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Promising Practices

What is a Promising Practices School?

Promising Practices is a solid initial step toward becoming a Model PLC at Work school. Promising Practices schools have strong evidence of the solid foundation required to become a Model PLC at Work and share at least one year of data that shows student achievement growth. The Promising Practices tier is for schools only.

Overview for Recognition as a Promising Practices School

Thank you for your interest in applying to become a Promising Practices professional learning community (PLC). To receive this recognition, a school must:

  • Demonstrate a commitment to the PLC at Work® process.
  • Implement those concepts for at least one to two years.
  • Present clear evidence of improved student learning.
  • Explain the culture, practices, and structures of the school and submit it for consideration to the PLC Review Committee using our online submission process.

Promising Practices is an initial step in becoming a Model PLC at Work School, though it is not required. Our hope is that you will continue your PLC at Work journey with us and apply to become a Model PLC at Work® School or District when you are ready.

Applying to become a Promising Practices School

Helpful tools for the application process can be found below.

Complete Application Guide:

For detailed step-by-step instructions, plus tips and recommendations regarding applying for Promising Practices status, download the Model PLC at Work & Promising Practices Applications Guide — DuFour and Eaker Recognition.

Checklist of necessary items:

Student Achievement Data

  • Must have 1-2 years of consecutive data showing student improvement.
    • One year of baseline data, plus one year of data showing increased student achievement in main content areas. (Math and Reading/English/ELA.)
    • Be sure to include data showing the progress made by traditionally underserved student populations (EL, Economically Disadvantaged, SPED).
    • Submit data for each grade within your school or district. More than one type of assessment for each grade greatly strengthens the application.
  • Supplementary Data can be added to the Resources portion within the Student Report Cards section.

Narratives

  • Remember the Three Big Ideas and Four Critical Questions when writing your PLC Story and PLC Practices narratives.
  • Provide details about the systems and processes in place. These narratives help the EOE Review Committee differentiate between PLC Lite and PLC Right.

Important to Keep in Mind

  • that no student names or identifying information are contained in any attachments or hyperlinks. Approved applications are published on the AllThingsPLC website as exemplars for others on their PLC at Work journey.
  • If using hyperlinks, please confirm that they are accessible and the share settings are set to anyone with a link and/or saved in a location so people outside of your organization can access it.
  • Hyperlinks that do not open can stop the review process.
  • Confirm that the contact person and contact info are correct & up to date. We encourage adding additional contacts for your organization.
  • Please add [email protected] to your safe recipients’ list to ensure emails about your application are not blocked.

After You Apply

Our panel of expert PLC at Work practitioners will use the above criteria to assess each school or district. Please consider carefully whether your school or district meets each criterion. To see examples of what you’ll need to submit before you get started, visit the See the Evidence page to see applications of approved Promising Practices Schools and Model PLC at Work® Schools and Districts.

The time frame for applications to be reviewed averages between 4-6 weeks.

After the committee has reviewed your application, you will be notified as follows:

  • If Approved:
    • An email notifying you of approval.
    • Promising Practices School Digital Badge.
    • Sample Promising Practices School Press Release.
    • Promising Practices School Flag.
    • Promising Practices School Certificate of Achievement.
    • Signed letter from CFO giving 1 free registration to any Solution Tree institute, summit, or workshop.
  • If additional information or data is requested, you will receive:
    • An email with a detailed Feedback Letter from the Evidence of Effectiveness (EOE) Review Committee.
    • The opportunity to speak with a member of the Evidence of Effectiveness (EOE) Review Committee to clarify and discuss next steps.
  • If your application is not approved, you will receive:
    • An email notifying you of why you were not approved.
      • We encourage you to continue your school improvement efforts and resubmit another application in the future.

Need Help Accessing Your Application?

 If you need help accessing your application:

  • Please click Apply and Sign Up for a free account if you don’t already have one.
    • Signing up with your school district email will allow you to connect directly with your organization.
    • You will be able to search for your organization by clicking on My Organizations < Add Organization
  • If you have an account, click on Forget Password on the Login page to reset your password.
  • If you continue to have problems, email [email protected] or click Contact Us at the bottom of the page.
    • Please include the name of the school or district, the city, and state.