PLC's

We often get questions about the difference between PLCs, non-student days, early release, and daily team planning time. As our district shifts to a model of weekly PLCs, we would like to clarify what this time is used for. We understand that your schedules shift with these meetings and we do not take the valuable time for granted!

PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) are collaborative meetings that are guided by the following 4 essential questions:

• What is essential for students to learn? (Goals/Expectations)
• How will we know when each student has learned it? (Assessment)
• How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? (Intervention)
• How will we respond when a student already knows it? (Extensions)

This is not a time that we lesson plan, grade, or plan activities. This is a time when we reflect on collected data for our 99 fifth graders' performance, the effectiveness of our teaching, and student responses to intervention in order to better support our students. Before every PLC, a goal is established with specific roles for each teammate to facilitate. These goals are based off of data or concerns we identify in our classrooms and they are goals with trackable progress.

Littleton's monthly PLC meetings offered similar opportunities, but lacked the crucial element of timely action. So much happens in a month when progress monitoring the effects of classroom intervention! Research shows the immense impact on student performance and team effectiveness when teachers are given frequent PLC time guided by the 4 essential questions.

These PLCs are dedicated to your children who are struggling to grasp a concept, bored because they have already mastered it, or otherwise may appear to be "on the bubble" and in need of something more. A protected and focused hour every week allows us to step away from the grading, planning, and organizational requirements of our teaching position to focus on what our students need.

Elementary early release days are negotiated into the elementary school calendar to even out the discrepancy in planning time offered to middle school and high school teachers vs. elementary school teachers. During this time, teachers are able to hold meetings, plan curriculum and assessments, plan as teams or vertical teams (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade writing teachers meet), grade, and conference with parents. There are 4 early release days throughout the 2017-18 year. (Sept 29, Nov 10, Feb 16, and April 27)

Our 5 non-student days throughout the year are used for professional development and whole staff trainings, as well as fall and spring conferences. (Oct 19, Oct 20, Jan 8, March 8, March 9)

Runyon's staff meets before school once a month to discuss school wide orders of business.

Elementary school teachers have scheduled planning time while their students are at specials (11:40-12:30.) This time is used for IEP, 504, ALP, and behavior meetings, as well as meeting with administration, resource, GT and grade level teammates to plan grade level activities. Teachers also use this time to run copies, make phone calls, answer emails, and prepare for the upcoming lesson.