Effective PLC Process

OFI - Opportunity For Improvement

-At Prairie Ridge Middle School our student population, based on Iowa
Assessments, continues to have a 90% proficient rate in core subjects and a
continual 10% of students not proficient. Not identifying these students in PLC
process. Focusing just on the Math department:
Years 6th/7th Grade Proficient (Math)

2015 91.8%

2016 89.8%

2017 91%
OFI - Opportunity For Improvement
- 10% of our students population not
being proficient
- Implementing a process “4
fundamental questions” for a
successful PLC.
- What do we want students to learn?
- How will we know if they have learned?
- How will we respond if students do not
learn?
- How will we respond if student already
know it?
Current Reality/Practice/Process

- Departments meet twice a week as a PLC for 45 minutes in team rooms

- One of the weekly meetings instructional coach attends

- One of the weekly meetings Principal are scheduled to attend

- Fill out a running weekly agenda includes both items and notes
- PLC hands outs are given at the beginning of the year along with a poster
hanging in the team rooms
Determine Effectiveness of Current
Math PLC’s
-Results based on asking each math teacher individually:

- Asking: What are the four fundamental questions in the PLC process

- Asking: In the last 2 weeks have you implemented this process

- Asking: In the last month have you implemented this process

-Following results indicate process in place for unit planning (what we want
students to learn)
Determine Effectiveness of Current
Math PLC’s 7th Grade 2 Weeks Month

Teacher 1 Identified 4 Once in the last Only get to

questions 2 weeks got to step/question 1
question 1

Step 2-4: No Step 2-4: No

Teacher 2 Identified 4 Yes to question Yes often

questions one and created discuss what
CFA student should
know in a lesson

Step 3-4: No Step 3-4: No

Teacher 3 Did not identify 4 Yes discuss Yes discuss

questions what students what students
should know should know
Step 2-4: No Step 2-4: No
Determine Effectiveness of Current
Math PLC’s 6th Grade 2 Weeks Month

Teacher 1 Identified 4 We determine We determine

questions weekly learning weekly learning
targets and CFA’s targets and CFA’s
and discuss results

Step 3-4: No Step 3-4: No

Teacher 2 Identified 4 Discussed unit plans Talk about CFA

questions and CFA results

Step 3-4: No Step 3-4: No

Teacher 3 (Me) Identified 4 Identified standards Once this year have

questions and what students brought highlights
should learn data results

Step 3-4: No Step 3-4: No

Archetype Success To The Successful

90% Students Implementation of lessons,

Proficient individual teacher
instructional strategies

Unit Planning and PLC

process Question 1 and 2

10% Not Implementation of lessons,

Proficient individual teacher
instructional strategies
Learning Disability
● I am My Position: 90% of my my math students are proficient and it is working
for them, my instructional practices are working for the majority

● The fixation of events: At the beginning or the end of the school year looking
at building data. Seeing 90% of math students are proficient, that is a high
number we are doing good enough.
 Causes/Data
Iowa Assessment PRMS
- Both Math
Year Percent Proficient
PLC’s have
identified not 2015 91.8%
getting to Step
3 and 4. The 2016 89.8%
PLC’s are not
determining 2017 91%
when students
have not
mastered a skill
and discussing FAST Data
instructional
practices / 2017 6th Grade - 81% 7th Grade - 53%
strategies.
Do
● Revisit building vision/motto as a PLC determine what is means to us:
#AllmeansAll
● Clearly defined PLC agenda, determining a day of the week to discuss CFA
data and instructional strategies.
○ Reviewing/Utilizing: 7 Strategies of Assessment for Learning (Jan Chappuis)
○ Implementation of Data Protocol System: Got Data, Now What
○ Instructional Coaches leading Data Protocol System
● Starting with the beginning of 2nd semester, determining which of the 2 PLC
days will be the teams data day. Using a teams CFA to bring data back and
have instructional strategy conversations.
Study
● In implementing a Data Protocol System PLC’s will be able to determine
students who did not learn the material yet. Moving the conversation into what
instructional strategies have been implemented or not tried yet.
● Gathering qualitative data, by interviewing math teachers individual around the
4 Fundamental PLC questions
● Gathering and tallying pre agenda and post agenda data of they number of
times PLC discussed data and questions 3 / 4 or the PLC process
Act
● With successful implementation, will be able to implement this throughout
building department PLC’s.
○ Math department sharing success in student achievement and process
○ Utilizing Wednesday morning PD
■ Reviewing Chappuis and Book Study of Got Data, Now What
○ Instructional Coach PLC+ day’s