Professional Learning Communities:
Staying the Course
Sandy Thorstenson
Superintendent
Whittier Union High School District
Changes in the Past 12 Years
in Students We Serve
73%
80%Hispanic
Hispanic
13%
10%
English
English
Learners
Learners
22%
16%
White
White
20%
23%
R-FEP
R-FEP
31%
80% Soc Econ Dis
Soc Econ Dis
Now
Then
3%
4%
Other
Students Receiving Free or
Reduced Meals
58%
46%
40% 41%
28%
31% 31%
50%
52%
53%
62%
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 classroom
Superintendent
• District Annual Report to the Board
• Superintendent’s Data Notebook
• Board Weekly Updates
Comprehensive Strategy to Increase
Performance on Measurable Targets
Professional Learning Communities
We are committed to doing WHATEVER IT TAKES
RESULTS
Pyramid of
Prevention &
Interventions
District Growth API
800
750
700
650
600
550
500
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
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?
Staying the Course:
Growth Points over the Past 7 Years
Growth Points
Percentile in CA
(925 HS)
Cal
181
96%
LS
162
92%
PHS
172
95%
SF
171
95%
WHS
219
99%
School
Narrowing the Achievement Gap:
Gaining on the Goal of 800
800
700
600
500
400
2000
2001
2002
2003
Hispanic/Latino
2004
2005
White
2006
2007
2008
2009
Socioeconomically Dis.
2010
2011
3,000
AP Tests Taken & Percent of
10th – 12th Enrollment
2,500
2,283
22%
2,318
22%
1,758
19%
1,500
1,284
16%
2,311
22%
1,921
20%
1,748
20%
2,000
2,724
29%
1,977
19%
1,591
18%
1,000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
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%
10th 74.3% 75.4% 76.9% 75.3% 79.5% 84.3% 84.7% 86.9% 87.1%
11th 87.6% 87.6% 86.3% 87.7% 89.0% 92.6% 94.0% 93.1% 95.0%
WUHSD On-Target Rates
100%
90%
80%
70%
02/03
9 79.0%
10 74.3%
11 87.6%
03/04
77.9%
75.4%
87.6%
04/05
76.3%
76.9%
86.3%
05/06
76.8%
75.3%
87.7%
06/07
79.8%
79.5%
86.7%
07/08
83.4%
84.3%
92.6%
08/09
86.4%
84.7%
94.0%
09/10
86.1%
86.9%
93.1%
10/11
86.3%
87.1%
95.0%
NCES Four-Year Dropout Rate
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
WUHSD
Hispanic
White
County
State
2006
8.0%
8.4%
6.7%
16.7%
15.6%
2007
7.7%
8.2%
5.1%
24.2%
21.1%
2008
6.3%
6.9%
3.7%
21.0%
18.9%
2009
8.6%
8.8%
6.5%
24.3%
21.5%
2010
8.2%
8.3%
7.5%
21.0%
17.7%
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
48.4%
44.4%
41.0%
40.1%
35.4%
27.7%
WUHSD Actual College
Enrollment within 2 years
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
HS Grad
Class
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
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 Standards
Collaboration & Sharing
Essential Standards
Course Notebooks
Teachers Doing it
Pacing Guides
WUHSD
Together
#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 Collaborative 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 Practices
#3
How do we respond when they
do not learn it?
Building a Systematic Response
Pyramid of
Prevention & Intervention
Intervention
Prevention
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
120 minutes
100 min
20 min
Period
1 or 2
120 minutes
100 min
20 min
Period
3 or 4
BREAK
120 minutes
100 min
20 min
Period
5 or 6
LUNCH
HOME
Embedded Support to Ensure Mastery
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 Positions
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Course Lead
Algebra 1 9th
Algebra 1 (10th-12th)
Algebra 2
Geometry
Geometry Concepts
Biology
Chemistry
Earth Science
English 1
English 2
English 3
Spanish 1
Course Lead
U.S. History
Course Lead
Course Lead
World Civ.
Spanish 1
AVID Program Coord.
Curriculum Coordinator
EADMS Support Teacher
Intervention Specialist
Link Crew Assistant
Link Crew Coordinator
Puente Coordinator
Freshman Mentor Coord.
Sr. Project Coordinator
WASC Coordinator
Zangle Support Teacher
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
Teacher Leadership Training
2009/10
Pay it Forward: The Basics
•
•
•
•
•
2010/11
Meetings & Agendas
Language of Support
Dealing with Unproductive Behavior
Sharing Best Practices without Highlighting Poor
Performers
Rewards and Recognition
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
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 CourseAlike 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
How We Started
• 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 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 Future
Leading 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