The Power of PLCs

Renewed emphasis on professional learning communities (PLCs) is elevating student growth in District 303. Chief Academic Officer Dr. Christine Igoe, ELA Coordinator Dr. Amanda Wojcik, and Davis Primary School Instructional Support Coach Meghan Madigan recently joined the Voices of District 303 Podcast to share their perspectives.

“Our teachers are really taking the time to come together and collaborate, and think about what we want our kids to be able to do,” said Igoe. 

Topics of discussion included how educators are leveraging PLCs to share effective strategies and best practices, and the impact that is having on student learning.  

“Having common units, common texts, common writing experiences, common assessments. All of those pieces are essential in a guaranteed and viable curriculum,” Wojcik said.

This episode also explores priority standards, and how they’ve helped foster consistency throughout District 303 while allowing teachers the ability to be creative in their lesson planning. 

“Take some things off the cognitive load of teachers and then they can be more responsive and focused on the kids, which is where they need to be,” said Madigan. 

Wojcik added that English/Language Arts (ELA) proficiency is on the rise in District 303. Based on results from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), ELA achievement improved by 8% district-wide in 2023. District 303 recently held a Listen Learn Return community presentation focusing on the power of PLCs. You can learn more and watch the presentation in its entirety by clicking here.