---

 

The Spring Lake Park School District takes pride in our consistent pursuit of ensuring High Achievement for All by creating and sustaining a professional learning community throughout our district. This is accomplished by meaningfully aligning the professional work of our staff around student learning, which results in integrating professional learning with the key processes related to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and continuous. The Assumptions and Beliefs that Guide Our Work can be found here.

 

A system is a collection of parts that interact to function as a whole. A successful system interacts and operates interdependently and cannot be divided into separate parts. We recognize that each of the key processes, represented in the rectangles, within our Spring Lake Park Learning Community Framework (see Figure 1) are interdependent and must function effectively and efficiently so that teachers and staff are supported in their work as a Professional Learning Community (PLC). In addition, each of the ovals in the figure represents a foundational base of core beliefs and practices that need to be fostered and sustained by administrative and teacher leaders at the school and district-level. Finally, at the foundation of our system is ongoing professional learning and development. At the center of this work is our focus as a learning community, aligning our work around improving student learning.

 

Professional Learning and Development: Providing the connection among the four key processes

Ongoing, embedded professional learning is central to school improvement and student success. It provides the foundation that connects the four key processes of a professional learning community, as indicated in the diagram. As members of a PLC (at the school or team level) answer each of the key questions above, they also ask: What do we need to know and be able to do? This professional learning must be results-based and begin with a clear focus on learning and adult learners, aligning with student learning needs and providing staff with time and ongoing support to effectively respond to student needs. Embedded within this process is the School-level Continuous Improvement Planning Cycle. Our practices throughout this process are guided by the National Staff Development Council’s Standards for Staff Development.

 

 

There are four key questions that all members of a learning community focus on. These guiding questions, shown in the figure above as well as below, drive our day to day work at a system, school, team, and classroom level, resulting in the ongoing creation of a learning community focused on improving student learning. The effective integration of these key processes results in a viable, aligned curriculum. A viable curriculum purposefully aligns the intended curriculum, assessed curriculum, and taught/learned curriculum. This requires consistency and articulation in delivery up the grade levels and across a grade level or course, as well as flexibility in how teachers are able to adapt the curriculum to meet the varying needs of their students.