Arizona Professional Learning Series
The Arizona Professional Learning Series (AZPLS) provides district and school teams with a process to guide and assist in building a foundation for systems change that will impact literacy outcomes by closing the achievement gap for students with specific learning disabilities. Every part of the professional learning series will empower students to be successful learners in a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
Collaboration is the key for a whole school to be effective. District and school site leaders will learn the importance of including the entire school community in creating a collaborative culture that supports high expectations for all students. Leadership will apply strategies of intentional collaboration to support teamwork for collective learning and implementation. Leadership will identify how inclusive collaboration connects every teacher to impact student achievement.
Research studies show that schools that support teacher collaboration tend to have higher student achievement than less collaborative schools. According to John Hattie, collective teacher efficacy has the greatest impact on student achievement.
There is a well-planned progression to the AZPLS modules. The organization of the modules, implementation, data analysis, and coaching provide a supportive process for increasing knowledge, skills, and achievement. Participants collaborate to learn and implement strategies that support inclusionary practices to increase student literacy achievement. These practices bring general education teachers, special education teachers, and content area teachers together to use evidence to drive instruction and collaboratively plan the teaching and learning of all students.
ADE provides the module packages, each of which includes the presentation, facilitator guide, participant packet with handouts, posters, activities, parent modules to share strategies, and technical assistance to support leadership and school staff who facilitate the modules. The Arizona Professional Learning Series Module Overview provides the module topics and gives a brief description for each module.
Arizona Professional Learning Series Module Overview
The AZPLS program design is rooted in systems change and connects the district, school staff, students, and parents. Six systems are embedded into the modules to support sustainable implementation. All professional learning interconnects with leadership, coaching, teams, data, and action planning to reinforce the teaching and learning strategies that will increase literacy achievement for every student in every class.
The Arizona Professional Learning Series offers two websites for participating schools. The websites are linked together seamlessly so that schools can access the high-quality professional learning supported by data collection and analysis.
The Arizona Professional Learning Series website provides:
- Professional Learning Modules and materials
- Parent Modules and materials
- Teams, Data, Action Planning, and Coaching Guides
- District Leadership Team Meeting materials
- Videos of Arizona teachers implementing AZPLS
The Arizona Professional Learning Series Data Portal provides:
- Data tools
- Supporting documents
- Real-time data analysis
- Secure log-in access only
Videos supplement module content and demonstrate specific strategies through examples from Arizona schools. Videos can be used by presenters, coaches, teams, and individuals.
The AZPLS modules are facilitated by a teacher leader on staff at each school or district. Between module presentations, time must be allotted for initial strategy implementation and support for teachers, practice with specific teaching and learning strategies, and plans for sustaining the strategy use. Options are available to meet any need.
By the end of this professional learning series, leadership, teachers, students, and parents will have gained the knowledge and skills to impact literacy learning for every student in all classrooms across their school campus, and districts and schools will have well-developed systems for ongoing reflection and growth toward meeting the needs of all learners.
Contact Us
ESS/PLS Lead Professional Learning Specialist
(602) 364-2440
Page revised 4/28/23
