Assessing Schools as Professional Learning Communities

1. Assessing Schools as Professional Learning Communities Dianne F. Olivier, EDFL - University of Louisiana at Lafayette Sandra Antoine, University of Louisiana at Lafayette/Iberia Parish Ronald Cormier, University of Louisiana at Lafayette/Iberia Parish Virginia Lewis, University of Louisiana at Lafayette/Iberia Parish Cheri Minckler, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Molly Stadalis, University of Louisiana at Lafayette/St. Mary Parish University of Louisiana at Lafayette

2. … where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and diverse patterns of thinking are valued, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. Senge, 1990 Schools characterized by shared purpose, collaborative activity, and collective responsibility among staff. Newmann & Wehlage, 1995 What is a PLC? University of Louisiana at Lafayette

3. What is a PLC? Professionals coming together in community to intentionally learn. Shirley Hord

4. An infrastructure, or way of working together, which results in continuous school improvement. Professional Learning Community University of Louisiana at Lafayette

5. Professional Learning Communities Professional educators working collectively and purposefully to create and sustain a culture of learning for all students and adults.

6. The purpose of these case studies was to assess teachers’ perceptions of professional learning community attributes within their school as measured by the Professional Learning Communities Assessment – Revised (PLCA-R). Purpose of Study University of Louisiana at Lafayette

7. Methodology Professional Learning Community Assessment - Revised (PLCA) • Formal diagnostic tool for identifying school level practices that enhance intentional professional learning. • Assesses perceptions of the staff related to specific practices observed at the school level with regard to the 5 dimensions of a PLC and critical attributes. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

8. Dimensions of a PLC Shared and Supportive Leadership Shared Values and Vision Collective Learning and Application Shared Personal Practice Supportive Conditions Relationships Structures University of Louisiana at Lafayette

9. Methodology • PLCA-R • Case Study • 5 dimensions of PLCs – Quan & Qual results • PLCO-Professional Learning Community Organize • Illustrates practices within dimensions & phases of change • PLCDR- PLC Development Rubric • Provides for individual and small group dialogue reflection University of Louisiana at Lafayette

10. Confronting and Renaming the Truth: A Case Study Evans Junior High School Molly Stadalis University of Louisiana at Lafayette mds8593@louisiana.edu mstadalis@stmary.k12.la.us

11. Conceptual Definitions • Shared and Supportive Leadership • School administrators participate democratically with teachers by sharing power, authority, and decision-making, and promoting and nurturing leadership among staff. • Shared Values and Vision • Staff shares visions for school improvement that have an undeviating focus on student learning. Shared values support norms of behavior that guide decisions about teaching and learning. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

12. Evans Junior High School • 640 students in grades 4 – 8 • 65% of students are considered economically disadvantaged (free & reduced lunch) • Many students live in single parent households or with family other than parents. • Subgroup Information: 15% special education, 49% African American, 50% white, 1% Hispanic & Indian • Staff consists of 49 faculty members, librarian, guidance counselor, paraprofessionals, cafeteria/custodial/office staff, 2 assistant principals, and principal University of Louisiana at Lafayette

13. Evans Junior High SchoolProfessional Learning Communities Assessment – Revised Five Dimensions M SD _________________________________________________________ Shared and Supportive Leadership 3.39 .47 Shared Values and Vision 3.32 .53 Collective Learning and Application 3.44 .43 Shared Personal Practice 3.32 .52 Supportive Conditions 3.27 .40 University of Louisiana at Lafayette

14. Shared & Supportive Leadership • Staff members are consistently involved in discussing and making decisions about most school issues. • The principal incorporates advice from staff members to make decisions. • Opportunities are provided for staff members to initiate change. • Stakeholders assume shared responsibility and accountability for student learning. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

15. Shared Values and Visions • A collaborative process exists for developing a shared sense of values and shared vision among staff. • Policies and programs are aligned to the school’s vision. • School goals focus on student learning beyond test scores and grades. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

16. A School In Search of Excellence Madison Elementary Virginia W. Lewis University of Louisiana at Lafayette vwl0066@louisana.edu vlewis@iberia.k12.la.us University of Louisiana at Lafayette

17. Conceptual Definition • Collective Learning and Application • Staff at all levels of the school share information and work collaboratively to plan, solve problems and improve learning opportunities. Together they seek knowledge, skills and strategies and apply this new learning to their work. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

18. Madison Elementary Demographic Data University of Louisiana at Lafayette Constructed in 1989 - NW outskirts of New Iberia Near middle income, single-family subdivision Grade configuration – PK - 6 80% free/reduced lunch - projected to increase to 92% in 2008-2009 Student population – 60% African American, 35% white students, 5% Asian students, less than 1% Hispanic Most families - middle-income homes/trailer park housing Low-income housing complex/apartment dwelling in city School rezoning scheduled for 2008-2009 SPS–2 Stars School of Exemplary Academic Growth 2007-08 Highly qualified and stable staff

19. Collective Learning and Application Staff shares information Professionals learn together Problem solving occurs collectively Collaboration Sharing Planning Problem Solving Improving learning opportunities for students by improving professional practice University of Louisiana at Lafayette

20. Means and Standard Deviations for Dimensions of Professional Learning Communities ___________________________________________ University of Louisiana at Lafayette Dimensions M SD Shared and Supportive Leadership 3.47 .583 Shared Values and Vision 3.55 .623 Collective Learning and Application 3.58 .558* Shared Personal Practice 3.38 .626 Supportive Conditions- Relationships 3.50 .550 Supportive Conditions- Structure 3.45 .599 *Highest mean score of all dimensions

21. Mean Scores for Dimensions of Professional Learning Communities ___________________________________________ University of Louisiana at Lafayette

22. Standard Deviation Scores for Dimensions of Professional Learning Communities University of Louisiana at Lafayette

23. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

24. Collective Learning and Application University of Louisiana at Lafayette

25. Collective Learning and Application Staff meets weekly for grade level meetings Staff members collaboratively work Whole Faculty Study Groups (WFSG) facilitated by early release time at district level Data driven decision making guides instruction and interventions Multiple data sources evaluate effectiveness of instruction Instructional staff demonstrates commitment to research based strategies to increase student achievement Culture of sharing and caring about student learning University of Louisiana at Lafayette

26. NEXT STEPS FOR MADISON ELEMENTARY Ensure schools values and vision continue to center on student learning Nurture and support teacher leadership at various levels Conduct needs assessment for changing demographics Focus on sustainability Develop mechanisms for increased opportunities for shared personal practice and collaboration as evidenced by scheduling time for peer observations, job-embedded staff development grade-level and cross grade-level meetings content specific study groups University of Louisiana at Lafayette

27. Optimizing High School Redesign:A Case Study Bayouville High School Cheri Hoff Minckler University of Louisiana at Lafayette minckler@bellsouth.net University of Louisiana at Lafayette

28. Conceptual Definition • Shared Personal Practice • Peers visit with and observe one another to offer encouragement and to provide feedback on instructional practices to assist in student achievement and increase individual and organizational capacity. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

29. What It Looks Like Shared personal practice occurs “where educators collaboratively analyze current practices, experiment with new practices, and assess the relationship between practice and the effects of practice within the community context.” (Mitchell & Sackney, 1999) University of Louisiana at Lafayette

30. A Radical, Rigorous Exercise Teachers meet to rigorously “question, challenge and subvert imposed prescriptions that diminish learning” (Hargreaves, 2008, p. 188). They look for ways to improve learning and performance for all students. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

31. Bayouville High School Bayouville High School (BHS) is one of five public high schools serving the Lafayette Parish Public School System. For the 2006-2007 school year, BHS earned a rating of “Three Stars” on the State Department of Education’s School Report Card (Louisiana Department of Education) and a growth label of “Exemplary Academic Growth.” University of Louisiana at Lafayette

32. Demographics and Vital Statistics Total student population = 2,251 students 3.3% Asian, 27.1% Black, 3.9% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American, and 65.2% White 52% female and 48% male 28.5% economically disadvantaged 95% of students are fully proficient in the English language 2005-2006 school year – student attendance rate = 92.3% as compared to 94.6% for District and 93.7% for State. The dropout rate = 3.5% for school as compared to 5% for District and 4.6% for State. 2006-2007 school year, 91% of core courses taught by teachers meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) highly qualified definition as compared to 81% for District and 84% for State. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

33. Dimension Composites Table 7. Dimension Composites - Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion University of Louisiana at Lafayette

34. Survey Items Seven items reflect the dimension of shared personal practice. Results range from a high on item SPP33 (Staff members informally share ideas and suggestions for improving student learning; M = 2.93; SD =0.78) to a low on item SPP31 (Opportunities exist for staff members to observe peers and offer encouragement; M = 2.09; SD =0.83). University of Louisiana at Lafayette

35. Histogram of Responses University of Louisiana at Lafayette

36. A Formal Structured Process The responses to items in this subscale of the assessment indicate the lack of a formal process for peer observation, feedback, or collaborative effort to improve personal practice. One teacher commented, “All collaboration is voluntary and informal.” University of Louisiana at Lafayette

37. Sustainable Improvement McLaughlin (as cited in Schmoker, 2005, p. 144) boldly stated, “The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is developing the ability for school personnel to function as professional learning communities.” University of Louisiana at Lafayette

38. The Curious Case of Bayou High School A Case Study Bayou High School Ronald Cormier University of Louisiana at Lafayette rjc8326@louisiana.edu rocormier@iberia.k12.la.us University of Louisiana at Lafayette

39. Conceptual Definition • Supportive Conditions – Structures • Structures include a variety of conditions such as size of the school, proximity of staff to one another, communication systems, and the time and space for staff to meet and examine current practices. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

40. Demographics • Rural setting (population 5,997) • Declining economy (median income $26,000) • High crime rate / high truancy • Declining student population (300 students) • Free / reduced lunch above 79 % _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Grades 9-12 • Twenty-four (24) teachers (12 elective / voc / SPED) • Teacher : student ratio @ 1:9 • Average Freshman class 108, graduates 49 • Accountability Label: School in Decline (Watch List) (School Audits) University of Louisiana at Lafayette

41. District Intervention Reform Effort (SID) Year 1- Needs Assessment / Sch Imp Plan (SIP) SID* Year 2 -District Audit – SAM (focus groups, observations, needs assessments) & SIP SID* Year 3 -Two supervisors, PTLC format, 4 Lead teachers, school audit (DAT) & review, job-embedded PD MG* Year 4 - Repeat Year 3 interventions, Curriculum Coordinator (PD), DIG audit** (SIP), PLCA-R MG* * SID = School in Decline, MG = Minimal growth, NG = no growth ** DIG Audit – indicated 1/3 of faculty implementing SIP prescribed innovations with fidelity University of Louisiana at Lafayette

42. Comparison of the Six Dimensions Bayou High Dimensions Mean sd Phase • Shared Leadership 2.59 .655 Initiation • Shared Vision 2.87 .752 Initiation • Collective learning 3.05 .652 Implementation • Shared Practice 2.89 .711 Initiation • Supportive Conditions • 5. Relationships 2.88 .742 Initiation • 6. Structure 3.08 .693 Implementation University of Louisiana at Lafayette

43. Supportive Conditions - Structure When, Where, & How the staff works? (Hord, 1997) • School size • Teacher & Student Population / grade clusters • Proximity of staff / logistics • Physical plant / schedule & location constructs • Resources • Data, materials, expertise, technology, communication • Professional development venue • Schedule, organization, series, group logistics, focus • Time • Personal / professional, quality / quantity University of Louisiana at Lafayette

44. Highlights of PLCA-R (Conditions-Structure) • Receiving a mean of 3.0 or higher • Technology / materials available • Resource people available (expertise/support) • School facility clean, attractive • Proximity of staff – ease of collaboration • Communication: information among staff • Communication: between (district) community • Access to organized data • Time for collaboration / collective learning University of Louisiana at Lafayette

45. Supportive Conditions – Structureas Applied to Bayou High • School size (small, rural) • 1:9 teacher student ratio • Proximity of staff / logistics • Departments 2-3 teachers / professional period mtgs. • Resources • Data-decisions, Expertise (CC, Lead, Sup), technology • Professional development venue • PTLC series / Action Research / Focus on initiatives • Time • Job-embedded / Prof. period & department meetings. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

46. Observations: PLC & Bayou High • Struggling with shared / supportive leadership(m = 2.59, sd = .655) • Disorganization / accountability / follow-through (administration) • Implementation Phases denoted for • Supportive Conditions-Structure • Collective Learning • Analogy: A (bottom-up) foundation has been constructed, but before any additional construction can be attempted - shared leadership / vision has to be reinforced. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

47. Are We a Small Learning Community, Professional Learning Community, or a Combination of Both:In Any Case, Are We There Yet?A Case Study Cypress High School Sandra Antoine University of Louisiana at Lafayette sja8435@louisiana.edu saantoine@aol.com University of Louisiana at Lafayette

48. Conceptual Definition • Supportive Conditions - Relationships • Collegial relationshipsinclude respect, trust, norms of critical inquiry and improvement, and positive, caring relationships among students, teachers and administrators. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

49. Cypress High School Large High School -1,500 Racial and Social Economic Makeup -60/40 with 40% F/R Professional Staff - 118 with 36% Masters SPS – 2 stars, SACS Accreditation ACT Scores – 20.2 High School Redesign efforts -10 yrs Change in School and District Leadership University of Louisiana at Lafayette 49

50. Professional Learning CommunitySupportive Conditions –Relationships School conditions and capacities that support the staff’s arrangement as a professional learning organization The relationships the staff has with each other that support teachers working together (Hord, 1997- 1998) University of Louisiana at Lafayette 50