Mr. McClelland Special Services Director
Al McClelland
I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. My father was a machinist and my mother was a stay at home mom until I entered junior high school. She then became a keypunch operator/secretary. I graduated from Brookside High School and came west to Laramie, Wyoming to enter the University of Wyoming. I spent four years in Laramie and graduated with a teaching degree. In 1981 I returned to college to earn a Master's degree in Educational Administration. In 1986 I again returned to college to earn my Educational Specialist Degree.
My experience includes: teaching Physical Education/Health/Shop, elementary, middle school and high school principal, Special Education Director, Superintendent, husband for 34 years, raising two children, and playing hundreds of rounds of golf. This is my 35th year in education and I have been blessed to meet and work with some of the finest educators in the world.
My wife is an Art teacher at Ft. Washakie School and just loves working with Native American children. Both my children have married and supplied my wife and me with three wonderful grandchildren. We all reside in Riverton and enjoy being close to each other.
To contact Mr. McClelland, email him at:
or call Thermopolis Middle School 864-6551 ext.561
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Hot Springs County School District #1 is dedicated to participating in Professional Learning Communities to improve student learning.
Hot Springs County School District #1 Professional Learning Community by definition:
Hot Springs County School District #1 in partnership with students and community operates under the principles of a professional learning community. This process by definition involves all staff members working together in teams to reach common goals for which they are mutually accountable. The goals must be strategic, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound (SMART goals). These goals are updated and revised using student achievement data at routinely planned intervals throughout the school year. Following review, the team researches best practices to improve student performance and adjust instruction. The district believes that the key to improved student learning is continuous, job embedded learning for teachers.
3 Big Ideas of a Professional Learning Community (PLC)
1. Focus on Learning
The fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure high levels of learning for all students. This focus on learning translates into four critical questions that drive the daily work of the school. In PLCs, educators demonstrate their commitment to helping all students learn by working collaboratively to address the following critical questions:
1) What do we want students to learn? What should each student know and be able to do as a result of each unit, grade level, and/or course?
2) How will we know if they have learned? Are we monitoring each student’s learning on a timely basis?
3) What will we do if they don’t learn? What systematic process is in place to provide additional time and support for students who are experiencing difficulty?
4) What will we do if they already know it?
2. Build a COLLABORATIVE CULTURE
- No school can help all students achieve at high levels if teachers work in isolation.
- Schools improve when teachers are given the time and support to work together to clarify essential student learning, develop common assessments for learning, analyze evidence of student learning, and use that evidence to learn from one another.
3. Focus on Results
- PLCs measure their effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions.
- All programs, policies, and practices are continually assessed on the basis of their impact on student learning.
- All staff members receive relevant and timely information on their effectiveness in achieving intended results.
