Professional Learning Standards

Professional Learning at FLVS in 2017

By on April 19th, 2017

LightbulbAt FLVS, our growing and learning continues daily! Learning isn’t just something our students do each and every day – our teachers do too.

Our professional learning team is an incredible group of educators who work tirelessly to help our teachers grow and learn so they can all reach their students effectively.

There are all kinds of exciting initiatives rooted in the Professional Learning team that we’re focused on in 2017.

We have amazing team members who benefit our teachers and staff with their commitment to providing stellar professional learning opportunities across our district.

Here are a few of the exciting learning opportunities we have for our teachers and staff to keep growing and learning: Continue reading


Professional Learning at FLVS in 2015

By on February 25th, 2015

Teacher PLAt FLVS, professional learning matters.

Learning that is student-centered, collaborative, sustained and data-driven is what drives success.

Student Centered

This is the year that every department and individual at FLVS is going to refocus. For our teachers, being able to identify and articulate professional learning goals directly impacts student learning, mastery, and performance.

This is what student-centered professional learning is all about.

Continue reading


Learning Forward – Part 7: Action Research

By on September 4th, 2013

Action Research is a professional’s systematic, intentional study of their own classroom and workplace practices.  Teachers who collaborate and reflect have a direct impact on student achievement.

This form of professional development takes teachers beyond their own classroom and into each other’s.  Action research definitely makes for a great Professional Learning Community (PLC). Continue reading


Learning Forward – Part 6: Professional Learning Communities

By on August 5th, 2013

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Continuing my series on the Professional Learning standards, today’s blog post focuses on Professional Learning Communities. A Professional Learning Community (PLC) consists of educators committed to working collaboratively in an ongoing process of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve.  PLCs are intended to improve student learning by providing continuous job-embedded learning opportunities for educators. A PLC utilizes data to identify gaps between learning goals and actual student achievement. Then, through action research, a PLC develops action items to make corrective changes.  Continue reading




Learning Forward – Part 3: Leadership, Resources, Data

By on April 22nd, 2013

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Now that we have unpacked the core elements of Learning Communities (view the previous post here), let’s move into the next three standards: Leadership, Resources, and Data.

The Leadership Standard states: “Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students requires skillful leaders who develop capacity, advocate, and create support systems for professional learning.” Continue reading


Learning Forward – Part 2: Learning Communities

By on March 28th, 2013

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Professional learning programs provide the opportunity to improve educator practices in the classroom and positively impact student learning.  As discussed in my previous post, Learning Forward has revised the Standards for Professional Learning by introducing seven standards that help to ensure that learning opportunities offered to teachers and support staff positively impact student achievement. The revised standards introduce a different paradigm, most notably, the change from a focus on instructor performance to a focus on student achievement – and results. Continue reading


Learning Forward – Part 1: Reflections on the 2012 Learning Forward Annual Conference

By on February 27th, 2013

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/

This is the first of an eight-part blog series in which I will explore the Standards for Professional Learning released by Learning Forward in 2011. Learning Forward is an international nonprofit association of learning educators that aims to improve instructional effectiveness through standards-based professional learning (PL). Continue reading