PLC Guidance Document2

O ce of K-12 Outreach DRAFT: February 9, 2018College of Education FLINT COMMUNITY SCHOOLS EXPECT MORE. ACHIEVE MORE.PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY GUIDANCE DOCUMENTDeveloped to support the work of Professional Learning Communities in Flint Community Schools MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION — OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this Guidance Document is to support the consistent and coherent practiceof professional learning communities in Flint Community Schools to improve student learningoutcomes. The district has engaged in training by Solution Tree on professional learningcommunities, and every school has received a resource box to support the implementation.The information in this Guidance Document focuses on the Solution Tree information, and theresources provided, including the book Learning By Doing by Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour,Robert Eaker, and Thomas Many (2006). These resources provide essential information to deepenand extend the work of professional learning communities. Principals and teams can utilize thebook, Learning by Doing, and the Solution Tree resources to further support their work to promotemeaningful collaboration and effective professional learning communities.In addition, the development of this work is based on an understanding that a change in practiceand school culture does not happen by the effort of one person alone. The process of developingquality teaching and learning throughout a school and a district is carried out through the work ofcommitted individuals working together to improve student learning outcomes. This work buildson the notable work of the professional learning communities currently in place in Flint CommunitySchools and recognizes the talented individuals working to continually improve their practice.It is also important to note that the development of professional learning communities is a processthat occurs over time. Through consistent effort, teams can continually sharpen their skills andincrease the meaningful learning opportunities for students. This is not seen as a one-time event,but rather a continual process of collaboration and growth as teams engage in critical inquirytoward a common goal.A key aspect of the PLC work in Flint is clear expectations, consistent implementation, andcoherent practices. The intention of this document is to provide clarity to strengthen theimplementation of effective PLCs based on current practices in the district and evidence basedresearch. 2MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

TABLE OF CONTENTS1. Purpose of the PLC work2. FCS Professional Learning Communities3. Alignment of Flint Community School District Goals4. What A. What is a PLC? B. 3 Big Ideas of a PLC C. 6 Essential Characteristics of a PLC D. What is the work of PLCs? Four Essential Questions E. A Commitment to Continuous Improvement5. Why A. Importance of PLCs B. Introduction to Cultural Shifts How: Strategies and Structures for Engaging in the Work of PLCs6. Building a Collaborative Culture A. Norms B. Roles C. Process D. Agenda E. Protocols7. Focus on Learning 8. Focus on Results A. Data Driven Dialogue B. Building Data WallsGlossaryReferences MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION — OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018PLC GUIDANCE DOCUMENTThis FCS PLC Guidance Document describes the following:• Purpose and expectations of PLCs, including how to use the time, set agendas, etc.• Provide guidance on PLC structure (including the big ideas, essential elements, and four guiding questions) and how it will be implemented in the FCS• Protocols, procedures, tools for use in PLCs and with data analysis• Common vocabulary and definitions, including a glossary of termsPURPOSE OF THE PLC WORK• Develop a coherent FCS PLC framework for continuous and sustainable school improvement.• Help FCS educators develop a shared understanding and common vocabulary of key PLC principles.• Provide a process and clear rationale for the implementation of effective PLCs to benefit students and educators.• Enable FCS educators to assess current practices in their schools and throughout the district.• Support FCS educators to take action to develop their capacity to collaborate and provide strategies to implement PLC concepts and to promote cultural shifts in the professional community.• Provide the why, what, and how of PLCs.FCS Professional Learning CommunitiesIn FCS, regular teacher collaboration meetings, at the grade level or department level, willbe called Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Following are the Flint CommunityExpectations for PLCs:• Teachers will be afforded the opportunity to participate in a minimum of two PLCs a month.• The principal (or designee) will attend the PLC meetings to facilitate the work of the teams.• The work in the PLCs will be guided by The Three Big Ideas and Four Essential Questions (DuFour et al., 2006) outlined in this document.• The purpose of the PLCs is for teachers to work collaboratively to improve student learning outcomes. 4MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 ALIGNMENT OF FLINT COMMUNITY SCHOOL GOALSFCS Theory of Action: “Our goal is to create a virtuous circle, in which a culture of support encourages learning, where teachers offer a helping hand in the service of the highest academic standards. If we focus on the development of the whole child, then all students will achieve mastery – not just of math or reading, but mastery over themselves. We need instructional practices that promote student engagement, rigorous standards- based instruction, and careful monitoring of student progress. Every student should have individual learning targets, targets that are challenging, personal objectives students can understand and internalize. These learning targets should be tightly connected to instructional practice, so that pedagogy harmonizes with content. This is our theory of action.” -- Superintendent Tawwab “To create a professional learning community, focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively, and hold yourself accountable for results.” -- Rick DuFour, 2004 5 THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 I. WHAT: An Overview of Flint Community School District Professional Learning CommunitiesWhat is a PLC?“A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is educators committed to working collaborativelyin ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for thestudents they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning forstudents is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators” (Solution Tree).The success of the PLC concept depends not on the merits of the concept itself, but on the mostimportant element in the improvement of any school – the commitment and persistence of theeducators within it. –Richard DuFour3 Big Ideas of a PLCThe Three Big Ideas of a PLC are outlined by DuFour et al., (2006). Below is a summary of each ofthe Three Big Ideas. These Three Big Ideas constitute the focus and fundamental work of a PLC.1. Building a Collaborative Culture o The team is the vehicle to drive the PLC work in a school. The group of individuals work interdependently to achieve a common goal with a focus on learning for all. Collaborative teams are fundamental to the improvement process. However, collaboration alone is not sufficient to improved results. In a PLC, collaboration involves the use of protocols, systems, and practices to facilitate the work of teachers to impact classroom practice in ways that will lead to improved outcomes for students, the team, and the school.2. Focus on Learning o The key purpose of the PLC is a focus on the learning of each student. Members make collective commitments to clarify their work together, and create results- oriented goals to track their progress. The team works together to “clarify exactly what each student must learn, monitor each student’s learning on a timely basis, provide systematic interventions that ensure students receive additional time and support for learning when they struggle, and extend and enrich learning when students have already mastered the intended outcomes” (DuFour et al., 2006).3. Focus on Results o The work of the PLCs must be assessed through ongoing assessment based on tangible results. The focus on results leads the members of each team to develop measurable goals for learning that are aligned with school and district goals. It also includes the use of the formative assessment process throughout the school year to gather ongoing evidence of student learning. Members of the team work together to review the evidence of student learning to identify areas of strength and areas of learning where students need further support. They also utilize the information from the results to inform both teaching decisions and reflect on individual instructional practice in order to learn from one another. Most importantly, formative assessment information is used to identify students who may need additional time and support for learning. The formative assessment process and frequent reflection on student evidence is one of the most powerful tools in PLC work. 6 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018“The very essence of a learning community is a focus on and a commitment to thelearning of each student.” --DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & Many, 20066 ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS of a PLCThere are Six Essential Characteristics of a PLC that extend from the Three Big Ideas. Thesecharacteristics help to clarify the orientation and practical work of the PLC members. These 6essential characteristics are from the work of Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker, andThomas Many. Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and GoalsCommitment 6 Essential Collaborative to Characteristics Teams Continuous of a PLC FocusedImprovement on Learning Action Collective Orientation Inquiry andExperimentationFor an additional description of the 6 Essential Characteristics of a PLC, click here. 7 THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018What is the Work of the PLCs?FOUR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:In addition, there are Four Essential Questions that drive the work that members of the PLC engagein to promote student learning outcomes. These questions are listed below and are further describedin the section: Focus on Learning (III).1. What do we want our students to learn? (essential, guaranteed, and viable curriculum)2. How will we know they are learning? (frequent, team-developed, common formative assessment)3. How will we respond when they don’t learn? (timely, directive, systematic intervention)4. How will we respond when they already know it? (timely enrichment and extension) Gather evidence of current levels of student learning Apply new Clarify knowledge goals in the next for cycle of learning continuousimprovement Analyze the PLC Team Develop strategies impact of the Process and ideas to build on changes to Implementdiscover what was those strengths andeffective and what address weakness strategies was not and ideas in that student learning DuFour et al., (2006). 8MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 II. WHYImportance of PLCs• Impact of PLCs Research demonstrates that the development of a strong professional community among educators is a key ingredient in improving schools. o The collective results from a review of the literature on the impact of PLCs on teaching practices and student learning suggest that well-developed PLCs have a positive impact on both teaching practice and student achievement (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008).• Research from the Annenberg Institute has identified possible positive outcomes of strong professional learning communities, including: o Increased efficacy, both collectively and individually; o Collective responsibility for student learning; o Reduction in teacher isolation; o Substantial learning about good teaching and increased content knowledge; and o Higher moral, greater job satisfaction, greater retention rates, and enthusiasm. --Annenberg Institute for School Reform, January 2004• In addition, collaboration among teachers is associated with the following outcomes: o Gains in student achievement; o Higher quality solutions to problems; o Increased confidence among all staff; o Teachers able to support one another’s strengths and accommodate weaknesses; o Ability to test new ideas; o More support for new teachers; and o Expanded pool of ideas, materials, and methods. --Judith Warren Little, 1990Overall, developing educator capacity to collaborate as a PLC is seen as the most promisingstrategy to promote student learning. 9 THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018Introduction to Cultural ShiftsCultural shifts in teaching occur when teachers register dissatisfaction with the results of theircurrent practices. Without the frustration that results when goals and objectives are not achieved,there can be no shifts in thinking or execution. With few exceptions, teachers are workingextremely hard every day and spending countless hours devising new ways to break through theimpasses that occur when students are not learning. A growing number of educators are realizingthat their inability to create effective learning environments requires a collective re-examination ofschool culture.Here’s how a shift in culture might look in a typical school. As you read the scenario below, takesome time to consider what adjustments PLCs in your building might make. One School’s “Shift” AwakeningSunshine Community School uses NWEA data to chart student progress. After a careful analysisof its fall data, fifth grade teachers consulted with the school’s data coach during their PLCand employed NWEA’s learning continuum to translate RIT scores into learning statementsthat support differentiation and the development of instructional strategies. The continuumis standards-based, providing teachers a window into a specifically crafted set of learningstatements that connect students in the same classroom who are in need of support in learningthe skill(s) described in the statement. Consequently, the continuum allows teachers to translatelearning statements into learning targets and more accurately differentiate instruction bygrouping students for skills acquisition. Dialogue has centered on ensuring that the standards-based targets are aligned to current instructional materials, as well.Teachers will use their PLC time to co-construct a model for intervention delivery,where needed.The procedure described above represents a change in routine at Sunshine School, a shift. Theprevious model would have teachers working in isolation to “fix“ students by reteaching lessonsin the absence of clear knowledge of the discrete skills with which students are struggling. Thedescription of current practice at Sunshine School is evidence of two several significant changeseducators might choose to make as a result of working within a professional learning community.The chart below highlights the Shift in the Work of teachers that productive PLC time has broughtabout. 10MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

A shift from... A shift in the work of teachers DRAFT: February 9, 2018From teacher working A shift to... How it looks at Sunshine in isolation Community School... To a focus on learning From... teachers reteaching lessons in the absence of clear knowledge of the discrete skills with which students are struggling. To... fifth grade teachers consulted with the school’s data coach during their PLC and employed NWEA’s learning continuum to translate RIT scores into learning statements that support differentiation and the development of instructional strategies.From individual teachers To collaborative teams From...Each fifth grade attempting to improve building shared knowledge teacher planning instruction results... and understanding about and intervention for only their students essential learning... To...Dialogue now centered on ensuring that the standards-based targets are aligned to current instructional materials, as well.From “collaboration lite” on To collaboration explicitly From...Individual teachers matters... focused on issues unrelated approaching the Intervention to student achievement and Specialist with the needs of questions that most impact only their students. To...The team using their PLC student achievement time to co-construct a model for intervention delivery, where needed.“The rise and fall of the professional learning community concept depends noton the merits of the concept itself, but on the most important element in theimprovement of any school – the commitment and persistence of the educatorswithin it.” --DuFour, 2004For additional information about Cultural Shifts, click here. 11 THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 III. HOW: STRATEGIES AND STRUCTURES FOR CREATING PLCS1. BUILDING A COLLABORATIVE CULTURE• An initial step to develop effective PLCs is to ensure the strategies and structures are in place for building a collaborative culture. When it comes to supporting high-leverage collaborative work, structures are critical. Various structures have the potential to profoundly enrich the work of the teacher teams. Embedding facilitative structures to support the work of learning communities has been repeatedly linked to positive teacher outcomes and PLC experiences. (Mitchell & Castle, 2005; Stegall, 2011). Following are the strategies and structures each PLC team needs to have in place. Teams can review this list and the included resources to determine what structures and strategies they have in place, and what may need to be further developed.Team NormsThe first thing the PLC team needs to do is to establish team norms and to agree on a method tomonitor the norms. In a PLC, norms represent the agreements and commitments that guide howmembers work together. Norms clarify the expectations regarding how team members will worktogether to achieve their goals.• Team norms are ground rules or habits that govern a group (Goleman, 2002, p. 173). In PLCs norms represent protocols or commitments developed by each team to guide members in working together. Norms help team members clarify expectations regarding how they will work together to achieve their shared results (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many, 2006, p. 219).• The set of norms- or ground rules- that a group follows encourages behaviors that will help a group do its work and discourages behaviors that interfere with a group’s effectiveness.• They are the rules that govern how we interact with each other, how we conduct business, how we make decisions, and how we communicate (Learning Forward, Tools for Schools, August/ September 1999).For additional Team Norms resources, click here. 12MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018Roles• Roles are assigned to team members to share the workload fairly and equitably and to ensure that PLC meetings are productive and effective. Roles may include: facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, reporter, data technician, data wall curator, focus monitor, engaged participant, and process observer.For additional Roles resources, click here.Agenda• There are a variety of formats for agendas. A meeting agenda can provide a focus for the work to be accomplished as well as a document of the work that was accomplished. It can be a helpful tool to guide the team discussion as well as to capture the team notes. It is essential that whatever format is used, that the focus is on the productive work of the team, and not on completing the agenda. The agenda should serve as a tool to facilitate the work of the group toward their goal.• Initially, it may be helpful for the principal to collect the agenda’s as a way to gather information to provide support. The principal may choose to provide feedback on the agendas to each team regularly. Some school teams keep their agendas in a PLC binder so that members who were not present can review the work of the team.School principals are encouraged to review agenda templates as they develop materials with theirstaff to be used for all PLC teams. Each school may use the agenda format that best meets theirindividual needs. Overall, meeting agendas should include the following aspects:• Team roles• Review tasks/or commitments from the previous meeting• Set the agenda for the meeting• Focus on one of the Four Essential Questions• Tentative topics for next meeting• Individual tasks/commitments before the next meetingFor additional Agenda Template resources, click here.Protocols• Protocols are powerful designs that allow teachers to move into deeper levels of reflection compelling them to engage in higher levels of thinking and learning than would naturally arise from a typical conversation between professionals. (Easton, 2009)• Structures such as these enable teachers to have the opportunities to collaborate and delve into their collective learning. 13THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 20182. FOCUS ON LEARNINGA key aspect of PLC work is for every teacher to work collaboratively with colleagues to addressthe Four Essential Questions outlined by DuFour et al., (2006). These questions drive the work ofa PLC.The work of the PLC is guided by the Four Essential Questions:1. What do we want students to learn? a. What should each student know and be able to do as a result of each unit, grade level, and/or course?2. How will we know if they have learned? a. Are we monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis?3. How will we respond if some students don`t learn? a. What systemic process is in place to provide additional time and support for students who are experiencing difficulty?4. What will we do if they already know it? The following outlines best practices for PLCs as they engage with the four critical questions:Develop measurable Document PLC Demonstrate Analyze datagoals that will guide meetings in notes proficiency in through a systemicthe work of the PLC. that are specific, professional clear, and succinct collaboration and ongoing and include goals, through a focus process to inform on group norms, future teaching and data analysis, student learning, learning decisions. action plan tasks, shared responsibility, and team member professional collaboration on at communication, least one of the four collective inquiry, essential questions. and information sharing.There are a number of resources, including specific tasks and products, designed to strengthen the workwith each of the four essential questions. See the document: PLC Products, Tasks, and Timelines aligned toeach of the PLC Essential Questions. The list defines the tasks and products or artifacts to support the workof PLCs.For the document PLC Products, Tasks, and Timelines, click here.For additional Focus on Learning resources, click here. 14 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018Goal SettingThe foundation of the PLC is formed by four key pillars in a school -- the mission, the vision, values,and goals. Each of these plays a key role in supporting the work of teams. In this section, we willoutline information about goals as they relate to the focus on learning for a team. Each team willdevelop and pursue a goal focused on student learning. The goal answers the question: How willwe mark our progress? It includes targets and timeliness to track progress and establish priorities.These goals provide team members with short-term priorities and the ability to develop steps toachieve the benchmarks. Clear and measurable goals promote the results orientation of a PLC.“A team (is) a group of people working together interdependently to achieve acommon goal for which members are held mutually accountable.” --DuFour et al., 2006A common goal is essential to the collaborative team process. Short-term goals that are routinelycelebrated can promote a sense of self-efficacy and sustain the momentum of an improvementinitiative.A SMART Goal Template can be used to guide the development of a goal for each team. Each PLCcan develop and pursue a SMART Goal that aligns with school and district goals. The SMART goalis based on a review of relevant data and the current reality regarding student learning. It includesstrategies and action steps, responsibility, timeline, and evidence of effectiveness. The goal foreach team serves to guide the work regarding the four critical questions. For example, one team reviews the data from a common assessment the previous year and determines that 64% of students met the established standard for writing proficiency. The team creates a goal that 75% of students will meet the standard, as measured by the common assessment by the end of the current school year.For additional Goal Setting resources, click here. 15 THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 20183. FOCUS ON RESULTS“To improve student achievement results, use data to focus on a few simple,specific goals.” --Mike Schmoker, 2003Teachers and administrators in a PLC focused on results use data more frequently, engage inongoing data analysis and interpretation, and work collaboratively to act upon the data. The dataused can take a variety of forms ranging from evidence of student learning gathered during alesson to a test at the end of a term. A balanced assessment system that includes both formativeand summative assessment can help to provide a range of different sources of information onstudent learning. PLC teams work to achieve a shared goal as they focus on results:• As part of developing a results orientation in the PLC, school improvement goals drive team goals.• Each team translates school goals into a team goal.• Team members work together to achieve their collective goal.• Teachers use relevant information in a timely way to reflect on their instructional practice in ways that enhance student learning.For additional Focus on Results resources, click here. Balanced Assessment System 16MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018Data WallsData walls are visual representations of student, classroom, or school information and/or progress.This interactive display of data shows change over time and serves as a focal point for dataconversations with school leaders and teams. Ideally, data walls display trends and are updatedoften. Having the focus of the data wall be on growth and achievement, rather than solely onachievement, promotes a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. Similarly, focusing on growth andachievement offers a powerful representation of student learning over time. A rich activity for PLC teams to engage in might be building their own data wall. Engaging in thisactivity allows teachers and leaders to better get to know their students. Additionally, this activitystimulates conversation around what “growth” and “achievement” mean, how they are measured,and how they can be used to inform instructional practice. Once the data wall is constructed, PLCsmight center their future conversations around the data represented on the data wall. Data wallsserve as a “springboard” to start conversations around student interventions and outcomes. Forexample, a PLC might want to deeper explore characteristics of the lowest performing students(in terms of growth and achievement) in each grade level. The data wall can aide in organizingstudents in a way that facilitates productive conversation around certain student characteristics.Or, teachers might want to use data walls to group their students for instructional interventions inthe classroom. As long as the data wall is well thought out and planned for, it can be a useful toolto visualize data and stimulate meaningful conversations around student, classroom, or schoolinformation and progress. 17THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018DATA ANALYSISData analysis allows members of a PLC to collaborate to improve instruction while also identifyingstudents with specific learning gaps. The data can be analyzed to determine individual studentstrengths in relation to a learning target as well as weaknesses in students’ academic skills. Whenteachers work interdependently, they can focus on specific areas and work to improve instructionas a team.When a PLC engages in data analysis, they rely on openness and collaboration as they sharestrategies, discuss successes and challenges, and identify next steps with their instruction. Themost effective teams focus on results rather than activities or tasks. Teams achieve the greatestresults when they are clear about what they want to accomplish, when they establish systems tomonitor their progress, and when they create a scoreboard to stay focused on results (Lencioni,2005). Teams can create a Data Wall as a visual representation of the data and progress of studentlearning. COLLABORATIVE LEARNING CYCLEPhase 3: Phase 1:Organizing and Integrating Activating and EngagingGenerating Theory Surfacing experiences and expectations • What assumptions do we bring to this discussion?• What inferences, explanations, or • What questions are we asking? conclusions might we draw (causation)? • What are some possibilities for learning that this• What additional data sources might we experience presents to us? explore to verify our explanation (confirmation)? Phase 2: Exploring and Discovering• What solutions might we explore as a Analyzing the Data result of our conclusions (action)? • What important point seem to pop up? • What patterns, categories, or trends are emerging?• What data will we need to collect to • What seems to be surprising or unexpected? guide implementation? (calibration) • What are some ways we have not yet explored these data?Lipton, L., & Wellman, B. (2004). Got data? Now what?: Creating and leading cultures of inquiry. Solution Tree Press.For an additional description of the Collaborative Learning Cycle, click here. 18 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY CONTINUUM & RUBRICRubrics are provided in the book Learning by Doing (2006) for principals and team membersto assess their place on the PLC journey. These rubrics can be used as tools to reflect on theindividual and collective work of the PLC. They provide the opportunity for self-assessment todetermine the current reality in the school. The assessment needs to be supported by evidenceand anecdotes. Team members can share their assessment and discuss their similarities anddifferences. In turn, the team can consider next steps and answer the series of questions in therubric responding to the question: Where do we go from here?A rubric has been designed specifically for the PLC work in FCS. This rubric is aligned with theThree Big Ideas and best practice for PLCs. Teachers and administrators can use the rubrics toreflect on their current practice, to set goals for their PLC work, and to assess progress in theirefforts to improve in specific areas.To view the PLC Rubric, click here.SUMMARYThe work of developing PLCs is a worthy and rewarding pursuit. This work occurs over time; it isan ongoing process. The commitment and engagement of the educators taking on this work isto be encouraged and acknowledged. The resources cited in this document will provide supportand guidance in cultivating the work of PLCs. Ultimately, it is the focused efforts of the individualsinvested in the work that promote student learning outcomes.The intent of this collaboration between the MSU Office of K12 Outreach and FCS was to createa living document to which additional resources could be added in the future. Educators cancontinue to develop this document by contributing resources that support the work of PLCs. Thisongoing engagement with the work will continue to support the professional learning communitiesin FCS. 19THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 GLOSSARYThe following glossary provides a brief definition of key terms as they are used in the context ofthis guidance document.Capacity building: the process of strengthening individual and organizational skills, abilities, andknowledge needed.Collaboration: when two or more people of organizations come together to accomplish a specificgoal or outcome.Collective inquiry: when a group of individuals come together to engage in analysis, exploration, orproblem solving regarding a specific topic.Continuous improvement process: an ongoing effort to examine outcomes and improve productstoward a specified goal.Data driven dialogue: a three-part process, also known as the Collaborative Learning Cycle, inwhich individuals follow a specific protocol to analyze data and problem solve.Data Wall: a visual representation of data in a school that depicts student outcomes in a systemicway so that educators can monitor progress of student learning.Focus Standards: are a subset of the entire list of the state subject matter content andperformance standards. These are the standards that are determined as a priority and essential forstudent understanding and success. They include the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositionseach student must acquire.Professional learning community (PLC): educators committed to working together collaborativelyin ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for thestudents they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning forstudents is continuous, job-embedded learning for educators.” (Dufour et al., 2006).School culture: The assumptions, beliefs, values, and habitsll that govern the actions and behaviorsas well as the work of the educators within a school.SMART goals: Goals that are Strategis & specific, Measureable, Attainable, Results oriented, andTimebound (O’Neil & Conzemius, 2005). 20MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY | COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH

DRAFT: February 9, 2018 REFERENCESAnnenberg Institute for School Reform. (2004). Instructional coaching: Professional developmentstrategies that improve instruction. Providence, RI : Brown University.Conzemius, A., & O’Neill, J. (2009). The power of SMART goals: Using goals to improve studentlearning. Solution Tree Press.DuFour, R. (2004). What is a” professional learning community”?. Educational leadership, 61(8),6-11.DuFour, R., & DuFour, R. (2013). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communi-ties at work TM. Solution Tree Press.Easton, L. B. (2009). Protocols for professional learning (The professional learning community se-ries). ASCD.Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). The emotional reality of teams. Global Business andOrganizational Excellence, 21(2), 55-65.Learning Forward, (1999). Tools for Schools. August/September, V. 3, No. 1.Lipton, L., & Wellman, B. (2004). Got data? Now what?: Creating and leading cultures of inquiry.Solution Tree Press.Little, J. W. (1990). Conditions of professional development in secondary schools. The contexts ofteaching in secondary schools: Teachers’ realities, 187-223.Mitchell, C., & Castle, J. B. (2005). The instructional role of elementary school principals. CanadianJournal of Education/Revue canadienne de l’éducation, 409-433.Schmoker, M. (2003). First Things First: Demystifying Data Analysis. Educational Leadership, 60(5),22-24.Stegall, D. A. (2011). Professional learning communities and teacher efficacy: A correlational study.Unpublished dissertation, University of North Carolina.Vescio, V., Ross, D., & Adams, A. (2008). A review of research on the impact of professional learn-ing communities on teaching practice and student learning. Teaching and teacher education, 24(1),80-91. 21THE OFFICE OF K-12 OUTREACH