The Professional Learning Community Continuum- April, 2011
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1. Default Section
Choose the stage which demonstrates your understanding of our current status (April, 2011) as a Professional Learning Community.
1
. Overall PLC Development
Overall PLC Development
Pre-Initiation Stage*The school has not yet begun to address the principal PLC.
Initiation Stage*An effort has been made to address the principle, but the effort has not yet begun to impact a "critical mass."
Developing Stage*A critical mass has endorsed the principle. Members are beginning to modify their thinking and practice as they attempt to implement the principle. Structural changes are being made to align with the principle.
Sustaining Stage*The principle is deeply embedded in the school's culture. It represents a driving force in the daily work of the school. It is so internalized that it can survive changes in key personnel.
2
. Mission: Is it evident that learning for all is our core purpose?
Mission: Is it evident that learning for all is our core purpose?
Pre-Initiation Stage*No effort has been made to engage faculty in identifying what they want students to learn or how they will respond if students do not learn. School personnel view the mission of the school as teaching rather than learning.
Initiation Stage*An attempt has been made, typically by the central office, to identify learning outcomes for all grade levels or courses, but this attempt has not impacted the practice of most teachers. Responding to students who are not learning is left to the discretion of individual teachers.
Developing Stage*Teachers are clear regarding the learning outcomes their students are to achieve. They have developed strategies to assess student mastery of these outcomes, they monitor the results, and they attempt to respond to students who are not learning.
Sustaining Stage*Learning outcomes are clearly articulated to all stakeholders in the school, and each student's attainment of the outcomes is carefully monitored. The school has developed systems to provide more time and support for students experiencing initial difficulty in achieving the outcomes. The practices, programs and policies of the school are continually assessed on the basis of their impact on learning. Staff members work together to enhance their effectiveness in helping students achieve learning outcomes.
3
. Shared Vision: Do we know what we are trying to create?
Shared Vision: Do we know what we are trying to create?
Pre-Initiation Stage*No effort has been made to engaged faculty in describing preferred conditions for their school.
Initiation Stage*A vision statement has been developed for the school, but most staff are unaware of, or are unaffected by it.
Developing Stage*Staff members have worked together to describe the school they are trying to create. They have endorsed this general description and feel a sense of ownership in it. School improvement planning and staff development initiatives are tied to the shared vision.
Sustaining Stage*Staff members routinely articulate the major principles of the shared vision and use those principles to guide their day-to-day efforts and decisions. They honestly assess the current reality in their school and continually seek effective strategies for reducing the discrepancies between the conditions described in the vision statement and their current reality.
4
. Shared Values: How must we behave to advance our vision?
Shared Values: How must we behave to advance our vision?
Pre-Initiation Stage*Staff members have not yet articulated the attitudes, behaviors, or commitments they are prepared to demonstrate in order to advance the mission of learning for all and the vision of what the school might become. If they discuss school improvement, they focus on what other groups must do.
Initiation Stage*Staff members have articulated statements of beliefs or philosophy for their school; however, these value statements have not yet impacted their day-to-day work or the operation of the school.
Developing Stage*Staff members have made a conscious effort to articulate and promote the attitudes, behaviors, and commitments that will advance their vision of the school. Examples of the core values at work are shared in stories and celebrations. People are confronted when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with the core values.
Sustaining Stage*The values of the school are embedded in the school culture. These shared values are evident to new staff and to those outside of the school.They influence policies, procedures, and daily practices of the school as well as day-to-day decisions of individual staff members.
5
. Goals: What are our priorities?
Goals: What are our priorities?
Pre-Initiation Stage*No effort has been made to engage the staff in setting and defining school improvement goals related to student learning. If goals exist, they have been developed by the administration.
Initiation Stage*Staff members have participated in a process to establish goals, but the goals are typically stated as projects to be accomplished or are written so broadly that they are impossible to measure. The goals do not yet influence instructional decisions in a meaningful way.
Developing Stage*Staff members have worked together to establish long-and short-term improvement goals for their school.The goals are clearly communicated. Assessment tools and strategies have been developed and implemented to measure progress toward the goals.
Sustaining Stage*All staff pursue measurable performance goals as part of their routine responsibilities. Goals are clearly linked to the school's shared vision. Goal attainment is celebrated and staff members demonstrate willingness to identify and pursue challenging stretch goals.
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. Collaborative Culture: Teachers Working Together
Collaborative Culture: Teachers Working Together
Pre-Initiation Stage*Teachers work in isolation. There is little awareness of what or how colleagues are teaching.
Initiation Stage*Teachers recognize a common curriculum that they are responsible for teaching, but there is little exchange of ideas regarding instructional materials, teaching strategies, or methods of assessment.
Developing Stage*Teachers function is work groups that meet periodically to complete certain tasks such as reviewing intended outcomes and coordinating calendars.
Sustaining Stage*Teachers function as a team. They work collaboratively to identify collective goals, develop strategies to achieve those goals, gather relevant data, and learn from one another. Unlike a work group, they are characterized by common goals and interdependent efforts to achieve those goals.
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. Collaborative Culture: Administrator/Teacher Relations
Collaborative Culture: Administrator/Teacher Relations
Pre-Initiation Stage*Questions of power are a continuing source of controversy and friction. Relations between teachers and administrators are often adversarial.
Initiation Stage*Efforts have been made to reduce friction by clarifying management rights and teacher rights. Both parties are protective of intrusion onto their turf.
Developing Stage*Administrators solicit and value teacher input as improvement initiatives are developed and considered, but administrators are regarded as having primary responsibility for school improvement.
Sustaining Stage*Staff are fully involved in the decision-making processes of the school. Administrators pose questions, delegate authority, create collaborative decision-making processes, and provide staff with the information, training, and parameters they need to make good decisions. School improvement is viewed as a collective responsibility.
8
. Parent Partnerships
Parent Partnerships
Pre-Initiation Stage*There is little or no effort made to cultivate a partnership with parents. Parents are either ignored or viewed as adversaries.
Initiation Stage*An effort is made to keep parents informed of events and situations at school in order to secure parental support for the school's efforts.
Developing Stage*Structures and processes for two-way communications with parents are developed. The parental perspective is solicited on both school-wide issues and matters related directly to their own children.
Sustaining Stage*The school-parent partnership moves beyond open communication. The school provides parents with information and materials that enable parents to assist their children in learning.Parents are welcomed in the school and there is an active volunteer program. Parents are full partners in the educational decisions that affect their children. Community resources are used to strengthen the school and student learning.
9
. Action Reasearch
Action Reasearch
Pre-Initiation Stage*While individual teachers may try experiments in their own classrooms, no structures to support, assess, or share their findings are in place. Many staff members have no knowledge of or involvement in action research.
Initiation Stage*Some staff members participate in pilot action projects. The sharing of findings is largely informal.
Developing Stage*Staff members have been trained in action research methods and conduct action research to improve their professional practice. Findings generated by this research are beginning to influence classroom practices.
Sustaining Stage*Topics for action research arise from the shared vision and goals of the school. Staff members regard action research as an important component of their professional responsibilities. There are frequent discussions regarding the implications of findings as teachers attempt to learn from the research of their colleagues.
10
. Continuous Improvement
Continuous Improvement
Pre-Initiation Stage*Little attention is devoted to creating systems that enable either the school or individual teachers to track improvement. The school would have a difficult time answering the question, "Are we becoming more effective in achieving our shared vision?"
Initiation Stage*A few people in the school are tracking general indicators of achievement, such as mean scores on state and national tests. Positive trends are celebrated. Negative trends are dismissed or suppressed.
Developing Stage*Individual teachers and teaching teams gather information that enables them to identify and monitor individual and team goals.
Sustaining Stage*Everyone in the school participates in an ongoing cycle of systematic gathering and analysis of data to identify discrepancies between actual and desired results, goal setting to reduce the discrepancies, developing strategies to achieve the goals, and tracking improvement indicators.
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. Focus on Results
Focus on Results
Pre-Initiation Stage*The results the school seeks for each student have not been identified.
Initiation Stage*Results have been identified, but are stated in such broad and esoteric terms that they are impossible to measure. Improvement initiatives focus on inputs-projects or tasks to be completed-rather than on student achievements.
Developing Stage*Desired results have been identified in terms of student outcomes and student achievement indicators have been identified. Data are being collected and monitored within the school or district. Results of the analysis are shared with teachers.
Sustaining Stage*Teams of teachers are hungry for information on results. Teachers themselves gather relevant data and use these data to identify improvement goals and to monitor progress toward goals.
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