Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

ADM is a professional learning community (PLC).  While the definition of a PLC can take many forms, at the core is an intense focus on going beyond ensuring that students have been taught to ensuring that students learn.

In generations past, the school experience often focused on teaching rather than learning.  This could be seen in a system that focused on a process of teaching, testing, and moving on.  Students that “got it” scored well and those that “didn’t get it” scored poorly.  The teacher “taught” the curriculum and it was up to the student to perform.

At ADM we are working to provide a system focused on learning.  If a child needs extra time and supports to learn at high levels, we want to guarantee he or she will receive it.  This is aligned to ADM’s mission of ensuring high levels of learning for all.

To meet our mission, all ADM teachers are part of collaborative teams that meet regularly to ensure that ALL students learn at ADM.

The ADM Repeating Process for Each Unit  (shown below) is ADM’s attempt to conceptualize the “right work” of collaborative teacher teams.  Around the outside of the cycle you will see the four critical questions that teams must answer to guide their work.

1. What do students need to know and be able to do?

2. How do we know when they have learned it?

3. What will we do when students haven’t learned it?

4. What will we do when students already know it?

The center of ADM’s Repeating Process for Each Unit identifies (in red) critical steps that collaborative teams must complete as they plan and implement units of instruction.

The critical steps (in red) focus collaborative teacher teams on identifying what is to be taught, how it will be taught and assessed, identifying students that have not learned, and providing intervention and additional instruction for any students needing additional support.  All of this work is done prior to administering an end-of-unit assessment.

Even after an end-of-unit assessment has been given, collaborative teacher teams review the results and determine how to best provide additional support for students who have still not learned.

At ADM we believe this is the “right work” and the work that will ultimately help us meet our goal of ensuring that all students learn at high levels.

Mission

Vision

Collective Commitments

Goals

ADM Collective Commitments

ADM District Goals