“It is with their delicate care that PLCs tend toward effectiveness…” – Venables, 2011INSERVICE FACILITATOR UPDATES/TRAINING

In the role of inservice facilitator (IF) it is expected that IFs participate in all PL that is designed to support the implementation of PLCs. Professional Learning Standards & Support (PLSS) has developed structures to assist IFs in their role. Opportunities may be available throughout the year for IFs to participate in professional learning that is designed to increase their knowledge and success.

Your PLSS contact will make information available to you and provide support in the Journey to Authentic PLCs.

FORM PLC TEAMS

Members of a PLC are guided and formed based on a clear and compelling vision of what teachers must learn in order to impact student achievement in a specific skill.  Members work collaboratively to analyze their data to clarify what each student must learn, monitor student learning and provide interventions and enrich learning when students have already mastered the intended outcomes.

PLCs can vary in size and makeup but the ideal size is around six to eight teachers.  PLCs that are too small or too large may suffer from a deficit or excess of varying perspectives. Many PLCs are successful with as few as four members and as many as twelve.  (Venables, 2011)

The structure of PLCs varies based on the needs of the members and students.  Some teams are subject-specific, while others are grade-specific.  It is critical that team members all have a common focus in teaching and learning of the membership and can implement the learning in his/her classroom.

SELECT PLC FACILITATORS

PLC facilitators are critical to the success of the PLC. They should possess facilitation skills that will enable the team to be effective and successful. Facilitators should be familiar with the PLC process and are charged with keeping team members on the path of continuous improvement toward adult learning and student achievement.

For the SBBC policy on the roles and responsibilities listed above, please refer to Broward’s Professional Learning System, Roles and Responsibilities.

DEVELOP A TEAM MEETING SCHEDULE

For teachers to fully benefit from being in a PLC, the ideal schedule should allow for teams to meet once per week for an hour, at a minimum. PLC members need sacred time to engage in the practices of authentic PLCs. Adequate time is paramount to ensure the process is focused on critical information and essential practices.

DEVELOPING TEAM NORMS

When professional learning communities form, one of the first items on the agenda should be setting norms. Using a norms development protocol, PLCs start the team building process by collaboratively developing their code of discourse by creating, publicizing, enforcing and periodically evaluating team norms. PLCs can use the Norms Construction or Forming Groud Rules protocols to reach consensus on what norms will guide their conversations. Until the norms become the culture of the PLC, they should be continuously reviewed and, from time to time, updated. Norms should be revisited at each meeting and updated if needed.

See the following team norm protocols from School Reform Initiative:
Norms Construction: A Process of Negotiation
Forming Ground Rules (Creating Norms) 

DISCUSS TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL TEAM MEMBERS

Team members aspire to fully contribute to the effectiveness of the team by displaying the behaviors that support optimum success for the PLC. Teams build capacity through shared responsibility and rotate roles throughout the PLC cycle. Use the Traits of Successful Team Members activity to assess your thinking and develop plans to collaboratively grow as an instrumental member in the successful functionality of your team.

TEACHER AND STUDENT DATA

Educators embrace data as an indicator of progress toward a common goal. Data analysis provides a team focus for a clear vision of what students know, what they should know, and what can be done to meet their academic needs. With appropriate analysis and interpretation of data as part of the ongoing cycle of continuous improvement, educators can make informed decisions about growth in their teacher practices that positively affect student outcomes.

Educators embrace data as an indicator of progress toward a common goal. Data analysis provides a team focus for a clear vision of what students know, what they should know, and what can be done to meet their academic needs. With appropriate analysis and interpretation of data as part of the ongoing cycle of continuous improvement, educators can make informed decisions about growth in their teacher practices that positively affect student outcomes.

• Common Formative Assessments (CFAs)
• Rubrics from Project Based Learning
• Documented Observations
• Unit Pre/Post Tests
• Running Records
• Student Portfolios and Artifacts
• District Formative Assessments
• State Assessments, e.g FSA, EOC, FCAT
• English Proficiency Testing
• AP Enrollment Rates and AP Exam Scores
• College admissions tests, PSAT, SAT, ACT
• High school graduation rates

The PLC team examines what they have learned about their students’ academic needs. PLC members determine implications of their findings. The team analyzes trends and patterns to hone in on the greatest need to create a focus for the year. 

For suggestions on how to use teacher and student data, see the following protocols from the School Reform Initiative:
Bringing Student Work

SMART GOAL

Developing a clear goal is essential to the success of your team and its members. Once the PLC team decides on a focus for the year, they design a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) Goal and include it on their PLC activity proposal. Team Members agree to adopt their PLC’s SMART Goal to guide adult and student learning throughout the year. 

An effective SMART goal is:

• Specific: Clarifies the teaching and learning focus and students who will benefit from the Goal.
  Example: Algebra II standards; 9th – 12th grade students in physics, chemistry, and marine science
• Measurable: Identifies evidence from student outcomes that will allow the team to quantify progress and determine whether they have reached the goal.
  Example: Common Formative Assessments and Algebra II EOC
• Attainable: Challenges the team to consider the current reality and to aspire to effect improvement in student outcomes.
  Example: Last year 60% of students demonstrated proficiency.
• Results-focused: Requires improved results as compared to the previous year.
  Example: This year, 75% of students will demonstrate proficiency.
• Timely: Defines a realistic time by which the goal will be attained, usually one academic year.
  Example: By May 2016

Model SMART Goal: The percentage of [student group] scoring proficient or higher in [content area] will increase from [current reality percentage]% to [goal percentage]% by the end of [month and year] as measured by [assessment tool].

Sample SMART Goal: The percentage of 9th – 12th grade students scoring proficient or higher in the Algebra II standards will increase from 65% to 75% by May 2016 as measured by the Algebra II EOC.

Real-world examples of SMART Goals for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and centers are provided for reference.

PLC ACTIVITY PROPOSAL

The Inservice Facilitator, in collaboration with PLC Facilitators and their team members, initiates a PLC Activity Proposal in LAB. In order for the IF to complete the proposal in LAB, the PLC teams will need to complete the PLC Details Template. This is updated yearly and provided to the IF during the IF Orientation. Please note that the PLC name must follow the standard format provided on the PLC Details Template. Once the Inservice Facilitator submits the proposal, it will need to be approved by the PL Administrator, PLSS PD Specialist, and PLSS Final Approver. When the PLC is approved, the activity becomes available for registration in LAB for all PLC team members.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Every member of the PLC is essential to the success of improved teaching practices that impact student achievement. All staff need to identify their PLC role and review Roles and Responsibilities to explore how each person can develop and contribute to the work of the team.

TEAM MEMBER REGISTRATION

When the PLC course is ready for registration, LAB will notify the IF. The IF is responsible for informing PLC Facilitators and teachers that they can enroll. Note that the PLC Activity Proposal does not automatically register teachers for PLCs; rather, teachers will still need to go to LAB to register for the appropriate PLC. 

TEAM BUILDING

For the PLC to be effective, it is essential that teachers synergize and work collaboratively on their common vision for improved teaching and learning. This cannot be accomplished without the deliberate practice of team building. Periodically, teams should take time to: build trust, resolve conflict, recommit, own accountability and refocus on results. (Lencioni, 2002).

Do not allow concerns about time to sway the team from scheduling team building activities. These types of activities could take as little as ten minutes, depending on the exercise selected. In addition, team building time is the perfect opportunity for all PLC members to take active part in leading a team activity. Do not underestimate the impact and usefulness of team building activities, as they are designed to “build team!” and effect change.

5 Characteristics of an Effective School Team

ROTATE ROLES

The collaborative team of teachers that form PLCs should all have equal drive, determination, and passion for improving teacher practices that impact student learning. PLCs are not hierarchical in nature, and as such, certain team member responsibilities should rotate so that all teams members take balanced part in the work and productivity of the group. Duties that can rotate include: taking minutes, typing agendas, facilitating the session, collecting resources, etc. PLCs will develop more buy-in and more commitment when members take turns in the workload and have equity of voice in what is decided.

DECONSTRUCT STANDARDS

The process of “unwrapping” the standards is a simple yet powerful practice to help educators realize higher student achievement levels in all content areas. (Ainsworth, 2003)

After each team has formulated their SMART Goal, the team identifies the standard(s) that align to the sustained, year-long focus of the team. This process enables the team to identify what concepts students need to know and what skills they should be able to do to reach the learning goal.

ACTION STEPS

To plan the learning and teaching year, PLC teams develop sequential action steps to support accomplishing the goal. Teams should engage in conversations that describe the action steps, person responsible, timeframe for implementation, and evidence they will collect to determine the effectiveness of the strategies.