School Improvement Through Capacity Building

1. School Improvement Through Capacity Building The PLC Process

2. Stage One: Setting the Scene • Explore and develop an understanding the PLC conceptual framework • Establish a leadership team • Develop the annual calendar of meeting and collaboration time • Gather and develop group resources (meeting schedules, data sources, data tracking tools, research articles, and other pertinent resources) • Build knowledge through research-based models and resources (articles, books, interviews, etc.) • Conduct pre-project surveys • Begin with the End in Mind: Vision and Mission

3. Four Critical Questions • What knowledge and skills should every student acquire as a result of this unit of instruction? • How will we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and skills? • How will we respond when some students do not learn? • How will we extend and enrich the learning for students who are already proficient?

4. Stage Two: Developing the PLC Structure • Develop the mission, vision, and values through group collaboration • Develop and set meeting norms • Determine the use of data sources and build into the schedule • Gather data and evidence for data-driven decisions including student achievement testing data, anecdotal information, qualitative interviews and discussion, surveys from all stakeholders, etc.

5. Stage Three: PLC Implementation and Practice • Create SMART Goals (strategic and specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound) • Discuss the four critical questions • Examine and analyze practice, structure, and student achievement measures through discussion, evidence, and group focus questions • Identify the greatest area(s) of need (GANs) • Review Curriculum and Instruction structures and practice • Disseminate and review professional development resources for planning • Provide communication structures for input from stakeholders • Set goals, timeframes, and task lists • Allocate Resources

6. Review Curriculum & Instruction Practice • Identify essential standards • Develop pacing guides • Create and use benchmark and formative assessments with calendared administrations • Review curriculum materials including basic, intervention, and supplemental materials • Identify professional development needs • Plan for professional development in the short-term and in the long-term

7. Stage Four: PLC Monitoring • Conduct periodic surveys to measure progress and project effectiveness for comparison over time • Maintain a review process of the overall project and reviewing the mission, vision, and values on a regular basis (calendar the reviews into the meeting schedule) • Review the collection of data, including qualitative as well as quantitative information • Document project successes, challenges, progress, and insights • Collect and use results and evidence to modify or adjust school improvement and curriculum efforts • Develop and finalize a professional development plan • Review Budgets, School Plans, Allocation of Resources • Communication Systems Review to include all stakeholders

8. Stage Five: PLC Capacity Building • Review and revise the long-term professional development plan regularly • Develop a sustainability plan through inclusion of the PLC process in existing school plans • Build and maintain professional networks for support and resource sharing • Build an annual schedule of the PLC process and steps • Develop presentation(s) for policy makers, community, and professional groups • Maintain Communication Systems • Include celebrations in the PLC process!

9. Flexibility: The Guiding Principle • ** NOTE: The project components and project steps are not necessarily implemented separately and in a prescribed sequence. Most often, the process will require several steps to be undertaken simultaneously and it will be necessary to maintain an overview of the entire process throughout the project steps in the work cycles. Review and revisions of previous work will be on-going.

10. School Improvement Through Capacity Building 2011-12