The C urier December 2015/January 2016 | Volume 23, Issue 4
a division of Independent School District 15 Community Education | St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Athens Township, Andover, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
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Professional Learning Communities promote student achievement Steve Fetzik
SFHS Community Relations Coordinator
Teachers in Independent School District 15 (ISD 15) are working with a new sense of collaboration and purpose. Several years ago, the district introduced Professional Learning Communities (PLC), a process allowing teachers to align curriculum, work with peers to ensure consistent instruction and analyze data to promote student growth. At a recent school board meeting, ISD 15 Superintendent Troy Ferguson stated that the district is developing systems and structures to ensure we “become a PLC district” rather than “just doing PLC.” According to Ferguson, that means an on-going collaborative process of organizing teachers into working groups as described by Dr. Richard DuFour in his book, Learning By Doing. DuFour developed the concept of PLC and outlines the guiding principles for this new approach to teaching. In his book, DuFour describes PLC as “an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.” In short, it is the process of teachers working collaboratively with each other, especially those who teach similar classes, in order to gather achievement data. This data is then used to create plans for improving individual and group achievement. “Collaboration is the key. Every member of the teaching team needs to be on board,” said Linda Ericson, the district’s Student Performance Initiative Improvement Coordinator. “It’s a systematic, whole-school process in which everybody needs to be engaged in order for it to succeed.” “When teachers work together to achieve common goals, students can begin to improve,” suggested Bethany Stiles, St. Francis High School science teacher. The PLC structure aligns with the ISD 15 core value, we believe that
commitment to high expectations is essential to help achieve full individual and collective potential.” A focus of PLC is for each teacher to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely). Every day, teachers are expected to post their SMART goal or learning target for students and measure if it was achieved. This can be done a number of ways, but many teachers use both formative (short term) and summative (long term) tests of knowledge. “The key is to break it down on a classroom level to match a student’s abilities,” noted Ryan Fiereck, a technology teacher at Cedar Creek Community School and East Bethel
Community School. Ericson added, “The big thing is focusing on learning and knowing that students are progressing. We need to cooperatively look at instructional procedures, create common assessments and engage in conversations to move students forward in their academic progress.” Since the inception of the program, over 150 ISD 15 teachers and administrators have participated in formal training during this past summer. Dr. DuFour and his staff provide training over a three-day period. Each year, the district hopes to send 50 additional staff members until all groups have received the training.
In the end, according to Ericson, it’s all about how you see student learning and the impact that teacher teams can have. “Collaboration is a mindset. The process is fluid and in response to student needs. When results of collaboration are seen, it stops being another thing you ‘have to do,’ and becomes an integral part of the teacher team process. Working as PLC supports the district mission “…to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to empower them to achieve their dreams and full potential while becoming responsible citizens in a dynamic world.”,
Cedar Creek Community School students, kindergarten through grade 5, walked 1.5 miles to raise money for their school in October. Students raised $10,720 which will be used to fund field trips, family reading night, scholarships for graduating seniors, to purchase books and classroom supplies. Students had a good time dancing and singing their way away around the track to music provided by DJ. Prizes were given to top earners from each grade level and the top classroom. Thanks to Eko Backen, Andover YMCA, Rum River BMX and Pump It Up for providing prizes. Sandra Benson, CCCS Community Relations Coordinator
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What’s Inside Schools in Action.................................................. 2 School Board Highlights................................11 Community & Business...................................13 Community Education....................................24 Sports & Outdoors.............................................28 Meetings, Events & Benefits.........................30 Life...............................................................................31