Windsor teachers began three days of professional development Wednesday, working together using student data to prepare for the upcoming school year.
“Our PDP days are a great opportunity for our collaborative teams to analyze student achievement data and make plans to impact instruction and improve student performance in the upcoming year,” said Dr. Jason Andrews, Windsor Central School District superintendent.
A PLC is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. It operates under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators. Basically, the more teachers continue to learn, the more students will learn.
“We’re appreciative having the three days of professional learning to make sure our teams are ready to work interdependently to ensure high levels of learning for all our students. This time allows them to collaborate an action plan so our whole staff is prepared and empowered to facilitate our students’ learning,” said Windsor CSD Director of Learning and Continuous Improvement Barb Tasber.
Teachers are looking at data from state assessments in grades three through 12 to identify standards on which students are doing well on and areas of improvement. Teacher teams are making quarterly action plans to help maintain successes and target improvement.
On Thursday, elementary teachers will undergo training in research-based practices around the science of reading to increase reading and writing skills across all grade levels. High school and middle school teachers will work on grading and reporting practices, as well as continued PLC work.
That work will continue on Friday as well, the final day of the three-day professional development period. Staff will reconvene for Superintendent’s Conference Day on Tuesday, September 5th, then students return for the first day of classes on Wednesday, September 6th.