New Resource to Support Effective Intellectual Preparation in PLCs
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has developed a suite of resources to support districts and schools in establishing and strengthening intellectual preparation within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Intellectual preparation is a foundational aspect of curriculum-based professional learning and supports educators in deeply understanding and effectively implementing high-quality instructional resources (HQIRs) to improve the student experience and academic outcomes.
In response to feedback from instructional leaders across the state, the KDE has developed an additional tool to support leaders in establishing intellectual preparation – Facilitation Guide: Leading Intellectual Preparation in PLCs. This new resource:
- Organizes PLC facilitation into a clear, repeatable structure to support consistent and effective implementation;
- Provides practical facilitation moves and prompts to support meaningful, HQIR-aligned discussions during PLCs;
- Outlines structures and guidance for engaging educators in each of the four core processes; and
- Includes examples of high-leverage coaching questions facilitators can use to help anchor or extend educator thinking for each intellectual preparation process.
Additionally, the KDE previously released two other critical resources for establishing intellectual preparation:
- Intellectual Preparation Guidance – Provides an overview of the four core processes that make up intellectual preparation (unit and lesson internalization, lesson rehearsal and student work analysis) along with protocols to support each process.
- PLC Observation Tool – An observation form that includes specific indicators aligned to each core process used to understand the extent to which the PLC is engaging in the core processes of intellectual preparation and supports leaders in providing targeted feedback for improvement.