Professional Learning Communities: Staying the Course

1. Professional Learning Communities: Staying the Course Sandy Thorstenson Superintendent Whittier Union High School District

2. Changes in the Past 12 Yearsin Students We Serve 73% Hispanic 80% Hispanic 22% White 16% White 3% Other 4% Other 13% English Learners 10% English Learners 20% R-FEP 23% R-FEP Now Then 31% Soc Econ Dis 80% Soc Econ Dis

3. Students Receiving Free or Reduced Meals

4. The Power of Measurable Targets forCoherent Continual Improvement • Academic Performance Index (API) • Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) • CAHSEE: Pass and Proficient • 4-Year Graduation Rate • Grade Level Credits Towards Graduation: On-Target Rate • College Eligibility: a-g Course Completion • Advanced Placement: Exams & Enrollment • Student Attendance Rate

6. Actions Driven by Measurable Targets

7. Comprehensive Strategy to Increase Performance on Measurable Targets Professional Learning Communities We are committed to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES

8. Pyramid of Prevention & Interventions RESULTS

9. District Growth API

10. Staying the Course:Growth over the Past 7 Years • If we add up the API Growth Points from each of the past seven years, how have we done? WUHSD = 187 growth points State of California = 56 growth points • How do our High Schools compare to the 925 Comprehensive High Schools in CA?

11. Staying the Course:Growth Points over the Past 7 Years

12. Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Gaining on the Goal of 800

13. AP Tests Taken & Percent of 10th – 12th Enrollment

14. WUHSD On-Target Rates

16. NCES Four-Year Dropout Rate

17. CAHSEE Senior Pass Rates

18. College Eligibility:A-G Course Completion Rate

19. WUHSD Actual College Enrollment within 2 years HS Grad Class WUHSD Student Tracker Data, 2010

20. WUHSD’s Shared Values • Collaboration • Common Assessments • Directed Intervention

21. Key Questions Addressed by PLCs • What do we want students to know? • How do we know when they learn it? • How do we respond when they do not learn it? • How do we enrich and extend the learning for those students who have demonstrated mastery?

22. #1 What do we want students to know? • CA State Content Standards • WUHSD Essential Standards • Course Notebooks • Pacing Guides • Collaboration & Sharing • Teachers Doing it • Together

23. #2 How do we know when they learn it? • Formative & Summative Assessments • Districtwide Common Assessments (4 or more per year) • Site-based Interim Assessments • Protocol for Collaborative Analysis of Results • Annual CSTs • Collaborative Analysis of Data • Analysis of transparent & timely student performance data within & between schools • Treasure Hunt in search of Best Practices

24. #3 How do we respond when they do not learn it? Building a Systematic Response Pyramid of PREVENTION & Intervention

25. Intervention Prevention Pyramid of Prevention & Intervention

26. Whatever it TakesGuiding Principles • Intervention rather than remediation • Intervention that is systematic • Intervention that is provided in a timely manner • Intervention that is directed rather than invited • Prevention is the best Intervention

27. Focus on Freshman • Parent Partnership • Campus Watch • Link Crew • Freshman First Day • Summer Bridge Program • ELA and Math Placement

28. Time & Support • Alternative Bell Schedules • Student-Centered, Teacher Driven • Teacher Collaboration • Distributed Leadership Network • Intervention Specialists/Clerk • Course Leads • Link Crew Facilitators

29. Alternative Block Schedule:Not Allowing Students to Choose Failure 120minutes 120minutes 120minutes 100min 20min 100min 20min 100min 20min Period 1 or 2 Period 3 or 4 Period 5 or 6 EMBEDDED EMBEDDED SUPPORT SUPPORT EMBEDDED SUPPORT BREAK LUNCH HOME Embedded Support to Ensure Mastery

30. Prevention Practices • Revision of Grading Policies • Retesting: Ensuring students learn content • Case Against the Zero • Increased Feedback to Parents • Grading Period every 4.5 weeks • Teleparent  Parents as Partners • Zangle Parent Portal & Teachers’ Websites

31. The Best Prevention is the Best First Instruction

32. New Positions to Meet Challenges • Revised Dept. Chair Description • Subject Course Leads • District Curriculum Assessment Coaches • EADMS On-Site Technology Support • Zangle On-Site Support Teachers • Intervention Specialist & Clerk

33. Broad Base of Distributed Leadership • Over 40% of Teachers in Leadership Role • 137 Stipend Positions • 59 Dept. Chairs • Funding of Positions at each Site • 10 Teacher Leaders funded by Site • 28 Teacher Leaders funded by District • Annual Total Cost Districtwide for Stipend Positions: $139,500 (does not include dept. chairs)

34. Distributed Leadership: Sample Site’s Stipend Positions

35. Even the best classroom teacher needs support when learning how to lead a team of their peers

36. Development of Teacher Leaders • Site: • Leadership Meetings • Role of Department Chairs • District: • Lateral Networks • Summer Professional Learning • Targeted Leadership Training • Curriculum and Assessment Coaches

37. Teacher Leadership Training

38. Leadership Training 2011/12 • 2 Days in Summer • Facilitation of Teams • Communication: Dialogue vs. Discussion • Team Energy • Conflict • Developing Common Understandings

39. Leadership Support: Curriculum Assessment Coaches • Assigned to different sites • Individual support for Course Leads • Team Workshops for Course Leads • Keeps finger on the pulse of Teacher Leaders • Communicates Needs to Administration

40. District Quarterly Course-Alike Meetings • Modeling of Collaborative Analysis • Gap Analysis • Discussion of Team Challenges • Sharing of Best Practices

41. Teacher Development for All: Summer PD • One week for each Content Area • Teachers and Course Leads • New Learning with Application Time • Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment • Supplemental Collaboration Time (outside of the structure content week) • Last Summer: 1,165 Teacher Work Days

42. Developing a staff’s capacities for talking together may be the most significant investment faculties can make for student learning.Robert Garmston and Bruce Wellman

43. District Support Role • Amplified the Culture • Built capacity through developing Teacher Leaders • Brought Decentralized Depts together to collaboratively develop Common Assessments and address Support Issues • Supported a Culture of Inquiry • Safe Discussion of Transparent Data and Needs • Collegial, not Competitive • Student-Centered

44. How We Started • Listened • Rick Du Four’s Presentations for Teacher Leaders and Administrators • Read & Discussed • Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Improving Student Achievement • Whatever it Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond when Kids don’t Learn • Visited • Three Visits to Stevenson HS in Illinois

45. How We Watered the Seeds • Learned • Gayle Karhanek Consulting • Districtwide Workshops • Consulting Days at each School Site • Applied • Pyramid of Interventions • 3 Meetings per Year • Peer Accountability in Reporting Progress • Communicated • Instructional Direction Brochure (version 3) • DVD

46. How we Continue to Expand Capacity through Collaboration • Fostering Leadership • Leadership training for Teacher Leaders • Support from Curriculum Assessment Coaches • Modeling at District Best Practices Meetings • Continual Learning for all Teachers • Summer PD • District Course-Alike Teams • Site Course-Alike Teams

47. Vision of Instructional Leadership in the Future Leading from Behind and not from in Front Michael Fullan  Distributed Leadership  Lateral Coordination & Communication •  Sharing •  Peer Accountability •  Student Learning

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