BW

BW
On behalf of our principal, Mrs. Alexis Cooper, and the entire admin team, we want to
thank you, our teacher’s and school staff for joining us for this very important time
together. We want to begin with an ice breaker, if you would pick a partner and stand
up. Facing your partner, you are going to share whether you prefer mountains or
beaches during breaks and why? The first partner will have two minutes to share, go.
(Wait two minutes). OK, counting down. We are going to have the next partner share
in 10, 9, countdown. OK, 2nd partner, go ahead and share your answer with your
partner. You have 2 minutes, go. (Wait two minutes). OK, counting down. We are
going to need the 2nd partner to wrap up in 10, 9, countdown. Alright, please take
your seats again. For those of you who are new to the Achieve Academy team, we
would like to introduce our administrative team. First, I would like to introduce myself.
My name is Alexis Cooper and I am the Principal here at Achieve Academy. We are
lucky to have three assistant principals. Mrs. Bridgett Bates, Mrs. Brittany Omoniyi,
Mrs. Brianna Dominguez. Our dean of student culture is Boyce Watson. We are
excited to be holding this important session during in-service for the upcoming school
year. We are set to have a terrific year and this presentation will highlight a great
opportunity we have to continue to build on the great year we had last year.
BW
The opportunity we want to present to you today, is professional learning communities,
also known in this presentation as PLCs. Achieve is already a great community, but we
want to make sure each of you know that you are part of great teaching teams. Our
working definition of PLCs are professional learning communities where a group of
teachers share details about their ongoing efforts to make a positive impact on students
from a reflective, collaborative, growth promoting way. It’s about each of you being able to
share your personal learning and then act on that learning with the sole purpose of
improving student outcomes (Stoll, 2006). How do PLCs benefit you as teachers and
ultimately the students? Your effectiveness will increase as you are able to share best
practice with each other (Stoll, 2006). We want Achieve Academy to be a destination
school for teaching professionals, not just a job. This being said, PLCs will hopefully help
you make the decision to stay at Achieve Academy and when our retention increases,
support for students remains consistent (Stoll, 2006). Finally, PLCs will introduce a
collective professional culture where we are all positioned as learners. This will
strengthen and broaden our sense of community school-wide (Prenger et al, 2018).
BW-Rubric-Mission statement example that describes the purpose of a PLC is
exemplary.
When it comes to any new endeavor at Achieve Academy, we want to begin with the end
in mind (Covey, 2023). Our mission statement for PLCs at Achieve Academy is to be a
school community that values learning at all levels. In PLCs students, teachers, support
staff, administrators are all committed to the ongoing process of learning and growing
through differentiated opportunities that make us smarter! (National Policy Board for
Educational Administration, 2015). Further, our purpose for implementing PLCS is to
develop, implement, and evaluation actions to support all students and staff to achieve
the vision of Achieve Academy (National Policy Board for Educational Administration,
2015). The bottom line is, when teacher’s thrive, student’s thrive!
There are three goals we are trying to meet by incorporating professional learning
communities. The first goal is to encourage collaborative learning (Keenan, 2022). By
creating a platform for communication teachers will be more open to communicating
with each other. As they see commonalities, teachers will feel like they have value
and can contribute to the conversations. The second goal is the improvement if
individual and group professional skills. PLCs allow teachers to build off of what peers
are learning. This allows for deeper discussions and for teachers to help each other
apply strategies to the unique needs of the school community. PLCs very much
embody the saying divide and conquer. As individuals learn different things, they can
come together to share their knowledge, increasing the rate of development. The last
goal is to build the academic success of the students in the school. Through PD
teachers will learn new strategies to add to their teaching tool belt. The more
strategies a teacher has the more individualized they can make learning. When
students receive valuable instruction they are more likely to succeed. Professional
development should be based off the needs of the school. If this is true, teachers will
be able to meet students with instructional strategies unique to their needs. Teachers
who participate in PD increase their teaching practice (Çopur & Demirel, 2022). By
collaborating with peers, teachers can make sure they implement the strategies in a
good way.
BB - Discuss the following research for student and teacher achievement:
● Student achievement is the most significant indicator of a PLC's effectiveness,
claim DuFour et al. (2010, p. 16). Increases in standardized test scores,
grades, or other measures can be used to quantify this (DuFour et al., 2010, p.
16). Another measurable outcome for a PLC is teacher effectiveness, which
may be determined by "measurable improvements in teacher practices"
(DuFour et al., 2010, p. 16).
● Eaker, DuFour, and DuFour (2002) state that the main goal and quantifiable
result of a PLC are "improvements in student learning and achievement" (p.
12). This can be done in a number of ways, like with "clearly defined learning
goals, ongoing assessments of students progress, and a culture of
collaboration among teachers" (Eaker et al., 2002, p. 12). The authors also
state that "improvements in teacher practice, increased parent and community
involvement, and greater job satisfaction among teachers" may be other
measurable benefits for a PLC (Eaker et al., 2002, p. 12).
● "Improved student achievement" is a crucial measurable outcome for a PLC,
argue Vescio, Ross, and Adams (2007). This is possible by using "common
formative assessments, a focus on student learning goals, and ongoing data
analysis to inform instructional decisions" (Vescio et al., 2007). The authors
add that "improved teacher collaboration and professional development,
increased parent and community involvement, and a positive school culture"
are possible additional measurable benefits for a PLC (Vescio et al., 2007).
BB - Discuss the following research for PLC structure:
● Collaborative inquiry and ongoing improvement are at the core of the
structure of a professional learning community. A PLC is defined by four
important questions that direct the work of its members, according to DuFour
et al. (2010). Those questions are: "What do we want students to learn?
How will we know if they have learned it? What will we do if they don't learn
it? What will we do if they already know it?" (p. 14). These questions direct
the PLC's work and make sure that everyone is working toward the same
goal of improving the learning results for students.
● Essentially, the PLC team works through the four questions in a circular
rotation. You begin with what students need to learn (standard), assess them
(formative and summative), and apply differentiation and enrichment as
needed based on the assessment data. After the initial assessment, the PLC
team can discuss strategies to improve students’ ability to meet the standard
before applying differentiation and enrichment activities. Then, reassess and
work through the questions again.
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(All Things PLC | Powered by Solution Tree)
BB - Discuss the following research for PLC structure:
● DuFour et al. (2010) also state that a PLC must have the following four
components: a shared mission and vision, a collaborative inquiry,
collaborative teams, and a results-driven focus.
● These four components work in conjunction with the four questions to help
improve teacher instructional strategies, differentiation, and enrichment in
order to improve student outcomes.

Image
(All Things PLC | Powered by Solution Tree)
BB - Discuss the following research for PLC Members, Roles, & Expectations:
● Depending on the particular needs and goals of the group, the roles played
by each member of a PLC committee may change. All PLC committee
members are, however, normally expected to play a few standard roles.
Each PLC member is required to actively participate in collaborative learning,
share their knowledge and experience with others, and engage in ongoing
professional development. "Members of the PLC team must agree to work
together on a regular basis, to examine and improve their own practices,
and to assist one another in implementing those practices," argue Hord et
al. (2006, p. 4).
● Also, PLC members must continually assess data to guide their teaching
methods and evaluate and tweak their instructional approaches to make
sure they are fulfilling the requirements of all students. " PLCs commit to
working together to analyze and interpret evidence of student learning,
examine the impact of instructional strategies, and make adjustments based
on results," according to DuFour et al. (2010, p. 22).
● DuFour et al. (2010) identify four key roles that are often present in
successful PLCs:
a. Teacher Leaders – They are educators who take on a leadership
position inside the PLC, assisting in directing the group's work and
 promoting member collaboration.
b. Facilitators - These people are trained in group facilitation and aid in
maintaining the group's attention and direction throughout meetings
and discussions.
c. Data Coaches - These people are in charge of assisting the team in
analyzing and interpreting information on student learning outcomes
and using that information to guide instructional decision-making.
d. Instructional Specialists – These are those who bring to the group their
specialized knowledge or skill, such as their understanding of a
specific subject or teaching technique.
“This Professional Learning Community (PLC) Roadmap is a tool designed to help
Districts, Schools and teams chart their progress toward becoming top performing
PLCs. The PLC Roadmap is organized using the Implementation Science
Framework. It is divided into four Structures: Leadership, Collaborative Culture,
Standards and Instruction, and Data and Evidence” (MN Dept. of Ed, 2017).
The steps incorporated in each component of the PLC RoadMap are as follows…

As seen in our school mission and vision, we value a culture focused in learning at all
levels and we will use student data and standards to drive our decisions and achieve
our goals to improve student academic growth and achievement.

Minnesota Department of Education. Professional Learning Community (PLC)

Roadmap. (2017). Regional Centers of Excellence. Retrieved March 26, 2023 from,
https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=MDE0
71649&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary
Implementation of a PLC include:
● Exploration Stage - During this stage, an Implementation Team, typically
made up of leadership members and teacher leaders, assesses and helps
create readiness. Readiness includes determining the skills necessary to
reach the goals of the PLC as aligned to the school vision and mission.
● Installation Stage - This includes gathering resources needed to support the
work of the PLC such as establishing systems and protocols, and selecting
and training staff.
● Initial Implementation - At this point the Implementation Team helps the staff
who make up the PLC develop roles and functions to begin working towards
goals including data collection practices and feedback protocols.
● Full Implementation - Finally, the PLC continues regular meetings and work to
accomplish their goals to influence student achievement, growth, and school
culture. This includes use of formative assessments to analyze student
growth.

Each of these components will allows for a highly functioning PLC.

Minnesota Department of Education. Professional Learning Community (PLC)

Roadmap. (2017). Regional Centers of Excellence. Retrieved March 26, 2023 from,
https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=MDE0
71649&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary
Here is a sample of the suggested timeline for how to successfully implement your
PLC.

In the first step, which would take place at the beginning of the school year, you must
ensure roles, norms, and goals are clearly set in order to function throughout the
school year. The second step, which is ongoing at varying levels throughout the
school year, includes lots of data review and debrief to achieve progress towards
goals.

Adopted from: Red Clay Consolidated School District. (n.d.). Suggested Timeline for
PLC Activities. Retrieved March 26, 2023 from,
https://www.redclayschools.com/cms/lib/DE01903704/Centricity/Domain/100/PLC%2
0MP%20Timeline.pdf
The PLC‘s effectiveness is based on student achievement (Keenan, 2022). To
monitor if the community is reaching the planned outcomes, state test scores should
be analyzed. By looking at the trends of test scores and class grades the district can
determine if progress is being made. If grades and test scores are improving, this
could be linked to the learning community. It is important to look at other variables to
make sure you are making valid inferences. Having a team of teachers analyze this
data will help to get different perspectives and ensure data is valid.

To evaluate teacher achievement, principals and district leaders can look at several
things. Surveys can be administered at the beginning and end of the year. The
surveys can ask questions such as rating your experience, how satisfied are you, rate
how supported you feel, do you feel PLCs are useful in your success, as well as
open-ended questions. Through the process of implementing the PLCs, these
surveys can be used as evidence to support the outcomes. Google Forms will be sent
out for teachers to document their trends in grades. Using this medium will help to
organize data, making analyzing many teachers' grades easier.

Teachers often meet in teacher-based teams to discuss various issues. Meeting

minutes could be used to provide evidence of how professional developments are
implemented through their collaboration. I would have staff document anything that is
connected to PD. By looking at these minutes, observations can be made on if
collaboration is improving.
I would also use teacher evaluations to see if the achievement of staff members is
being increased. During evaluations, I would take note if teachers mention PLCs in
the section on professionalism. I would be looking to see if their methods have
changed from the last evaluation cycle to the current cycle. By checking the section
on value-added and high-quality student data, I could make sure scores are
increasing.