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The foundation of your PLC rests on the four pillars of mission, vision, values, and goals.

Has your team answered the Why? What? and Hows? of your PLC?

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Use this tool to reflect upon your current conditions.

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What Are the Four Essential Questions for Learning?

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What Are the Four Essential Questions for Learning?

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VIDEO 2: A Focus on Learning and the Four Essential Questions of a PLC

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In this video, Rebecca DuFour promotes learning for all as the first big idea of a PLC. We also learn the four critical questions of a PLC: 1) What is it we expect our students to learn?; 2) How will we know when they have learned it?; 3) How will we respond when some students do not learn?; 4) How will we respond when some students already know it?

Learn more about GlobalPD: http://www.solution-tree.com/globalpd

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1. What knowledge and skills should every student acquire as a result of this unit of instruction?

2.  How will we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and skills?

3. How will we respond when some students do not learn?

4.  How will we extend and enrich the learning for students who are already proficient?

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In this public talk, Mike Mattos describes the foundations of Professional Learning Communities

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Solution Tree: Mike Mattos - "What is a PLC?"

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Richard DuFour - Leading Expert in Professional Learning Communities

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Solution Tree: Rick DuFour on Groups vs. Teams

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What is a PLC Collaboration Meeting Like at TRMS? (Abridged 4-minute Version) 2017-2018

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The teachers meet at least once a week to answer the four PLC (Professional Learning Communities) questions: 1. What do we expect our students to learn? 2. How will we know they are learning? 3. How will we respond when they don't learn? 4. How will we respond if they already know it?

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Don't know where to start?  Use this tool to reflect with your team.
1. Identify areas of strength; Celebrate!
2. Identify areas of need; choose one to start on.

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Tracy Unified is committed to supporting professional learning through the PLC process.

This padlet is intended to serve as a resource for tools and strategies that can support your team in refining the PLC process
Enjoy your Journey!

Developed by Curriculum Council, Professional Learning Committee 2017-2018

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A Professional Learning Community is, "an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve" (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010, p. 11).
More simply stated, the PLC process is a never-ending process in which Educators commit to working together to ensure high-levels learning for every student.  They achieve this outcome by learning together about the best practices proven to increase student learning, applying what they have learned, and using evidence of student learning to make decisions and revisions in practice to help even more students learn at high levels.

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What is a PLC?
The process where teachers work collaboratively in small but regular increments, while looking at evidence of student work and engaging in conversations to achieve a better student results.

source:
https://www.solutiontree.com/products/books/concise-answers-to-frequently-asked-questions.html

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In this video, Rebecca DuFour answers the question “What is a PLC?" 

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In this video, Rebecca DuFour answers the question “What is a PLC?" 

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In this video, Rebecca DuFour answers the question "What is a PLC?" We learn how PLCs are not a one-time event, program, book study, or workshop, but instead are an ongoing process. We learn that the foundation of a PLC is collectively establishing a mission, vision, values, and goals.

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Why are the three big ideas so important to the PLC Process?

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Why are the three big ideas so important to the PLC Process?

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Looking to build a team? Build Team Norms!

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Looking to build a team? Build Team Norms!

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from Learning By Doing- "Why Create Norms"

Norms can help clarify expectations, promote open dialogue, and serve as a powerful tool for holding members accountable [Lencioni, 2005].
Referring back to the norms can help " the members of a group to 're-member', to once again take out membership in what the group values and stands for; to 'remember', to bring the group back into one cooperating whole".  [Kegan & Lahey, 2001]
Inattention to establishing specific team norms is one of the major reasons teams fail [Blanchard]

MORE REPRODUCIBLES FOR DEVLOPING NORMS in CREATING A LEARNING CULTURE (essential characteristics of a PLC)

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What are the possibilities for building different types of teams?

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What are the possibilities for building different types of teams?

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Learning by Doing, Chapter 5, Part 2 discusses Possible Team Structures. (second edition pg. 120 - 124)from Learning by Doing, 2nd edition, pg. 124.

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What are the PLC options for singletons?

All things PLC magazine – Summer 2016 issue – pg. 14- 19 "Singletons don't have to go it alone" by Aaron Hansen.

All things PLC magazine – Winter 2017 issue – pg. 18-24 "Crossing the Chasm, singleton teachers and virtual teams" by Casey Reason.

Solution Tree – "PLC's for singletons in Small Schools with Cyber Connections" by Regina Stephens Owens (PPT); Owens 2015. The PLC magazine is available through Solution-tree.com.

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Solution Tree Rebecca DuFour PLC Keynote

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Problem Solving Guide for Building Teams!

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Problem Solving Guide for Building Teams!

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Frequently asked questions about PLCs at Work - pg. 38-53 – Forming teams and discussion of different options for each situation .This resource is available for checkout at IMC.

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Why have a mission statement, vision statement, values, and goals? This blog gives perspective as to why.

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Tyrone Olverson is superintendent of Finneytown Local School District in Ohio. He is a former curriculum director and principal in Licking Heights Local School District, also in Ohio.

In a conversation with professor and author Robert Eaker around the topic of creating a learning organization, he stated, "Organizations must first address four critical questions. These questions are mission, vision, values, and goals" (personal communication, June 6, 2010). He further explained what he meant after posing several questions related to each component:

Mission addresses the question of why-Why do we exist?

Vision addresses the question of what-What do we hope to become?

Values address the question of how-How must we behave?

Goals address the process-Which steps and when?

Dr. Eaker continued, "I would argue that it is impossible to develop a results orientation unless we are clear about the core of the enterprise (mission), about the kind of school we're seeking to become (vision), and the attitudes, behaviors, and commitments we need to promote, protect, and defend (values). The quality of these building blocks (mission, vision, values, and goals) will be directly related to quality of leadership, collaboration, and staff development."

Dr. Eaker went on to say, "Clarity of purpose should be the goal of any mission statement. Your 'mission' gives focus to this question, 'Why does your school exist?' Learning is the primary purpose of a school that functions as a professional learning community." He elaborated that, if all staff members of my school believe all students can learn, they should be involved in addressing the following questions:

1. What is it we expect our students to learn?

2. How will we know when they have learned it?

3. How will we respond when they do not learn?

4. How will we respond when they already know it?
(DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 2010)

Ladson-Billings (2009) supports Dr. Eaker and further explains question three by providing research behind the significance of individual teacher beliefs in closing the achievement gap:

One of the culturally relevant elements appears especially critical in closing the gap-the teacher believes all students can succeed. Emerging evidence suggests that in schools where teachers evidence a real belief in students' abilities and are also able to communicate those beliefs in explicit ways, students do achieve better, and the gap (achievement) does close. Culturally relevant teachers understand that diversity requires new approaches to the teaching craft.

I know from past experience the power of PLCs at the K-8 level and in improving student attendance. The conversation with Dr. Eaker stemmed from me taking on the principalship of a rapidly changing high school that was transitioning from rural to urban. I questioned the impact on student learning if our high school became a PLC even after seeing an overwhelming mountain of evidence that this process is our best hope for sustained and substantive school improvement. Without a doubt, I too can attest to the power of PLCs at the secondary level. By implementing the PLC process, our high school made significant gains in closing the student achievement gap as measured by Advanced Placement (AP) scores, Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) results, and improved growth in attendance and graduation rates over the past three years.

References
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2010). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work™. (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Tyrone Olverson is superintendent of Finneytown Local School District in Ohio. He is a former curriculum director and principal in Licking Heights Local School District, also in Ohio. In a conversation with professor and author Robert Eaker around the topic of creating a learning organization, he stated, "Organizations must first address four critical questions.

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Want to ensure your team gets off to a strong start? Be sure to use this resource to develop your team's norms!

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What do we need as professionals to make PLCs successful?

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Are you curious how other schools similar to those in TUSD are using the PLC process and its impact in their schools? Use this link to find out.

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See the Evidence | All Things PLC | Powered by Solution Tree

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Professional Learning Community (PLC). An ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively to achieve better results for the students they serve.

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Learn how PLCs impacted one school with a high EL population.

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I am currently completing my twenty-second year in education and my sixth year as Superintendent of the Vallecitos School District, and Principal of Vallecitos Elementary School, which serves students in grades K-8. Prior to sharing how I built a successful PLC in my current position, it is important to note that I instituted the PLC model as a principal in the Del Mar Union School District over a six year period. Although the data and story within this application will not relate to my former position, I feel it is critical to add that my staff's collaborative efforts in effective implementation of the PLC model in Del Mar resulted in our API increasing from below 900 to a 956 on a scale of 200-1000! Our fifth grade team and improved student achievement was recognized for attaining the top five math scores based upon the state exam, when compared to all other fifth graders in San Diego County.

It comes as no suprise that I chose to begin a new PLC journey after being hired in 2011 as the Superintendent and Principal of the Vallecitos School District. During this time, I have instituted the Professional Learning Community model, Response to Intervention model, and dedicated much needed time and energy to improving the overall culture of the school community. My staff and I share the responsibility of implementing our new mission and core values, while utilizing the PLC and RTI models to effectively collaborate on the key characteristics to improving student learning.

As a new superintendent, I chose to spend my first weeks meeting one on one with every staff member. My goal was to begin building relationships, and determine what each staff member saw as strengths and areas needing improvement. A common theme arose from my meetings; a lack of trust, respect and accountability among staff members and a lack of trust and discontent with the former administration. I quickly learned the school culture was suffering, and it was necessary to address those needs, prior to beginning our PLC journey. Along with issues related to school culture, the teachers had not received a pay raise in nearly 10 years, the budget was in deficit spending, and the school was in Program Improvement status due to poor test scores and lack of improvement.

In this situation, I chose to lead the staff in reading and discussing Transforming School Culture by Anthony Mohamad. Additionally, the staff and I received training from Dr. Mohamad and continued difficult, yet necessary conversations within our first six months together. From our reading, training, and disucssions, we developed a new Mission, Core Values, and Norms, in an effort to develop better relationships and improve the overall culture among all staff members.

A new school culture began to form, and by the second half of our first year together, we began our PLC journey. My first step to instituting the PLC model was to build shared knowledge with every classroom teacher and support staff. After discussing our current reality and the staff's openness to learning and growing together, I led the staff in reading Learning By Doing, and scheduled the staff to attend a PLC Summit in Phoenix by the middle of our first year together. From my experience in implementing the PLC model in two schools over the past 12 years, it is critical to require EVERY staff member to receive quality training so that all staff members have shared knowledge to understand how an effective PLC operates in order to improve student learning.

At each staff meeting throughout the school year, the staff and I spent time discussing key concepts from Learning by Doing, and we began implementing the key characteristics of a PLC. After completing the PLC Summit in Arizona, we developed a format action plan to begin the work of a PLC. During year two, we read and discussed Simplifying Response to Intervention by Mike Mattos. Similar to Learning by Doing, the staff and I discussed key concepts from every chapter of the books. We continued to evaluate our current reality, and refined our next steps for continuous improvement as a PLC. Additionally, all staff members attended a two-day RTI training by Mike Mattos, in addition to attending a second PLC summit in San Diego.

Perhaps even more important than building shared knowledge and receiving formal training, the staff and I worked interdependently and collaboratively to do the work! The following is an outline of the essential components the PLC and RTI models that Vallecitos Elementary School has implemented as of today.

A new mission, vision and core values was developed. The mission, vision and core values will be revisited for changes and improvements at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.

Collaborative vertical teams were developed and meet every other week, and one full day on three occasions each year, to analyze formative assessment data, share teaching strategies and best practices, and identify students needing more time and support with Essential Standards (Tier II intervention outside of core instruction), and students who have demonstrated mastery of essential skills and require extension or enrichment.

Staff meeting norms are in place, and every vertical team developed meetings norms, which are revised each school year.

S.M.A.R.T. goals tied to the school wide goal(s) are developed by every vertical team, and each teacher is required to share his/her goal, provide a mid-year progress report, and share celebrations related to their S.M.A.R.T. goals at the conclusion of the school year.

Each grade level developed Essential Standards in reading/language arts, and the Essential Standards are evaluated and revised for changes and improvements on an annual basis.

Each grade level developed Learning Targets tied to every Essential Standard, and the Learning Targets are evaluated and revised for changes and improvements on an annual basis.

Each grade level developed Essential Standards in mathematics, and Essential Standards are evaluated and revised for changes and improvements on an annual basis.

Each grade level developed Learning Targets tied to every Essential Standard in mathematics, and the Essential Standards are evaluated and revised for changes and improvements on an annual basis.

Each grade level developed an Instructional Timeline, which must include the following components of a PLC: the range of dates showing when the Essential Standards and Learning Targets will be taught, the agreed upon formative assessment testing dates, the date the team will meet to analyze assessment data, discuss teaching strategies, and develop a plan for Tier II intervetion and enrichment.

Each grade level has developed and are continually improving the development of formative assessments tied to the Essential Standards and Learning Targets in reading/language arts.

Each grade level is in the process of beginning to develop formative assessments in mathematics.

A schoolwide RTI plan has been established.

All grade levels have agreed upon the Tier I core instruction (guaranteed and viable curriculum) that all students have access to in reading and mathematics.

All grade levels set aside a Tier II intervention block of time in reading/language arts and in mathematics.

A Tier III Intervention Team has been established. We meet every 4-6 weeks to develop an individual Tier III intervention plan for new referrals to the team, and require teachers to bring progress monitoring data for any student who has been referred and are on a Tier III plan. The progress monitoring data is formative assessment data tied to the specific Learning Targets the student has not mastered. After studying the data, the Tier III Intervention Team determines the next Learning Targets the student needs to learn, and a new plan is established until the next Tier III meeting is held to evaluate each student's progress.

Vallecitos Elementary School has 60% English language learners, and at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, the staff and I decided to begin an ELD Task Force. The overall objective of the Task Force is to identify the current reality of student learning for all English language learners by studying assessment results from the state CELDT assessment, and develop a school wide initiative to improve student learning. The Task Force has developed two schoolwide SMART goals with specific actions steps, and the team is in the process of monitoring the data and providing feedback to the staff for continuous improvement.

At this time, as the Superintendent and Principal, it is necessary for every team to evaluate our progress and current reality. I will utilize an evaluation tool developed by Solution Tree, which includes all essential characteristics of an effective PLC team and school. After every teacher and every team completes the evaluation, we will meet to discuss the feedback, and I will use the information to develop our next steps and continuous improvement on our journey to becoming the best school we can be.

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

* Every grade level team must first identify the Essential Standards and Learning Targets for every Essential Standard, prior to developing formative assessments.

* Grade level teams meet every two weeks to analyze formative assessments tied to the Essential Standards and Learning Targets, for the purpose of sharing best practices and effective teaching strategies, identifying those students who need extra time and support, and students demonstrating mastery of the essential skills who are ready for extension or enrichment.

* For any school leader, it is critical to be involved and supportive of the collaborative teams. I require every team to submit their collaborate agenda (loose and tight leadership - required agenda set by the team, not the principal), so that I can rotate to grade levels for the purpose of learning, collaborating and sharing with the team, and sometimes to hold individuals or teams accountable to the PLC process.

* On an intermittent basis throughout the school year, teachers share celebrations directly related to monitoring student learning and successes of individual or groups of students. At the mid-year mark (January), every grade level team must prepare a formal progress monitoring report directly related to their two SMART Goals for the purpose of sharing the following: one celebration related to their goals, their current reality with data to demonstrate progress, their plan for students who are not demonstrating adequate progress, and their plan to enrich those students who have already mastered the SMART Goal.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

This has been one of the most challenging areas to learn and implement as a staff. It has also been a continuous improvement area and a recent success. In short, it is necessary and difficult to develop consensus on a new school wide schedule that requires Tier II time and support for all grade levels. We did not give up and we did it!! The following is an outline of what Vallecitos School has in place for a school wide system of interventions.

* All grade level teams must be committed to ensuring all students receive high quality Tier I Core Instruction. We identified the Essential Standards (students must know) and Learning Targets that all teachers are committed to ensuring students have access to.

* On the master schedule, all grade levels have a 30-45 minute Tier II intervention block of time for reading/language arts outside of core instruction, small group, Monday through Thursday every week of the school year.

* On the master schedule all grade levels have a 30-45 minute Tier II intervention block of time for mathematics outside of core instruction, small group, 3 to four days each week depending on the grade level.

The following is very exciting and the biggest improvement in the last 6-12 months....

We now have a Tier III Intervention team. We created a Tier III referral form (one page and simple for teachers to complete) for teachers to submit to the Tier III team. The team meets every five weeks to discuss the students referred, and develop a Tier III Action Plan, which takes place outside of Tier I Core Instruction and Tier II intervention. The student must receive Tier I and Tier II intervention, in addition to the Tier III support. We developed a Tier III Action Plan form, where the specific Learning Targets the student is lacking are identified, the progress monitoring data is tracked, and the specific intervention strategies and support that will take place over the next five weeks is in place, prior to the team meeting again to analyze the progress monitoring data, and make changes and improvements to the Tier III Action Plan for every Tier III student.

Lastly, the following are two very unique aspects of our school that we have implemented to add greater time and strength to our school wide system of interventions. I call this...."our special sauce or secret to improving student learning."

Several teachers commit to extending the school day for Tier II and Tier III students. Students meet in small groups or one on one from 3:00-4:00pm Monday through Thursday, to receive targeted intervention from a certificated classroom teacher. I applaud our teachers for taking advantage of this choice I offer as a way to provide even more time and support outside of the school day.

We now offer six weeks of summer school, Monday through Friday, from 8:15-2:00pm for every student! At the conclusion of the 2015-16 school year, roughly 65% of our students took advantage of summer school, and students are in school for 60% of their summer vacation. The focus? Tier I Core Instruction for the grade level students are entering. Small group intervention is also built into the master schedule. The summer of 2017 will be the second year we will offer summer school.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

Due to the size of our school, and having one teacher at all grade levels except kindergarten, we developed the following vertical teams: K-2, 3-5, 6-8.

The following strategies have been effective for our vertical teams:

* All teams developed meeting norms and make changes and improvements when needed. I require teams to formally revisit and evaluate team norms on an annual basis.

* All teams meet every other Thursday, and will now begin meeting three out of four Thursdays each month from 3-4pm. All vertical teams take advantage of scheduling substitutes 2-3 times a year for one full day of collaboration to discuss progress as a team, and work on specific aspects of their SMART Goal and team action steps.

* A two page PLC/RTI Action Plan is developed every school year. I lead the teachers in developing the Action Plan and our next steps as a PLC, and the staff and I come to consensus on the Plan. Most importantly, all vertical teams' collaboration agenda topics throughout the school year must directle relate to the school wide PLC/RTI Action Plan. I compliment our collaborative teams in this regard. I review every agenda and participate in collaboration every Thursday, and all agendas are set to collaborate on the right things....the key characteristics of a PLC that will improve student learning.

* I keep a Google folder of all team agendas. If I shared those agendas, one would see the focus of our school and vertical teams. Collaborative team topics include but are not limited to: revising Essential Standards and developing Learning Targets tied to the essentials, creating SMART Goals, building common formative assessments, analyzing formative and summative assessment data, sharing teaching strategies when discussing data, and identifying students and revising flexible groups for Tier II intervention outside of core instruction. As a leader, I must maintain high expectations for teams to collaborate on the following critical questions of a PLC:

What do we expect all students to learn?

How will we know when they have learned it?

How will we respond when they don't learn?

How will we respond when they already know it?

* At staff meetings on a regular basis, I require every teacher and every team to share specific artifacts (such as revised essential standards, SMART Goal progress reports, or student goals ties to our SMART Goals) related to our progress and what we are implementing as a PLC. As a principal, this provides me with an opportunity to improve the school climate by sharing and recognizing what matters most, accountability for the PLC process and what we committed to focusing on as a school, and celebrating teachers for their hard work and dedication to the PLC process.

The following is a summary of Vallecitos Elementary School data compared to the state of California. Specific data with graphs demonstrating comparison to the county and state are included in the "Other Documentation" section of the application.

2011-12: This marks the first year the staff and I began working together as a PLC. After the completion of our first year, Vallecitos School's API rose 48 points from an 808 to an 856, with a similar schools ranking of 10, a growth target of an "A", and out of the 100 similar schools listed within our ranking, Vallecitos was number 1 on the list.

2012-13: API 863, similar schools ranking of a 10, with a growth target of an "A". The state did not list the 100 similar schools ranking.

2013-14: This was the first trial school year of the new online Smarter Balanced state assessment tied to the Common Core State Standards. There was no state data reported for any school in the state.

2014-15: This was the first year students in California took the new online Smarter Balanced assessment tied to the Common Core State Standards. The percentage of Vallecitos School English learners attaining standard nearly met, standard met or standard exceeded in reading/language arts was 65%, compared to English learners in the state attained 35%.

2014-15: Vallecitos School economically disadvantaged students attaining standard nearly met, standard met, or standard exeeded in reading/language arts was 71%, compared to economically disadvantaged students in the state attained 59%.

2015-16: The percentage of English learners attaining standard nearly met, standard met or standard exceeded in reading/language arts was 53%, compared to English learners in the state attained 38%.

2015-16: Vallecitos economically disadvantaged students attaining standard nearly met, standard met, or standard exeeded in reading/language arts was 77% compared to economically disadvantaged students in the state attained 62%.

Over the past five years, Vallecitos Elementary School has achieved the following awards due to tremendous gains in student learning.

1. The Title I Academic Achievement Award. The following is what I wrote to the community to articulate the purpose of the award and this tremendous accomplishment:

The state of California recently announced the top Title I schools in the state of California. There are over 6,000 Title I elementary, middle and high schools in the state. Vallecitos Elementary School won the Title I Academic Achievement Award, placing our school in the top 100 schools in the state.

The award is given to schools that demonstrated the greatest gains in student achievement over a two year period. Between 2011 and 2013, our students rose from a historical 50% of students proficient in reading and mathematics to nearly 70% of students demonstrating proficiency in reading and mathematics.

Our school's Academic Performance Indicator rose an incredible 55 points, from an 808 to an 863 during this two year period.

2. I received the 2014 San Diego County small school district Superintendent/Princpal of the year award.

3. I was invited by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to present on school leadership and our methodolgy to improve student learning. The Foundation researched student achievement data and schools/districts showing exemplary gains in student learning. Vallecitos Elementary School was one of ten schools in California selected by the Gate's Foundation.

4. I was invited by the San Diego County Achievement Gap Task Force to present the Professional Learning Community Model, and what I have done as a leader to produce such great gains in student learning. AGTF is designed for school leaders, and there were roughly 400 superintendents, assistant principals, principals, and directors at the conference. I spoke at a break-out session with roughly 75 people attending. It was very rewarding to communicate our accomplishments and the key aspects of the PLC and RTI model.

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I am currently completing my twenty-second year in education and my sixth year as Superintendent of the Vallecitos School District, and Principal of Vallecitos Elementary School, which serves students in grades K-8.

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Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals: The PLC Foundation

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Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals: The PLC Foundation

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Samuel Ritchie is a consultant with 35 years of experience as a practitioner. For most of those years, he was the director of technology at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois.

I know many of you reading this may not have an interest in the Chicago Bears and the hiring of their new coach Marc Trestman, but as I was reading an article this morning, I was struck by his description of being a head coach. He said, "I get to be the GPS system of the team. Every day our team will know where we are, where we're going, and how we're going to get there. That's the way to do it, one day at a time, so they can focus on doing one thing, and that's winning the day." I don't know if Coach Trestman will be successful, but I like his approach. His statement brought to mind the importance of having a collaboratively developed mission, vision, values, and goals (MVVGs) to guide districts and schools on the school improvement journey.

In the foundational books Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM and Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM, the authors identify and define the four building blocks of a PLC. These building blocks (MVVGs) define the purpose, destination, behaviors, and checkpoints on the journey. In chapters five and six of Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at WorkTM Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker provide not only the research base for why, but also the process for how a district or school embarks on establishing its MVVGs.

What is the impact of having collaboratively developed MVVGs that are implemented with fidelity? Recently I had the pleasure of returning to a district I had previously assisted in developing the MVVGs. The district had implemented its MVVGs with fidelity and had celebrated successes both as a district and as individual schools over five years. The district was ready to establish its MVVGs for the next five years to guide its continued growth as an educational community and to raise the level of learning for all students. The district solicited volunteers from the school community and community at large. Forty-two people, representing all stakeholder groups, of over 70 volunteers were selected to participate in the process.

At the first meeting, committee members were asked to share why they wanted to be members of the district MVVGs committee. A typical response was, "I wanted to be part of this committee because I know the tremendous impact the last document (MVVGs) had on moving the district forward-creating a supportive collaborative culture and raising the level of student learning-and I wanted to be part of creating the new document (MVVGs) that will set the direction and have the same impact for the next five years." The responses of all 42 committee members included these sentiments. I believe it is important to point out that only 3 of the 42 were members of the previous committee. Without exception, community members, parents, support staff, teachers, administrators, and board members understood the impact and value of having collaboratively developed MVVGs that are implemented with fidelity.

Does your district or school have a MVVGs document? Does it know what it wants to look like in five years? Can administrators, teachers, parents, board members, and others articulate how the district or school will be different in five years? If the answer is no, then how will you get there? How will you know which initiative to adopt and which to skip? What is the GPS system for the district or school?

If MVVGs are the GPS system for your district or school, then every day the school community will know where they are, where they're going, and how they're going to get there. That's the way to do it so staff can focus on doing one thing-and that's working collaboratively to enhance student learning today.

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Samuel Ritchie is a consultant with 35 years of experience as a practitioner. For most of those years, he was the director of technology at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois.

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reproducible from Learning By Doing

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Learn how to create a vision statement using this guide by Tim Brown.

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Guiding Questions for determining how to build PLC teams? 

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Guiding Questions for determining how to build PLC teams? 

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Resources from Learning by Doing

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www.allthingsplc.info

https://www.solutiontree.com

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There are different types of collaborative teams. Learn about the importance of collaborating to improve learning in every classroom.

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Solution Tree: Collaborative Teams in PLCs

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Visit us at http://www.solution-tree.com This clip from the training video details different team structures in a PLC. Educators talk about the importance of collaboration for improving instruction in every classroom.

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Watch an elementary school PLC in action!

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Seven Hills Elementary School PLC Meeting

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View a 4th Grade Professional Learning Community Meeting at Seven Hills Elementary School in Justin, TX

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Solution Tree: Rick DuFour on the Importance of PLCs

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Solution Tree: Rick DuFour on the Importance of PLCs

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Solution Tree: Rick DuFour on the Importance of PLCs

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What is a Professional Learning Community by Richard DuFour

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What is a Professional Learning Community by Richard DuFour

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Watch an elementary school PLC in action!

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PLC in Action:   Seven Springs Elementary

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Middle School PLC example.

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What is a PLC Collaboration Meeting Like at TRMS? (Full 12-minute Version) 2017-2018

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The teachers meet at least once a week to answer the four PLC (Professional Learning Communities) questions: 1. What do we expect our students to learn? 2. How will we know they are learning? 3. How will we respond when they don't learn? 4. How will we respond if they already know it?

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High School PLC!

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Unpacking Standards in the High School PLC

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This video of teachers in a High School PLC unpacking the 9th grade English Language Arts standards for writing, was produced as part of a partnership between NJIT and the NJDOE to provide support for NJ educators. For more information, please visit http://www.online-plc.org.

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Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in Bethel School District

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Teachers from Liberty Middle School talk about the impact Professional Learning Communities have on their instruction.

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What not to do. . .

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4 Distinct Schools that have a clear purpose through the PLC process.

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What knowledge and skills should every student know and be able to do?

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How will we know when students have learned the desired knowledge and skills?

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Anthony Mohammed on Key Principles of Professional Learning Communities essential to closing the achievement gap.
1. Guaranteed Learning Outcomes
2. Working together in a    Collaborative Culture
3. A Focus on Outcomes

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Most important principles of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) - dr. Anthony Muhammad

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How will we respond when some students do not learn?

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What will we do when students already "get" the learning?

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Where should we start?

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Systematic interventions versus an educational lottery.

SPEED Intervention Goals (pg. 100 2nd edition)

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Solution Tree: The Power of PLCs at Work

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Solution Tree: The Power of PLCs at Work

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Solution Tree: The Power of PLCs at Work

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Visit us at http://www.solution-tree.com The clip from this video set introduces the concepts and practices of professional learning communities. Hear practitioners say why PLC is not just a trendy initiative or program but a way of doing things.

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Richard DuFour, EdD, was a public school educator for 34 years. A prolific author and sought-after consultant, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the PLC at Work™ process.

We received a question about goals from someone who wanted to know if district goals had to be established before school goals could be created, and if school goals were necessary before team goals could be developed. He also asked how to establish a goal that would address all teams if achievement at different grade levels or departments were very different. Here is our response:

There is nothing sacred about the sequence of the goals. In fact, we have worked in many districts where there were no district goals, and so schools were left to their own devices in establishing goals. On the other hand, if a district establishes a goal, there is no chance it will be achieved if the schools reject it and head off in pursuit of their own goals. Similarly, a school will not achieve its goals if teams are free to ignore it. Once a goal is established, the people who are crucial to achieving it must adopt it as part of their own goals.

I think the best goals at the district and school levels are broad. For example, the district goal could be "We will raise the bar and close the achievement gap in all of our schools." Elementary school goals should typically focus on math and literacy because those areas should be priorities at every grade level. On the other hand, if middle and high schools limit goals to math and literacy, teaches of other courses may feel they are not responsible for contributing. So we encourage those levels to include goals that are more encompassing, reduce the failure rate or increase the percentage of students who earn credit in the most rigorous curriculum.

An elementary school goal that says "We will increase the percentage of students who meet proficiency standards in reading on the district assessment or state assessment" is a goal that every grade level can address. If third grade had 84 percent proficient and first grade had 68 percent proficient, both know that their goal must be 84+ percent and 68+ percent. If the school establishes a more specific goal such as "We want to increase the overall percentage of students demonstrating proficiency to 80 percent," third grade doesn't have to improve and could even decline and still meet the goal. If a middle school says "We want to decrease the percentage of Fs," a Physical Education team that had 4 percent Fs can contribute, but so can an Algebra team that had a 18 percent failure rate. If a high school says "We want more students demonstrating proficiency in our most rigorous curriculum," the Spanish team can develop steps to encourage more students to pursue upper-level Spanish classes while the U.S. History team can create a plan to increase enrollment in AP U.S. History. The school and district goals can be general enough that every team can establish and contribute to more specific team goals.

I would not have teams pick and choose among goals because then the school does not have a coordinated effort. If I couldn't have every team in an elementary school focus on both language arts and math, I would rather have the entire elementary school focus on math or language arts than have some teams focus on math and others on language arts. Similarly, I would want all teams to contribute to reducing the failure rate than some focus on that while others pursue different goals. There is power in collective learning.

Finally, two more cautions. Avoid esoteric goals that are impossible to measure such as "We want our students to be lifelong learners." A goal is not a goal until you can establish the indicators you will track to measure progress. The pursuit of goals should provide us with the evidence we need to monitor, adjust, and improve our practice. Finally, avoid such narrow goals that you can accomplish the goal, but students actually learn less. A team that says "Our goal is to improve student achievement in capitalization" can achieve the goal even though student performance in language arts actually declines. A goal like that is fine as an interim goal for a specific unit, but not effective as a team goal for the year.

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Richard DuFour, EdD, was a public school educator for 34 years. A prolific author and sought-after consultant, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the PLC at Work™ process.

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Richard DuFour, EdD, was a public school educator for 34 years. A prolific author and sought-after consultant, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the PLC at Work™ process.

We recently received a question about SMART goals. The author wanted to know where he could find information about the required specificity and realistic nature of SMART goals. He asked, "Is the following a realistic goal? 100% of students will master 100% of the said material."

Here is our response:

If you look under Tools & Resources, you will find a template for writing SMART goals and examples from elementary, middle, and high schools.

It is impossible to answer your specific question because it does not include an essential element of a SMART goal-the current reality. For example, if this is a team goal, and last year 95% of the students demonstrated proficiency on essential outcomes as measured through state or local assessments created by the district or team, 100% would seem to be attainable (the "A" in SMART). If 50% of the students demonstrated proficiency, 100% is certainly unattainable unless angels have descended on the school and blessed the incoming class with extraordinary ability and the educators with deep insights into best pedagogical practices.

The "R" in SMART goal does not stand for realistic, but for results oriented. The goal should require improved results (higher levels of student achievement) from the preceding year. We looked at two questions when addressing the "R" in our school. First, does the goal call upon more students to learn at higher levels than the class we taught last year? For example, if last year 94% of the students in our algebra classes earned a C or higher at the end of the year, does the new goal move beyond 94%?

Second, in sequential courses, we also looked at the performance of the incoming students in the previous year. For example, if 90% of students who completed French I demonstrated proficiency at the end of the year, that was a factor in setting the goal for French II. We didn't want teams to go backward.

You don't mention your grade level, but considering the entering cohort is particularly important in elementary schools. A team could say, last year 85% of our students met or exceeded proficiency standards on the fourth-grade state assessment, so this year we want to go to 90%. This goal meets the first test. But if 95% of this year's fourth graders were proficient on the test in third grade, a fourth-grade goal of 90% means the team is shooting to have fewer students exiting fourth grade as proficient compared to when they entered fourth grade. Thus, it doesn't pass the second test.

In our school, each team was able to set its own goal as long as the goal indicated better results in both of these areas: last year's group taught by our team and last year's performance of the entering cohort. We didn't quibble about how much improvement. If the team said we want to go from 90% last year to 91% this year, we were fine with that. We were not fine with any goal that went backward because it was inconsistent with our commitment to continuous improvement.

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Richard DuFour, EdD, was a public school educator for 34 years. A prolific author and sought-after consultant, he is recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping school practitioners implement the PLC at Work™ process. We recently received a question about SMART goals.

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Doug Reeves (2002) offers a three part questions that are helpful in considering the significance of a particular standard.
In TUSD, the Units of Study have Priority Standards listed.
1. Does it have endurance? Do we really expect our students to retain the knowledge and skills over time as opposed to merely learning it for a test?
2. Does it have leverage? will proficiency in this standard help the student in other areas of the curriculum and other academic disciplines?
3. Does it develop student readiness for the next level of learning? Is it essential for success in the next unit, course, or grade level?
Also consider this one;
4. What content do we currently teach that we can eliminate from the curriculum because it is not essential.
DuFour, R. (2010) Learning by Doing

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Why should we Implement Systematic Interventions? 

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Why should we Implement Systematic Interventions? 

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Options for Scheduling Teacher Collaboration Time

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Options for Scheduling Teacher Collaboration Time

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Guidelines for Unpacking and Analyzing a Standard

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Guidelines for Unpacking and Analyzing a Standard

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How are we doing with systematic intervention?

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Solution Tree: Online Course - "Pyramid Response to Intervention"

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Solution Tree: Online Course - "Pyramid Response to Intervention"

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Solution Tree: Online Course - "Pyramid Response to Intervention"

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http://www.solution-tree.com/online-courses/pyramid-response-to-intervention-online-course.html?from=youtubedesc In this course, expert presenters Austin Buffum, Mike Mattos, and Chris Weber share their experience implementing PRTI. They take participants through the critical stages of establishing professional learning communities (PLCs) within schools and districts, using universal screening tools to ascertain students' learning needs, and devising interventions for students at three tiers.

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Page 1 incorporates some guiding questions to help you start your PLC planning work.

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Page 2 incorporates some guiding questions

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Teaching Cycle Planning  worksheet to map out a priority standard.

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Teaching Cycle Planning  worksheet to map out a priority standard.

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Mark Weichel's blog that supports answering question 4 and enriching learning for ALL students.

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One of the first pieces of common vocabulary educators acquire when learning about Professional Learning Communities are the four critical questions. These questions serve as both a big picture framework and a constant reminder of what collaborative teams in a PLC should address.
The Four Critical Questions:

1. What is it we expect students to learn?

2. How will we know students have learned it?

3. What do we do when students don't learn it?

4. What do we do when students already know it?

Many professionals and teams with whom I have worked are clear, or at least somewhat clear, on what is expected of them with regard to the first three questions. While implementation can be challenging and educators may encounter obstacles, most teams understand the idea of engaging in a collaborative process. Conversations continually cycle as they discuss topics such as a guaranteed and viable curriculum, the development, implementation, and analysis of common formative assessments, and strategies for students who struggle. However, I have found that not all teams clearly understand or spend time on the fourth question.

At a recent Professional Learning Community Institute, I asked a number of experienced participants what they do to address "critical question four." Most answered that the fourth question is not a common part of their PLCs for a variety of reasons, which included time, priorities, and know-how.
The following are some of the details they shared in explaining why question four is often left for "another day." Time
Teams have limited amounts of time for PLCs. Even when teams are given forty-five minutes to an hour during the regular school day, the time can go very quickly. Elementary teachers said they typically have time to discuss the full cycle of critical questions one through three but only briefly talk about question four. If there is time left in a meeting, they said, they are more likely to discuss another subject than to devote time to question four.
Priorities
Closely linked to time, they also raised concerns about priorities. The critical questions can be thought of as a continuum with each question relying on the question before. It is difficult to address question two without question one, question three without question two, and so on. For teams just beginning the process, question four is the last one to be addressed. Participants said they generally don't have as much practice with question four because they often move on to the next unit of study before they have made their way down the continuum. And when teams set priorities, concerns about students who already have mastered concepts such as reading and addition often don't rise to the top of the list.
Know-how
Participants said they don't always know what to do for students who "already know it." One participant said she knows many resources exist online, but she is unsure how to access them or find time to make sure they are high quality. Another said students who already know the content can go work on whatever they choose. They don't require much direction.

With time, priorities, and know-how as obstacles to fully implementing critical question four, I can see how this area of a PLC can be a challenge. I contend that a thoughtful and intentional consideration of question four is a valuable and worthy exercise to help support teaching and learning in schools and classrooms. To bolster this conclusion, I offer some highlights from a larger list of recommendations that my colleagues, Michelle Patterson and Blane McCann, and I developed while working with a group of teachers in our district, the Westside Community Schools in Omaha, Nebraska.
Here are four things to try:
1. Know your students: A great deal of potential for personalizing learning lies in being intentional about getting to know the students in your classrooms. Bray and McClaskey (2015) offer a simple and easy-to-use template for learning about how students prefer to access, engage in, and express their learning. I have seen wonderful, well-designed student learning activities come about because of thoughtful conversations between students and teachers. Developing strategies to learn about students is only one part of the battle. The next is to make sure this important information isn't put in the back of a filing cabinet a few weeks into the school year. I have seen expert teachers utilize reminder strategies, such as creating an easy-to-view daily poster of every student's strengths as a way to keep such valuable information close at hand.

2. Make question four a part of your routine: As a PLC team, make sure that the documentation you use for your own team and/or submit to administrators at your school includes question four. Keep track of the dates and types of conversations that take place in this area to ensure that it is not forgotten or glossed over.

3. Use your resources: Ask colleagues both within and outside of your district for resources that can help make your job easier when it comes to question four. In the district where I work, our Excellence in Youth department created a website full of amazing resources. It's just one example of the many that you could use with your team.

4. Think about question four in a different light: By far the most challenging recommendation I can make is to urge you to begin thinking differently about critical question four. The types of extension, engagement, and learning that takes place "when a student already knows it" is good for all students. Strategies such as Schoolwide Enrichment and Genius Hour are great systems that illustrate this point. What might your classroom look like if you thought about question four this way: How do I extend learning for all students in my classroom?

There are many practical reasons why teams work through critical questions one through three and pay a small amount of attention to question four. But during my time in the Westside schools, I have seen the power of systems in which collaborative teams intentionally plan for student voice and choice in their own learning. I urge your schools and teams to reserve time for conversations about enrichment and engagement for students who "already know it" as well as for all students.

I would be happy to field questions and learn more about the "question four" strategies that have worked in your PLC teams.

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Four Ways to Stop Ignoring the Forgotten Fourth Critical Question of a PLC

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One of the first pieces of common vocabulary educators acquire when learning about Professional Learning Communities are the four critical questions. These questions serve as both a big picture framework and a constant reminder of what collaborative teams in a PLC should address. The Four Critical Questions: What is it we expect students to learn?

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A Collaborative Focus on Student Learning

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Professional Learning Communities: A Focus on Student Learning

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Using Common Formative Assessments to Help Teachers Reflect on Their Practice