Becoming awarded a Model PLC at Work is a pivotal milestone in your PLC journey and a tremendous achievement. It recognizes a school or district’s dedication to increasing student achievement through the PLC at Work Process. It’s a testament to the hard work and collaborative spirit of your staff while acknowledging and showcasing your successes.
“What’s more important in an application, the narrative essay explaining the processes & systems or the student achievement data showing growth? BOTH! They are equally important, and both are needed to be approved.”
Below are a few key components that the Evidence of Effectiveness (EOE) Review Committee is looking for when reviewing applications. Also highlighted are specific things to be sure to include in your application and practical tips to help you craft a detailed application that highlights your unique journey.
Components of a Strong Application:
A successful application effectively showcases your school or district’s:
- Evidence of improved student learning: Provide three consecutive years of student achievement data showing an overall upward trajectory in your student’s assessment scores.
- Narratives explaining your commitment to the PLC at Work process: Explain in detail your foundational practices in the PLC at Work process. Tell us how you have incorporated the Three Big Ideas into your day-to-day practices and how you use the Four Critical Questions to increase student learning.
- Highlight the systems and processes that facilitate your collaborative culture and lead your data-driven decision-making.
- Resources and Artifacts: Share the artifacts, resources, and tools used to show that you have a solid foundation in the PLC at Work process.
Student Achievement Data for ALL Students:
Data is crucial for demonstrating the impact of your PLC at Work. We are looking for student achievement data that shows an overall upward trend in student achievement. We understand that dips happen.
If you are unsure if your data illustrates enough growth. Try this: Look at your assessment scores with green for increases and red for decreases from one year to the next (not counting year 1 since that is the baseline). Do you see more green than red? If so, great. Apply! (See example.)
If you do not see upward trends in your student achievement data, we ask that you wait and apply as soon as you do. The best PLC practices alone, without increases in student achievement, are not enough to be awarded Model PLC at Work or Promising Practices.
Here Is What You Will Need Regarding Data.
Include a summary or highlight of your data. This can be your most powerful tool in your application! In the text portion of the Achievement Data section, tell us about the increases in your students’ learning. Tell us what you see in your classrooms. What is your data telling you, and how are you capitalizing on it?
Your Data will be your proof, but tell us in your own words about the increases in student learning that are taking place in your school or district. If there are dips in your data, explain them. Tell us what you are doing or have done to correct them. Results Orientation is a key component to the PLC at Work process, so if something didn’t work, tell us how your course corrected and what you are doing to ensure that increases start happening again.
These next three are non-negotiables, so be sure to include:
- Student achievement data showing increased learning: Provide data showing growth in student learning.
- Model PLC applications require three consecutive years
- Promising Practices applications require two consecutive years (one baseline and one-year showing growth).
- We want data for your traditionally underserved student populations: Remember, all means ALL. We want to see that all of your students are learning.
- If your school demographics show populations of students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, Limited English, or Special Education, be prepared to submit achievement data for economically disadvantaged, English learners, and/or Special education student populations.
- We require data for all grades in your building.A true PLC at Work would be monitoring their students’ learning. We need some form of assessment data for all grades.
- If you have grades PreK through grade 2 in your building, we still need student achievement data, regardless of the fact that they don’t participate in state assessments. We accept data from the following:
- Local Assessment
- Common Formative Assessments
- Benchmark Assessments
- Click here for some suggestions on how to mix these and state assessments for different grade levels.
- If you have grades PreK through grade 2 in your building, we still need student achievement data, regardless of the fact that they don’t participate in state assessments. We accept data from the following:
These next few are optional:
These will strengthen your application, so you may want to consider:
- Multiple assessments for each grade: There are multiple types of assessments that can be submitted. State, local assessments, diagnostic assessments, standardized, common formative assessments, etc.
- Just because grades 3-8 take state assessments doesn’t mean they are the only assessments to submit. While state assessments are ideal, submitting additional assessments (like diagnostic assessments like iReady, Dibels, or Local or CFA assessments) can also strengthen your application.
- Tip: ONLY submit these additional assessments if they reflect an upward trajectory in learning.
- Just because grades 3-8 take state assessments doesn’t mean they are the only assessments to submit. While state assessments are ideal, submitting additional assessments (like diagnostic assessments like iReady, Dibels, or Local or CFA assessments) can also strengthen your application.
- Add Supplemental Data: Attach additional data in the form of your own graphs and tables in your application. Remember to display your data in a year-over-year format. See some examples here.
Narratives that Detail Your PLC at Work Practice:
Your application is much more than summarizing what you’ve read in books or completed professional development. Don’t think of this as a quick summary. One paragraph won’t be enough. This is where you explain your school’s journey and PLC practices in detail. Pretend the reviewer of your application is blindfolded in the classroom or meeting room with you, and you are telling them what is going on – that level of detail.
When writing your narrative, remember to.
- Showcase your journey: Describe the steps you’ve taken to implement and refine your PLC at Work process.
- Tell us about your Guiding Coalition (or Leadership Team) and how they interact and support the work within your building(s).
- Explain the steps taken and how you built your foundation in the PLC at Work process.
- Tip: Keep the 3 Big Ideas in mind when writing your PLC Story and include aspects of each into your story.
- Highlight your PLC Practices: What PLC Practices have you honed and incorporated into your day-to-day routine? Describe the processes and systems you have in place to ensure that all students are learning
- Explain how your teams meet and collaborate to increase student learning.
- Share how your data informs your actions and drives continuous improvement.
- Tip: Keep the 4 Critical Questions in mind when writing these essays.
- Be authentic and passionate: Let your enthusiasm for your work shine through in your writing.
Attach Resources that Support Your Narratives:
We want examples of the documents, artifacts, and tools used that show you have a solid foundation in the PLC at Work Process.
- Some specific artifacts are required to be included with all applications, they include:
- School mission statement, vision, values (collective commitments), and goals, both school and SMART goals.
- Master schedules, RTI & Extension schedules, and assessment/testing schedule.
- Tools that teachers and teams use to unpack standards, RTI & extensions planning, data discussions, etc.
- Below each narrative section is an area to add attachments to support it.
- Ensure there are no student names or identifying information, test any hyperlinks to ensure they are working correctly, and direct users to safe documents that do not contain student information nor link directly into your file management system.
Next Steps:
Navigating the application process can feel daunting, but it’s manageable if you approach it in three portions- data, narratives, and resources. Also, we encourage you to download the brand-new step-by-step application guide below, which will walk you through the entire application and offer tips and suggestions.
- Model PLC at Work Application Guide: This comprehensive guide provides detailed information about the application, requirements, and process.
- If you’re ready to take the next step, from here on the AllThingsPLC website, click on Applications in the upper right of the screen to create a free account and start your application.
We can’t wait to see your application and read about your journey! Good luck!
