Comments on: Which Quartile Should We Focus On? http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=298 All Information, No Commerce Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:17:23 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: rryshke http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=298&cpage=1#comment-768 rryshke Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:46:15 +0000 http://www.allthingsplc.info/wordpress/?p=298#comment-768 I totally agree with Rick DuFour's response to this principal. I think we cannot pick and choose which students we support and how much. If the school is a community and all students are members of the community, then our responsibility is to support all students. My experience as a classroom teacher represents about 15 years of my career and the rest of the 32 years has been administration. I believe students deserve our best efforts without the excuse that the schedule won't allow us. After attending the summit on assessment, sponsored by Solution Tree, in Atlanta this week, I am further convinced that we have to look at all aspects of our educational program in order to support all students in their learning. Rick DuFour spoke eloquently about the need for common assessments through teachers working collaboratively in a PLC. At the Center for Teaching at The Westminster Schools, we are studying the work on PLCs and assessment. We are collaborating with Westminster's Junior High School faculty on a PLC devoted to the 21st-century classroom. The JHS faculty are also piloting PLCs in math-science, English, and social studies. In their work, assessment practices are being closely studied. Faculty are creating common assessments. The goal of these PLCs are to support faculty professaional development, promote collaboration, and make the necessary adjustments to meet the needs of all learners. This is a very important question raised by the principal and an interesting and thoughtful response from Rick DuFour. Robert Ryshke I totally agree with Rick DuFour’s response to this principal. I think we cannot pick and choose which students we support and how much. If the school is a community and all students are members of the community, then our responsibility is to support all students. My experience as a classroom teacher represents about 15 years of my career and the rest of the 32 years has been administration. I believe students deserve our best efforts without the excuse that the schedule won’t allow us. After attending the summit on assessment, sponsored by Solution Tree, in Atlanta this week, I am further convinced that we have to look at all aspects of our educational program in order to support all students in their learning. Rick DuFour spoke eloquently about the need for common assessments through teachers working collaboratively in a PLC.

At the Center for Teaching at The Westminster Schools, we are studying the work on PLCs and assessment. We are collaborating with Westminster’s Junior High School faculty on a PLC devoted to the 21st-century classroom. The JHS faculty are also piloting PLCs in math-science, English, and social studies. In their work, assessment practices are being closely studied. Faculty are creating common assessments. The goal of these PLCs are to support faculty professaional development, promote collaboration, and make the necessary adjustments to meet the needs of all learners.

This is a very important question raised by the principal and an interesting and thoughtful response from Rick DuFour.

Robert Ryshke

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