Educators' Symposium 2013

• Professional Learning Communities
• Student achievement in a high quality environment
• Improving student learning outcomes
• Success

August 26 & 27, 2013
8 a.m.–4 p.m.
La Crosse Center, 300 Harborview Plaza
La Crosse, WI
One or two credits are available: $140 per credit
Printable Flyer (1 page PDF)

Tier 1: PLC Training for Beginners
Presenter: Anthony Muhammad, Ph.D.
Those new to the Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) concept will have the opportunity to acquire an essential, big picture understanding of PLCs.  This introductory sectional will present the basics of PLC collaborative group design.  Participants will also develop an initial, common understanding of sound assessment practices and will be introduced to the foundational stages of creating a common system of interventions (RtI).  Participants will depart with new, shared understandings related to PLCs and the critical vocabulary that accompanies discussions around PLCs, assessment, and RtI.  Following this two-day training, participants should be prepared to begin implementing the PLC design and could begin meeting as teams to develop team norms, protocols, and SMART Goals.  Participants will need additional training following this event to dig deeper into the areas of collaboration, assessment, and intervention.

Tier 2: PLC Training for Intermediates
Presenter: Cassie Erkins
The Intermediate sectional is designed for those who already possess a solid foundational understanding of PLC design and a good working knowledge of assessment and RtI.  Participants in this sectional will have (most likely) already implemented PLC meetings within their own buildings, though they may still be working on conducting fully successful and productive meetings.  Similarly, they are likely working on writing common assessments but may not be using them consistently or fully utilizing the data obtained from assessments.  Participants in this sectional may also have a general understanding of a system of interventions, but they may not have begun adjusting their teaching to meet individual student needs. Upon completion of this sectional, participants should possess a firm grasp of assessment writing and data analysis in a balanced assessment system, and they should possess the knowledge to design a concrete plan for implementing a solid system of interventions considerate of the variety of teaching strategies necessary to accommodate varying learning styles.

Tier 3: PLC Training for Advanced
Presenter: Laurie Robinson
The Advanced sectional is designed for participants already effectively utilizing successful team meetings, common formative assessments, and a system of interventions so that increased student achievement is the end result.  They are clear about their SMART Goals, team norms and protocols, and are using a system of interventions that responds immediately to students when information gaps occur.  Training for this group would delve deeply into the instructional strategies that are most effective considerate of particular groups of students, content areas, and depth of content.  This group would also examine its system of interventions to ensure that high quality intervention/instruction occurs for all students.  Additionally, participants would learn engagement and motivation strategies that are proven to increase student achievement.