The PL Reality Check

Ever wondered why some professional learning providers make the cut for the Professional Learning Partner Guide and others don’t? Maybe you've noticed your provider isn't in the guide—or that they were, and now they're not. Should you be worried?In this episode of The PL Reality Check, we sit down with Sruthi Echarry Diaz to pull back the curtain on Rivet’s Professional Learning Partner Guide review process. We break down the most common reasons providers don’t pass, what reviewers are really looking for, and how feedback is used to improve professional learning across the field.If you’ve ever questioned what it actually takes to meet the bar for high-quality, curriculum-based professional learning, this conversation offers a clear, honest look behind the scenes.

In Part 2 of this conversation on The PL Reality Check, PLPG Director Dr. Joslyn Richardson sits down with Dr. Chalon Jones of the English Learners Success Forum to explore the key questions leaders should ask to determine whether a provider truly supports multilingual learners—or is simply making promises.Dr. Jones shares practical guidance on how effective professional learning translates research on language development into real classroom practice, how providers should help teachers integrate language and content instruction, and what evidence districts should look for to confirm that the provider can back up their claims: what classroom practice looks like for their clients, how outcomes change over time, and more.

In this episode of PL Reality Check, we sit down with Chalon Jones of the English Learners Success Forum (ELSF) to examine the multilingual learner expertise gap—and what it means for curriculum implementation.Chalon shares why multilingual learners have too often been treated as an “add-on” rather than central to instructional design, and how that shows up in both high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and professional learning. She walks through the development of the Professional Learning Partner Guide's new Multilingual Learner Badge, which she helped co-develop with Rivet Education, explaining what it signals about a professional learning provider's ability to support language development in the context of HQIM.This conversation offers clear insight into what teachers need in order to provide full access to HQIM for their multilingual learners.

Claire Rivero sits down with Nicole Cooley from Kids First Education to talk about professional learning community (PLC) design. Every school holds PLCs in some form, but many are more of an obligation to be checked off. Nicole outlines the essential components of PLCs that are tied to experiences teachers actually find useful!

Joslyn Richardson sits down with Lauren LeBental, Vice President of SPED Strategies to identify three questions education leaders should ask potential PL providers (or themselves if PL is designed in-house) to understand with professional learning content will support teachers serving students with disabilities.

Joslyn Richardson sits down with Shira Hillyer to identify three questions that a district leader should ask a potential professional learning provider (or themselves if PL is designed in-house!).

Joslyn Richardson sits down with SPED Strategies Vice President Lauren LeBental to discuss how the needs of students with disabilities are often overlooked in traditional professional design.

Joslyn Richardson sits down with Shira Hillyer, founder of Elevating Standards to talk about what's often missing when it comes to the science of reading PL so many districts are investing in. She offers guidance on what to look for to separate PL based on buzzards from learning that will transform teacher practice.