A LYS Principal asks the following:

SC,

This summer I heard you mention that PLCs should operate on a predictable schedule and meeting topic cycle.  This has become a brain-worm.  Please explain this to me.

SC Response First, I am a PLC proponent.  Second, I would argue that PLCs on most campuses are a waste or time, energy and resources.  Much ado about nothing.

The purpose of a PLC is to improve the quality of instruction provided to students.  Everything else is a waste of PLC time.

So how do you ensure that your PLC isn’t wasting time?  Make sure that PLC activities directly align with at least one component of the Foundation Trinity. Insist on an agenda before each meeting and an actionable plan, activity or product by the end of every meeting.  Otherwise, even if your people are engaged and busy, productivity is diminished, which is a guaranteed morale killer.

Now the discussion you referenced concerned campuses implementing a new scope and sequence.  So here is how you use the PLC process to reduce the heartburn and/or non-compliance of Common Scope and Sequence implementation:

PLC Meeting 1: Curriculum preview for the upcoming unit and/or time window.

PLC Meeting 2: Instructional activities and delivery practices that support the scheduled curriculum content.

PLC Meeting 3: Assessment development for the unit and/or time window.

PLC Meeting 4: Data analysis and adjustment

Repeat PLC meeting cycle.

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