Aligning School Districts as PLCs

by Van Clay, Mark; Soldwedel, Perry; Many, Thomas W.

• ISBN13: 9781935543398
• ISBN10: 1935543393
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-11
• Publisher: Solution Tree

Summary

Districtwide alignment is the organizational equiv¬alent of ensuring that every student learns. To realize its full potential, all levels and all roles districtwide need to become aligned around the three ¿big ideas¿ of a PLC: ensuring a focus on learning, building a collaborative culture, and establishing a results orientation. For each of these big ideas, there are certain ¿non-negotiables¿¿things around which there must be common agreement and expectations.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. xi
Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Case for Districtwide Alignment	p. 5
It's Not Easy	p. 6
The Three Big Ideas	p. 9
Ensuring that All Students Learn	p. 9
Building a Collaborative Culture	p. 9
Establishing a Focus on Results	p. 10
Conclusion	p. 10
Alignment's Essential Components	p. 11
Defining District Roles	p. 11
The Three Roles	p. 11
Role Bridges	p. 12
The Cascading Effect	p. 13
Communicating Through Data	p. 14
Collecting Formative and Summative Assessments	p. 17
Data Comparisons	p. 18
Audience-Based Data	p. 18
Role-Based Reporting of Data	p. 20
Applying Loose and Tight Leadership	p. 24
Reciprocal Accountability	p. 25
Role Expertise	p. 26
Commitment to the Big Ideas	p. 26
Applying the Alignment Constants	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 28
Aligning to a Focus on Learning	p. 29
The Strategic Role	p. 29
The Tactical Role	p. 30
The Operational Role	p. 30
Non-Negotiables for Ensuring a Focus on Learning	p. 30
A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum	p. 30
A Balanced and Coherent System of Assessment	p. 34
A Schoolwide Pyramid of Interventions	p. 39
Alignment Constants	p. 44
Strategic Responsibilities	p. 44
Tactical Responsibilities	p. 48
Operational Responsibilities	p. 48
Case Study for a Focus on Learning	p. 49
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Right	p. 51
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Wrong	p. 53
Summary	p. 57
Conclusion	p. 57
Aligning to a Collaborative Culture	p. 59
The Strategic Role	p. 59
The Tactical Role	p. 60
The Operational Role	p. 61
Non-Negotiables for Building a Collaborative Culture	p. 61
Shared Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals	p. 62
High-Performing Collaborative Teams	p. 66
Creating Intentional Collaboration	p. 71
Alignment Constants	p. 77
Case Study for Building a Collaborative Culture	p. 83
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Right	p. 84
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Wrong	p. 86
Summary	p. 89
Conclusion	p. 89
Aligning to a Results Orientation	p. 91
The Strategic Role	p. 91
The Tactical Role	p. 92
The Operational Role	p. 93
Non-Negotiables for Establishing a Results Orientation	p. 93
Establishing a Data Mindset	p. 93
Data Management, Collection, and Analysis	p. 103
Data-Based Action to Improve Results	p. 108
Alignment Constants	p. 110
Case Study for Establishing a Results Orientation	p. 116
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Right	p. 118
Deconstructing the Story: What Went Wrong	p. 119
Summary	p. 124
Conclusion	p. 124
An Alternative to Dead Reckoning: Assessing PLC Alignment	p. 125
Why Alignment Appraisal Tools?	p. 125
The Big Idea Assessment Instrument-Appraisal Tool 1	p. 126
The Alignment Constants Instrument-Appraisal Tool 2	p. 130
Conclusion	p. 131
Epilogue	p. 133
Appendix: Big Idea Self-Assessments	p. 135
Self-Assessment for a Focus on Learning	p. 136
Self-Assessment for Building a Collaborative Culture	p. 139
Self-Assessment for a Results Orientation	p. 142
References and Resources	p. 145
Index	p. 149
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.