Schools As Professional Learning Communities: The Optimal Setting for a Growth-Oriented Performance Appraisal Process

From Ontario Ministry of Education New Teacher Induction Program

In Section 2, the Ministry discusses the need for the new teacher to be aware that the new teacher needs to ‘engage in … continuous improvement in order to ‘raise the bar’ and ‘close the gap’ of student learning and achievement.’

… all students must learn … and we need to ‘focus on results’.

… goal for principals and teachers is to expand their effectiveness and create a ‘clear list of strategies for action.

The Ministry believes that this can best be done through promoting, establishing, maintaining and improving professional learning communities (PLC). All schools are expected to develop and utilize the PLC model.

The Ontario Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat (LNS #3) – Professional Learning Communities: A Model For Ontario Schools

The LNS states that the PLC begins with an administration and teaching staff that are committed to building student knowledge. These people make a commitment to meet regularly to discuss current student status, suggest formal ways to institute improvement, design lessons or interventions that will make a difference in the students’ academic levels and build a framework for continuous monitoring (assessment) of the progress, examining the data, restructuring the work based upon reflections of the results thus far, and making changes in instruction that will promote continued growth or redirect focus as needed. Teachers and administration, to be successful, will need to be risk-takers and ready to attempt new ideas and approaches in our profession. The PLC approach requires a total staff commitment to this process of change – teachers as innovators and administration as facilitators.