Assessment: Professional Learning Communities (P.L.C.s) and Creativity

Whether Professional Learning Communities is a new term or one you've heard before or have experienced, it is a term you want to become familiar with in the near future.  P.L.C.s provide an opportunity and a time for teachers to discuss what teaching is all about...student achievement. But as with most things in life, one must learn to balance the evidence-collecting portion of P.L.C.s and the open-ended problem solving of creativity.  Professional Learning Communities can offer the vehicle in which art educators can share what they teach, how they know their students are learning it, how they work with those students who don't learn it, and finally, how they provide further experiences for those students who do understand it.  Goals are written as S.M.A.R.T. goals:  S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Attainable, R-Realistic, T-Timely.

As is with most things in life, work with P.L.C.s and creativity is a balancing act.  Lincoln Public Schools started the PLC model three years ago; the last two years, art specialists have been allowed to meet to work on goals pertaining to the art curriculum.  Although we have come a long way in understanding and using the PLC model, we are still learning and growing.  And part of that growth is the balancing act of addressing measurable goals and still maintaining the creative growth of our children.

In my next entry, I plan to share more specifics about P.L.C.s.  Please share your experiences using the P.L.C. model for assessment.

-Bob Reeker