Heritage High School is a suburban school located in Littleton, Colorado.  Heritage has a student population of approximately 1,700 and is served by a faculty of about 100 members. Heritage is committed to equity, growth, and continuous improvement. In the past decade, our PLC work has grown from groups of teachers doing “departmental work” to a fully integrated system of meaningful teams and school-wide supporting systems.  This work has taken time and sustained effort.

Currently, PLCs in each department address every student by name and need in an effort to work toward our district goal of ensuring that 100% of our students graduate ready for meaningful post-secondary opportunities. This effort has grown over time as teachers’ understanding of the PLC model has increased and as staff has embraced it.  Commitment and fidelity to implementation from staff have been fueled by recognition of the positive impact PLC work has had on our students. Our Data Analysis section highlights significant growth indicators we have seen for students over the past few years and this success is highly motivating to our teachers.

Heritage has 23 PLCs that meet for an hour every Wednesday morning to discuss the achievement gaps and the needs of individual students based on measurable data. After many years of relying on teacher-created subject-area common assessments for their SMART goals and progress monitoring, this year all PLCs made a shift to utilizing data from vetted data sources (i.e. MAPS, PSAT9, PSAT 10, and SAT; see attachment #1).  Teams also include data around attendance, grades, and social emotional health to support the whole child in their learning endeavors. A variety of strategies evolve from these conversations, and teams regularly adapt classroom instruction based on their data conversations.  Teams also organize and plan which students and which needs will be met through the upcoming week’s intervention (Enrichment) time. 

Dedicated intervention time is provided through thirty-five-minute class periods built into the school day four times a week (see attachment # 2) as part of our Tier 1 instruction.  On Mondays and Fridays, students are organized into grade-level Advisory (homeroom) classes and work on social-emotional skill-building and relationships.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, through Enrichment periods, teachers pull students for instructional intervention, academic skill-building, and extended learning opportunities.  

In addition to the four PLC critical questions of learning, each PLC at Heritage is responsible for answering the following six essential questions:

• Please identify your students by name and need as identified by MAPS or the SAT Suite (struggling, showing insufficient growth or needing advancement)  as discussed in your PLC. 

• What instructional strategies, tools, or other systemic interventions are you and your PLC team utilizing to support students of need? 

• How do you or your teammates use Enrichment time to support student need?

• Please name the top 3 deficiencies, gaps or weaknesses your PLC is encountering based on data and standards. How have these been identified?

• Please name 4 or 5 instructional strategies or instructional changes you have made to assist student growth in your classroom?

• How do you use data from CFAs or other data sources to identify root causes, trends, and/or commonalities in student needs? (What’s the “why” for student performance?)

These questions are part of the reflective evaluation conversations with teachers and have morphed over the years to best address our strengths and weaknesses within our PLCs. Heritage is proud of the PLC work we are doing and is committed to continuous improvement as we work to serve all students.

 

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Heritage works with our district, Littleton Public Schools, to maintain vertical and horizontal articulation between all high schools and between the high schools and the middle schools.  Core content areas work to ensure aligned curricula throughout all levels of courses taught within a subject area. The district has a process for textbook selection and Heritage administration and instructional coaching conversations regularly address different aspects of a gradebook, specifically with a focus on skills-based grading and assessments. In addition, all PLCs develop SMART goals tied to content standards. This is evidence that they are prioritizing standards down into learning targets for students. For example, our Language Arts department has developed a writing rubric aligned to the AP rubric so that all students, no matter what language arts class they take, are receiving instruction, assessment, and feedback that has been vertically aligned (see attachment # 7).Application of the rubric at regular intervals helps teachers measure students’ progress as they develop skills and move towards mastery. The essential learnings established by our teams ensure that a student in one teacher's class gets the same instruction as one in another class.

Each PLC establishes a SMART goal that is based on the district goal, the school goal, and the department’s content-area priority standards; as mentioned before, this year PLCs were asked to create SMART goals that utilize vetted data sources for monitoring student growth.  Teams work toward that goal through the administration of common formative assessments over the course of a year-long class. During their weekly PLC meetings, teams use the data from the common assessments to monitor student growth, adjust classroom instruction, and develop enrichment lessons. For example, the World Language PLC uses MAP reading scores as their data source to impact student learning in a bigger way than just their immediate classrooms (see attachments 8 and 9). As they write their common assessments, they include questions specifically around vocabulary in context, which ties to their SMART goal and also high-stakes assessments students will take throughout the year (e.g. PSAT or SAT). During their PLC time the week after a common assessment, they discuss specific students, share interventions and strategies for struggling students, and plan proactive supports to scaffold learning for struggling students before the next common assessment.  

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Heritage has a collaborative school-wide intervention and enrichment system built into our schedule. Our extensive MTSS system has functioned effectively for several years.  Hallmark components include the following:

• Four Student Intervention Teams (SITs), organized by counselor/alphabet, meet weekly and include a general education teacher, special education teacher, interventionist, administrator and mental health provider on each team. In 2021-2022, 204 students were discussed in SIT. When a student is discussed, the team seeks input from teachers, family members, and the students themselves to ensure that we are able to address the whole picture of students’ needs. 

• PLCs meet weekly and are focused on standards-based SMART goals aligned to the school and district’s goal (100% of students will graduate prepared for a meaningful post secondary experience).  PLC facilitators coordinate work and maintain consistency and focus on our shared school goals.

• Once a month a cross-curricular group of teachers meet to engage in a deep dive of data. The groups analyze academic as well as social/emotional data, consider root causes of the data, explore different subgroups within the data, and work together to suggest next steps for best serving all students. 

• The Flight Tutoring Room is available every period of the day for all students for test prep, homework support, academic tutoring, or extra time and other accommodations (with a focus on SIT plans and 504’s).

• Academic Workshop courses are available to any student with needs and provide tier two academic support and access to skill-building opportunities.  National Honors Society peer tutors are available every day in Academic Workshop sections for students who want extra help. Workshop teachers establish a rotating schedule for tutors to check in with students; additionally, tutors and students are trained in what to expect from a conversation between a student and a peer tutor. (see attachments # 10 and 11).

• Eleven co-taught regular education classes led by both a general education and special education teacher provide additional support for students within their least restrictive learning environment. 

• Enrichment and advisory classes are scheduled schoolwide four times per week.  Teachers call students for extended learning opportunities and are supported by the use of Responsive Scheduling in Infinite Campus.

• Extended algebra provides targeted support for any students who need additional time and support for learning mathematics.

• The reading class provides targeted supports for students identified below grade level in reading and utilizes the Achieve 3000 program to boost student growth and achievement.

• Sources of Strength implementation was successful. We continue to train more students each year and work to incorporate school-wide, student-led empowerment activities.

• A school-wide Intervention Team comprised of administrators, teachers, instruction coach, mental health provider and academic interventionists meets weekly to provide vision and planning for intervention in the building.

In the 2021-2022 SY, 84% of teachers called in students to Enrichment at least once  based on the conversations in the PLCs, resulting in 80% of students receiving targeted academic support during Enrichment time. Additionally, IXL, Khan Academy, and Learning Ally are used regularly by classroom teachers and during Enrichment periods to tailor learning to individual needs.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

Heritage staff understands and uses the integrated systems we have built to support all students. The strengths of the systems we have in place are supported by our collective effort to build meaningful, data-driven PLCs that work toward student growth.

Meaningful, Collaborative Teams:

Every educator at Heritage sits on a PLC that develops norms and builds purposeful communities to create meaningful teams that are mutually accountable for student growth.

Essential Curriculum and Unpacking the Standards:

At the beginning of each year, PLCs prioritize their content standards, develop their essential learnings, and build their SMART goals to begin their work toward helping all students grow.

Common Formative Assessments:

All PLCs create and administer at least eight common assessments during the course of year-long classes, based on their prioritized standards and essential learnings. Teams measure growth and develop instruction, enrichments, and interventions based on the results of these assessments. Teachers use PLC time for, among other things, identifying students who need additional support in specific standards-based skills. For these Enrichment periods, teachers organize students across the department so that all student needs are met. Teachers may cross-team students during Enrichment so that they end up working with students they don’t have in class, but who all need the same skill building. Teachers also revise their course lesson planning and classroom instruction based on the outcomes of these Enrichment interventions.  Teams progress monitor student growth through common assessments and continue the cycle of intervention by providing additional instruction until all students have mastered the identified skills.

Data Conversations:

Following the administration of the common assessments, teams analyze the data and develop targeted skill-building Enrichment lessons for students below proficiency.  This responds to PLC question #3. For students who have reached proficiency, teachers develop differentiated strategies for classroom instruction and extending learning.  This responds to PLC question #4. Teachers continue to monitor student progress throughout the year and adjust their instruction based on common assessment data. For example, math teachers identify students who are meeting expectations and students who have gaps and group them accordingly in the classroom. Students who are meeting the rigor of grade-level standards are provided with enrichment opportunities while the teacher provides small group reteaching to those students who have not yet met the standards. 

Achievement Data Files

• 2022-hhs-evidence-of-effectiveness-data-template-high-school.xlsx

Additional Achievement Data

Data Analysis

The Colorado Department of Education’s state accountability measures have been inconsistent in providing a full picture of student achievement as COVID-19 interrupted teaching, learning, and lives. We have reported three subgroups' data (students eligible for free/reduced lunch, minority students, and students on IEPs); however, because we understand that conditions outside of our control impacted student achievement over the last few years — perhaps more so than at other times in recent history — we have added other meaningful data points which we believe are evidence of the positive impact our PLC is having on overall student achievement and growth. 

While the PSAT 9/10 and SAT data indicates growth, we felt it was important to include additional relevant information for the review committee to consider as they evaluate our application. We have created a spreadsheet which outlines our formal state required assessments.  It is accessible in the attachments section.

 

 

Connection to PLC work:

• In the post-COVID teaching years, our teachers have been working to better understand the needs of our subgroups and have employed more interventions than ever to address and support student needs. Despite the challenges of “the COVID year”, our targeted PLC work has allowed us to regain and even exceed pre-COVID achievement scores within many of our subgroups. 

Other Data

 

Connection to PLC work: 

• 2020-2021 was arguably the year most impacted by COVID, as Heritage worked with a hybrid learning schedule, reduced class time (compared to the in-person model) each week and a decreased ability to connect in-person with students for intervention time; the impact of the year’s challenges can be seen in the decrease in AP data (a 3.5% difference in students scoring a 3+ on AP exams in 2021 vs. 2022) and the increase in failure rates (1036 in the “COVID year” vs. 649 and 675 in the preceding and succeeding years). Through purposeful PLC work, such as data analysis (PLC Question #2) and targeted interventions for struggling students (PLC Question #3), we have even been able to rebound to our pre-COVID student success rates. 

 

School-Wide Interventions

In 2021-2022, Heritage saw its highest percentage of students called to Enrichment yet, with 80% of students called to this intervention time. Since its inception, the use of Enrichment time has grown, and the responsive scheduling system has made it that much easier to call students and maximize intervention time. 

Heritage continues to see success in its credit recovery program, with 16% failed courses recovered through credit recovery in 2021-2022 (an increase from 12% in 2020-2021).

Academic Workshop is a tier two support for students struggling with academic needs, executive functioning, communication, and other skills that support access to grade-level learning. Through PLC and SIT conversations, students are recommended to Academic Workshop classes with specific identified needs. 

Achieve 3000 is an intervention program utilized in our reading class for Heritage students behind grade level in reading. As of February 2023, all sophomores enrolled in the program had improved to grade-level reading scores, and juniors had made growth that indicated they were on track to reach grade level by the end of the year. Students are placed in the reading class based on data conversations in PLCs and other collaborative teams throughout the building. 

IXL is a web-based program which builds math and language arts skills by individualizing standards based instruction in a progressive way.

In addition to the standards-based data that each team uses, all of our PLCs also use this school-wide data to address students by name and need, aiming to achieve the school and district goal of preparing 100% of our students for meaningful post-secondary opportunities.  

 

Support Documents:  Attachment List

 

 

Additional Reference Material

 

The Model PLC award is the first time we are seeking recognition specifically for our PLC work.  However, we believe that other forms of recognition support the conclusion that our PLC work has had a direct and substantial relationship to the student outcomes we strive to achieve as a model PLC school.  Our accomplishments include:

• 1 of 1742 schools recognized by Great Schools as College and Career Ready.

• Being ranked as one of the top high schools in America by Newsweek Magazine.

• Being acknowledged by 5280 magazine as one of the top schools in the Denver area.

• Being ranked 1,993 out of 30,000 high schools for STEM programming.

• Having 29 students receive the prestigious merit-based Boettcher scholarship during our history. This scholarship provides a high school senior with a full-ride scholarship to any four-year Colorado institution.

• Having 10 students recognized in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship program with three students achieving Finalist status, one student achieving National Hispanic Scholar finalist status, and seven achieving Commended status. 

• Having one student awarded the prestigious Daniels Scholarship. 

• Have three students as Boettcher semi-finalists.

• Having 522 students take 1015 AP exams with a 73% pass rate )and two students achieving perfect scores).

• Having one Naval Academy appointment.

• Having graduating seniors offered nearly $24 million in scholarships and 10 students accepting NCAA athletic scholarships in the 2021-2022 school year.

• Raising over $171,000 in ten years during MAD (Make a Difference) Week with most of the money going to Sierra Leone where we have helped build our sister school in Kabala (in conjunction with Operation Classroom).

• Having an average SAT score of 1080. The national average is 962 and the state average is 986.

• Having 85% of our graduates go on to 2-year or 4-year colleges.

Images

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Files

• attachment15_common-assessment-example-from-science.pdf
• attachment14_common-assessment-chart-snapshot--google-docs.pdf
• attachment12_2022-plc-teams-end-of-1st-quarter-conversations.pdf
• attachment13_hhs-uip-progress-__-2022-2023.pdf
• attachment11_tutorial-session-questions_topics.pdf
• attachment10_key-questions-for-tutors.pdf
• attachment9_world-language-data-snapshot-2.pdf
• attachment8_world-language-data-snapshot-1.pdf
• attachment7_underclass_-six-point-rubric-9-10-2022.pdf
• attachment6_sample-plc-facilitator-meeting-agenda.pdf
• attachment5_the-eagle-eye-observation-form.pdf
• 2022-hhs-evidence-of-effectiveness-data-template-high-school-3669.xlsx
• attachment3_responsive-scheduling-screenshot.pdf
• attachment2_hhs-bell-schedule.pdf
• attachment1_sample-plc-smart-goals.pdf