All Pennsbury teachers, 6-12, are participating in an Embedded Formative Assessment Professional Learning Community for a two year period. Also known as a PLC, a Professional Learning Community, is a cohort of teachers which meets regularly to participate in structured workshops.
Embedded Formative Assessment, commonly known as EFA, is a tool based on Dylan Wiliam’s research of Assessment for Learning which focuses on the five key strategies below:
Clarifying, sharing, and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success.
Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning.
Providing feedback that moves learning forward.
Activating learners as instructional resources for one another (peer-assessment).
Activating learners of owners of their own learning (self-assessment).
The benefits of Embedded Formative Assessment include:
Learning the tools for minute-by-minute, day-by-day assessment.
Participation in a meaningful and collaborative PLC.
Opportunities for peer-coaching with other teachers.
Ability to earn Act 48 hours for both PLC meeting attendance and peer-coaching.
Raising of student achievement and development of personal teaching practices.