Guadalupe Centers High School 

How We PLC  
 
DESE describes professional learning communities (PLCs) as working groups of teachers ​who see
student learning, not teaching, as their mission​. The policies, instruction, curriculum, programs,
professional development, and other functions of the school all support student learning. In
maintaining this constant focus on learning, four questions become paramount for PLCs

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

2. How will the school determine that students have learned the essential knowledge and skills?
3. How will the school respond when students do not learn?
4. How will the school enrich and extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

GCHS PLC Goals 

Our PLCs seek to answer these three core questions through the following goal and drivers.

Student Goal: ​Achieve significant gains in student growth through demonstrable data.

PLC Goal: ​Achieve average % on rubric for implementation of PLC data processes.

Weekly PLC Drivers:

1. Weekly Data Meetings​: Data meetings focus on comparing student work to an exemplar task
that is standard aligned. In comparing this work, teachers identify a gap in knowledge and
plan for a re-teach within one week of instruction. Teachers track their data work in each PLCs
lead/lag tracker.

2. Setting Content Rigor: ​In content rigor meetings, PLCs dig into priority standards that align
to unit and interim assessments. Teachers identify the priority standard for the upcoming
week, write exemplar academic tasks, and exemplar answers. Teachers collaborate on and
evaluate academic tasks on a weekly basis to ensure their rigor and integrate them into
upcoming plans.

3. Stand and Deliver: ​In stand and deliver meetings, ​teachers bring prepared lesson plans to
PLC ready to deliver them as if in class - especially focusing the delivery of a priority standard
and the related academic task. Teachers receive feedback and revise their delivery before the
upcoming week.

 
 
 

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

Responsibilities and Follow Up
Role Responsibilities

Principals ❏ Develop vision for student, academic, and staff culture.

❏ Roll out school wide routines and procedures.
❏ Hold PLCs accountable procedures, focus on data, student learning, curriculum
collaboration.
❏ Lead coaches and guide data and observation feedback intervention
❏ School walkthroughs and evaluations
❏ Monitor school improvement plans and decide on professional development
focuses

Instructional ❏ Prepare data analysis for all interims.

Coaches ❏ Support data analysis of lead measure and formative assessment in PLCs
through weekly data meetings with PLC leads and attendance of PLC meetings.
❏ Weekly observation and feedback cycles with feedback based on high leverage
practices of the highest need.
❏ Lead professional development and collaborate on professional development
calendars

PLC Leads ❏ Own PLC data meeting process and templates by ensure that your PLC follows
all timestamps in meeting scripts below
❏ Remind teachers to bring high, medium, low examples to data meeting every
week.
❏ Lead analysis of student achievement in their departments on a weekly basis.
❏ Lead teachers in setting appropriate rigor of academic tasks.
❏ Lead teachers in implementing curriculum
❏ Lead teachers in the practice of delivering effective instruction.

 
Beginning of the Year PLC Work 
In order to successfully engage in the work above there are some essential work that must be
completed as a PLC in each content area. This work should be done in the first weeks or month of
school.

1. Interim or Pre-assessment Analysis: P ​ LCs must give and analyze their first interim analysis
or assessment in each content area to establish the priority growth standards for the school
year.

2. Quarter or Semesters at a Glance: ​PLCs must look at the curriculum scope, sequence, and
unit assessments to determine a progression of instruction that will support interim growth.
This should be planned out in a quarter or unit at a glance that covers all standard or
objectives to be covered on a weekly basis.

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 
 
GCHS PLC Meeting Templates 
The below templates provide agenda to meet each of the above drivers for PLCs success. PLCs who
engage in each of these drivers will be doing the principal work of PLCs as defined by DESE guiding
questions. Each template provides key sentence starters for facilitators to run separate meetings that
analyze data, set content rigor, and provide opportunities to plan and deliver instruction. A few norms
will make these meetings most successful.

❏ Follow the Script​: Until you are comfortable with the process, follow the script. These
process come from research proven processes in Paul Bambrick Santoyo’s book ​Get Better
Faster. ​They are proven to support student growth.

❏ Everybody Owns It: ​In order for these process to work, everybody must seek to own them.
Our PLCs are large and have many different contents each. In order for everyone to receive
feedback on student work and grow, we must all be able to facilitate these processes.

❏ Rinse. Wash. Repeat. Do your best to implement these process on a weekly basis. Partner in
groups of two to three so that feedback cycles are short and every teacher can participate in all
the drivers in one week. These processes are new, but with practice and reflection we can
implement them with high effectiveness. 

 
   

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 Guadalupe Centers High School 
How We PLC - Weekly Data Meetings (40 Minutes) 
Planning & Materials 

Materials to Bring: 
Binders - Computers 
Student Work 
Meeting  Teacher Exemplar 
Prep  Lead/Lag Tracker 
Content Standards 
Teacher Prep-Work: 
- Grade student work and select a representative high, medium, and low. 
- Know class average for your assessment of focus 

Past Success, Teacher Exemplar, Analyze the Gap 

See Success ​(5 Minutes) 

“Good morning everyone, let’s take a 5 minutes to enter our classroom average into 
the Lead/Lag tracker, as you are doing this identify one success that you see in your 
data and be prepared to share out.” (Don’t Name the Gap, yet.) 
 
“Can we have a few shout out some of their student growth?” 
See It   
(15 Min.)  See the Teacher Exemplar ​(2 Minutes) 
“OK, we are going to begin our breakdown of student work. Take 2 minutes and 
pair with a partner. Show your exemplar, and share out “what” students are 
expected to know, and “how” you will know that have this knowledge.” 
 
See the Gap ​(5 Minutes) 
“Take 5 minutes to reflect silently about the gap in understanding that you observe 
and the actions steps that student must cover to meet these gaps. Once you have 
identified them, please track your thought briefly in the Lead/Lag tracker.” 

State the Error 

What​:   
“OK, in your pair, take two minutes to share the gap in understanding that students 
have.” 
 
“My student need to know….” (Each person shares) 
Name It  ❏   
(5 Min.)  ❏    
How: ​“Great, now in your pair, list out the action steps students must be able to do 
to cover this gap.” 
 
“To show this they need to be able to do…” (Each person shares) 
❏  
❏    

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 Plan the Reteach and Deliver It 

Plan the Re-Teach: ​(15 Minutes) 

Do It  “Now that we have clear action steps listed. Pull out your plans for this week, and 
(20 Min.)  identify which day you will be re-teaching to cover the gap you identified. Write into 
your lesson plans your plan for your re-teach. Feel free to use the templates for 
re-teaching below. After 15 minutes we will share our plans in our pairs.” 

 
RE-TEACHING STRUCTURES 
Option 1:  Guide Student Conversation 
Guided 
Discourse  ·​ ​Know the endgame: 
o​ ​What strategy/skill/thinking do you want students to understand via the 
discourse 
·​ ​Start from student work (Show-Call) 
o​ ​Post/display/chart an exemplar student response OR an incorrect student 
response 
o​ ​OR post both J 
·​ ​Call on students—ID the student thinking: 
o​ ​Exemplar: what did this student do? 
● ​Push for clearer answers when they haven’t precisely IDed the successful 
strategy 
o​ ​Incorrect response: do you agree/disagree with this answer? What is the error? 
·​ ​Stamp the understanding: 
o​ ​What are the key things to remember when solving problems like these? 
o​ ​Name the strategy/conceptual understanding 
o​ ​Have students put it in their own words 

Option 2:  Show the Students How 

Modeling 
·​ ​Model precisely the thinking when moving through a specific task: 
o​ ​Narrow the focus to precisely the thinking students are struggling with: that 
frees their mind to focus only on that component 
o​ ​Model replicable thinking steps that students can follow 
o​ ​Model how to activate one’s content knowledge/skills that have been learned 
in previous lessons 
·​ ​Vary in tone and cadence to sound different from a “teacher” voice. 
·​ ​Give students a clear listening/note-taking task that fosters active listening of the 
model 
·​ ​Debrief the model: 
o​ ​What did I do in my model? 
o​ ​What are the key things to remember when you are doing the same in your own 
work? 

 
**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education
 Guadalupe Centers High School 
How We PLC - Setting Content Rigor (40 Minutes) 
Planning & Materials 

Materials to Bring: 
Content Standards 
Semester at A Glance Documents 
Meeting  Lesson Plans for Next Week 
Prep  Exemplar Task/Student Work (If available) 
 
Teacher Prep-Work: 
Identify a priority standard that you will focus on in the meeting, and bring tasks 
(formative & summative) that students have worked on in the past to demonstrate 
this standard. 

Past Success, Teacher Exemplar, Analyze the Gap 

Narrow the Focus: ​(3 Minutes) 

“Today we are going to be focusing on revising or developing an assessment that 
supports the rigor of the standard we teach next week. Take 1 minute, what priority 
standard will you be teaching next week? 
 
“OK, let’s take 3 minutes to share out your standard, and then we will group in pairs 
by similar standards (same subject), or vertically aligned standards (ELA 1, and ELA 
2).” 
 
Break it Down:​ (3 Minutes) 
“Before we discuss in pairs, take 3 minutes to list out what do students need to 
know and what do they need to be able to do to break down this knowledge in the 
standard you selected. (Use the t-chart below)” 
See It   
(18-20  Know (Nouns)  Be Able to Do (Verbs) 
min) 
   
 
 
Spar: ​(3 Minutes) 
“I see that most of us are finished, ​ ​take 3 minutes each to share your standard with 
your partner and explain your “KNOWs” and “DOs. Ensure that you provide valuable 
feedback if you feel that your partner is not interpreting the standard correctly.” 
 
See the Exemplar: ​(5 Minutes) 
​“Alright that is our time, look at the assessment that you brought today and 
evaluate it against your list of “KNOWs” and “DOs” and any EOC related summative? 
List out any key differences. 
 
Alternatively 
 

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 “If you do not have an assessment already developed, create an exemplar that 
meets the standard now.” 
 
See the Gap: ​(3 Minutes) 
“​Now, identify the gap between the exemplar (newly created or old) and the 
standard “KNOWs” and “DOs” using your standard break down (above?” 

State the Error 

What​: (2 Minutes) 
“Now that we have done this work, turn to your partner what gaps in assessing 
student “KNOWs” and “DOs” does the task have? List them to your partner and 
explain your reasoning.” 
 
“The gaps I observe in this task are…” 
❏   
❏   
Name It  ❏  
(5 Min)   
How: ​(3 Minutes) 
“Explain the actionable changes you need to make to the task so students can 
demonstrate what they need to be able to do” 
 
“The changes I am going to make are…” 
❏   
❏   
❏  
 

Plan the Instruction 

Revise: ​(10 Minutes) 

“OK we should have named any gaps in the rigor of the task that we need to cover, 
Do It  and we are going to take the next 10 minutes to modify the task and include it in our 
(15 Min)  lesson plans.” 
 
Follow Up​: (5 Minutes) 
“Check-in with your partner and show them the work that you have completed, 
explain how you have covered the gap.” 

 
   

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 Guadalupe Centers High School 
How We PLC - Stand and Deliver (35 Minutes) 
Planning & Materials 

Materials to Bring: 
Written lesson plans for the next week. 
Exemplar from “Set the Rigor Template” 
Meeting  Standard break down from “Set the Rigor Template” 
Prep   
Teacher Prep-Work: 
Write lesson plan for practice before arriving 

Past Success, Teacher Exemplar, Analyze the Gap 

Review the Exemplar​: (5 Minutes) 

“OK, let’s group the same partner we did early this week when developing our 
exemplar academic tasks, briefly summarize the successful changes you made to 
See It  your tasks and how you have set it up in your lesson. Let’s take 5 minutes.” 
(8-10 Min)   
Narrow the Focus​: (3 Minutes) 
“Today we are going to practice the delivery of our lesson for the academic task we 
have prepared. Briefly share how you would like your partner to focus their 
feedback.” 

Name The Standard 

What​: 
“As you watch this person deliver a portion of their lesson, remember that our goal 
is the appropriate rigor. Share your standard you are teaching with your partner 
along with the key “KNOWs” and “DOs” you expect to see in students.” 
 
“My student need to know….” (Each person shares) 
Name It  ❏   
(5 Min)  ❏   
❏   
 
“To show this they need to be able to do…” (Each person shares) 
❏  
❏   
❏   
 

Plan the Reteach and Deliver It 

Do It 
(20 Min)  Deliver the Lesson: ​( 5 Min…) 
“Ok, if you are going first you are going to stand and deliver the exemplar as if to 

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education

 your class. If you are listening you will be wearing two hats - students and feedback 
partner. As a student make sure to practice perfect not with non-compliance, and as 
feedback partner be listening for two things. 
1. Does the lesson teach to the “KNOWs” and “DOs” of the lesson? 
2. What specific feedback can you give related to your partner’s desired 
feedback?” 
“OK, Partner A can stand and deliver now. Partner B have the standard “KNOWs” 
and “DOs” in front of you. 
 
Feedback: ​ (2 Min) 
Partner B says: “It was effective when…” and “Next time try…” 
Partner A says: “I hear you saying…” and “I am going to make ____ revision.” 
 
Revise and Deliver: ​(3 Min) 
“OK, Partner A name where you are going to start your lesson deliver again and 
deliver your lesson a second time with revisions.” 
 
Reflections: ​(1 Min) 
Partner B Says: “It felt better this time when…” 
 
REPEAT CHANGING ROLES 

**Resources developed based on learning at RELAY Graduate School of Education