| With the advent of school choice and the ever | | | | PLCs use unique and flexible scheduling to allow |
| increasing ability of a family to move from one | | | | students and teachers time outside of the |
| state or one neighborhood to the next, there is | | | | classroom to boost learning. Students meet with |
| an increasing desire for parents to seek high | | | | teachers or other advisors one on one or in small |
| school rankings. When doing so, there are so | | | | groups. Teachers meet within discipline or within |
| many factors to consider. Some of these pop | | | | grade levels to work and plan together while |
| right into mind: expenditure per pupil, SAT and | | | | sharing best practices. This is an essential part of |
| other standardized test scores, AP classes | | | | PLC and is important to check for when |
| offered, rate of crime in the school and in the | | | | considering high school rankings. |
| neighborhood surrounding the school. But there is | | | | 3. Because student success is a community |
| one factor that goes mostly unnoticed and might | | | | effort, what students study can be standardized. |
| be important when assessing high school rankings. | | | | While high school rankings always include |
| Does the school ascribe to the cutting edge idea | | | | standardized test scores, they don't always |
| of Professional Learning Communities (PLC)? | | | | include other assessments. Although PLCs use |
| PLCs and High school rankings | | | | standard assessments and formative |
| Professional Learning Communities are a new idea | | | | assessments, they don't require teachers to |
| spearheaded by Rick and Betty DuFour. The | | | | "teach to the test." Instead students are prepared |
| success of their program and the logic of the | | | | at a high level of rigor for things like state exams |
| ideas it espouses have led to a sweeping change | | | | within the normal parameters of the classroom. |
| in the way schools do business. So what is a PLC? | | | | What a great piece of information to include in |
| Check out some of the main ideas behind them | | | | high school rankings. |
| below and you'll see why PLCs are the latest in | | | | 4. The DuFours insist that failure is not an option. |
| educational reform for High school rankings. | | | | In PLCs failure is seen as an easy way out. |
| 1. PLCs allow for a real sense of community. The | | | | Instead, the community works to present the |
| whole purpose of high school rankings is to help | | | | student with many avenues to success. This may |
| the community assess schools. For PLCs that | | | | take a while for students and teachers to get |
| means everybody working together to ensure | | | | used to, but the change in "mind set" is an |
| student success. Of course the usual suspects | | | | important one in the path to student achievement |
| (students, teachers, parents) are included, but so | | | | and an important one when assessing a school for |
| are non-instructional staff like bus drivers and | | | | High school rankings. |
| security officers. PLCs also include the community | | | | So if you are a parent or student considering High |
| at large so local businesses and community | | | | school rankings, you may want to make the |
| colleges are drawn in to help the school and the | | | | inclusion of professional learning communities part |
| students. What could be more important for high | | | | of your assessment. It is the wave of the future |
| school rankings? | | | | and an important factor in determining if a school |
| 2. Another purpose of high school rankings is to | | | | is the right fit for you. |
| gauge how effective teachers are in a school. | | | | |