Reality Check: Clarify Your Current Reality with an Audit of PLC Practices

Reality Check: Clarify Your Current Reality with an Audit of PLC Practices

By Thomas Many and Sam Ritchie

The article by Thomas Many and Sam Ritchie followed the professional learning community (PLC) in the Allen Parish school district in Louisiana and used an audit to ensure that the learning communities were actually following through. The Allen Parish schools “committed to PLC concepts in all its schools as the key strategy to improve student achievement” (Many & Ritchie, 2007, p. 21). The faculty supported the PLC model used by the district but the schools were running into different roadblocks when trying to implement the PLC model. To fix the roadblocks and make the PLC successful, the school district used a reflective audit to help their educators address key questions such as how to build shared knowledge, clarify how well PLC concepts are in effect, and assess the effectiveness of promoting PLC practices (2007, p. 22).

The audit consisted of four different phases to help the Allen Parish leaders “identify and address common concerns that had emerged in their schools” (2007, p. 23). The first phase consisted of a survey to assess PLC participant’s knowledge of PLC concepts and vocabulary while the second phase had each school create a portfolio of artifacts for essential outcomes, goals, etc. (2007, p. 22-23). The third and fourth phases consisted of facilitators who conducted interviews with staff and wrote reports to help each school identify strengths and weaknesses in regards to PLC concepts within the school (2007, p. 22-23). The article also mentioned how teachers created an intervention system, known as SPEED Intervention Criteria, which was developed for struggling students and helped convey the message to students that “learning was not optional” (2007, p. 24-25).

This article relates to the readings from Martin- Kniep because they both focus on the importance of improving PLC models, evaluating the growth and expertise of the community members, and improving teaching, learning, and understanding (Martin-Kniep, 2008). Throughout all of our readings, Martin-Kniep discussed and gave examples of various methods for assessment for PLC participants and for the PLC model. In the Many and Ritchie article, we actually see some of Martin-Kniep assessment methods used in the audit process such as using artifacts to assess student learning, a Self-Assessment survey similar to the one we took, and written reports. Both readings discussed the positive outcomes PLCs can bring to a school district, the importance of teacher collaboration, and willingness to have honest and open discussions to make positive changes. The Allen Parish schools show what positive changes could happen when a PLC was implemented, well facilitated, and reviewed for progress after it was created in this district.