Collaborative Coaching and Learning in Science (CCLS) An Effective Professional Learning Community Model
The Boston Science Partnership (BSP) is in Year 5 of a five-year partnership between the Boston Public Schools (BPS), the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB), and Northeastern University (NEU). One of the project's aims is to strengthen BPS middle and high school science education, primarily by raising teacher quality, in order to increase student achievement, numbers of students taking higher-level science courses, and students entering STEM higher education programs. Additional goals include improving university-level teaching, training STEM faculty to be knowledgeable partners in science education reform efforts, and creating institutional changes at the universities that will ensure a continuation of support for and involvement with K-12 science education. The Program Evaluation and Research Group (PERG) at Lesley University is the external evaluator. The Education Development Center (EDC) provides a research component, with additional research taking place at UMB.
Collaborative Coaching and Learning in Science (CCLS) is one of several key strategies the BSP is using to reach its goals. These professional learning community groups are adapted from a model originally developed for the Boston Public Schools by the Boston Plan for Excellence to support the teaching of literacy and mathematics. The BSP adapted the original model to meet specific needs in science, and to make implementation possible with 3-4 science professional developers for the entire district, instead of half- or full-time math and literacy coaches for each school.
Over the first four years of the project, the model was revised through experience, evaluation reports, and responses from teachers. The overall approach now consists of three distinct phases, each with a number of steps -- establishing the team, engaging in the CCLS activities, and learning from the CCLS experience.
The basic CCLS model in Year 4 consisted of:- 1 or 2 school-based teacher facilitators (single, co-, or apprentice model)
- 6-10 meetings that varied in frequency (from weekly to monthly) and in time (from 30-90 minutes)
- An agreed-upon course of study (COS)
- Meetings to discuss research related to the course of study
- 1 or more classroom observation cycles with preparation for and debriefing discussion afterwards (one classroom observation of each participant per cycle)
- Looking at student work (LASW)
- Documentation through the use of a district-supplied binder
- 1 science department staff member providing support, as needed
As with any professional development initiative, support to participants is critical. BPS Science Department staff have offered training sessions to teacher facilitators, and have served as co-facilitators and provided other school-specific support as needed. In the past year, we began to see a number of groups becoming relatively independent over the course of 1-3 years as on-site capacity was developed and familiarity with the model was expanded. There are challenges that must be addressed in order for a school site to reach the "self-sufficient" stage, however.
