Dr. Timothy Mitchell
Rapid City Area Schools
Rapid City Public School Foundation-10-9-12
“The biggest problem in
communication is the illusion
that it has taken place.”
-George Bernard Shaw
What are we doing?
Why are we doing it?
What’s the plan to win?
What are we doing?
Goal #1: RCAS will develop a guaranteed and viable
curriculum in all grade levels and in all courses so that
all students have access to the same essential
learning.
Goal #2: RCAS will develop a comprehensive system
of assessment that is aligned with content standards,
curriculum materials and instructional practices.
Goal #3: RCAS will develop diverse opportunities for
students to learn and be academically successful.
A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is:
-An on-going process in which educators
work collaboratively in recurring cycles of
collective inquiry and action research to
achieve better results for the students they
serve
-PLCs operate under the assumption that the
key to improved learning for students is
continuous, job-embedded learning for
educators
Why are we doing it?
The type of district and schools
that I envision as we move
forward embraces the current
research as to what is the best
way for leaders and teachers to
act.
What’s the plan to
win?
“Discover a few vital behaviors,
change those, and problems – no
matter what the size -- topple
like a house of cards.”
-(Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, and SwitzlerInfluencer-The Power to Change Anything)
The primary goal of any learning
community– improving student
learning– is limited only by a
district’s ability to establish new
structures, improve communication,
enhance teacher learning and
develop collective intelligence.
The Heart of the PLC Model:
Collaboration
-Conversations with each other
-Learning from each other
-Making decisions based upon
collective knowledge
Priorities/Non-Negotiables:
1. Build district-wide shared understanding of PLC
concepts
2. Develop high-performing collaborative teams
focused on high levels of learning for all students
3. Clarify essential learning outcomes/power
standards
4. Develop and deploy common formative
assessments
A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum:
What is it?
A curriculum is guaranteed when it gives
students access to the same essential
learning regardless of who is teaching the
class. A curriculum is viable if it can be
taught in the time allotted.
Marzano (2003) found that a guaranteed
and viable curriculum is the school-level
factor that has the greatest impact on
student achievement. If students do not
have the opportunity to learn the content
we expect of them, there is little chance
that they will.
A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum:
What’s Its Purpose?
The fundamental purpose of education is to
ensure high levels of learning for all students.
It is a matter of equity. No school or district
can accomplish that purpose unless it can first
answer this question:
Exactly what is it each student is expected
to learn?
All organizations are capable of instilling a
purpose motive by engaging people in
frequent discussions and opportunities to
share insight, goals, problems, and
motivation
**A teacher in a PLC school stated-After
experiencing the collaborative approach to
teaching-I never want to return to the old
way of doing things-I am sure I am a better
teacher today as a result of the PLC
Starbucks
It is merely stating the obvious: Teaching is
enormously complex and can never be perfect.
Because it is never perfect, it can always be
improved; it is the professional responsibility of
each of us to be on a constant quest for
improved methods and approaches. Sometimes
this requires digging deeply into the thinking
that underlies practice and ensuring that
everyone holds the similar conceptual
understanding about the big ideas.
If it Ain’t Broke Fix It
Take fast, and make it faster. Take smart, and
make it brilliant. Believe that no matter how
well you do something, you can always do it
better and chances are you will. Our goal is to
create the benchmark – and keep raising it.