The PLC+ Playbook, Grades K-12: A Hands-On Guide to Collectively Improving Student Learning

by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John T. Almarode, Karen T. Flories, Dave Nagel

Overview

Help your PLC+ group to work wiser, not harder.

This practical guide to planning and implementing PLC+ groups equips professional learning communities with the tools, templates, and step-by-step instructions needed to bring the PLC+ framework to life in a collaborative setting. Twenty-three modules support PLC+ groups as they work through one entire cycle of learning, addressing the five questions and four cross-cutting themes—equity, high expectations, individual and collective efficacy, , and effective activation and facilitation.
Engage in deeper learning around the ideas and concepts central to PLC+ and make greater equity and efficacy a reality in your school or district.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544378442
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/17/2019
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. He is a credentialed English teacher and administrator in California. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design, as well as books such as The Teacher Clarity Playbook 2/e, Your Introduction to PLC+, The Illustrated Guide to Teacher Credibility, Instructional Strategies that Move Learning Forward: 30 Tools that Support Gradual Release of Responsibility, and Welcome to Teaching!

Nancy Frey is a Professor in Educational Leadership at San Diego State and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California. She is a member of the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. Her published titles include 50 Strategies for Activating Your PLC+, The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning, Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners, Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers, and RIGOR Unveiled: A Video-Enhanced Flipbook to Promote Teacher Expertise in Relationship Building, Instruction, Goals, Organization, and Relevance.

Dr. John Almarode is a bestselling author and an Associate Professor of Education at James Madison University. He was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship in 2015 and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. Before his academic career, John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County, Virginia. As an author, John has written multiple educational books focusing on science and mathematics, and he has co-created a new framework for developing, implementing, and sustaining professional learning communities called PLC+. Dr. Almarode's work has been presented to the US Congress, the Virginia Senate, and the US Department of Education.

John and his colleagues have also focused a lot of attention on the process of implementation – taking evidence-based practices and moving them from intention to implementation, potential to impact through a series of on-your-feet-guides around PLCs, Visible Learning, Visible Teaching, and the SOLO Taxonomy.

Karen Flories was the Executive Director of Educational Services for 5 years and Director of Literacy and Social Studies for 2 years with Valley View School District in Illinois, after serving as the English Department Chair for Romeoville High School. Karen’s classroom experience includes high school English, special education, and alternative education. Karen holds credentials in general education, special education, and educational leadership. She earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University. During her time at the district level, Karen led the implementation of Visible Learning+, specifically focusing on teacher clarity, classroom assessment, and feedback. Karen is the co-author of The PLC+ Activator’s Guide, PLC+: Better Decisions and Greater Impact by Design, and The PLC+ Playbook, Grades K-12. She is currently a full-time professional learning consultant for Corwin.

Dave Nagel has been a professional developer and educational consultant both nationally and internationally since 2003 and has done so as his primary job in education since 2008. Prior was a middle and high school science teacher and administrator in a large district in Indianapolis. As a school leader at Ben Davis High School (enrollment 3000 students) Dave was instrumental in developing a focused plan for differentiated goals for students based on specific proficiency measures which supported the school in improving its graduation rate 14% in just over 4 years.

Dave’s primary areas of expertise are in the areas of effective teacher and leader collaboration, assessment and feedback, and specifically effective grading actions both at the school and classroom level. He has been working specifically with Professor John Hattie’s Visible Learning research since 2011 that is a driving force for all of his work with teachers, coaches, and administrators. He has authored 5 books previous to this one, including four within the PLC+ series of publications (Corwin).

Published multiple times in various publications such as Principal Leadership and Educational Leadership, Dave has also presented at various national conferences.

Dave has a strong moral aspect, strives to be very relatable and practical when working with people, and has a savvy sense of humor that supports him in his life and work. Dave stays very busy with his beautiful and supportive wife, Kristen, and three boys (ages 20, 15, and 13). He acknowledges every day that the Lord guides his actions and is the driving force in his life. Dave is an independent consultant for Corwin Press and is the owner of NZJ Learning LLC (named after his three boys) and the Founder of The Center for Collaborative Expertise.

Table of Contents

List of Videos
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Welcome to the PLC+ Playbook
Module 1: The Purpose and Status of Your PLC+
Put the Playbook to Work for You
PLC Defined
PLC+ Guiding Questions
Module 2: Crosscutting Values and Opportunities to Grow Your PLC+ Team
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Crosscutting Values
SWOT Analysis
Module 3: On Your Own: The Plus Is You
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Your Individual Identity
Teacher Credibility
Teacher Credibility and Its Intersection With Crosscutting Values
Teacher Self-Efficacy
Teacher Self-Efficacy and Its Intersection With Crosscutting Values
Module 4: Collective Efficacy and Credibility in a PLC+
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Revisiting Teacher Credibility and Teacher Self-Efficacy
From Individual to Collective Teacher Efficacy
Setting Norms for Our Ways of Work
Norms for Our Ways of Work in Our PLC+
Module 5: Guiding Question 1: Where Are We Going? Analyze Standards
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Analyzing Standards
Design the Learning Progression
Develop Daily Learning Intentions
Identify Success Criteria
Complete PLC+ Template for Guiding Question 1: Where Are We Going?
Module 6: Where Are We Going? Crosscutting Values Check
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Equity and Expectations Values Checklist
Activate Learning for Myself and Others Checklist
Collective Efficacy Checklist
Module 7: Guiding Question 2: Where Are We Now? Data Collection
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Initial Assessment Data Collection
Data Gathering
Module 8: Where Are We Now? Data Analysis, Common Challenges, and Misconception Analysis
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Data Analysis Protocol
Common Challenge Protocol
Identify Student Misconceptions
Module 9: Where Are We Now? Crosscutting Values Check
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Equity and Expectations Values Checklist
Activate Learning for Myself and Others Checklist
Collective Efficacy Checklist
Module 10: Guiding Question 3: How Do We Move Learning Forward? Strengthening Our Teaching Practices
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Pair Teaching Strategies With Evidence Gathering
Coaching Corners Protocol
Module 11: How Do We Move Learning Forward? Assignment Analysis
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Assignment Analysis Tool
Module 12: How Do We Move Learning Forward? Learning Walks
Put the Playbook to Work for You
What Is a Learning Walk?
Types of Learning Walks and Their Purposes
Module 13: How Do We Move Learning Forward? Microteaching
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Microteaching in a Professional Learning Community
Preparation for Microteaching: The Volunteer Teacher
Module 14: How Do We Move Learning Forward? Crosscutting Values Check
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Equity and Expectations Values Checklist
Activate Learning for Myself and Others Checklist
Collective Efficacy Checklist
Module 15: Guiding Question 4: What Did We Learn Today?
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Build the Habit of Reflection
Module 16: What Did We Learn Today? Build Expert Noticing
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Expert Noticing: How Is Our PLC+ Using Student Evidence of Learning?
Expert Noticing Video Protocol
Noticing Note-Taking Guide
Module 17: What Did We Learn Today? Common Assessments
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Common Assessments/Quality Assessment Evidence
Design a Common Assessment to Use for Preunit and Postunit Comparisons
Module 18: What Did We Learn Today? Determining Impact and Comparing Progress and Achievement
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Determining Impact
Progress Versus Achievement
Visualizing Data
Module 19: What Did We Learn Today? Crosscutting Values Check
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Equity and Expectations Values
Overcoming Obstacles to Talking About Learning
Equity and Expectations Values Checklist
Activate Learning for Myself and Others Checklist
Collective Efficacy Checklist
Module 20: Guiding Question 5: Who Benefited and Who Did Not Benefit?
Put the Playbook to Work for You
On Your Own
Data Review
On Your Own
Equity Audit Protocol: Revisit the Data as a Team
Module 21: Who Benefited and Who Did Not Benefit? Responding to Improve Student Learning
Put the Playbook to Work for You
The Vital Nature of Progress Monitoring
Tiered Intervention Progress Monitoring Protocol
Module 22: Who Benefited and Who Did Not Benefit? Crosscutting Values Check
Put the Playbook to Work for You
Equity and Expectations Values Checklist
Activate Learning for Myself and Others Checklist
Collective Efficacy Checklist
References