Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve (DuFour, 2016).  

PLC Function and Responsibilities - In addition to outlining the function and responsibilities of PLCs, this document includes information about membership, tiers supported, meeting frequency, protocols and data-based decision making tools. 

PLC Process Resources

The following protocols and resources are based on the research of DuFour et. al in the book Learning by Doing (2016). While engaging in the four critical questions is expected for all PLCs, the following resources are optional tools.  Schools may use their own forms that contain the four key questions. 

Agenda:

PLC Agenda (Google Sheets) - This spreadsheet includes a tab for each unit of the year so that notes can be kept all in one place. 

PLC Agenda (Google Doc) - This document guides PLCs through the four questions and keeps notes from one unit on each document. 

Notes-At-A-Glance (choose one):

PLC Notes-at-a-Glance (Google Sheets) - This spreadsheet includes a tab for each PLC to share brief notes about their work with colleagues and building leaders, all in one place. 

PLC Notes-at-a-Glance (Google Doc) - This document includes space for three PLCs to share brief notes about their work with colleagues and building leaders. 

Additional Resources:

PLC 101 Canvas Course

PLC Self-Assessment Rubric - This document can be used by teams to reflect on their practice. 

PLC Observation Rubric - This document can be used by an observer to give the team feedback. The rubric itself is the same as the PLC Self-Assessment Rubric, and there is space provided for feedback. 

Team Analysis of Common Assessment (TACA) Worksheet - This can be used while engaging with Question 2. 

PLC Implementation Card - This document gives an overview of the process. 

PLC Member Roles

Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts

Literacy Decision Rules

The documents linked below were created by OTL and provide guidance to school teams for using data such as universal screeners to identify and match students to Tier II & III literacy interventions.

• K-2 Reading Assessment Decision Rules
  • K-2 English Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
  • DRAFT K-2 Chinese Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
  • DRAFT K-2 Japanese Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
  • DRAFT K-2 Russian Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
  • K-2 Spanish Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
  • DRAFT K-2 Vietnamese Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
• 3-5 Reading Assessment Decision Rules 2022-2023
• 6-8 Literacy/Language Arts Decision Rules 2022-2023
• 9-12 Literacy/Language Arts Decision Rules 2022-2023

Math Decision Rules

The documents linked below were created by OTL and provide guidance to school teams for using data such as universal screeners to identify and match students to Tier II & III math interventions.

• K-5 Math Assessment Decision Rules
• 9-12 Math Assessment Decision Rules