Professional Learning Communities: Professional Learning Communities: Staying the CourseStaying the Course

Whittier Union High School DistrictWhittier Union High School District

Sandy Thorstenson Superintendent

Changes in the Past 12 Years

in Students We Serve

13% English

Learners23% R-FEP

3%Other

22% White73% Hispanic

31% Soc Econ Dis

Then

4%Other

10% EnglishLearners Now

16% White80% Hispanic

80% Soc Econ Dis

20%R-FEP

Students Receiving Free or Reduced Meals

The Power of Measurable Targets for

Coherent Continual Improvement• Academic Performance Index (API)

• Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)• CAHSEE: Pass and Proficient• 4-Year Graduation Rate• Grade Level Credits Towards Graduation:

On-Target Rate• College Eligibility: a-g Course Completion• Advanced Placement: Exams & Enrollment• Student Attendance Rate

Actions Driven by Measurable Targets

Team Evidence

Course-Alike Teachers • Site and District Teams Analyze Data to Identify Gaps and Share Best Practices

• Data & Strategies posted on Moodle

Principals • Annual Reports • What was plan to meet Target?• How did you do?• What are you going to do next year?

Ed Services • Division Annual Report• Fall Presentation to Board• Shares Longitudinal Data on Targets broken

down by site, teacher, and classroomSuperintendent • District Annual Report to the Board

• Superintendent’s Data Notebook• Board Weekly Updates

Comprehensive Strategy to Increase Performance on

Measurable Targets

Professional Learning CommunitiesProfessional Learning Communities

We are committed to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES

Pyramid ofPyramid ofPrevention &Prevention &InterventionsInterventionsRESULTSRESULTS

District Growth API

Staying the Course:Growth over the Past 7

Years• If we add up the API Growth Points from each

of the past seven years, how have we done?

WUHSD = 187 growth points

State of California = 56 growth points

• How do our High Schools compare to the 925 Comprehensive High Schools in CA?

School Growth Points Percentile in CA(925 HS)

Cal 181 96%

LS 162 92%

PHS 172 95%

SF 171 95%

WHS 219 99%

Staying the Course:Growth Points over the Past 7

Years

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Gaining on the Goal of

800800

400

500

600

700

800

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Hispanic/ Latino White Socioeconomically Dis.

AP Tests Taken & Percent of 10th – 12th Enrollment

WUHSD On-Target Rates

02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11

9th 79.0% 77.9% 76.3% 76.8% 79.8% 83.4% 86.4% 86.1% 86.3%86.3%

10th 74.3% 75.4% 76.9% 75.3% 79.5% 84.3% 84.7% 86.9% 87.1%87.1%

11th 87.6% 87.6% 86.3% 87.7% 89.0% 92.6% 94.0% 93.1% 95.0%95.0%

NCES Four-Year Dropout Rate

CAHSEE Senior Pass Rates  ELA   Math

2006 99.3%   99.7%

2007 99.8%   99.8%

2008 99.3% 99.5%

2009 99.6% 99.8%

2010 99.6% 99.8%

2011 99.8% 100%

College Eligibility:A-G Course Completion Rate

WUHSD Actual College Enrollment within 2 years

HS Grad Class

WUHSD Student Tracker Data, 2010

WUHSD’s Shared Values

1. Collaboration

2. Common Assessments

3. Directed Intervention

Key Questions Addressed by PLCs

1. What do we want students to know?

2. How do we know when they learn it?

3. How do we respond when they do not learn it?

4. How do we enrich and extend the learning for those students who have demonstrated mastery?

#1 What do we want students to know?

CA State Content StandardsCA State Content StandardsWUHSD Essential Standards

Course NotebooksPacing Guides

Collaboration & SharingCollaboration & Sharing

Teachers Doing itTeachers Doing itTogetherTogether

#2 How do we know when they learn it?

• Formative & Summative Assessments– Districtwide Common Assessments (4 or more per year)

– Site-based Interim Assessments– Protocol for CollaborativeCollaborative Analysis of Results– Annual CSTs

• Collaborative Analysis of Data– Analysis of transparent & timely student

performance data within & between schools– Treasure Hunt in search of Best PracticesBest Practices

#3 How do we respond when they

do not learn it?Building a Systematic Response

Pyramid of Prevention & Intervention

PreventionPrevention

InterventionIntervention

Whatever it Takes Guiding Principles

• Intervention rather than remediation

• Intervention that is systematic• Intervention that is provided in a timely

manner

• Intervention that is directed rather than invited

• Prevention is the best Intervention

Focus on Freshman• Parent Partnership

• Campus Watch

• Link Crew

• Freshman First Day

• Summer Bridge Program

• ELA and Math Placement

Time & Support• Alternative Bell Schedules

– Student-Centered, Teacher Driven– Teacher Collaboration

• Distributed Leadership Network– Intervention Specialists/Clerk– Course Leads– Link Crew Facilitators

Alternative Block Schedule:Not Allowing Students to Choose

Failure

BREAK LUNCH HOME

Embedded Support to Ensure Mastery

120 minutes

Period1 or 2

Period3 or 4

Period5 or 6

100 min 20 min120 minutes 100 min 20 min100 min 20 min

120 minutes

Prevention Practices• Revision of Grading Policies

– Retesting: Ensuring students learn content

– Case Against the Zero

• Increased Feedback to Parents– Grading Period every 4.5 weeks

– Teleparent Parents as Partners

– Zangle Parent Portal & Teachers’ Websites

The Best Prevention is the Best First

Instruction

New Positions to Meet Challenges

• Revised Dept. Chair Description

• Subject Course Leads

• District Curriculum Assessment Coaches

• EADMS On-Site Technology Support

• Zangle On-Site Support Teachers

• Intervention Specialist & Clerk

Broad Base of Distributed Leadership

• Over 40% of Teachers in Leadership Role

– 137 Stipend Positions

– 59 Dept. Chairs

• Funding of Positions at each Site

– 10 Teacher Leaders funded by Site

– 28 Teacher Leaders funded by District

• Annual Total Cost Districtwide for Stipend Positions: $139,500 (does not include dept. chairs)

Distributed Leadership: Sample Site’s Stipend

PositionsCourse Lead Algebra 1 9th AVID Program Coord.Course Lead Algebra 1 (10th-12th) Curriculum CoordinatorCourse Lead Algebra 2 EADMS Support TeacherCourse Lead Geometry Intervention SpecialistCourse Lead Geometry Concepts Link Crew AssistantCourse Lead Biology Link Crew CoordinatorCourse Lead Chemistry Puente CoordinatorCourse Lead Earth Science Freshman Mentor Coord.Course Lead English 1 Sr. Project CoordinatorCourse Lead English 2 WASC CoordinatorCourse Lead English 3 Zangle Support TeacherCourse Lead Spanish 1Course Lead U.S. HistoryCourse Lead World Civ.Course Lead Spanish 1

Even the best classroom teacher needs support when

learning how to lead a team of their peers

Development of Teacher Leaders

• Site: – Leadership Meetings– Role of Department Chairs

• District:– Lateral Networks– Summer Professional Learning– Targeted Leadership Training– Curriculum and Assessment Coaches

2009/10 Pay it Forward: The Basics• Meetings & Agendas• Language of Support• Dealing with Unproductive Behavior• Sharing Best Practices without Highlighting Poor

Performers • Rewards and Recognition

2010/11 Pay it Forward: Team Development• Phases of Team Development• How Decisions are Made • The Role of Conflict

Group of Individuals Divergent Team Cohesive Team Interdependent Team

2011/12 Targeted Trainings & Individual Support

Teacher Leadership Training

Leadership Training 2011/12

• 2 Days in Summer

• Facilitation of Teams

– Communication: Dialogue vs. Discussion

– Team Energy

– Conflict

– Developing Common Understandings

Leadership Support: Curriculum Assessment

Coaches• Assigned to different sites

• Individual support for Course Leads

• Team Workshops for Course Leads

• Keeps finger on the pulse of Teacher Leaders

• Communicates Needs to Administration

District Quarterly Course-Alike Meetings

• Modeling of Collaborative Analysis

• Gap Analysis

• Discussion of Team Challenges

• Sharing of Best Practices

Teacher Development for All: Summer PD

• One week for each Content Area• Teachers and Course Leads• New Learning with Application Time• Alignment of Curriculum, Instruction, and

Assessment• Supplemental Collaboration Time (outside of

the structure content week)• Last Summer: 1,165 Teacher Work Days

Developing a staff’s capacities for talking

together may be the most significant investment faculties can make for

student learning.

Robert Garmston and Bruce Wellman

District Support Role• Amplified the Culture

– Built capacity through developing Teacher Leaders

– Brought Decentralized Depts together to collaboratively develop Common Assessments and address Support Issues

– Supported a Culture of Inquiry• Safe Discussion of Transparent Data and Needs

• Collegial, not Competitive

• Student-Centered

• Listened– Rick Du Four’s Presentations for Teacher

Leaders and Administrators• Read & Discussed

– Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Improving Student Achievement

– Whatever it Takes: How Professional Learning Communities Respond when Kids don’t Learn

• Visited – Three Visits to Stevenson HS in Illinois

How We Started

How We Watered the Seeds

• Learned– Gayle Karhanek Consulting

• Districtwide Workshops• Consulting Days at each School Site

• Applied– Pyramid of Interventions– 3 Meetings per Year

• Peer Accountability in Reporting Progress

• Communicated– Instructional Direction Brochure (version 3)– DVD

How we Continue to Expand Capacity through Collaboration

• Fostering Leadership– Leadership training for Teacher Leaders

– Support from Curriculum Assessment Coaches

– Modeling at District Best Practices Meetings

• Continual Learning for all Teachers– Summer PD

– District Course-Alike Teams

– Site Course-Alike Teams

Vision of Instructional Leadership in the FutureLeading from Behind and not from in Front

Michael Fullan

Distributed Leadership

Lateral Coordination & Communication Sharing Peer Accountability

Student Learning

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes

Rigor

Relevance

Relationships

Intensity

Coherence

Focus

Whatever it Takes