Webster City Community schools Professional Learning Communities

1. Webster City Community schoolsProfessional Learning Communities A Framework to Focus on Student Learning

2. Who Are We??Our Demographics • Comprehensive PreK – 12 District including 4 year old preschool • Enrollment – 1,745 students • Low Socio Economics – 51% (Free-46%, Reduced-5%) • English Language Learners – 4% • Special Education – 12% • Race/Ethnicity • Hispanic – 10% • Asian – 4% • White – 82% • Bi-Racial – 4%

3. What Structure Supports Systematic Change and Collective Capacity? Professional Learning Communities Educators must stop working in isolation and hoarding their ideas, materials, and strategies and begin to work together to meet the needs of all students –(DuFour, 2004)

4. “…if we want to change what we are, we must begin to change what we do…” (Allen Wheeler) • Why did we start? • How did we start? • How do we support PLCs? • Professional Development • Financial Support

5. Benefits and Challenges of PLCs • All in Mentality • Silos • Leadership +/- • Professionalism/Culture of Learning • Focus on Results • Scheduling • Resistance to Change • From Isolation to Collaboration

6. What are the “Big Ideas” of a Professional Learning Community? • Ensuring that Students Learn • A Culture of Collaboration • A Focus on Results

7. Ensuring that Students Learn What will drive the work of the PLCs? • What do we want the student to learn? • Common Core Standards • Learning Targets (Cassandra Erkens) • How will we know when each student has learned it? • Formative/Summative Assessments • Exit Slips • Teacher/Student Conferencing • Data Analysis is timely and quickly identifies students who need additional time and support • What do we do when the students already know it? • Stretch Learning • How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? • Intervention Block is based on intervention rather than remediation at elementary and middle school levels • Pyramid of Intervention – systematic plan that requires students to devote extra time before, during, and after school to receive extra help to master the necessary concepts

8. A Culture of Collaboration Teacher collaboration represents “best practices” but in many schools teachers work in isolation….why? Are we removing barriers to success? YES • Freshman Team • Co-Teaching • Common Assessments

9. A Culture of Collaboration • Formed Hamilton-Wright County Curriculum Collaboration – 5 districts • Developed New Grading Policy • Grade Alike Buildings • Early Childhood Center

10. A Focus on Results PLCs focus measure effectiveness by results… (Formative Assessment “for” and “of” Learning and Summative Assessment – Cassandra Erkens) • Goal attainment through measured progress: • Increase number of proficient 8th grade students in science by 9.1% • Reduce failure rate by 8% • Graduation Rate – 93% • Above state average on ACT for third consecutive year

11. A Focus on Results • WCCSD Graduates were recognized for being in the top 10% taking the largest share of difficult classes as college freshmen and scored the highest grades for those classes.

12. A Focus on Results The rise or fall of any PLC depends not on the merit of the concept but the commitment and persistence of the educators. “…if we want to change what we are, we must begin to change what we do…” (Allen Wheeler)

13. Questions and Answers Time for Discussion