February 2012
Professional Learning Communities, also known as PLCs, have become an integral part of the Wauwatosa School District. But as critical a role as they play in staff development and student learning at every level, there may not be a full understanding within the Wauwatosa community of the benefits provided by PLCs in our schools.
The structure to provide for Professional Learning Communities has been in place for the past 3 1/2 years in the Wauwatosa School District, occurring during the Wednesday early release time and at other times during the week. The Wednesday time is dedicated specifically to enhancing collaboration among teachers, as we are working to create a culture of collaboration at all times in our School District.
There is a great deal of research to support and define the benefits of Professional Learning Communities in improving student learning. A typical PLC discussion centers on these questions:
-
What do we want each student to learn? (Local standards and benchmarks)
-
How will we know if each student has acquired targeted standards and benchmarks? (Frequent formative and common assessments)
-
How will we respond if students do not learn? (Provide feedback and support)
-
How will we extend and enrich learning for students who have mastered the standards and benchmarks? (Provide rigor and extensions for learning)
Simply put, this process involves having teachers discuss the best ways to get students to learn the specific concepts that are most important in each subject area. Teachers use Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) scores and other assessments, which show the learning targets each student knows, or does not know, and then build their lessons to meet those targets.
Teachers within a PLC share the best strategies and methods that are achieving success with their students, in order to help each other become better teachers and to allow students to meet their expected growth throughout the year. This is done in all subject areas and grade levels. Gone are the days when teachers could start the year with their class of students, close the door and teach what had been taught in the past. Collaboration is critical in allowing students to learn what is most important, at a high level.
The ultimate goal of Professional Learning Communities is improved student achievement. It is that simple. As a district, we want each and every student to be prepared for life after high school. This means providing a rigorous course of study and a challenging path of learning to ensure that every student is “college ready” when they graduate, regardless of the future path they choose. It is our job to get them there, and we will continue to grow as a school district to meet that goal.
I invite you to look at the PLC progress reports for the first semester, which will be posted to each school's home web page within the next few weeks. Also, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or comments.
Phil Ertl
Superintendent
| 
