Not PL Ready/ PL Ready 

• PD is driven by district calendar and expectations, is not aligned to PL vision.  
• Observations only meet minimal district expectations and may or may not include PL rubric as a tool for observation.
• Learner Profiles for staff either do not exist or are used very infrequently and do not drive teacher growth.
• PLCs either do not exist or if they do they are planned and facilitated by leadership and may or may not be personalized to teacher needs/interests and to campus PL vision.  

Consistent Practice/ Personalized 

• PD is on-demand, blended, personalized, and data-driven.
• Observations are used on a regular basis to inform individual teacher progress, needs, and to drive PD - the observations are carried out by all stakeholders and are not used evaluatively.
• All staff have and use a Learner Profile to map out their needs and interests, these documents are used to inform instructional coaching and PD opportunities.
• Professional Learning Communities are active across campus to support teacher needs and interests.
• PLCs are led by teachers and follow a collaborative growth protocol to encourage deepening teacher practice and innovation across campus.  

Resources to Support:

• 5 Best Practices for Personalized Professional Development: This blog shares 5 best practices for how to model the way of PL through Professional Development.
• Personalizing Professional Development for Teachers by Teachers: This blog shares one school’s story of how they approached Personalizing PD by involving teachers in the design of PD.
• Not Just about Students: The Importance of Personalizing Learning for Teachers: This blog shares why it’s just as important to personalize learning for teachers.
• Observation and Feedback: Six Steps to Effective Feedback: This video shows an example of giving specific feedback to a teacher after an observation that is aimed at supporting and improving the teacher’s practice. The observation is driven by the teacher’s growth goals.
• Walkthrough Support: Two teachers describe the classroom walkthroughs that occur regularly at their school. The principal comes in, unannounced, to observe classrooms and provide feedback and support to teachers. He focuses on (1) Homeruns, (2) Wondering, and (3) For reflection.
• What is a PLC?: This article articulates the key indicators of a PLC and describes how to achieve this at your school.
• All Things PLC: This website lives up to it’s name offering numerous resources for establishing and sustaining PLCs on your campus.
• Charlotte Danielson on Rethinking Teacher Evaluation: Charlotte Danielson has become one of the major frameworks for rethinking Teacher Evaluation - this article highlights what works for supporting teacher growth through evaluation and ensuring that teacher evaluations are aligned to district objectives and vision.
• Unleashing Greatness in Teachers: This video outlines how developing great teachers can change the world.
• The Power of Combining Coaching with a Framework for Teaching: This article describes how knowing the expectations (destination) for effective teaching can support teacher development and drive coaching and professional development. (This article references the TCRP framework, but substitute in the PL Coaching and Development tool to think about how this can be used to support teachers).
• The Art of Coaching: This book, by Elena Aguilar, offers the foundational skills and tools needed by coaches, as well as presenting an overview of the knowledge and theory base behind coaching best practice. Established coaches will find numerous ways to deepen and refine their work. Principals and others who incorporate coaching strategies into their work will also find a wealth of resources. Elena offers a model for transformational coaching which could be implemented as professional development in schools or districts anywhere. Although she addresses the needs of adult learners, her model maintains a student-centered focus, with a specific lens trained always on addressing equity issues in schools.
• Coaching for Change: Teacher-Centered Coaching: This resource shares how to maintain a teacher centered coaching cycle with links to numerous other resources on coaching teachers.
• The Secret to Great Coaching: Inquiry Method Helps Teachers take Ownership of their Learning: This in depth article shares how to use an inquiry model in coaching teachers.
• Teachers need Real Feedback: This TED talk by Bill Gates highlights why teachers need coaches and need specific feedback in order to do their jobs better.