There are eight essential components (strands) emphasized throughout the work of establishing a professional learning community. The support given through the Missouri State PLC Project is designed to help schools achieve deeper levels of implementation in the areas most related to increased student achievement. Below are listed the eight essential strands of the PLC curriculum, along with a link to indicators of proficiency for each strand.
Strand #1 - Foundation for Learning Community Culture - In order to develop an effective professional learning community, there are key foundational components which must be established within a school. To create common understanding of the direction of the school, a mission statement should be developed which identifies the purpose of the school. Aligned to the mission would be the development of a vision, which paints a picture of what is desired for the school three to five years in the future. Collective Commitments are another key component of an effective PLC. They identify what staff members agree to do in order to make their vision a reality. And lastly, driving the work of a professional learning community is the overriding belief that ALL kids can learn.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #1Strand #2 - How Effective Building-Level Leadership Teams Work - Shared leadership is the second key component of an effective professional learning community. Leadership teams model appropriate meeting strategies, provides support for collaborative teams, and monitor the progress of collaborative teams.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #2Strand #3 - Administrative Leadership - One of the most important factors in building an effective professional learning community is the building principal. Administrative leadership is vital in modeling the importance of professional learning, leading the change process in a school, providing teachers with the support and resources needed to do the work, and establishing accountability measures which keep the implementation progress moving forward.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #3Strand #4 - How Effective Teams Work - Core to building an effective professional learning community is the establishment of strong collaborative teams. Teachers must learn to work well together as they look at student work and data to answer the four corollary questions (1. What we want students to learn, 2. How do we know when they have learned it, 3.What do we do when students have not learned it, and 4. What do we do when students have learned.)
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #4Strand #5 - What Students Need to Know and Do - This component answers the first corollary question (what do we want students to learn?) through the identification of Essential Learner Outcomes, commonly referred to as Power Standards. These are collaboratively agreed upon standards which have been determined to have the highest impact upon student learning. Teachers learn to unwrap these standards to understand more completely the skills and concepts within each standard.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #5Strand #6 - Assessment - Teacher teams learn to build and use quality assessments of student work to make instructional decisions and mid-course adjustments.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #6Strand #7 - Systematic Process for Intervention/Student Success - This component addresses corollary questions number 3 and 4 (What do we do when students haven't learned, and what do we do when they have learned?) Schools learn to establish systematic processes and procedures to help students having difficulty learning, as well as systematic processes for challenging those students that have learned in a timely manner.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #7
Strand #8 - Continuous Improvement - This component of a professional learning community ensures that the cultural of learning is sustainable and continuously improves. Structures for orienting new staff members into the PLC are important, as well as implementing accountability measures to determine if the school is achieving the desired results.
Click HERE for Indicators of Proficiency for Strand #8