Thursday, September 27, 2007

The start of the school year and PLC's

Ok, we are officially one month into school. It has been a productive, yet different start than what I am use to.

We began MAP NWEA testing with our Second Graders. The scheduling of the lab componant was tricky. So many sections to fit into a two week window. Take that and all the other K and First grade classes wanting the lab or my assistance, and it makes for a tricky few weeks. All went well and we are back into full reservation of the technology resources at Lyon.

New to our District - Professional Learning Communities - A big push within the district this year. We have dedicated times and dates to collaboration, teaming, and presentations by The DuFours. If you are not familiar with them,
check this link .

Here is another link about School Improvement and PLC's

A bit about PLC's
from NCREL -

The term professional learning community describes a collegial group of administrators and school staff who are united in their commitment to student learning. They share a vision, work and learn collaboratively, visit and review other classrooms, and participate in decision making (Hord, 1997b). The benefits to the staff and students include a reduced isolation of teachers, better informed and committed teachers, and academic gains for students. Hord (1997b) notes, "As an organizational arrangement, the professional learning community is seen as a powerful staff-development approach and a potent strategy for school change and improvement."



This should be an interesting year! I will keep you posted.