Our Mission

Working together as a team, we will end the predictive value of race, class, gender, and special capacities for our children’s success through high quality teaching and learning for all. We seek to build relationships with families and communities to ensure that every student succeeds. We will know every student.

Our Mission

Professional Learning Communities

Overview

In ACPS, we believe that teachers who meet on a regular basis to discuss and modify instructional practices based on student data will eliminate gaps in student achievement. Teachers who learn together grow together as lifelong learners and professionals.

In the spring of 2015, we designed a workshop and this website to support what we want our teachers to Know, Understand, and Be Able to Do with their own PLCs:

Know about PLC	Key Points of PLC model. Effective teams: regularly read and assess student work revise curriculum and lesson plans study collectively (lesson study, book study)
Understand about PLC	How PLCs differ from grade level meetings Roles and responsibilities of members How administrators can/ support
Be able to Do at PLC	Norm / get to know the team Study student (Assessment) data Make decisions based on the data analysis Plan for instruction through ACPS curriculum

Seven Levels of PLC Development

Processes & Protocols

PDSA form with Questions
40-Minute Meeting: Monthly Data Meeting Facilitator's Guide
- 40-Minute Meeting Template
10-Minute Problem-Solving Protocol - Thanks to Woodbrook Elementary
Lesson Study:
- Lesson Study videos
- ACPS Lesson Study video
- For more information and resources for engaging in Lesson Study, contact one of your school's Instructional Coaches, who can help with accessing the district's materials.

Setting Norms

Resources for Developing as a Team

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning: This overview of Tuckman's Stages of Group Development by Gina Abudi of The Project Management Hut provides an overview of these stages, a method of assessing team effectiveness, and an example of a team moving through these five stages. (Note: for a video synopsis of these stages, check out this 2-minute video from Mind Tools.)

The book The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni (produced by callibrain.com) describes five challenges frequently faced by teams, along with ways to counteract those potential challenges.

Developing Norms Worksheet - This document from the National Staff Development Council will help teams with norm setting.

Tools and Resources for Team Building

Compass Points: An Exercise in Understanding Preferences in Group Work (from National School Reform Faculty of Harmony Education Center)

Planning Curriculum

Information for Planning Curriculum

Lifelong Learner Competencies: This is a direct link to the ACPS Lifelong Learner Competencies that serve as the division's central target for teaching and learning.

Curriculum Overview from ACPS Framework for Quality Learning: This overview includes questions to consider when planning curriculum, along with ways of moving beyond the Virginia Standards of Learning.

Components of Concept-Centered Curriculum from ACPS Framework for Quality Learning: This resource describes the alignment between concepts, Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and standards as they apply to planning curriculum.

Use of Curriculum Mapping to Build a Learning Community: This website contains Chapter 2 of Heidi Hayes-Jacobs' Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping which focuses on the process in which PLCs may engage for planning curriculum.

Tools & Resources for Developing Curriculum Maps and Pacing Guides

ACPS employees can find examples of curriculum maps and pacing guides by signing into this website and selecting the appropriate Core Instructional Area.

Developing Common Assessments

Information about Developing Common Assessment

Balanced Assessment in the ACPS Framework for Quality Learning: An overview of questions to consider when designing assessment, including: Why Assess, What to Assess, How to Assess, and How to Communicate and Provide Feedback

Tools & Resources for Developing Common Assessment

Analyzing Data & Student Work

Information about Analyzing Data (including Student Work)

Assessment Analysis, Communication, and Feedback from the ACPS Framework for Quality Learning: This section of the FQL highlights methods of engaging in item analysis from both selected response & rubric-based assessments, along with suggestions on next steps in how to use the information collected from this analysis of student work.

Some Guidelines for Learning From Student Work: This resource from the National School Reform Faculty of Harmony Education Center outlines some questions to consider when looking for evidence of students' thinking, when listening to colleagues' thinking, when reflecting on one's own thinking, and when reflecting on the process of looking at student work.

Tools & Resources for Analyzing Data (including Student Work)

Process for Analysis of Student Work
Protocols for Scoring Student Work used in CAI 2013 & 2014
DIAL sheet
Plus / Delta Template

Making Decisions

Information on Making Decisions

Organizing Team Decision Making: This article from MindTools identifies the importance of reaching consensus for better decisions, the challenge of team decisions, and the various methods that teams can use in order to reach consensus (including ensuring participation, voting for consensus, and receiving anonymous contributions).

How to Make Good Decisions as a Team: This article by CEO Les McKeown in Inc. highlights three important stages of group decision-making: Data, Debate, and Decide or Defer.

Tools & Resources for Making Decisions

Collaborative Meeting Log: A resource designed to help teams reflect on the current state of a topic by identifying What's Working and Challenges / Concerns / Questions, and then plan for the future by identifying Next Steps and Necessary Supports.
What --> So What? --> Now What? protocol: A tool designed by the National School Reform Faculty of Harmony Education Center to help teams identify what is currently being done (Here's What), why it is important to the team (So What?), and what next steps need to take place (Now What?).
SWOT Analysis: A tool designed to help teams consider a topic of focus through the lens of the internal Strengths and Weaknesses of the team's practices, along with the external Opportunities and Threats that may be impacting practice. Through this lens, teams can identify ways to take advantage of the internal Strengths and external Opportunities, while mitigating the impacts of the internal Weaknesses and external Threats.

Designing Instruction

Information for Designing Instruction

Overview of Instruction from the ACPS Framework for Quality Learning: The instruction component is organized into five main parts: disciplined inquiry; scaffolding for student learning; grouping strategies; other teacher decisions when planning for learning; and, using the learning plan format.

Technology Integration Matrix: A framework designed by the University of South Florida for integrating technology into instruction such that it promotes a more Active, Collaborative, Constructive, Authentic, and Goal-Oriented learning environment.

Tools & Resources for Designing Instruction

Templates for planning units and lessons: from the ACPS Framework for Quality Learning

Facilitation

Information for PLC Facilitation

"The Art of Facilitating Teacher Teams": This Edutopia blog post by Elena Aguilar outlines key steps for developing strong teams, including: planning, facilitation skills, and managing group dynamics.

Facilitating Learning Teams: This school-based professional learning unit presented by Learning Forward, is written to help facilitators (1) understand the responsibilities and skills needed by facilitators and other roles that contribute to a team’s success (2)Understand how teams develop in order to be able to address members’ needs at each stage of team development (3) Acquire skills and strategies for facilitating learning teams, such as forming agreements, using purpose and non-purpose, managing challenging situations, and assessing team effectiveness and efficiency, and (4) Develop strategies for assessing learning team members’ contributions, the team’s effectiveness, and the results of the team’s work.

Team Facilitation: This slideshare contains detailed information about facilitator roles, skills for effective facilitation, benefits of team facilitation, and strategies and steps for improving team facilitation.

Tools & Resources for Developing Facilitation Skills

Facilitation Tools and Techniques: This site is a useful collection of annotated resources on learningforsustainability.net

Leading PLCs

Articles

Leading in Professional Learning Communities: An article from the National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal by Robert Eaker and Debora Gonzales (2006-2007)
Implementing Effective Professional Learning Communities: An article from SEDL Insights by Silvia Pirtle and Ed Tobia (Winter 2014)
Professional Learning Communities: A publication by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform

Tools

Seven Stages of Professional Learning Teams: A useful reference adapted from the National Staff Development Council's Journal of Staff Development
PLC Rubric: A rubric that helps teams see what they are doing well and where they can improve