Implementing PLC practices has transformed Millville Elementary into a student-centered, data-driven, collaborative school where student success is expected. Previously, teachers worked in isolated classrooms with little or no collaboration. Curriculum was void of curriculum maps, power standards, and common formative assessments. The positive impact of PLC practices is visible in the school as teachers collaborate, share best practices, review student learning, and work together to ensure the success of every student at Millville. As a result, Millville has been featured in several magazine and newspaper articles as well as ABC4 evening news.

All grade levels have common curriculum, common homework, common assessments, common pacing guides, common interventions/extensions, and common kids across the grade level.

Professional Learning Communities at Millville focus on four questions:

1. What do we want all students to learn?
2. How will we know when each student has learned?
3. How will we respond when some students experiences difficulty in their learning?
4. How will we enrich and extend the learning for students who are proficient?

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Time is scheduled during the school day for teachers to collaborate. Teachers meet twice weekly during designated PLC times or during daily common planning periods to review student learning data. Frequent review of data ensures timely Tier I intervention/extensions. Student learning data also dictates placement in research based Tier II skill groups to ensure mastery of essential knowledge.

Evidence of student learning is gathered from a variety of sources including teacher developed common formative assessments. Data sheets are updated weekly to provide teachers with ongoing analysis of student learning and effective teaching practices.

Each grade level team has developed a curriculum assessment administration guide to ensure that assessment occurs in a frequent, timely manner.

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

Instruction for student learning is based on a pyramid of intervention. These levels are identified as Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III.

Tier I: All students receive Tier I instruction in the regular classroom. SMART goals, essential knowledge, and common formative assessments guide student learning. Teacher in-service has focused on best practices such as explicit instruction, and differentiation. Aides are scheduled during Tier I in classrooms to reinforce concepts with small groups or individual students. By implementing these practices we hope to help at-risk students during Tier I and reduce the number of students in Tier II and Tier III.

Tier II: Tier II groups are designed for specific, targeted interventions and are scheduled daily for 30-45 minutes during the regular school day. We use a push in model to work with groups of 5-6 students. Groups are taught by the classroom teacher as well as highly qualified paraprofessionals. Tier II data is reviewed weekly to ensure that students are mastering the identified concepts. Students do not miss new instruction to receive this support. Those students who do not require remediation are involved in extension activities.

Tier III: Students in Tier III require intensive intervention or extension. Intervention is provided daily by the resource team through at-risk status or an individualized education plan (IEP). Students requiring extensive enrichment are served through a gifted and talented component called the Student Enrichment Model (SEM).

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

Professional Learning Community teams have developed the following:

• Student learning based on a pyramid of intervention (Tier I, Tier II, Tier III)
• Norms that guide the interaction of team members
• Positive student behavior support systems based on a pyramid of intervention
• Essential learning outcomes for each subject
• SMART goals based on data analysis and aligned with school goals
• Common formative assessments to frequently monitor student learning and teaching
• Intervention/extension during the school day that is timely, directive, and specific
• Best practices are shared for continuous improvement

In order to focus on students learning the following structural PLC practices were implemented:

• PLC Meeting Times: PLC meetings are scheduled for an hour and a half a week during contract time.
• Central Meeting Place: Grade level teams, the principal, reading facilitator, resource teacher, and ESL teacher meet in the media center each Friday and are actively involved in the PLC process.
• Feedback Sheet: Each grade level team completes a team feedback sheet and turns a copy into the principal. The feedback sheet has multiple purposes and has been effective in keeping the focus on student learning.
• Common Planning Time: The master schedule was changed in 2007 to ensure that all teachers on a grade level had a common planning time for additional PLC collaboration.

The learning culture at Millville Elementary has transformed due to the implementation of PLC concepts. Barriers to the learning process have been dissolved through a laser-like focus on student learning. We have become a committed professional learning community where student success is expected and celebrated.

Additional Achievement Data

• Millville Math End of Level SAGE Test Scores/State of Utah End of Level SAGE Test Scores
• Millville Reading DIBELS Benchmark (2013-14 - 2015-16 Composite)

Grade 3	Math Millville/State Proficiency	DIBELS Reading Benchmark Millville
2015-16	69/53	71
2014-15	73/50	80
20113-14	67/44	84

Grade 4	Math Millville/State Proficiency	DIBELS Reading Benchmark Millville
2015-16	77/52	77
2014-15	65/51	90
2013-14	69/48	91

Grade 5	Math Millville/State Proficiency	DIBELS Reading Benchmark Millville
2015-16	66/50	90
2014-15	67/49	92
2013-14	70/44	85

Data Review

Millville third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students consistently score above the state average in reading, math, and writing. Some fluctuation in grade level trajectory scores may be explained by the following three factors: new state core curriculum in mathematics, district adoption of both math and reading programs in the past several years, and teacher turnover.

Millville grade level teams conduct common formative assessment every two weeks in mathematics. Data is reviewed in weekly PLC meetings and during common planning periods. Students then receive intervention or extension activities during the regular school day according to their individual needs.

Millville utilizes DIBELS reading long cycle formative assessments three times a year to monitor student learning and school progress. DIBELS short cycle probes conducted weekly, or as data indicates, allow teachers to respond to student learning in reading fluency and comprehension in Tier I. Students in need of additional intervention are placed in small group Tier II instruction. DIBELS data is reviewed throughout the year during weekly PLC meetings. Millville has consistently increased proficiency on national DIBELS benchmarks.

 

• 2015 Utah State Office of Education REWARD Award for High Achieving/High Progress Title I School
• 2014 Utah State Office of Education REWARD Award for High Achieving/High Progress Title I School
• 2013 Utah State Office of Education REWARD Award for High Achieving/High Progress Title I School
• 2012 Utah State Office of Education REWARD Award for High Achieving/High Progress Title I School