1: Study
Teachers work in collaborative planning teams (grade-level, vertical, or departmental) to examine critically and discuss the learning expectations from the selected state standards. Teachers working collaboratively develop a common understanding of
• the concepts and skills students need to know and be able to do to meet the expectations in the standards,
• how the standards for a grade or course are assessed on state and local tests, and
• how the standards fit within a scope and sequence of the district curriculum.
Step 2: Select
Collaborative planning teams research and select instructional strategies and resources for enhancing learning as described in the standards. Teachers working collaboratively
• identify effective research-based strategies and appropriate resources that will be used to support learning in the selected state standards and
• agree on appropriate assessment techniques that will be used to provide evidence of student learning.
Step 3: Plan
Planning teams, working together, formally develop a common lesson incorporating the selected strategies and agree on the type of student work each teacher will use later (in Step V: Analyze) as evidence of student learning. Teachers working collaboratively
• develop a common formal plan outlining the lesson objectives (relevant to the standards), the materials to be used, the procedures, the time frame for the lesson, and the activities in which students will be engaged and
• decide what evidence of student learning will be collected during the implementation.
Step 4: Implement
Teachers carry out the planned lesson, make note of implementation successes and challenges, and gather the agreed-upon evidence of student learning. Teachers working collaboratively
• deliver the lesson as planned within the specified time period;
• record results, especially noting where students struggled and/or where instruction did not achieve expected outcomes; and
• collect the agreed-upon evidence of student learning to take back to the collaborative planning team

Step 5: Analyze
Teachers gather again in collaborative teams to examine student work and discuss student understanding of the standards. Teachers working collaboratively
• revisit and familiarize themselves with the standards before analyzing student work;
• analyze a sampling of student work for evidence of student learning;
• discuss whether students have met the expectations outlined in the standards and make inferences about the strengths, weaknesses, and implications of instruction; and
• identify what students know and what skills or knowledge needs to be strengthened in future lessons.
Step 6: Adjust
Collaborative teams reflect on the implications of the analysis of student work. Teachers discuss alternative instructional strategies or modifications to the original instructional strategy that may be better suited to promoting student learning. Teachers working collaboratively
• reflect on their common or disparate teaching experiences;
• consider and identify alternative instructional strategies for future instruction;
• refine and improve the lesson; and
• determine when the instructional modifications will take place, what can be built into subsequent lessons, and what needs an additional targeted lesson.
Five of these six steps are played out during two separate collaborative meetings. Groups ideally composed of two to five teachers gather to study the standards, select an effective strategy to address those standards, and plan an effective lesson using that strategy. The time required for this meeting typically takes 2 to 3 hours initially. At this point, it is important for leaders to ensure that teachers have enough content knowledge about the selected standard to carry out the next steps in the process. If they do not have a clear understanding of the standard or the content, additional professional development should be planned to increase teachers’ content knowledge.
Once the teachers have selected instructional strategies and an assessment approach and have planned their lesson(s), they return to their classrooms to implement the lesson(s). This step provides an ideal opportunity for leaders to observe instruction. This communicates a message that leaders support the initiative and that the work is a priority. Peer observations can also be scheduled at this time, providing more intensive professional development, especially for new or inexperienced teachers. The participating teachers reconvene later in a second collaborative meeting to analyze student work that was generated during the lesson and to adjust their plans for future instruction, as needed, to support student achievement.
During the first year of implementation, it is recommended that collaborative teams complete at least six complete cycles of PTLC to become thoroughly familiar with the process. The first few cycles take more time because teachers are becoming versed in the process and learning their roles in each of the steps.