Professional Development
Becoming a Professional Learning Community (PLC)
The Big Picture: Learning the essential characteristics and actions of becoming a professional learning community.
Critical Question 1: What do we expect all students to know and be able to do?
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Developing a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum: Providing a Schoolwide Focus to Improve Results
Critical Question 2: How will we know students have learned it?
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Uncovering the Linchpin of the PLC Process: The Why and How of Developing Common Formative Assessments
Developing a Schoolwide System of Interventions (RTI/MTSS)
The Big Picture: Learning the essential characteristics and actions of developing the three tiers in the RTI/MTSS process.
Critical Question 3: How will we respond when students don’t learn?
Critical Question 4: How will we respond when they already know it?
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Learning a clear process to develop and progress monitor tier 2 intervention.
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Learning a clear process to develop and progress monitor tier 3 intervention.
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Developing a schoolwide intervention team to support and monitor the RTI/MTSS process.
Developing District and Site Leadership to Improve Student Achievement
The Big Picture: How District Office Leaders and Principals Lead a Professional Learning Community to Improve Districtwide Results.
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Developing and effectively utilizing a leadership team/guiding coalition to support and monitor the school improvement process.
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Evaluating schoolwide processes and creating a clear, actionable PLC Action Plan.
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Enhancing knowledge and skills as a site leader to improve student achievement.
Enhancing Classroom Teaching Practices
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Improving the quality of tier 1 core instruction with research-based teaching pedagogy.
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Learning effective classroom management strategies.
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Learning strategies to actively engage students in learning.
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Developing a process for students to set goals, monitor, and assume responsibility for their own learning.
Topics
Sessions
Hover over boxes for learning outcomes.
How to Respond When Students Don't Learn:
Developing a Schoolwide System of Interventions
at the Elementary Level.
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand the key components of RTI that is research based and a proven structure to improve student learning.
• Learn examples of how to schedule intervention blocks and utilize practical templates, organizers and resources to effectively lead and implement RTI.
• Learn how to identify students, utilize schoolwide and collaborative teams to respond, and take action with data to ensure students receive the time and support needed to improve learning for ALL students.
When schools focus on the four critical questions of a PLC, the third question, 'What do we do when students don’t learn?' is often difficult to answer and critical to ensuring high levels of learning for ALL students.
Participants will learn the building blocks of Response to Intervention (RTI) and tips for implementation at the elementary level.
Developing a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum:
Providing a Schoolwide Focus to Improve Results
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand the research and importance of the Tier 1 Core Instruction or Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum.
• Understand the difference and importance of Essential Standards and Learning Targets.
• Learn how to develop and implement a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum.
What does a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum mean? What can collaborative teams and school leaders do to provide greater focus and clarity to what all students must know and be able to do?
Participants will learn how to lead your school teams in developing Essential Standards and Learning Targets to teach less, learn more, and improve your school’s performance.
Leadership Matters!
How District Office Leaders and Principals
Lead a Professional Learning Community to
Improve Districtwide Results.
Learning Outcomes:
• Develop and lead collaborative teams at the district and site level.
• Understand what must be tight across the district, and a process for effective implementation within each school.
• Provide clear and effective direction, support and accountability.
How do district office leaders and school principals develop and implement a professional learning community? How can we provide district and site leadership direction, while allowing for autonomy and working collaboratively with teachers?
This session addresses the leadership and collaboration necessary to develop a high-performing PLC in each school. Participants learn how the district office, site principals, teachers, and support staff work interdependently and collaboratively to improve school performance.
Uncovering the Linchpin of the PLC Process:
The Why and How of
Developing Common Formative Assessments
Learning Outcomes:
• Learn the why and how of developing common formative assessments.
• Differentiate common formative assessments and summative assessments.
• Explore the use of common formative assessments as a powerful tool for school improvement.
Effectively utilizing team-developed common formative assessments is what researchers refer to as the linchpin of the PLC process.
David Jones demonstrates how schools can use these assessments to tighten up collaborative team processes and ensure that results are used to drive team decisions and tier 2 intervention.
The Bread and Butter of High-
Functioning Collaborative Teams:
Learning Essential Characteristics of the
Why and How
Learning Outcomes:
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Understand the key characteristics of a high-functioning team within a PLC.
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Reflect on their current reality and identify critical implementation steps for their school to get off to a good start.
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Develop “loose and tight” leadership to promote clarity, team collaboration, teacher autonomy, and staff buy-in of the team learning process.
What are the essential characteristics of developing a professional learning community in your school? What matters most when developing a collaborative culture and a focus on student learning? Participants in this session learn the key characteristics of a high-functioning collaborative team.
David Jones discusses critical aspects of collaborative teams and the subsequent steps to improve student achievement.
