Parkview Elementary School (2022)

  1. PLC Story
  2. PLC Practices
  3. Achievement Data
  4. Awards
  5. Resources

Parkview Elementary School in Cedarburg, Wisconsin began its Professional Learning Community journey in 2006. After personal PLC learning, the principal engaged the building leadership team and staff in the PLC 3 big ideas. Whenever there was an opportunity to attend PLC sessions at conferences and workshops, the principal would bring the concepts back to share with the staff.  

The school leadership team developed a shared vision for our school which we reviewed and updated annually. We aligned grade level schedules to allow common planning time for teachers and we established daily intervention periods. Data began to drive school and teacher improvement goals. 

Data review of MAP universal screening results was done three times a year and state test data was reviewed annually to drive school and teacher improvement goals.  Many of the components of a Professional Learning Community were in place, and our school performance data and state accountability measures indicated that we were a high performing school.

In 2012-13, the second year of the release of a new state report card accountability tool that measured performance data for all Wisconsin public schools, we received the second highest, “exceeds expectations'' rating. This four star rating on a five star scale was not the rating that we had expected to see, and it initiated a sense of urgency that resulted in renewed efforts for the staff to work collaboratively to make sure that our practices aligned with our vision, and that all of our teachers received training to ensure all children achieve at high levels. The district invested in a literacy coach with the commitment to systematic, embedded professional development in literacy. Staff focused on delivering essential standards, being instructionally responsive to students, and learning together to implement the new literacy curriculum with fidelity. In subsequent years, data showed steady gains in reading achievement.

In 2018, as our data analysis skills grew, we noticed a potential trend with our disaggregated data groups. Proficiency levels of our students with disabilities  began to decline, resulting in a widening achievement gap between them and students without disabilities.  To address this problem, a concerted effort to increase our knowledge of inclusive practices was begun. The principal and leadership team studied the Learning by Doing Handbook to guide the work of collaborative teams. Teams of staff members attended special education inclusive practices and co-teaching workshops. Teams participated in book studies and, then shared their knowledge during faculty meetings and on professional development days to the rest of the staff. Performance data was impacted by staff changes and small numbers of students which made up the subgroups that were heavily weighted on the school report card. This continues to be an area of focus for Parkview. Our Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Report Card (SRC) changed the way it measures gap closing growth this year (2020-2021 data), and even though the SRC measure is reported differently, students with disabilities in grades three through five increased performance by 10 points in both reading and math.

In the last few years we were fortunate to get district approval to take teams of teachers to Solution Tree PLC at Work and RtI at Work institutes. This was a pivotal move to accelerate our progress and grow a shared understanding for why we need to keep working to be a professional learning community. A guiding coalition was established to lead our efforts and, even with the pandemic shut-down, to continue our learning as a PLC. In the 2019-2020 school year we were able to revise our mission and vision, update curriculum and identify and unpack essential standards. In 2020-2021 we worked harder than ever to provide high quality results focused in person and virtual learning environments for students, and we continued our work to create and improve common formative assessments. We also developed truly meaningful collective commitments that guide our daily work. This year our district even added three pre-service days to our staff calendar that enabled all district professional staff to participate in a virtual PLC at Work Institute.

The Parkview staff acknowledge that our efforts to function as a professional learning community have led to increased staff collaboration and collegial learning, and it is resulting in improved student achievement. We are one of the top performing schools in Wisconsin and we know that it is because data is used weekly, if not daily, to drive instructional planning. Our teachers have grown into a highly effective team of student-focused and results-driven practitioners. We are proud of our accomplishments and we regularly celebrate our progress but we know the work continues and we still have unlimited opportunities to learn with and from one another.

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Collaborative grade level and department teams meet weekly to address topics that fall under the four big PLC questions. These teams include 3 to 4 homeroom teachers and special educators. Our teams have established norms, and they embrace opportunities to learn from and support one another. We know that we are stronger together and our collective efforts are needed to provide the best learning opportunities and environment for our students. Our teams work interdependently on grade and department goals, and our team leaders share and celebrate grade results and successes each month.  Fall universal screening data, along with state testing data and spring performance data is used to determine team and individual classroom student stretch goals. We progress monitor the students included in SLO (Student Learning Objective) goals frequently, and we review progress toward these goals so we can adjust instructional strategies to support goal attainment. Grade and departmental collaboration team agendas and notes (sample included in additional documentation) are structured to be goal focused and ensure productive collaboration around student learning.

Our teacher teams have worked to identify essential standards for all curricular areas. District and school teams develop formative assessments and plan instructional units designed to engage and challenge learners of all ability levels. We are fortunate to have a literacy coach and a math coach who work with the teachers to implement best practices and to plan whole class differentiated lessons paired with flexible small group guided instruction. 

Our grade level benchmarks and common formative assessments are used to report out quarterly on standards based progress reports, and our teacher teams use these data points to measure the growth for our learners and to provide interventions and extensions. We use winter and spring NWEA MAP assessment tools to monitor achievement and growth rates in order to ensure all students continue to learn and grow. School data walls (sample provided in additional documentation) are created in October and are updated in January and June.  Growth is just as important for our advanced learners as it is for the lowest performers. We understand that differentiation and intellectual challenge are mandatory to ensure that our highest performers are growing. 

Inclusion and access to universal instruction are key tenets of our Parkview beliefs. All children must be present and engaged for the classroom math and literacy lessons, and we ensure that interventions are “value added,” and our schedule provides opportunities for extensions as well as interventions. (Samples of staff professional learning around PLC practices and inclusion are included in the additional documentation section.)

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

Each year we create a master school schedule that provides dedicated content instructional blocks and an RtI period for each grade level. These 30 minute Prevention, Intervention and Extension (PIE) periods are carefully scheduled so these value added learning opportunities do not replace or supplant universal classroom instruction. We avoid placing these blocks during lunch and recess times which allows us to use all of our instructional support staff to support learning in classrooms. We prioritize student learning needs and involve all staff in a cycle of continuous improvement designed to provide a multi-level system of support for our students. The guiding coalition, interventionists, and classroom teachers meet three times during the school year just after we administer the MAP Universal Screening assessment in October, January, and May to all students. We have set clear decision rules regarding performance expectations for each grade level. Classroom teachers, the reading teacher, instructional aides, and interventionists come to the meeting prepared to share updated data so we can determine how to use our resources, including staff, to support Tier 2 and Tier 3 academic and behavioral needs. These interventions are layered on top of Tier 1 classroom intervention that is provided daily through small group and whole class differentiated instruction. We have become fluid in our process and we look at multiple data sources to determine a schedule of interventions delivered during our PIE periods for each grade level. Between the cycles of data review, we have two mid-cycle review meetings in November and April to assess student progress and determine if students are meeting instructional goals. Throughout this process encompassing the five data reviews, we work collaboratively to determine if students should continue interventions, exit (graduate) the intervention, or if the intervention needs to be adjusted or changed to meet student needs. Team members carefully review progress monitoring data and explore alternative courses of action when we are not seeing desired results. During PIE blocks, instructional and supervisory aides push in to help deliver small group instruction and assist classroom teachers with large groups so the most qualified instructors can devote their time and attention to the neediest learners. 

At Parkview, we have four main research-based literacy interventions that are designed to fill learning gaps in basic skill development, comprehension, phonics, and writing. We also use a strategic math intervention that reinforces grade level math concepts. Our interventionists are provided program specific training and coaching and they meet each quarter to compare strategies, review results, and problem solve. 

A copy of our master schedule is included in the additional documentation to illustrate how we use our time to provide a multi-level system of support in addition to strong differentiated classroom instruction.

 

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

Parkview teaching staff have been participating in PLC training for more than a decade. Faculty meetings and professional development days usually incorporate exercises designed to build on shared beliefs and strengthen our collaboration skills, our focus on learning, and our skills to use data to drive and measure results. We’ve taken teams to two Solution Tree institutes and our entire faculty was able to participate in a 3 day virtual PLC at Work Institute in August of 2021. This year our principal has also had the opportunity to be mentored by a Solution Tree consultant who has helped foster a move toward developing district-wide PLC practices. 

One exercise that has guided our PLC growth over the years has been to complete annual self assessments to measure our progress as a PLC. We set improvement goals that are motivating and result in high levels of staff and student learning. 

Teaching staff have participated in book studies, and the Learning by Doing Handbook was purchased for all professional staff. It is used regularly as a guide to help us on our journey. 

In order to support our school goal of decreasing the achievement gap in literacy for our students with disabilities, we have invested in a literacy consultant who provides training for our special educators. Our literacy coach works closely with the consultant and also provides coaching for individual teachers in addition to monthly PD sessions designed to improve reading and writing instruction. 

Bi-weekly leadership team meetings are used to model and explore collaborative strategies so these practices can be utilized in weekly collaboration teams. Our interventionists have been trained to deliver research supported interventions which are progress monitored, and they work closely with homeroom teachers to ensure skill carryover and increased classroom performance. Teaching staff regularly  participated in training to support differentiation, personalization and inclusive practices. Multiple samples of staff-created presentations using resources from institute attendance and subscriptions to Solution Tree Global PD are included in the additional documentation section.

Team leaders have created team note forms that reinforce team norms and ensure a focus on collaborative discussion centered on learning. Teams have created norms that encourage trust, transparency and vulnerability with data in order to encourage teacher learning. Teacher teams plan together and review formative and summative assessment data before, during and after instruction. Grade level teachers share students during PIE and workshop to allow more frequent guided reading and math groups. The school literacy and district elementary math coach work with teams to review progress and recommend instructional responses to student learning.

Parkview teachers truly are dedicated to learning together and becoming a high functioning Professional Learning Community. Many of our collective commitments illustrate this belief. One example of this is collective commitment #8: “We commit to trust colleagues, seek constructive feedback, share strengths, and work collaboratively with staff, students, and families to support learning.” 

Parkview’s mission, vision, and collective commitments are attached in the additional documentation section of this application as evidence of our shared beliefs and our culture of collaboration and teacher learning.

Achievement Data Files

Additional Achievement Data

Student achievement at Parkview has continually increased over the years. We have attached the recommended model school data file showing state test results in grades 3-5. We have also provided a data presentation which  includes multiple sources of data. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Report Card (SRC) is one source of evidence included in our data story to help illustrate growth over time. Since the inception of the DPI SRC, we have achieved “Significantly Exceeds Expectations” ratings in all but one early school year. Our SRC performance rating is higher than the other schools in our district, and is one of the highest rated schools in our state. This is a direct result of our strategic, ongoing use of data to drive student learning. We also have included images to illustrate achievement on the state FORWARD assessment administered in grades 3-5. Charts will measure growth over time and show how our performance compares to district and state proficiency ratings. NWEA MAP results that focus on growth over time for both ELA and Math are included. NWEA data provides evidence that we are making progress toward increasing growth rates of students with disabilities. 

Additional data sources include state ratings from SchoolDigger.com. SchoolDigger is a respected national research database that compares data and demographic profiles to rank public schools.  

It is important to note that the attached documents provide evidence that even when schools went virtual in spring of 2020, and we were not able to get end-of-year state or district summative data results, we continued to deliver daily whole and small group instruction virtually, and our students did make progress. We credit our teachers’ commitment to rigorous instructional practices in spite of the challenges that covid presented and to offer exceptional and frequent, often daily, feedback to students using Seesaw or on Google meets.  Teachers continued to assess the essential standards in new ways.  (See attached 4th grade writing data example from spring 2020.) When compared to the rest of the state, and taking the pandemic into consideration, our ability to maintain high student performance levels and increase performance in our disability subgroup is a great source of pride for us. When the pandemic impacted student access to instruction, our staff continued to learn as a school PLC by refining our essential standards and developing shared values and commitments. We’ve worked strategically in collaborative teams to overcome learning gaps that may have been unintentional results of the pandemic, and performance data from the 2020-2021 provides evidence of our continued student growth. 

It is interesting to note that we did not see consistent gains in reading and math in our 5th grade data. Our data shows a gain in math but a drop in reading. The unfamiliar blended virtual/in person environment and the emotional needs of these learners during this unprecedented school year could have had a more significant impact on reading than math. While we don’t know for certain the reason for this performance drop, we have been strategically using data, staffing, and resources to target this issue. This fall, teachers reviewed assessment data including the item analysis from the state exam, and they worked collaboratively to build instructional units with pacing guides and formative/summative assessments that align with the district’s essential standards in reading and address identified learning gaps. Summative state assessment results (see attached item analysis spreadsheet) were compared with district and classroom assessments to determine specific standards where the grade level curriculum and instruction fell short of expectations. The team also changed its focus during their PIE (Prevention, Intervention, Extension) time to include differentiated teacher-delivered Tier 2 intervention in the classroom based on common formative assessments.  We also feel the addition of a new team member with strong literacy pedagogy and the improved PLC practices will positively impact student growth.

 

  • Title 1 School of Recognition

  • A+ Rating from Niche.com

  • 2022 Rated #12 Elementary School Teachers in Wisconsin by Niche

  • 2021 Rated #8 out of 2511 Wisconsin Elementary School by Great Schools.org

  • 2021 Rated #10 of 1283 Wisconsin Elementary Schools by US News and World Reports

  • 2020 10/10 Top School Rating from GreatSchools.org

  • 2019 Niche #1 Elementary School in Ozaukee County

  • 2019 Rated #6 of 1030 Wisconsin elementary schools by SchoolDigger.com

  • PBIS School of Merit - Behavior multiple years

  • PBIS State Conference Presenters

  • Principal identified as among one of “Wisconsin’s Most Impactful Principals”

  • Identified as one of the best closing gaps schools in Wisconsin and interviewed by a doctoral candidate for a research article 

  • Pioneered district co-teaching model that resulted in improved district practice and remodeled school environments to promote successful co-taught classes 

  • Our District Education Foundation funded a grant to develop a Girls in STEAM club. The grant has been renewed and extended to the other district elementary schools. 

  • Teachers presented Girls in STEAM at the Wisconsin School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education (SLATE) conference November 2021. 

  • Received Five Star Significantly Exceeds Expectations rating on School Report Card accountability measure from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in 7 of 8 years.

  • Welcomed teams from other districts and provided learning walks to share instructional strategies

  • Staff celebrate success and give shout-outs to colleagues on a “Gear Up” bulletin board.

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