Assessing and Analyzing the
Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised
About the PLCA-R
The Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised (2010) is a revision of the initial Professional Learning Community Assessment (2003). The assessment was created to assess everyday classroom and school-level practices in relation to PLC dimensions (Olivier, Hipp, & Huffman, 2003). The measure has been administered to professional staff in numerous school districts at varying grade levels throughout the United States. This assessment has assisted educators and researchers in determining the strength of practices in their own schools within each dimension.
Validity and Reliability
The widespread use of the instrument provided an opportunity to review the dimensions for internal consistency. Our most recent analyses of this diagnostic tool has confirmed internal consistency resulting in the following Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficients for factored subscales (n=1209): Shared and Supportive Leadership (.94); Shared Values and Vision (.92); Collective Learning and Application (.91); Shared Personal Practice (.87); Supportive Conditions-Relationships (.82); Supportive Conditions-Structures (.88); and a one-factor solution (.97). This assessment tool has gone through construct validity (Expert Study and factor analysis), and has yielded satisfactory internal consistency for reliability.
How to Use the PLCA-R Results
When analyzing PLCA-R results, descriptive statistics are beneficial in determining the strength of the Dimensions, as well as reviewing teacher responses for each individual item. Given that PLCA-R items illustrate actual school-level practices, analysis of the measure should incorporate a review of individual items to determine the strengths and weaknesses of practices deemed essential within a PLC.
PLCA-R Interpretation Steps
- View attributes (item statements) first individually – determine the highest and lowest scores;
- Next, focus on the Dimension sections; determine those Dimensions which have a majority of high or low scoring attributes;
- Focus on the overall results at the Dimension levels to determine if there is a pattern of high or low scores;
- Scores of 3.0 or higher show general agreement with the attribute;
- Refer to the calculated Standard Deviation (SD) in order to account forthe outliers (variance within the group);
- A smaller SD indicates greater agreement, while a larger SD shows more variance among respondents (less agreement);
- You may have an outlier or two, but still have an overall strong level of support for the Dimension.
Comments
The tool is intended to support and enhance the development ofthe PLC process in the school and thus contribute to continuous school improvement.
While looking at the Dimensions collectively is revealing on the surface, if you concentrate on each of the attributes individually, you gain a more formative and clear assessment of your school practices.
After you review the results, utilize the PLCDR, PLC-ICM and use dialogue to clarify understanding of the Dimensions and Critical Attributes.
Begin to formulate the PLCInitial School Plan.
Implementation of the Initial School Plan follows.
Assess again after several months.