Big Sandy First In Alabama To Be Named Model PLC School

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — One school in the Tuscaloosa County School System was on the receiving end of a prestigious honor this week, as Solution Tree named Big Sandy Elementary as one of its Model Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work.

Solution Tree presented the school with a flag to commemorate the occasion, which saw the school become the first in Alabama, and one of only about 200 schools nationwide, to earn the title.

The national organization awarding the distinction is a professional development company and publisher of educational material for K–12 educators, with Solution Tree focusing on improving learning for students and professional growth for teachers.

TCSS says Big Sandy was chosen based on its sustained success in raising student achievement, through the school’s successful implementation of the Professional Learning Communities at Work process.

“We are honored to receive this recognition and believe we are on the right track to continued improvement,” Big Sandy Principal Glynis Rhodes said. “Our entire faculty and staff have worked the past three years to become a Professional Learning Community in an effort to do what is best for all of our students.”

Schools are selected for the distinction based on criteria that includes demonstration of a commitment to PLC concepts, implementation of these concepts for at least three years, and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, TCSS said the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture, and submit its application for consideration by the PLC Review Committee.