Key actions of leaders during the FISO Improvement Cycle

Key actions of leaders during the FISO Improvement Cycle

Depending on your school type and size, you may fulfil the role of a school leader or a PLC instructional leader, perhaps both. Whatever your role, it is important that all leaders in a PLC school support the work of their teachers as they complete regular cycles of inquiry throughout the year and place student learning, growth and achievement at the centre of the work.

Read about how the Year 9 Mathematics PLC at the fictional Dudley High School used the FISO Improvement Cycle here. Using this case study, consider the key actions and strategies that you would use if you were a leader in this school to support the work of the PLC at every stage of the FISO Improvement Cycle.

Click on the phases of the FISO Improvement Cycle about the key actions for leaders at every stage of the FISO Improvement Cycle and the strategies that you can use:

Phase 1: Evaluate and Diagnose
Phase 2: Prioritise and Set Goals
Phase 3: Plan and Develop
Phase 4: Evaluate and monitor

Phase 1: Evaluate and Diagnose

During this phase, PLCs:

evaluate what students currently know and diagnose student learning needs using data and evidence
evaluate what teachers currently know about and practice in the areas of curriculum, assessment and pedagogy and diagnose the areas where teachers require further professional development
use the evaluations above to determine the student learning focus of their approximately eight week long inquiry cycle and how the PLC will use evidence-based strategies to address student learning needs.

Read the following key actions and a corresponding possible activity that you can complete at your school:

Leaders can support staff with the following key actions:

Leader	Key action	Activity
PLC Instructional Leader	Evaluate curriculum alignment with Victorian Curriculum standards and priorities, identifying areas for amendment and review	Use the VCAA Curriculum Planning self-assessment tool to evaluate your schools current curriculum by curriculum area, year level or by units and plans.
PLC Instructional Leader	Lead the PLC discussion of student data from a range of sources to understand what the students know.	Bring a sample of student work to a PLC meeting and use the ‘Data Driven Dialogue’ protocol to conduct a qualitative data analysis meeting.
School Leader	Establish a curriculum review process and subsequently evaluate findings made by PLC teams to ensure consistency of all areas.	Use the VCAA Curriculum Planning self-assessment tool to evaluate your schools current curriculum from a whole-school perspective.
School Leader	Analyse whole-school data sets to determine common problems of practice.	Complete NAPLAN tutorials with the school leadership team and/or PLC instructional leaders. Complete VCAA/VCE webinar training with the school leadership team and/or PLC instructional leaders. Complete ABLES assessment professional learning with the school leadership team and/or PLC instructional leaders.

Phase 2: Prioritise and Set Goals

During this phase, PLCs:

identify the learning needs of students and prioritise the areas that need to be addressed most
co-construct learning goals and success criteria with students
use co-constructed student learning goals and success criteria to identify priority areas for professional learning and set challenging professional learning goals
align the goals of the PLC with those of the school’s annual implementation plan (AIP) and school strategic plan (SSP).

Read the following key actions and a corresponding possible activity that you can complete at your school:

Leaders can support staff with the following key actions:

Leader	Key action	Activity
PLC Instructional Leader	Articulate a clear focus for the inquiry cycle using student data analysis and school AIP goals.	Use Helen Timperley’s Puzzles of Practice Protocol (APPENDIX) to articulate a clear and prioritised focus for your PLC’s Improvement Cycle and articulate interventions to address this focus.
PLC Instructional Leader	Use co-constructed student success criteria and learning goals to identify priority areas for professional learning and set challenging professional learning goals.	Read this article (APPENDIX) with your staff and spend a PLC meeting time collaborating on activities and strategies to co-construct success criteria and learning goals with students.
School Leader	Align PLC goals with the AIP goals and the SSP.	Conduct a staff meeting where you discuss your school’s Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) goals and four-year School Strategic Plan (SSP) goals. Give PLCs some time to ensure PLC and individual goals align. PLC Instructional Leaders will then report back.
School Leader	Ensure that staff learning goals through both PLCs and PDPs are articulated clearly and are guided by student learning goals.	Guide instructional leaders to help teachers to provide evidence of student learning goals in the ‘Student Outcomes’ section of their Performance and Development Plans (PDP).

Phase 3: Plan and Develop

During this phase, PLCs:

evaluate their current curriculum content and design learning programs based on evidence- based frameworks like the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model and the Victorian Curriculum
incorporate ongoing formative assessments and use student learning data to plan for differentiation so that individual student learning needs are supported
link professional learning to student learning outcomes and customise it to meet teacher learning needs.

Read the following key actions and a corresponding possible activity that you can complete at your school:

Leaders can support staff with the following key actions:

Leader	Key action	Activity
PLC Instructional Leader	Contribute to and communicate the aims and features of evidence-based frameworks like the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model to teachers and make links between this and the PLCs’ specific focus for inquiry.	Use the Guided Teacher Self-Reflection Activities for the Practice Principles with PLC members (see Reflection Tools booklet) to guide the PLC’s decision-making and further work. Ensure that teachers use the Pedagogical Model and HITS to respond to the activities.
PLC Instructional Leader	Research ways to build teaching repertoire through evidence-based practices, communicate these to the PLC team and share these with other instructional leaders.	Run a meeting with other PLC Instructional Leaders to discuss DET’s High Impact Teaching Strategies.
School Leader	Develop a whole-school pedagogical approach, based on evidence-based frameworks like the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model, which reflects the vision and values of the school.	Engage all teaching staff in reflection about current pedagogical practices at the school using Reflection Tools (p.5 – Guided Whole-School Reflection Activity) to either develop a new pedagogical approach or to benchmark the school’s current pedagogical approach with.
School Leader	Identify common areas for staff professional development and create and support professional learning opportunities for specific PLCs and for all staff.	Survey the school staff to understand the common learning areas across the school. Use this information to co-develop plans for each PLC’s learning priorities and goals.

Phase 4: Implement and Monitor

During this phase, PLCs:

evaluate the impact of their interventions by collecting and analysing feedback and evidence from multiple sources
engage in ongoing individual and collaborative critical reflection on quality of practice
use student outcome data and student feedback to identify gaps and emerging needs and to signal next steps for the PLC
share successful practices and outcomes with other PLCs.

Read the following key actions and a corresponding possible activity that you can complete at your school:

Leaders can support staff with the following key actions:

Leader	Key action	Activity
PLC Instructional Leader	Identify students that require targeted assistance and use the collective knowledge of the PLC to respond to and address their needs.	Read the following article (APPENDIX) with your PLC and consider the ways that you can further differentiate the learning experience for students.
PLC Instructional Leader	Use data gathered at the end of the inquiry-cycle to inform the focus for the next cycle.	Hold a meeting with staff to use summative data to determine the PLC’s wins, identify areas of improvement and future steps.
School Leader	Monitor the progress of PLC work against the set goals, celebrating wins and supporting necessary changes to practice if outcomes are not improving.	Contact regional staff to secure the input of a critical friend who will review and evaluate the way PLCs operate in your school.
School Leader	Work with instructional leaders, learning specialists and literacy leaders to identify school-wide patterns emerging from the work of PLCs and incorporate these into strategic planning.	Develop a strategy and annual plan to track the progress of PLC work routinely and report on this in the mid-year and in the Annual Implementation Plan.

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