Assessment Description

Allocate at least 2 hours in the field to support this field experience.

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is defined as a group of educators that meet regularly to share expertise and work collaboratively to improve the learning of all students. Most school environments implement PLCs to provide an opportunity for grade level teachers to work together through the assessment cycle, analyzing student performance data, and determining strategies to improve instruction for students. It is critical for this collaborative analysis to include all students, including those who are above, at, and below grade level, to ensure instruction is stimulating and challenging.

For this field experience, interview a K-3 teacher with PLC experience who has worked collaboratively with a team of teachers to analyze student data, determine appropriate intervention strategies to support all learning levels, and monitor learning progress to demonstrate growth during learning.

In addition, interview an instructional coach or administrator who has facilitated a PLC. While some states may refer to this community in a different way, the goals are similar. 

In your interviews, ask the following questions:

• How does your school implement PLCs?
• What do you focus on during the PLC meetings?
• How do PLCs support collaboration with colleagues to identify common curriculum goals and evaluate progress towards the goals?
• How would you change or modify PLCs?
• What is the biggest change you have seen in student learning since you started collaborating with other educators?

Use any remaining field experience hours to assist the teacher in providing instruction and support to the class.

In a summary of 250-500 words, describe your interviews and reflect on how the information you learned might be applied in your future practice.

APA style is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.