West Plains Public Schools operates as a Professional Learning Community (PLC). The professional learning community model flows from the assumption that the core mission of formal education is not simply to ensure that students are taught but to ensure that they learn. This shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning has had profound implications. Our school practices collegial engagement in the ongoing exploration of questions that drive the work of those within the professional learning community:
- What do we want each student to learn?
- How will we know when each student has learned it?
- How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
- What do we do when a student already knows the objective?
The West Plains Public Schools Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are systematic and schoolwide. Our response to students who experience difficulty is:
- Timely. The school quickly identifies students who need additional time and support.
- Based on intervention rather than remediation. The plan provides students with help as soon as they experience difficulty rather than relying on summer school, retention, and remedial courses.
- Directive. Instead of inviting students to seek additional help, the systematic plan requires students to devote extra time and receive additional assistance until they have mastered the necessary concepts.
Educators who are building a professional learning community recognize that they must work together to achieve their collective purpose of learning for all. Therefore, they create structures to promote a collaborative culture with a focus on results.
CONTACT: Dr. Greg Carter/ Dr. Tiffany Young--(417) 256-6150 EXT 1012 |
greg.carter@zizzers.org ; tiffany.young@zizzers.org
