When Eagle Glen began the journey to becoming a Professional Learning Community in 2005, we first focused on our mission, vision, and collective commitments. This work led us to a building focus on the achievement of EACH student and a change in focus from teaching to learning. Collaboration became an integral part of our work. Teachers no longer teach in isolation, but rather work with a team to the benefit of students. Our mission, vision, and commitment statement guides each decision that we make and how we approach each day with students. We revisit these statements frequently to ensure we are maintaining a laser-like focus. Our Building Leadership Team has continued to focus on “Intentional Collaboration.” Our ongoing discussions continue to make a positive impact on our daily instructional practices and informal interactions with students.  

We recently updated our district and building mission & vision statements:    

Ray-Pec Mission

The Mission: Preparing EACH Student for a Successful and Meaningful Life

Ray-Pec Vision

Turning Today’s Learners into Tomorrow’s Leaders

EG Mission:

Empowering students by making learning irresistible.   

EG Vision:

A community of innovators preparing all students to be productive citizens.  

RAY-PEC District Collective Commitments

(How the staff members will behave at RP to live our Mission and achieve our Vision)

• We are committed to consistency and accountability for each student’s success.
• We are committed to a system of support for students and adults.
• We are committed to a safe, trusting and collaborative environment.
• We are committed to best practices.
• We are committed to high expectations for learning, behavior and citizenship.
• We are committed to quality communication and positive relationships with all stakeholders.
• We are committed to effective communication regarding student progress.
• We are committed to data-driven decision making.
• We are committed to the use of appropriate channels for communication.
• We are committed to a guaranteed (consistent) and viable (doable) curriculum.
• We are committed to maintaining fiscal responsibility while improving student achievement.

EG Commitments

At Eagle Glen we are committed to…

• Ensuring high levels of learning
• Developing trusting relationships
• Collaborating with others

…to guarantee a positive learning community.

Each fall, Eagle Glen staff develops building wide SMART goals based upon the analysis of building data generated by state testing and local assessment. These goals guide all instructional and professional development focuses for the school year. These goals guide collaborative teams in writing SMART goals that are reflective of weaknesses and identified areas of growth for their content area. Teams identify benchmarks throughout the school year to evaluate progress toward goals. It is this work that sets the foundation of our School Improvement Plan. In our district we engage in the (PDSA) Plan, Do, Study, Act process.  We set goals for the following areas:  Math, ELA, Science, and Building Culture.  Growth toward goals is monitored during collaborative team meetings by analyzing formative and summative data.  In addition, the building administrator conducts frequent classroom walkthroughs.  

We appreciate the ongoing support from the Kansas City RPDC and have a better understanding of what it takes to develop, enhance, and maintain continuous improvement within a professional learning community.  Every certified staff member including the building principal has a professional learning plan.  We have many opportunities for ongoing reflection in our learning journey.  As a result daily instruction is impacted in a positive manner.

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

All students take the NWEA benchmark assessment three times during the school year in the fall, winter, and spring in the areas of reading fluency, reading comprehension, and mathematics (computation), and mathematics (problem solving). Teachers monitor students' progress in reading and math in Tier 2 and Tier 3 groups regularly. In addition, for Tier 3 reading students we utilize Read 180 from Scholastic.  Teachers monitor the progress of students involved with the Read 180 program by tracking progress on the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI).

We utilize school data grids to monitor student learning on a timely basis. This data grid provides a picture of each of our students. The grids include state and local assessment data in the area of communication arts and mathematics. Teachers are provided with this grid at the beginning of the school year and then add data as it becomes available during the school year. These grids are monitored and discussed by collaboration teams on a regular basis. Our Student Assistance Team (SAT) also uses these grids to discuss interventions that may be necessary for students.

Collaborative teams have also developed common formative assessments. These assessments are administered and then analyzed for data trends. Using this data, teachers are able to identify areas of weakness in curriculum and instruction and determine where re-teaching needs to occur. We have implemented Standards Referenced Reporting in our district (K-8). Our teachers have spent a significant amount of time identifying “Power Standards” and “Learning Targets.” Teachers track students’ progress throughout the school year. In addition, students are directly involved in monitoring their own progress. Regular discussions about student progress occur within the classroom on a daily basis and also during student led conferences in the fall of each year.

Our schedule allows for teachers to collaborate with their subject area team for 40 minutes every other day and their interdisciplinary team for 40 minutes on the opposite day. These meetings are dedicated to student success. Assessments are evaluated by the team to determine if there is consistency in teacher grading practices. Data grids are monitored to identify students who need intervention. This time each day is invaluable in guaranteeing that student progress is systematically monitored.

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

During our PLC journey, we have found that our Pyramid of Support/Interventions continues to evolve each year. Every day students have a 60 minute intervention period. Students receive interventions in communication arts and mathematics based upon scores on the NWEA assessment as well as local common assessments. We use these assessments to identify students in need of intervention. Students who score below or well below average are progress monitored regularly to determine if interventions are promoting growth. After six data points, the intervention is evaluated to determine if changes should be made. Four days a week we provide a school-wide intervention block based on PLC questions (1-4). Students who do not make progress are discussed in monthly team meetings. In collaborative sessions teachers problem solve and made adjustments as needed along the way. On Fridays students participate in clubs. The main goal of clubs is for students to make positive connections and build relationships with peers and staff members

To offer extra support in math, we utilize a teacher associate. Each regular math teacher has the help of this individual for thirty to sixty minutes each day. Additionally, math teacher administer weekly common assessments. Additionally, students are offered early morning math assistance as needed.

We also believe that behavioral interventions are essential to our students’ success. As a building, we utilize the BIST model which uses the concept of mutual respect to hold every individual accountable for his/her actions. This work is guided by a collaborative BIST Vision Team.

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

Teaming is a core value at Eagle Glen. As discussed above, teachers meet for 40 minutes every other day with their interdisciplinary team. This time is devoted to discussions around academic/behavioral concerns, relationships, incentives, and interventions. Additionally, core subject area collaboration teams meet for 40 minutes every other day. This time focuses on collaboration of best practices and evaluation of student work and data. Teams monitor their time through the use of collaboration logs. These logs help them ensure that they are focusing on the SMART goals that have been identified for their team.
Additionally, many teachers from Eagle Glen serve on our district-level committees. These committees meet regularly. They have focused their work on identifying essential questions by content area, unwrapping grade level expectations, and identifying power standards for each grade level. This district level team has been recognized for their work by the Missouri Professional Development Council.

Additional Achievement Data

Eagle Glen Intermediate School Student Achievement Data (MAP)

2007 District Award for Improved MAP Performance in Communication Arts Grades 5 and 6 and Mathematics Grade 5

2008 District Silver Medal for Outstanding Cohort Improvement in Mathematics

Eagle Glen was recognized by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Powerful Learning Conference in January, 2016 as an Exemplary PLC School.  

March, 2016 District Award for having an Outstanding Professional Learning Community.    

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