Guidelines for Applying as a National Model of a
Professional Learning Community at Work
Thank you for your interest in serving as a national model of a school that is functioning as a professional learning
community (PLC). This application is intended to clarify the guidelines that are used in the selection process and to
provide you with a fairly open-ended format that allows you to explain the practices, structure, and culture of your school.
To receive this recognition, a school must:
1. Demonstrate a commitment to PLC concepts
2. Implement those concepts for at least 3 years
3. Present clear evidence of improved student learning
4. Explain the practices, structures, and culture of the school on the Evidence of Effectiveness form and submit it for
consideration to the PLC Review Committee at evidence@allthingsplc.info.
The committee that reviews applications will utilize the criteria listed below in assessing each school. Keep these criteria
in mind and address them as you complete your application. The criteria can also serve as a useful tool to help schools 1)
assess their own progress as professional learning communities, and 2) identify meaningful steps to build the collective
capacity of the staff to implement this powerful continuous improvement concept.
Criteria for Selection:
1. Evidence of a Commitment to Learning for All Students
a. Teachers in our school work in collaborative teams to build shared knowledge regarding state standards, district
curriculum guides, the content and format of high-stakes assessments, and the expectations of teachers at the next
level to clarify the essential knowledge and skills all students must acquire to advance.
b. Collaborative teams of teachers have clarified the specific proficiency standards students must achieve on each skill
and the criteria they will use in assessing each student’s proficiency. They have practiced applying the criteria to
ensure consistent, reliable assessment of student learning. They help students understand the criteria and students
use the criteria to monitor their own learning.
c. Our school has a process for carefully monitoring each student’s learning on an ongoing basis. This frequent
monitoring of student learning includes common assessments created by the collaborative team of teachers
responsible for the same group of students.
d. Our school has a process for responding when students experience difficulty in learning (rather than leaving it to the
individual classroom teacher to resolve). This coordinated process ensures students receive additional time and
support for learning in a way that is timely, directive (rather than invitational), and systematic. Students do not miss
new instruction to receive this additional support.
e. Our school has a process for enriching and extending the learning for students who are proficient.
2. Evidence of a Collaborative Culture
a. Teachers are organized into collaborative teams by course or subject area. Members of teams work interdependently
to achieve common goals for which they are mutually accountable.
b. Teachers are provided with time to collaborate during their contractual day.
c. Teachers use their collaborative time to engage in collective inquiry regarding issues directly related to student
learning.
3. Evidence of a Focus on Result
a. Each team has identified SMART goals that are aligned with one or more school goals. The SMART goals focus on
student learning and require evidence of improved student learning in order to be accomplished.
b. Teams regard ongoing analysis of results as a critical element in the teaching and learning process. They gather
evidence of student learning from a variety of sources to inform and improve their individual and collective practice
as part of a process of continuous improvement.
c. Each teacher receives frequent feedback regarding the success of his or her students in achieving a standard using
agreed-upon assessments in comparison to the other students attempting to achieve the same standard. Transparency
regarding results helps teachers learn from one another.
d. Student achievement in the school is clearly improving across the curriculum. High-performing schools are
able to sustain their achievement over time.
Professional Learning Community Evidence of Effectiveness
School Information
School Name: Viers Mill Elementary
District Name: Montgomery County Public Schools
School Address: 11711 Joseph Mill Road, Silver Spring, MD 20906
School Phone: 301-929-2165
School Fax: 301-929-6977
Principal: Matt Devan
Principal email: Matthew_A_Devan@mcpsmd.org
Web Address: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/viersmilles/
Demographics
Number of Students: 684
Percent Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 72%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 53%
Percent of Special Education: 17%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:
- White – 13%
- Black – 12%
- Hispanic – 64%
- Asian/Pacific Island – 8%
- Other – 3%
School Programs
 Identified Title I School
 Elementary Home School Model – 100% inclusion model for K-5 students
 Preschool Education Program (PEP) – 3 & 4 year old students with identified
learning disabilities
 Head Start – Full Day Program for 4 year old students impacted by poverty
 Prekindergarten – Half Day Program for 4 year old students impacted by poverty
 Linkages to Learning – Community partnership to provide wrap around supports
 School-based Health Center – Pediatric medical care program for students / siblings
Organizational Performance Results
Maryland School Assessment
Reading
Trend Data
All Students
Asian
African
American
White
Hispanic
LEP
Special
Education
FARMS
2011
96.7
100
2012
>95.0
>95.0
2013
>95.0
>95.0
91.7
>95.0
>95.0
100
96.4
88.7
>95.0
>95.0
94.4
>95.0
>95.0
93.2
99.0
93.8
91.6
96.1
>95.0
>95.0
Maryland School Assessment
Math
Trend Data
All Students
Asian
African
American
White
Hispanic
LEP
Special
Education
FARMS
2011
98.1
100
2012
>95.0
>95.0
2013
>95.0
>95.0
87.5
89.3
>95.0
100
99.3
98.2
>95.0
>95.0
>95.0
>95.0
94.8
95.0
99.0
92.3
92.6
98.1
>95.0
>95.0
Viers Mill ES - 2013 Gallup Staff Survey
Please comment on any aspect of the data that you believe is particularly significant.
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Our incremental growth and sustained student success through 2013 are tangible evidence of the
effectiveness of high functioning Professional Learning Community
Viers Mill Elementary has statistically closed the achievement gap for the past five years. Race nor
affluence are predicting student performance at Viers Mill.
Data walls, aligned to goals, are displayed in the room and frequently changed. Student Learning Maps
are displayed in every classroom as well. The daily routine at Viers Mill involves a lot of attention to
data. Students and staff alike engage in various processes of data collection, data analysis, and data
sharing. Working with student performance data is thoroughly intertwined with the school's instructional
practices. As a result, teachers design formative assessments, monitor student performance, and modify
their instructional strategies based on data they identify themselves or receive through grade-level
planning and working with the leadership team.
Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional
learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.
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The results of our Gallup Staff Survey provide clear evidence that our staff are highly engaged,
understand their work, and feel effective.
The Harvard Case Study that was completed in 2005 of Viers Mill characterized our school as a
“distinctly collaborative environment.” We pride ourselves on being a true professional learning
community.
Our school emphasizes intellectual and personal development for staff, as well as students. Staff
members are encouraged to mentor and collaborate with one another, develop skills that will further
enhance their abilities, and use new information to improve the quality of their work.
Staff actively work with the leadership team to share data, identify new sources of information, and help
each other with difficult problems.
Planning and the use of data are encouraged at all levels all the time. There is a specific school-wide
focus on grade-level planning and extended time is dedicated to those efforts each week. Teachers use
this time to engage one another in examining ideas and possible improvements. The increased planning
time fosters positive interactions elsewhere and staff members expect to work together and help one
another because improved student achievement depends on it. Team planning consists not only of
planning curricula, but debating different ways of reaching students, discussing instructional strategies,
and strong examination of data.
Paraprofessionals receive professional development throughout the year and are a key to our ability to
provide targeted small group instruction to identified students.
Parent and family involvement is highly valued. There is a comprehensive effort to be inclusive and
welcoming to parents. The school uses a variety of traditional methods of communicating with parents,
including weekly parent bulletins (translated into Spanish), progress reports, homework folders, and
instructional packets.
The partnership with parents extends beyond encouraging support for the school and being informed
about their children. Our school's Family Learning Nights, which begun in 2003 have been widely
modeled throughout the county, are viewed as a key component to the success of the school. The
availability of food, babysitting, bilingual presentations, and a structured activity open to all children
have encouraged many entire families to attend. Parents receive information about learning objectives
for their children and they receive instruction on how to reinforce these concepts at home.
Please elaborate strategies you have found to be effective in the following areas:
1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.
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Classroom teachers provided daily guided reading lessons in a small group for every student in our
school, every day. This allows them to know students on a more personal level and know the specific
educational needs.
Classroom teachers assess students reading levels informally every 2-3 weeks, then formally every 8-9
weeks.
Each grade level team conducts a Data Wall Discussion every 8-9 weeks. Every classroom teacher from
that grade and all other staff that provide reading instruction participates. Classroom teachers present
their students one at a time to the group, highlighting their strengths, needs, and growth since the last
Data Wall Discussion then places that student on their “Wall” at the appropriate reading level. After all
students from the grade level have been presented, the group discusses and determines who will teach
which students and identify intervention groups and the focus of those groups.
2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.
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When a teacher has a concern about a student who is struggling to learn, they meet with our reading
specialist, math content coach, or our counselor depending on what the teacher feels like is the child’s
main challenge. The teacher and specialist discuss what is taking place currently, look through data
from previous years, and create an action plan to address needs and measure growth.
Our staff provide specific interventions for students in the morning before the start of our official school
day. This allows students to receive the focused support that they need and does not conflict with the
“good first instruction” they are receiving in their classrooms.
Students can be identified for decoding, fluency, vocabulary development, comprehension, number
sense, math applications, etc.
Interventions are provided before the school day officially begins, after guided reading groups with
classroom teachers, and after school.
3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts
on improved learning for all students.
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Our Staff Development Teacher works closely with our team leaders as well as individual teams to
support and clarify their work.
Team Leaders play a vital role in guiding the direction and resources of the school as well as identifying
our needs.
Our School Improvement Team meets quarterly to plan, adjust, and reflect on our practices.
The staff does not depend on traditional notions of classroom organization and lesson planning. There is
an emphasis on flexibility and creativity, being resourceful and responsive to the needs of the child.
These flexible approaches to working with students and the ability of teachers to ask for help from other
staff members are processes that have developed over time.
We have extended weekly team meetings for all teams k-5 to examine data, plan for pre assessments, for
differentiation in all subject areas, create formative assessments, etc.
All grade level teams have full day “Planning Days” each marking period. These days allow teams to
collaborate for in-depth long range planning, discuss proficiency levels they are looking for from their
students, create their Student Learning Maps, identify key vocabulary, and create common formative
assessments that they will reflect on after their instruction.
All teachers meet in monthly study groups to focus on reading comprehension. These study groups
allow for teachers to reflect on their practices and discuss them with other staff members. These
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conversations lead to a deeper understanding of our work, an appreciation for the other professionals
that we work with, and a common language / understanding that help us be more effective as a larger
organization.
Our full inclusion model with co-teaching for special education and English Language Learners (ELL)
helps us align our work and share our unique perspectives to benefit all of our students.
List awards and recognitions your school has achieved:
2010 - NCUST National Excellence in Urban Education Award Finalist, National Center for Urban School
Transformation
2008 – National Title I School of Distinction, U.S. Department of Education
2005 - National No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, U.S. Department of Education
2004 - Maryland State Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Maryland State Department of Education
Additional Recognitions:
2014 - Viers Mill highlighted in Solution Tree video series to be released at a future date
2013 – Currently seven teachers are recognized as National Board Certified Teachers
2009 - Deputy Secretary Of Education Tony Miller visited Viers Mill Family Learning Night to highlight our
strong school and family partnership
2009 - President Barack Obama visited Viers Mill to celebrate our closing of the achievement gap
2009 – Invited to present at The Education Trust Conference, Virginia
2009 – Invited to consult with Racine Unified School District, Wisconsin
2008 - Education Week -2/19/08 –Viers Mill featured on closing the achievement gap
2008 – Invited to present at Anne Arundel County Professional Development Conference, Maryland
2007 - Viers Mill highlighted in video series: Professional Learning Communities at Work -DuFour and Eaker
2005 - Education Week- 8/10/05 –Viers Mill featured on the value of effective staff development
2004 - Harvard University Case Study of Viers Mill