HARRISON TRIMBLE HIGH SCHOOL MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA 1,435 STUDENTS 53 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED, INCLUDING CANADA CHALLENGE At Harrison Trimble High School, Principal Gary Wilson and his administrators and teachers have always prioritized student learning, a culture of collaboration, and a focus on results— elements found in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) at Work®. The journey to becoming a Model PLC at Work school started with Principal Wilson, who had prior experience with the PLC at Work process. Wilson identified a trend where some teachers were moving away from simply delivering content, but not all. The teacher who did move away from traditional teaching practices focused on equipping students with valuable skills and fostering a sense of responsibility in students for their own learning. Harrison Trimble was used to seeing new administration come and go. Each time, teachers would learn to implement processes from one leadership team, only to have it change with the next. This led to a variety of different methods to achieve student learning. Maintaining a consistent schoolwide focus on student learning was often derailed because of inconsistencies that existed between grade levels, content areas, and teachers. One of Principal Wilson’s main goals was to ensure all teachers were on the same page about student learning, grading scales, and assessments. Harrison Trimble also had a reputation for being a school with a low socioeconomic population and underperforming students. Enrollment revealed a significant disparity. The number of students seeking to transfer out ranged between 70 and 100, while the number interested in transferring in fell between 2 and 4. IMPLEMENTATION The first initial step Harrison Trimble High School and Principal Wilson took was to establish teams with his three vice principals taking the lead. From there, a school improvement plan was created. This document ensured a focus on continuous improvement, a schoolwide focus on specific initiatives, staff engagement, and ongoing monitoring of progress toward their identified goals. Once teams were established, Harrison Trimble received assistance from Solution Tree associate Tom Schimmer, who provided professional development and guidance on building a solid schoolwide achievement scale. Within the first year of implementing the PLC at Work process, roughly 75% of Harrison Trimble’s school administration, leadership team, and teachers were working in collaboration to develop competency-based learning targets. Achievement standards were assessed, evaluated, and reported using the schoolwide achievement scale. Collaborative teams began to meet regularly, planning assessments, both formative and summative, that allowed students to show their understanding of each supporting idea. Further, teams collaborated throughout the year to actively support all aspects of the PLC at Work process. These groups focused on feedback, self-assessment, and goal setting by conducting research on best practices, gathering feedback from fellow teachers on their current practice, and reaching out to students regarding their needs as learners. Information was collected, analyzed, synthesized, and shared with staff. Evidence of Excellence PLC practices drive graduation rate to
