Pioneer High School Our Journey: Becoming and Sustaining a Professional Learning Community

1. Pioneer High School Our Journey: Becoming and Sustaining a Professional Learning Community

2. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Background • Growth on API indicators flat since 2000 • On verge of entering program improvement • PHS decided to volunteer for a mock audit

3. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Background Mock Audit: • Conducted by District and LACOE personnel in March of 2003 • Included: classroom observations, teacher and student interviews and data analysis • Matrix developed by audit team provided more specificity

4. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Background Mock Audit Results • “The prevailing academic culture at PHS does not reflect a challenging and rigorous program in ALL classes and for ALL students.” • “There is limited evidence of standards-driven assessments being used to improve instruction.” • “There is inconsistent implementation of a standards-driven curriculum that incorporates appropriate and engaging instructional strategies.”

5. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Background • Key Planners (school leadership team) decided to address the areas of growth at a two-day retreat during the summer with attendees from each department. • The PLC model was presented as a vehicle to facilitate and improve upon Mock audit results.

6. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Retreat Objectives • Address corrective actions imposed by mock audit team • Establish collaborative groups to address standards based instruction across the curricula • Establish levels of intervention for student success

7. Increased teacher leadership in decision-making/ownership Collaboration Realistic goals & clear, attainable expectations Standards-based instruction Student support – ID at risk students before they have problems Shared vision, mission, values, goals, passion Retreat Outcomes

8. What is a Professional Learning community?

9. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Characteristics of a Learning Community • Shared mission, vision, values and goals • Collaborative groups • Collective inquiry into “best practice” and our “current reality” • Action orientation/experimentation • Commitment to continuous improvement • Results orientated Rick DuFour

10. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Structures that Promote PLC • Team structures • Time for collaboration within the school day and the school calendar • Systematic approach for students who don’t learn • Rick DuFour

11. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Barriers to PLC • Professional norm of teacher isolation • Lack of shared vision, beliefs, values and goals • Rick DuFour

12. Acknowledge Collaboration Know PLC Concepts Develop Shared Mission, Vision, Values & Goals Communicate a Mission of Student Learning Describe a Vision of Excellence Use the Vision Statement Link Value to Vision Focus on Short-term & Long-term goals Engage in Research-based & Data-driven Plans Expect a Cyclical Process Rick DuFour Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Ten Steps in Becoming a PLC

13. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Resulting Proposals • We organized into subject alike “Collaborative Crews” consisting of 3 or more persons • Each teacher was a member of a Collaborative Crew

14. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Collaborative Crew Proposal Each “Collaborative Crew” will: • Develop and adhere to crew norms & protocols • Identify essential standards • Write and administer common assessments and subject benchmarks • Establish proficiency standards for each benchmark/assessment • Develop and adhere to a pacing calendar for the teaching and assessing of essential standards and benchmarks • Analyze results

15. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Collaborative Crew Proposal • Develop and implement strategies to improve results • Conduct and discuss collegial observations • Develop and adhere to a common grading policy • Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results Oriented, and Time bound) goals for the crew and monitor progress

16. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Crew Products • Products, not narrative descriptions of meetings • Analysis of work/text/data/observation/etc. using an accepted protocol • Course notebooks • Crew norms • SMART goals and progress toward their achievement • Academic calendar to use as a guideline

17. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Implementing PLC • The PLC structure will help to achieve our goals and accomplish our mission. • We ensured that all points of view were heard. • The will of the group was evident.

18. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Fist to Five • 5 – I’ll champion • 4 – strongly agree • 3 – agree • 2 – reservations • 1 – oppose • Fist – strongly oppose Rick DuFour

19. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community First Steps • Shared mission, vision, values and goals • Ideally, this would be first! • Buy-back day, examined our mission statement • Looked at student achievement data • Reviewed the SMART goals concept and shared a template

20. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Student Intervention • Tutorial • Initially, all students with D’s and F’s and all 9th and 10th graders • Result = overcrowding in tutorial • Response = tutorial survey sent to staff, students, and parents • Modification = revised to only D and F students

21. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Collaboration • Crews • Initially, all crews and leaders were subject-alike and selected by administration • Result =some teacher dissatisfaction • Response = end of year survey • Modification = crews will be self-determined using an application process

22. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Refinement • Crews • Initially, requirements upon crews were loose • Result =little or no productivity, confusion • Response = end of year survey • Modification = part of application process requires submission of action plan with SMART goal, timeline and members accountable, crews present on progress at monthly KP meetings and buy-back days

23. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Refinement The process • Initially, problems were brought up in Key Planners, and a small group of administrators, the curriculum coordinator and our coach brainstormed solutions and presented these to Key Planners • Result = limited input, less teacher buy-in, less sustainability • Response = group of teachers met during summer to brainstorm modification • Modification = formation of a Steering Committee • Steering Committee leads agenda for key planners

24. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Refinement • New Teachers • Adjusting to crew/department meetings • Role or function of Key Planners and Steering Committee • School Culture

25. Data Analysis

26. Academic Performance Index

27. Annual Yearly Progress(AYP) English

28. AYPMathematics

29. Pioneer High School – A Professional Learning Community Focus on the Future • “Best practices” should be the priority in staff development • Continue to adjust to block schedule to use extended class time to its maximum effectiveness • Meeting district goals through common assessments and learning walks

30. Questions???

31. Additional Resources