1. Peer Learning Communities and Data Collection: A Better Understanding of How to Use
Existing Data to Drive Instruction
Chad D. Cornwell
November 22, 2014
Walden University
2. As Hillsborough County Schools (SDHC) prepares the transition from FCAT 2.0
(Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test) to the FSA (Florida Standardized Assessment) test
and with newly implemented literacy standards that reach across curriculum, including history,
math, and science; teachers are in greater need of peer support with regards to data-driven
instruction and assessment. Starting in the 14-15 school year Newsome High School created the
Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) whose purpose is to support and monitor faculty data
specifically addressing student improvements in student literacy.
Newsome High School serves students in a predominantly upper-middle class in a rural
area of Hillsborough County. Reading comprehension test scores for the past three years are
above the district average, falling second to only one school for the percentage of students who
pass the FCAT reading comprehension test. Newsome collects data about four individual early
warning indicators (Newsome High School, 2014): attendance, suspensions, ELA/Math course
failure, and level 1 achievement on state-mandaterd tests. A total of 197 students in grades 9-12
demonstrated at least two indicators.
The first goal established in the School Improvement Plan (SIP) is “student achievement
will increase when students work with rigorous curriculums which prepare them to successfully
meet content area standards and state standardized test (FSA) pass rates” (Newsome High Shool,
2014). Foci are on achievement rates in math and English/language arts (ELA) on the new FSA
test beginning in March 2015. Goals were set for 82% for math and 77% for ELA tests. Barriers
to achieving these goals, defined in the SIP are department needs for consistent PLC (peer
learning community) meetings, a lack of time committed to successful PLC meetings, and the
lack of a steering committee whose responsibility is to monitor and help departments use PLC
time successfully.
3. Combining the School Leadership Team (SLT) and Literacy Leadership Team (LLT) into
one Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) answers the need for a steering committee whose
responsibility is to provide direction and accountability for faculty. In 2014 the ILT was created,
meeting monthly and charged with collecting data from departments in areas of literacy and
campus climate needs. The ILT is comprised of teacher representatives from each department,
school counseling, and administration and is jointly chaired by one member of administration
and Newsome’s reading coach. Development of the new ILT was priority number one in
creating a new approach to PLCs at Newsome. This goal addresses the needs of barrier 1 linked
to goal number 1.
A newly redesigned PLC form was reviewed by faculty and edited throughout the first
quarter to ensure that faculty felt confident in its use. The new PLC form addresses the priority,
supporting collaboration about curriculum that includes lessons, pacing, and assessment and uses
students’ work samples so that adjustments can be made to ensure rigor is a focus of instruction.
One complaint that continues to come from PLC meetings is the reporting of data to the ILT.
ILT discussion centers on the faculty’s view that this is additional responsibility and adds to their
workload, and that faculty are unsure of what data the ILT is requesting.
A new learning opportunity exists for faculty to collaboratively identify assessments they
use regularly in their classroom and to compare those assessments throughout the department
and across the school campus. Each assessment provides data for instruction and each teacher
should be able to speak to the individual needs of each student on their roster. Teacher
evaluation of those assessments that they currently use within their classroom instruction, and
recognition of the data that already exists for Newsome students helps to generate buy-in for the
data required for PLCs that is reported to the ILT.
4. Because the ILT has existed for almost one semester and has been working with the new
PLC logs the focus must be on how teachers use assessments and data on the PLC logs so that
ILT can best use data to drive instruction campus-wide. The objectives are for faculty to
strategically evaluate assessments that are used in the classroom, within individual departments,
and school-wide. Focus will be on assessments that provide data that can be used to monitor
students in the lower quartile based on state-wide assessments, students who are evaluated for
attendance and discipline needs, and those assessments that can be used across the curriculum so
that teachers are speaking the same language.
Evaluating assessments used in each classroom and comparing those within departments
and synthesizing those assessments that can be used across departments promotes collaboration
among teachers and eases the stress regarding data brought to PLCs and submitted to the ILT.
As a school Newsome should identify a singular PLC focus across the campus and allow each
department to interpret how they teach and assess that focus from month to month. With the new
demands of the FSA test and the newly incorporated Florida State Standards the focus has been
placed on student literacy.
At the conclusion of the professional learning session each teacher, PLC leader, and
department head should have a clear understanding of the assessment data that will be included
on PLC logs and reported to the ILT monthly. ILT members from each department will assess
how data is reported every month and monitor students in the lower quartile for growth and
improvement on classroom, department, and state-mandated assessments. Working jointly with
the Response to Intervention (RtI) team a data-driven and cross-curricular approach to student
learning can be implemented for students in need, supported by the entire faculty and every
teacher who interacts with those students.
5. Professional Learning Communities
Making PLCs work for you
Newsome High School
2014-2015 and 2015-2016
REFERENCES
Newsome HighShool.(2014). 2014-2015 SchoolImprovementPlan Draft. Lithia:FloridaDepartmentof
Education.