using vision to obtain focus: monitoring the right things • Examining formative feedback: doing more than monitoring

Your K–12 PLC Mathematics Focus: Great InstructionIn this session, based on the Solution Tree series Beyond the Common Core: A Handbook for Teaching Mathematics in a PLC at Work™, series editor Timothy D. Kanold explores how collaborative teams can improve student achievement in mathematics through a vision of higher-level-cognitive-demand tasks and formative assessment.

These discussion tools and actions include creative ways to increase scores, analyze student work on math tasks, help students persevere via productive struggle, and move beyond normal checks for understanding. Dr. Kanold shares techniques for effectively analyzing student work with colleagues and ideas that motivate students and result in their sustained effort every day. He uses three high-leverage PLC teacher team actions and protocols to illustrate these techniques.

Participants use the PLC mathematics lesson design model to: • Examine criteria for effective mathematics instruction. • Examine criteria and effective discussion tools that support students on higher-level-

cognitive-demand tasks during class.• Use discussion tools to develop effective in-class, formative assessment processes when

students get stuck.• Analyze student work and accurate scoring of that work.


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Timothy D. Kanold Your K–12 PLC Mathematics Focus: Homework, Grading, and Great Assessment

This session is based on the Solution Tree handbook series Beyond the Common Core. Series editor Timothy D. Kanold explores how individuals and collaborative teams can achieve high-level mathematics assessment well beyond state standards. Participants discover how the teaching–assessing–learning cycle can effectively be used for homework, creating quality unit tests, and scoring exams to improve student motivation and achievement in each unit of study. Using three high-leverage team actions of a collaborative PLC team, Dr. Kanold highlights critical research on assessment that can help student math results soar.

Participants in this session:• Examine how high-quality unit assessment design protocols and discussion tools can be

used in collaborative teams.• Understand research and discussion tools to design highly effective mathematics

homework protocols and practices.

Attendees discover discussion tools to analyze student assessment and grade student work with fidelity as part of a formative assessment process at the end of each unit of study.

Mike Mattos

When All Means AllThe purpose of a professional learning community is to ensure all students learn at high levels. This mission is not intended to be a wishful outcome for most students, but a staff ’s collective promise to every child. In this keynote, Mike Mattos discusses the essential elements to which a school must commit when it embraces that all means all.

This session calls on participants to:• Translate a mission of learning into specific actions educators must take.• Understand how these actions are not singular steps, but a continuous, ongoing process of

school improvement.• Commit to the idea that every student can be academically successful.

More Powerful Than PovertyThe achievement gap between poor and non-poor students is twice as large today as gaps related to ethnicity or language. As educators, overcoming the corrosive effects of poverty is critical if we hope to achieve our mission of all students learning at high levels. Mike Mattos focuses on five essential PLC practices proven to have a far greater impact on student achievement than the power of poverty.

Simplifying Response to Intervention: How to Systematically Respond When Students Don’t LearnHow does your school respond when students don’t learn? Compelling evidence shows that response to intervention can successfully engage a school staff in a collective process to provide every child with the additional time and support needed to learn at high levels. Yet, at many schools, this potential lies dormant, buried under layers of state regulations, district protocols, misguided priorities, and traditional school practices that are misaligned to the essential elements of RTI. This session provides guiding practices and practical ideas to create a multitiered system of support.


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Mike Mattos Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: Whatever It Takes in Secondary Schools

What does an effective secondary school intervention process look like? This session provides participants with practical, proven intervention ideas, including ways to create a schoolwide process to identify students for extra help and how to create time in the master schedule for interventions and extensions.

This session is recommended for secondary school educators.

Guiding Principles for Principals: Tips and Tools for Leading the PLC ProcessThe principal has an essential role in creating a professional learning community. Without effective support and leadership, achieving this outcome is virtually impossible. Specifically targeted to site administrators, this session provides proven practices and examples of how to create staff consensus, monitor team progress, and address violations to a school’s collective commitments.

Uniting Academic and Behavior Interventions: Solving the Skill or Will DilemmaSome students struggle in school because they lack academic skills and knowledge. Others struggle because they do not demonstrate the behaviors necessary to succeed in school. And often, our most at-risk youth lack both. This breakout shows how the PLC at Work process can be used to target and teach the essential social and academic behaviors students need to thrive in school.

Anthony Muhammad Building a High-Performing Middle School PLC (Part 1)

Anthony Muhammad brings to life the three big ideas of a PLC at the middle school level, with a heavy emphasis on developing a focus on learning and a collaborative culture.

Participants leave this session with a strong understanding of what it takes to transform a middle school into a high-performing PLC. After returning to their schools, educators can immediately apply the many practical strategies Dr. Muhammad shares.

Learning outcomes include:• Establishing a clear and universal focus on student learning• Fostering learning systems for students and educators• Developing and guiding high-powered, collaborative teams

Building a High-Performing Middle School PLC (Part 2)In part two of this session, Anthony Muhammad stresses developing powerful assessment systems and effective academic interventions. Participants gain a rich understanding of what it takes to transform a middle school into a high-performing PLC, and they leave with many practical strategies that can be applied after returning to their schools.

This session calls on attendees to:• Practice developing essential standards and student outcomes.• Delve into the process of creating useful and valid common assessments.• Learn how to methodically create an effective academic intervention system that meets

students’ individual needs.


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Anthony Muhammad All Means All: Creating a PLC Culture (Part 1)

Anthony Muhammad addresses the behaviors of a transformational leader, staff resistance to change, and the leader’s role in building consensus. Participants explore the connection between school culture and PLC implementation while developing an authentic connection to the PLC work. They leave with a number of practical strategies to begin transforming their school’s culture. Outcomes include understanding:

• The influence of school culture• How to challenge counterproductive norms and beliefs• The balance between support and accountability

All Means All: Creating a PLC Culture (Part 2)Anthony Muhammad continues to explore the behaviors of a transformational leader, staff resistance to change, and the leader’s role in building consensus among staff. He focuses on three key areas of the PLC process: managing frustration, creating a culture of collaboration, and fair and reasonable accountability.

Outcomes include understanding:• How to analyze and manage staff frustration• How to construct and protect productive collaborative relationships• Key leadership behaviors that inspire teachers to embrace change

Overcoming the Achievement Gap Trap: Liberating Mindsets to Effect ChangeAnthony Muhammad explores the connection between personal and institutional mindsets and academic achievement gaps. The issue of inequality in student learning outcomes has been studied and debated for many years. Dr. Muhammad seeks to establish that the primary culprit in the fight to overcome the achievement gap is rooted in our thinking.

Participants come to understand:• The true meaning and value of school culture• The power of mindsets and their influence on educator effectiveness• How to shift from damaging mindsets (superiority and inferiority) to high levels of

efficacy (liberation mindset)

Maria Nielsen Teaching Elementary Writing Standards

Participants receive tools and templates to systematically help K–5 students with the writing process. Maria Nielsen illustrates how color coding helps elementary-level students organize their thoughts. Teams learn the value of rubrics and a process for inter-rater reliability.

In this interactive session, participants learn the types of elementary-level writing required by the Common Core and next-generation standards and collect elementary school-level templates to instruct the writing process.


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Maria Nielsen Teaching Secondary Writing Standards

Participants receive tools and templates to systematically help students in grades 6–12 with the writing process. Maria Nielsen illustrates how color coding helps secondary-level students organize their thoughts. Teams learn the value of rubrics and a process for inter-rater reliability.

In this interactive session, participants learn the types of secondary-level writing required by the Common Core and next-generation standards and collect secondary school-level templates to instruct the writing process.

Show Me What Ya Got: Student Engagement Strategies to Keep the Pulse on Student LearningMaria Nielsen helps teachers move past “sit and get” in the classroom to a place where all students actively participate in learning. Participants learn engagement strategies to assess student understanding throughout a lesson or unit of study.

During this interactive session, attendees can expect to:• Explore the “nifty nine” best teaching strategies.• Learn how to assess student learning by implementing engagement strategies. • Identify the differences among assessment questions, open questions, and engagement

questions.

PLC 101: The 15-Day ChallengeThe 15-day challenge gives collaborative teams a simple format to plan and implement a complete learning–assessing cycle based on standards and targets. Teams explore how to embed common assessments throughout a unit of study to identify students in need of intervention or extension.

Maria Nielsen helps participants:• Get a clear picture of the PLC process and desired student outcomes. • Learn how to design units of study based on standards and learning targets.• Embed formative assessments throughout a unit of study.• See the value in bringing student work to the table to examine inter-rater reliability and

scoring consistency.


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Regina Stephens Owens What Do You Want Students to Learn? Critical Thinking, Cool Technologies, and Global

CompetenciesThe effective use of technology for instruction and intervention makes evidence of learning visible. However, technologies alone do not guarantee that 21st century learning targets are met, that students are authentically engaged, or that critical thinking is evident in instructional practices. Schools must ensure their teachers are 1) equipped with information to choose the most effective technologies and 2) empowered to design lessons and facilitate learning based on quality feedback to result in improved outcomes.

In this session, participants:• Review Bloom’s taxonomy and global competencies as they relate to interventions.• Examine technologies that support critical thinking skills and show evidence of learning.• Discuss various web resources and how to effectively implement them to ensure learning

and successful intervention.

PLCs for Singletons in Small Schools With Cyber ConnectionsWhile engaging the PLC process as a singleton teacher can be a challenge, it is essential. This requires collaboration using common denominators to improve professional practices. Regina Stephens Owens discusses best practices in collaboration and how to design action plans that support the work of schools and teams and ensure high levels of learning for all. Participants examine specific challenges and solutions for singleton teachers in the PLC framework.

A Data Discussion for Teachers: From Data to Design and Demonstration of LearningIn a time tremendously focused on data, a rich culture of collaboration is essential to ensure teacher teams utilize data effectively. Regina Stephens Owens teaches participants to create this culture through dialogue, to utilize different types of data protocols, and to write and manage SMART goals that ensure capacity building and increased student achievement through a growth mindset. Owens shares the processes, protocols, and pitfalls of using data as a team and discusses the benefits of a growth mindset.


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Steve Pearce Flip My School: Keys to PLC Leadership and Change

The research is clear: Change leadership matters. In this session, Steve Pearce shares research on leadership and change, and he provides practical strategies employed as principal of a successful PLC school. Yes, it is possible to flip a school and make it a place where every student learns. A flipped classroom employs blended learning that reverses the traditional learning environment by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom.

Steve discusses the importance of:• Understanding best-practice and research-based strategies on leadership and change• Implementing ideas and methods proven to be effective and successful• Becoming inspired to flip a school and make it a high-performing learning community

The Genius of And: Meshing Middle School Departments and TeamsHow are educators going to make teams and departments as effective as they can be to impact student learning? Steve Pearce addresses this essential question. As a principal who has worked through this issue at two schools, Steve illustrates ways to make middle school teams and departments perform at higher levels.

This session provides guidelines to:• Learn the keys to becoming a high-performing team and department.• Understand why teams and departments are essential for success at the middle school

level.• Become inspired to make teams and departments achieve the best possible results.

The Flex Schedule That Ensures SuccessThe statement “Your schedule reveals your priorities” is inarguable in a PLC school. Steve Pearce focuses on a creative flex schedule that was a game changer for staff and students in a real school. Steve shows how making time for student intervention during the school day positively impacted the culture and student results.

In this session, participants examine collaborative processes to improve schools. They develop ideas and review examples about how to create an intervention schedule. Finally, they gain the tools and inspiration to implement proven practices in their own schools.


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orlando, fl • july 28–30 · elevator occc administration ofﬁces ... acbd w240 rr rr west e/f...

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