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  • As it exists today, the PLC process in West Orange-Cove CISD is a journey that

  • began over four years ago through a vision of teamwork and collaboration.

  • Leadership and staff work together towards creating an environment of

  • increased teacher empowerment and input yielding high student achievement. Dr. Silvia

  • Martinez, Assistant Superintendent, tells about the beginning of this journey.

  • "Well when I first arrived to West Orange- Cove CISD, I had the opportunity to

  • observe classrooms and I saw that there was a lot of direct instruction. Um, it was

  • identified that direct instruction was the primary way and the primary method

  • of student learning, and so it became evident that there was a need for

  • teacher collaboration and for an opportunity for teachers to share ideas

  • to spark each other's thinking and to build upon the expertise that we already

  • had in the school district. Um, coming into the school district it was--uh--visiting

  • classrooms...there were a lot of observations that took place... a lot of

  • visits to classroom. And it could be seen that there were some really great,

  • excellent teachers who had wonderful ideas and great instruction.

  • Unfortunately, that level of instruction was not, uh, being seen throughout the entire

  • district, and there was really a need to see an increase in that. And so it was

  • important to find a way that we could give our own teachers and our own

  • experts the opportunity to share so that they could then send their expertise

  • into other classrooms and help their own neighboring teachers to improve in their

  • instruction and in the quality of the student outcomes."

  • Middle school principal Anthony Moten speaks to the significance of PLC's from

  • his perspective: "I think it's been everything...um... because that is what frames

  • our instructional direction--it frames what we do instructionally, and the

  • direction in which we're going. Everything that we have implemented,

  • everything that the conversations that we have, all come from that PLC model...

  • and which is 'How do you know they're learning it? What are you doing when they

  • don't? and 'What do you do when you know that they do?' And those are the things

  • that drive our conversation. Uh, so for us, instructionally, um... it's everything. It's... it's

  • foundational to to the academic success that we've had." One of the very first

  • steps in this journey was identifying the need for PLC's in the school

  • district. District staff shared their views: "Initially we had a lot of needs

  • in the district, and PLC's have a met a lot of those needs." "Sometimes you get bogged

  • down in your own classroom, and... and you're and you realize that you really need

  • uh, someone's brain to pick and to follow through with your ideas and to--uh, you know,

  • they can...they can elaborate with you and collaborate with you. And your visions

  • become clearer with the help of...of your fellow teachers." "You know you had some

  • classrooms, you know, things were happening, people were doing really well,

  • students were succeeding...In other classrooms-- uh, not so much, and in some

  • of the, the island classrooms--those were some of the best classrooms, you know. But we

  • had is to see 'How can we all be successful?' and so that was probably

  • number one need. It's just the student need and for student success and achievement."

  • Team members identify a variety of benefits they have experienced through

  • the use of PLC's. "(It was) obvious or evident that there was a

  • real need for PLC because we were a fractured faculty. Um, we were, uh, with working

  • within our department, but, uh, not to its greatest benefit for all of us.

  • Um, PLC has made us one. We, um, like I said, it...it makes us click. We are, uh, working together

  • on a daily basis. We are sharing information...what works-- what doesn't work

  • ...um, bringing ideas to the table to, um, to teach differently. And it's ever so

  • important when there is a...a... there's new teachers that are new to the campus or

  • new to teaching. It is a way to, um, take them under your wing and to, um, be there for

  • support." "We were able to find some...uh... common vocabulary that need to be

  • taught, and there were things were needing to happen at high school that, you know, elementary

  • or Pre-K could actually help, you know, set that foundation. And so, um, through that

  • you know, we were able to support so that students could be successful...um...in high school."

  • "I think that we've experienced great growth...um... not only from a student performance

  • perspective, but as practitioners we've grown. I remember back in the beginning

  • of the process, when we were people presenting it to staff and how that

  • process itself has morphed into us going deeper in the work, and

  • that is driven based on our level of comfort and understanding within the

  • work. So, seeing everyone grow within the process and having those deeper level

  • conversations about the things that actually work with our kids." Over the

  • past four years PLC's have become an integral part of

  • the district's culture. Team members share their reflections of the journey.

  • "Initially, we had a lot of needs in the district, and PLC's have, have met a lot of

  • those needs...um...and met a lot of the academic needs for both...professionally for the

  • teachers and...um...academically for the students." "I think the PLC allowed us to,

  • number one...have a...have a format for framing what we do. But then it allowed

  • us to be able to...to systematically...uh, have those broader conversations about the

  • good things that are taking place on our campus, and allowing us to frame those in

  • a way that...uh...allow people to have greater ownership of the things that are taking

  • place on the campus." "We counted on our leadership to set a tone and to create

  • an environment for the work of professional learning communities to

  • take place. It was really important for our leaders to set the example, to set

  • the tone, and to model what collaboration looks like." "Initially, you would expect

  • apprehension from teachers, and, you know, it's something new. But...

  • and we learned that in our experience. It was something new, and, uh, met

  • with apprehension. But over time, I believe teachers bought into it and...and they

  • saw the benefits of PLC's and, um, I think if today...if we said we weren't doing PLC's,

  • that teachers can find a way...uh..to do the PLC's on their own." The district

  • recognizes the need for continued growth as a professional learning community.

  • "It's just bringing in the new people and training them, 'Hey, this is how we do

  • business.' and so, um, I think that that really is one of our largest challenges. It's

  • just starting again, building the trust, understanding each other...you know...uh... just

  • learning...learning each other. You know, you're, you're starting kind of at that square one."

  • Although there are instances of teacher empowerment within the district, the

  • overall goal is for all teachers to be empowered as one WOCCISD professional

  • learning community. "You know, as I said, the PLC has strengthened us as staff

  • members, um...and it's allowed for us to not only become friends and coworkers...um... we're

  • proud of who we are. We're proud of being North staff at WOCCISD." Superintendent

  • Ricky Harris describes the ways in which the district desires to grow and build

  • systems upon the foundation already in place. "And then after we talk about where

  • we're going as a district, uh, everything is centered around...around professional

  • learning communities because we have to... we talk about what we want to build

  • the capacity of our, of our administrators, build the capacity of our

  • teachers...uh, and then we talk about how we want to grow, we want to grow our own. You

  • can't function by yourself. Uh, if you... uh...everything that I send out from my desk

  • uh you'll see it will, it will reference John Maxwell quote

  • John Maxwell's quote, uh, concerning one is...one is too small of a number to do anything and

  • do anything significant. And so you have to, you have to understand that all of us

  • have to work together. It takes a great team to move, to move

  • the district, not an individual. Continue to work...uh...to...to generate that environment

  • uh, that great PLC's... PLC's are all about. Uh, I just would say...I will just say let's

  • make sure that we're not... we're not just coming to meetings just to be in a

  • meeting because this is the meeting that that has been called, but we're coming to

  • bring some valuable information. We come to gather some valuable information so we

  • can move our students to the next level. And, uh, I come with a mind to learn and to grow--and that's what it's all about."

  • (Music)

As it exists today, the PLC process in West Orange-Cove CISD is a journey that

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