Program Improvement

(PLC) Professional Learning Communities

(RTI) Response To Intervention

        Program Improvement incorporates multiple components for successful growth of all students within the school.  Those components are: Professional Learning Communities and Response to Intervention.  A Professional Learning Community has three big ideas: a focus on learning, a focus on collaboration, and a focus on results.  The Professional Learning Community will address four important questions:
1.  What will all students learn (viable curriculum based on standards)
2.  How will we determine if the students have learned? (common assessments)
3.  How will we respond when students have not learned? (Response to Intervention)
4.  How will we respond when students have learned or already know? (enrichment)

An effective Response to Intervention program is urgent, directive, timely, targeted, administered by trained professionals, and is systematic.  Response to Intervention utilizes a three-tiered approach to intervention which provides additional time for the intervention and with greater intensity at each tier.  Within the tiered structure, researched based Response to Intervention outlines the following essential components:
•    Belief that all students can learn
•    Collaboration of teachers
•    Fidelity to the research based core curriculum program and improving best practices of differentiation/small group instructiobn based on targeted assessed need
•    Universal screening with progress monitoring of students within each tier
•    Comprehensive targeted Tier I classroom interventions
•    Agreed upon cut points for movement from tier to tier and a system in place to make decisions based on data.

Eight Specific Actions Essential for Program Improvement in High Poverty Schools, High Second Language Learners’ Populations
•    rearrange time and space
•    highly structured learning environments focused on basic skills
•    teachers committed to their work with extra time and support in helping students demonstrate respect for all
•    teachers hold high expectations for students
•    teachers have high knowledge of needs of students
•    teachers assess students constantly
•    vertical and horizontal curriculum planning throughout the school year
•    structured collaborative time
•    maximized amount of instructional time and utilization of that time
•    teachers trained in “front loading’ preteaching strategies
•    developed and supported mathematics skills in early grenades
•    increased instructional day
•    use of common assessments
•    interventions for students who are far below basic proficiency
•    coaching

School Organization of Successful Schools
Reality of Most Schools                                             Reality of Successful Schools

State norm testing                                             Multiple and ongoing assessment with sharedrubric by all
Professional Development Days                       Ongoing collaboration and modeling based on research
Teaching all standards                                      Teaching focus standards that lead to improvement in all areas
Minimal writing exposure                                   Extensive writing practice in all areas using a single common rubric
Student works for grade                                    Student work leads to improved achievement
Teacher grading and assessment                     Teacher grades based on shared assessment

All schools preK – 12  in NMUSD are working toward the Professional Learning Community Model and implementation of Response to Intervention.  Ask the school principal about how your child’s school is incorporating these two components.