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Expanded Learning Opportunities in Colorado: Concepts, Case Studies, and Implications Prepared for the
Colorado Legacy Foundation and
Colorado Department of Education
By: Cynthia Hazel Adam Soberay Katie Voroselo
September 19th, 2013
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This report was created through the generous support of the Colorado Legacy Foundation and the Colorado Department of Education. We are deeply grateful to all of the participants who so willingly gave of their time and expertise to meet with us.
Questions can be directed to: Dr. Cynthia Hazel Child, Family, and School Psychology Morgridge College of Education University of Denver chazel@du.edu
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Table of Contents Introduction and Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Why Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO)? Why now? Why here? .............................................................................. 5 Colorado’s Vision for ELO.................................................................................................................................................... 6 This Report .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Participating Schools and Districts .................................................................................................................................. 7 Participating Educational Partners.................................................................................................................................. 8 Considerations for Implementing the Elements of ELO...................................................................................................... 8 General Findings ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Findings by Elements of the ELO Vision .......................................................................................................................... 9 School Findings................................................................................................................................................................ 9 District Findings ............................................................................................................................................................... 9 Educational Partner Findings ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Considerations for Implementing the Elements of ELO........................................................................................................ 11 The ELO Elements ............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Student .......................... 11 Know the Student ......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Summary of Considerations for Know the Student ...................................................................................................... 15 Modularize Content ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 Summary of Considerations for Modularized Content ................................................................................................. 17 Maximize Time .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Summary of Considerations for Maximizing Time ........................................................................................................ 22 Reimagine Human Capital ............................................................................................................................................. 23 Summary of Considerations for Reimagined Human Capital ....................................................................................... 26 Vary Delivery Methods.................................................................................................................................................. 27 Summary of Considerations for Vary Delivery Methods .............................................................................................. 29 Case Studies of Schools: Putting it All Together to Create Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Students............................................................................................................................ 29 Alicia Sanchez Elementary School ................................................................................................................................. 30 West Generation Academy ........................................................................................................................................... 31 Rocky Mountain Preparatory School ............................................................................................................................ 33 Sustainability Considerations ............................................................................................................................................ 35 Funding.......................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Policies .......................................................................................................................................................................... 35
4 Data management systems........................................................................................................................................... 36 Integration with other initiatives and school/district priorities ................................................................................... 36 Next steps ......................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Collaborations ............................................................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A: Matrix of Schools by ELO Elements......................................................................................................... 38 Appendix B: Matrix of Districts by ELO Elements ....................................................................................................... 60 Appendix C: Matrix of Educational Partners by ELO Elements ................................................................................ 73
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Introduction and Overview Why Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO)? Why now? Why here? The U.S. education system has scarcely changed since the industrial age. Instead of taking advantage of seismic shifts in technology, communications, and globalism, it has experienced a decades-long decline. Today, millions of U.S. students drop out of high school annually. College completion rates are sub-par, with outcomes for urban youth far worse. If we do not rally to transform our system, the future of education in our country – indeed, the future of our economy – is bleak. In this context, how can we reignite education nationwide? How can we remain competitive globally? How can we keep students engaged and make learning more enjoyable and relevant? How can we reach those children whose brains are wired for the Internet, texting, and Facebook? And, ultimately, how can we create an Education System 3.0 to support the diverse and dynamic needs of future generations of students? An answer can be found in ELO, an innovative teaching and learning platform designed to ignite the unique potential of every student through the creation and delivery of dramatically personalized learning experiences. The Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) and Colorado Department of Education (CDE) have teamed to expand how we view learning, teaching, and classrooms today. Figure 1 depicts some of these key enhancements. FIGURE 1
Increased student equity is a driving factor and leading indicator of this work. CLF and CDE believe that providing dramatically personalized learning experiences is the primary mechanism to equitably engage all students in a high quality education. Moving away from the “one-size-fits-all” classroom experience where students are expected to learn the same skills and content at the same time and in the same way, ELO places the student in the center, igniting individual passions and interests through customized learning opportunities. It helps all students to master content at their own pace. Equity within this context focuses on better understanding and targeting the unique needs and interests of diverse students and communities in order to address persistent access and achievement gaps, including those by socio-economic status, ethnicity, geography, and learning style. The result? Competent, confident learners who are more empowered, better supported, and fully prepared for education, careers, and life.
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Colorado’s Vision for ELO Building on the work of the ELO Commission in 2010-11 and other state reforms already underway, CLF and CDE created a vision for ELO in Colorado. Together, we are leading the way toward a day in the not-too-distant future when:
Progress through our K-12 education system is based on assessed mastery of learning rather than measures of seat time.
Students have access to a wide range of high-quality educational opportunities to reflect their interests, needs, and talents – regardless of where they live or the school they attend.
The delivery of education is not tied to a single model or structure but takes advantage of a variety of media, partners, schedules, and approaches.
Educators have the time, space, support, and resources they need to provide personalized instruction to every student, creating and coordinating a range of measurable, engaging experiences that deliver results.
The 2012 ELO strategic plan articulates a working model that describes how ELO will be implemented in Colorado in service of this vision. Figure 2 provides an overview of the conceptual model and ELO vision elements, which are elaborated on throughout this report. FIGURE 2
Personalization is at the center of the model because it is the most basic point of divergence from the factory model education system and the core of the ELO vision. Surrounding personalization are five elements common to programs across the country that have been successful in dramatically personalizing learning. Successful approaches do not necessarily utilize all five elements, but they do incorporate some combination. Importantly, it is not another layer of work. Rather, ELO is an opportunity to rethink allocation of resources (time, people, technology, and funding), to accelerate and seed innovation within implementation of existing reforms.
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This Report The Morgridge College of Education (MCE) at the University of Denver was contracted by CLF and CDE to study Denver-metro sites that are pursuing, planning, and implementing ELO. This report documents a scan of districts, schools, and educational partners that are engaged in ELO efforts: officials from 7 school districts (100% participation), 14 schools (70% participation), and 6 government or educational associations (75% participation). The audiotaped and transcribed interviews were coded based on the CLF and CDE ELO Vision and then analyzed by three aspects: 1. Elements of the ELO Vision 2. Entities (district, school, or educational partners) 3. Systems (a district, its schools, and its educational partners) This report should be taken as a snapshot of current practices. As stated in Colorado’s vision for ELO, at the heart of ELO is Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Student. Staying true to this goal is what will ensure meaningful change occurring through the elements of the ELO vision. This report is not a cookbook for implementing ELO; instead, we hope it will be a resource for school, district, and community partner leaders interested in pursuing personalized learning. The report is organized by the ELO elements and also presents three case studies of schools to highlight the interactive nature of the elements. A summary of the ELO findings by schools and districts can be found in the appendices.
Participating Schools and Districts Districts
Schools
Sheridan School District No. 2 (Sheridan)
none
Adams 12 Five Star (Adams 12)
Malley Elementary School Riverdale Elementary School Woodglen Elementary School
Adams County School District 50, Westminster (Adams 50 School District)
none
Aurora Public Schools (APS)
Vista PEAK Preparatory High School
Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Denver Public Schools (DPS)
William Smith High School Alicia Sanchez Elementary School Cole Arts and Science Academy Grant Beacon Middle School Manual High School Merrill Middle School North High School Odyssey Charter Elementary School Rocky Mountain Prep (PK-8th)
8 West Generation Academy (6th-12th) Jefferson County Public Schools (Jeffco)
none
Participating Educational Partners
Aurora Education Association (AEA) Colorado Education Association (CEA) Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) Denver Mayor’s Office of Children’s Affairs Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) Southwest TURN (SWTURN)
Considerations for Implementing the Elements of ELO General Findings
Great variety existed in districts’ and schools’ approaches to ELO. However, many started by investigating the use of time; for many, this spiraled into changing other aspects of practice. Some districts and schools viewed ELO as a means of supporting all students in obtaining a minimum competency of knowledge; most saw it as a means to support students in developing habits of learning, driven by individual interests and expertise. ELO activities redefined the role of teachers; they also greatly expanded the role of administrators and other building-level support personnel. Schools with the most comprehensive ELO agendas usually had multiple people supporting teachers in ELO activities. When an ELO approach could not be embraced for all students or for all subjects, equity and students with Tier II needs were prioritized. Food service and transportation were repeatedly mentioned as calendar barriers; a recommendation was to involve these district providers in designing and planning ELO practices. Implementation of the Common Core Standards was a big priority. Professional development for community partners about the Common Core Standards and how partners can work together to align their programming to the Common Core would be extremely useful to schools that work extensively with community partners. Schools and districts that emphasized 21st Century skills and post-secondary readiness had already embraced the paradigm shift underlying ELO. Colorado has a long school day; many participants reported that utilization of existing time and expansion/rearrangement of calendar year were more fruitful activities than extending each day, especially given budget limitations. However, students sometimes experienced more daily educational time, even when school days were not lengthened, when school personnel collaborated with community partners who provided after-school experiences (either at the school or at a community location). Particularly when district policies or collective bargaining agreements served as impediments to change, schools used special status (innovation, charter) or waivers to make ELO changes. When all stakeholders (teachers, parents, educational organizations) were involved extensively, ELO agendas were more successfully implemented. In order for educators to be able to assimilate ELO agendas, they need to see explicitly how the changes will benefit students. They also need to see how ELO practices integrate with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS; previously called Response to Intervention), Senate Bill 191, the Common Core standards, and other significant building or district initiatives.
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Funding was repeatedly mentioned as the greatest impediment to ELO expansion and sustainability, including both startup costs and ongoing budget needs.
Findings by Elements of the ELO Vision
All interviewees mentioned maximizing time as their primary ELO objective. This could take the form of maximizing the use of existing time or trying to expand time. Expanding or rearranging the calendar year was emphasized as particularly important. At the secondary level, core content was often taught in longer blocks to enhance learning and reduce transition time. Investigations into the use of time often led to reimagining human capital. Staggered schedules and redeployment of support staff were common results. All school sites had increased teacher planning, collaboration, and professional development time to support the additional teacher roles in ELO and to improve instruction. As calendars and human capital were reimagined, delivery methods were often affected. Participatory enrichment activities that were responsive to student interests and deepened understanding of core curriculum were implemented. Blended learning was often utilized to allow teachers to work with other students in smaller groups, provide individualized content, and provide teachers with more regular data on student progress. Because of MTSS initiatives, schools were already engaging in data-driven decision making, but the above changes allowed for more information about students and more resources to respond to identified student needs. Many interviewees commented that enhanced student data management systems will support teachers in deeper knowledge of students and the ability to differentiate supports more quickly. The five ELO vision elements were not always enough to support dramatically personalized learning experiences that ignite the unique potential of every student. Schools and districts also needed to embrace a pedagogy that valued students’ unique potential; such as experiential models, preparing students for post-secondary success, or wanting all students to possess 21st Century learner skills.
School Findings
At the schools with the most comprehensive ELO agendas, a team of administrators or building level support personnel were working in concert to support teachers in their new roles. Teacher leadership teams were instrumental in developing ELO agendas. Some schools included families and community partners in their decision-making. Community partners were carefully selected to promote ELO agendas and address student needs. Many schools used blended learning, teaching assistants, and staggered schedules to reduce student to teacher ratios for core content instruction. Besides for allowing for small group instruction, blended learning was used to support differentiation and provide teachers with student mastery data. Infrastructure and software were hindrances to increased use of blended learning. Schools revised schedules to increase student academic time and teacher planning, collaboration, and professional development time. For some schools, student data management systems hindered intervention decision making. For all schools, funding and sustainability were concerns.
District Findings
Maximizing time, either through better use of existing time or increasing time, was the primary ELO intent at the district level. Other aspects of ELO (such as use of human capital or varied delivery methods) often spun out of
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analyzing how to better utilize time. Revised calendars were impeded by transportation and foodservice limitations. Student data management systems were still being developed or refined; this impeded or made much more labor intensive the ability to assess student progress. Online learning was developed for remediation, but then sometimes used for acceleration. Blended learning was utilized for differentiation. Budget cuts led to the elimination of or slowed implementation of some ELO activities. Common Core Standards were the primary curricular driver. There was an interest in inter-district communication and collaboration on logistics of and visions for personalized learning.
Educational Partner Findings
Educational partners advocated for teachers, parents, students, and community members all being at the table with districts as they develop their ELO agendas. These discussions need to include what outcomes are most valued by all stakeholders so that assessments of impact reflect these values. Educational partners emphasized a deep, holistic, personal knowledge of students as critical for educational outcomes. A skilled teacher is critical for understanding students as learners within their unique contexts; online learning can support but does not replace the teacher-student relationship. Educational partners stressed the importance of teacher planning and collaboration time for teachers to promote and implement an ELO agenda. They advocated for leveraging ELO as an equity strategy to support students of poverty and students in high needs schools. Most educational partners expressed that optimized use of existing time and restructuring of calendar were greater priorities than increasing the length of the school day. When an increased school day length was desired, staggered schedules were one means to provide additional student supports and enrichment. Participatory enrichment activities were mentioned as critical for student development. Similar to school personnel, educational partners mentioned funding was the largest barrier to ELO development, expansion, and sustainability.
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Considerations for Implementing the Elements of ELO The ELO Elements As stated previously, Colorado’s vision for ELO is focused on igniting the unique potential of every student. Therefore, all ELO activities center back to how they create dramatically personalized learning experiences for every student. The following information explores each ELO vision element in greater detail; provides local examples of this work in practice; and identifies considerations for school, district, and community partner leaders in designing their own vision for personalized learning.
Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Student CLF and CDE have defined Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Student as: Educators use what they know about students’ background knowledge, approach to learning, and current level of achievement to engage even the most reluctant student, and provide the right instruction, at the right time, in a way that matches how they learn best. Without a commitment to engage students and provide learning opportunities that support each student, ELO is a set of activities without a mission. Defining “dramatically personalized learning experiences” and what it means to “ignite the unique potential of every student” is most critical work that an organization must undertake if they are to affect meaningful change for students and in schools. Personalizing learning and developing each student’s unique potential is a paradigm shift from the factory model of education. For multiple parties to successfully work together, it is important to develop a shared definition of student success. This is not a quick or one-time process, but something that should be continually evaluated and returned as you work to implement ELO practices. There are many stakeholders in a student’s development, and all are critical to creating the best opportunities for success. For these reasons, a successful ELO project will solicit input and involvement from all parties from the beginning of ELO planning. At the school level, discussions may start with a vision of what you would like the experience of learning to be and to feel like for students at your school. This vision can then be compared to current student achievements and needs, reviewing the data management system and what is currently known and unknown, and clarifying the current instructional and curricular norms. At the district level, ELO conversations may begin with discussions regarding what supports schools and educators need to be successful in ELO environments. District personnel should consider the district’s role in supporting schools, principals, and teachers. Districts should identify what systems characteristics would support personalized learning. Finding exemplar schools that can be models of success as well as evaluating academic achievement of the district population and subpopulations are useful first steps. With a clearly articulated vision of what constitutes a dramatically personalized learning experience and how that experience will lead to the development of each student’s unique potential, each ELO element can be explored as a potential means to achieving that vision.
Know the Student CLF and CDE have defined Know the Student as Educators know what students know, can do, and are ready for, as well as what motivates them and how they work and learn best. This includes that:
Students feel known well both as learners and people; their learning experiences are responsive to their interests, learning styles, and individual strengths and weaknesses, and they receive timely data to help them monitor their progress and make informed decisions about their learning.
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Educators have timely and comprehensive data to know students well, and use that understanding to create authentic learning environments and opportunities for student choice; they use data to make regular decisions about teaching and learning (e.g., how students are grouped); they are supported in and evaluated for effectively using individual student data to regularly make decisions about personalized learning. Examples of how Colorado educators engage with this ELO vision element include: identifying and gathering data points, managing and sharing data, utilizing data, and personalizing instruction. Practices observed or described by Colorado educators in this context are outlined below.
Identifying and Gathering Data Points Gathering student data is important to personalized learning for several reasons. Student data can indicate classroom-, school-, or grade-wide needs that ELO can be designed to address. Through gaining an understanding of the student, educators can target needs, which can help inform intervention strategies. Data can also provide a picture of student progress. Consistent monitoring of student progress allows for the assessment of initiative efficacy, can guide the refinement of interventions, and point to unmet needs. Further, consistent monitoring of student data can also allow educators to better understand individual students’ academic aspirations, so as to prepare students for future academic and career success. Most, if not all, schools monitor various aspects of students’ academic progress, such as standardized test scores. However, some schools have systems of gathering academic data in shorter intervals than traditional grading periods and state- or district-wide testing provide. One such strategy, as implemented at Rocky Mountain Prep and Cole Arts and Science Academy, is to use blended learning software to provide student data on a daily basis. The data gathered by these educational software packages provide educators, as well as the students, with up-to-date information regarding student progress. The software, in turn, can be adapted to match student achievement levels and provide targeted instruction where the student needs it the most. Moreover, Rocky Mountain Prep uses the information provided by this software to inform the organization of small groups within their blended classrooms, so as to ensure the small group instruction is delivered to students at approximately the same skill level. Some schools have chosen to also monitor other aspects of students’ development. For instance, Odyssey K-8 assesses social and character development under the belief that strong character, habits of scholarship, and academic achievement are necessary for long-term individual success. Similarly, Alicia Sanchez Elementary School utilizes data regarding behavior and attendance along with academic data to determine student needs. They have found that students of low socio-economic backgrounds often have behavioral and attendance difficulties. Therefore, systematic monitoring of these aspects is conducive to proper intervention, which leads to overall student success. Social and behavioral indicators have become a district-wide focus in the BVSD so as to better ascertain a comprehensive picture of each student. Educational partners also advocate for broadening the focus beyond only academic data, such as the Denver Mayor’s Office of Children’s Affairs who have found an increase in attendance and a decrease in behavioral problems among students associated with their out-of-school programming. As stated, student data can also be used to inform interventions at a school- or grade-wide level. Schools, such as North High School and William Smith High School, use data to identify and address deficits for given grade levels. North High School uses data regarding grade-level needs in the reconstruction of their academic schedule. For instance, they have increased the length of the daily math and literacy courses for their 10th grade students in response to an identified grade-wide need. Other schools, such as Alicia Sanchez Elementary and West Generation Academy, use their data to better understand and address additional needs of students from low-income families. Alicia Sanchez Elementary School has implemented programming focused on health and wellness, in accordance with research on students of poverty, as well as their understanding of their own student body. The Denver Mayor’s Office, Denver Public
13 Schools Foundation, and Mile High United Way have jointly allocated resources to schools and areas with the greatest level of need, such as those with high levels of poverty. Denver County Teachers Association, similarly, has indicated the need to target resources to areas of greatest need. Student data can also include individual student interests, goals, and learning styles. The “PEAK Hour” at Rocky Mountain Prep is designed to allow students to create and conduct projects aligned with personal interests. Similarly, the Academic and Career Pathways program at Vista PEAK Prep tailors curriculum around individual interests and postsecondary goals. Further, student data can be used to better understand the unique ways in which students are best able to learn. Faculty at William Smith High School assess student’s individual learning styles, so as to personalize learning to be most beneficial for each student.
Managing and Sharing Data All data collection should be guided by what questions a school, district, or organization wishes to answer. For example, Adams 50 School District has implemented a system of competency based academic progression, which in turn guides what data are collected and how. Student evaluation questions should be developed based on the beliefs about student success and the theory of change that has been articulated. Once data points are identified and methods for collection are outlined, the next issue becomes how to store, manage, interpret, and share this data. Most student data is ultimately converted to a computerized format; collecting data through electronic means is even more efficient. Various service providers have created virtual platforms to manage student data: “Infinite Campus”, “Student Portal”, “Dashboard”, and “Data Director” were all identified as such platforms that were currently being utilized. After data is collected, it must be interpreted and made accessible. Having the information online is a common strategy to make the data available to teachers, students, and families. Cole Arts and Science Academy uses Google Docs to facilitate the sharing of student data. Beyond just making student data available to parents, schools such as Rocky Mountain Prep actively contact parents regularly to update them on student progress. Other schools, such as Manual High School, discussed the importance of providing training to family members on accessing and interpreting student data. Woodglen Elementary School has noticed that as student data, particularly student achievements, has been increasingly shared with parents that the parents have become more involved in their students’ academic activities. Further, Woodglen focuses on the collaboration with their PTO, so as to further the home-school connection. There are challenges, however, that schools, districts, and partners continue to encounter relative to managing student data. Adams 50 School District indicated difficulty finding a system to manage data within their competencybased model of education. Current academic data management systems have been designed to track traditional gradesbased data, which is not very compatible with tracking students’ individual skills and competencies. Others have indicated a need for greater compatibility between various data management systems, especially so that schools and community partners can work more efficiently together to serve children and families.
Utilizing Data The ultimate goal for knowing the student is to inform educational practice through the personalization of instruction and, thereby, promote student growth. Therefore, once analyzed, student data must be utilized to guide daily practice if there is to be change in outcomes for students. Student data is often, as is the case at Alicia Sanchez Elementary School, used to inform individual students’ academic placements that are commensurate with individual achievement levels. Data is also often used to place students in intervention and enrichment courses, as is currently being done at Grant Beacon Middle School and North High School, which allow more personalized learning paths for each student based on their unique needs and abilities. Cole Arts and Science Academy uses student data to inform placements in after-school and summer programming. Blended learning models are one way that tangible data can be
14 regularly produced for each student that can help inform instruction within the classroom. Rocky Mountain Prep uses student data from their blended learning instruction to create the small groups within classrooms, ensuring that students experience small group instruction at their current level; moreover, regular reassessment of student data facilitates reorganization of these small groups as individual achievement evolves. In these ways, student data can be used to provide students with a personalized learning experience by ensuring that each student is being academically challenged in a way that is commensurate with their personal abilities and learning styles. Using information to inform educational decisions is an ongoing process. Student data should inform everyday instruction within the classroom. Further, student data should be regularly reassessed as student proficiencies and needs evolve, so as to ensure that students continue to get the challenges and supports that they need. If a student is identified as having a particular need and an intervention placement is made, he or she must be monitored for achievement gains. Conversely, students who had not been identified as requiring an intervention placement should be monitored with equal vigilance. Schools, such as North High School and Merrill Middle School, reassess students for intervention needs every academic quarter. Data can not only provide information about students, but it can indicate the value of the programming that is being offered. For instance, Odyssey K-8 is utilizing student data to evaluate the effectiveness of their programs so as to ensure that resources are being allocated in a manner that most effectively meets student needs. Further, Manual High School solicits student feedback on how well the learning experiences are meeting their personal needs. Of course, analyzing, interpreting, and planning action around student data is a time-consuming process. Therefore, it is necessary to account for this increased demand upon educators. In order to effectively utilize student data, Jeffco Public Schools has increased the time in their annual calendar dedicated to analyzing and interpreting student data. In a strong data culture, educators have adequate planning and collaboration time, which may mean rethinking other academic and non-academic responsibilities during the school day.
Personalizing Instruction Personalized instruction requires knowledge of each student as a full person. CEA expressed that fostering personal relationships between educators and students can increase student engagement in school. Further, JCEA indicated that knowing students personally can capture elements of student need which are likely not to be captured by traditional indicators of student achievement. One way of achieving personalized instruction is through small group instruction. Rocky Mountain Prep is able to provide small group instruction through the use of teaching assistants as well as blended learning. Another approach is to extend core class time, creating fewer periods in the day. This allows teachers to have fewer students in total and, therefore, gain a better understanding of each individual student. West Generation Academy utilizes both of these techniques to make sure that their core content area teachers connect in meaningful ways with their students. Manual High School implements what they call “huddle groups,” which are small groups which meet regularly and discuss topics relevant to the students. Allowing educators and students to interact in a personal way not only allows teachers to more accurately assess and address students’ individual learning needs, but it can promote student engagement through helping students feel more connected to their school and teachers. Another approach to personalized instruction is allowing students elements of freedom over their academic experiences. AEA advocates for providing students with academic choices. Vista PEAK Prep offers Academic and Career Pathways, which allow students to create an academic track that aligns with their personal post-secondary goals. At the state level, Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs) were designed to support personalizing students’ academic pursuits. ICAPs should involve multiple sources of data and multiple individuals within the educational system uniting with students towards personalized postsecondary goals. Enrichment offerings can also be a way that students can
15 personalize their learning experience. Schools offering enrichment courses, such as Grant Beacon Middle School, allow students freedom in choosing these courses and, thus, creating learning experiences they desire and would normally not have access to.
Summary of Considerations for Know the Student Knowing the student can take many forms, all of which are central to providing students with a personalized learning experience. Assessment of student data can allow educators to teach students at their current personal ability level, as well as indicate when a student may need additional supports. Moreover, knowing students on a personal level can facilitate identifying what a student wants and needs the most, as well as enhancing student engagement. To this end, there are certain considerations which may be more salient to the various levels of educators:
School-Level
Based on your vision for personalized learning, what do you need to know about your students? Define what you currently know about students. How do you know these things? Identify what student data is currently collected or is easily accessible, as well as what data is not currently accessible and how it can be assessed. Consider: a. Aspects of student development to target b. Academic data points (formative information of how students work and learn best) that you need to access c. Non-academic data points (student interests, motivations, learning styles, social emotional learning context) that you need to access What opportunities exist to facilitate greater personalized student-teacher/staff interactions? Identify how student data is currently shared internally, as well as with families and community partners. Consider the compatibility of data management systems with those used by community partners. How/what technology can be leveraged to monitor student progress and/or facilitate data and information exchange? New technologies may at first require additional training and time; however, it should result in time-savings ultimately
District-Level
What are the potential implications of schools’ stated data and information needs on district departments and services? How can district-wide data management systems be personalized to meet variable school needs? How can/does the district work with schools to: a. Define ‘non-traditional’ and formative assessments of student success? b. Provide training on the use of individualized data to employees, community partners, families, and students? c. Facilitate the ability to share data between schools and community partners?
Educational Partners
Based on your vision for personalized learning, what do you need to know about your students? Define what you currently know about students. How do you know these things? Identify what student data is currently collected or is easily accessible, as well as what data is not currently accessible and how it can be assessed. Consider: a. Aspects of student development to target
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b. Identify academic data points (formative information of how students work and learn best) that you need to access. c. Identify non-academic data points (student interests, motivations, learning styles, social emotional learning context) that you need to access. How can your organization: a. Partner with schools to ensure effective sharing of data? b. Collaborate with students, families, and school personnel to help define student needs and desired supports?
Modularize Content CLF and CDE have defined Modularize Content as Educators have access to varied and flexible instructional tools and resources that allow them to offer content to students that is presented in different ways, at different paces, and with different support. They use what they know about each student to determine next steps, grade, course completion and earned credit. When content has been modularized to the needs of each learner, you will see:
Students are engaged in content, complete assessments that are at their level of readiness, are provided with time and instructional support when needed, and are allowed to move ahead when ready. They might be in different grade levels in different subjects based on their level of readiness, and they might also be at a different place than other students in the same class. Learning becomes more of a continuum that is not bucketed by specific grade levels. Educators differentiate time and pace of learning for students. They are not held accountable to, or not restricted by, the traditional norms of a time-based system. They use frequent and varied assessment data to check for progress and determine next steps. Examples of how educators in Colorado currently embrace this element exist in different approaches to personalized instruction. This is often evidenced in standards-based grading systems and competency-based models. Such models can facilitate more personalized learning through the identification of individual skill competencies. Blended learning models are also being implemented that facilitate the identification of students’ individual skill levels. These blended learning models can also be used to provide practice that is appropriate to each student’s current ability level. Having said that, this element was reported to be the most complex and difficult to embrace within the current education system. This may be due to systems not having been designed to support this kind of flexibility and autonomy, or to a lack of awareness or capacity to unbundle content.
Competency-Based Models Competency-based education models build off the idea that students progress through academic subjects at varied paces relative to other students, as well as that an individual student may progress more rapidly within one content area relative to another. Competency-based models are designed to facilitate instruction given the existence of these differences. Adams 50 School District has created a model whereby students demonstrate proficiency in a particular academic standard, and upon doing so are ‘leveled up’ in terms of their mastery of that particular skill. This model allows them to better personalize learning through tailoring instruction based on the particular level of skill that a student is currently demonstrating. The Adams 50 School District model places students in classes based on common mastery of skills rather than common grade-level. Other schools and districts are also taking approaches to competency-based models. In Rocky Mountain Prep classrooms, students are taught in small groups, and these small groups are based on students’ current skill levels. This allows teachers to be more effective, because material can be presented at a level that matches students’ current understanding and ability. Aurora Public Schools, such as at William Smith and Vista PEAK, also takes a standards based
17 approach to student achievement to allow for more fluid movement of students between courses and grades. Students at William Smith High School are assessed on a series of academic competencies. Moreover, these competencies are integrated across academic disciplines, so as to promote mastery of academic skills across settings. These competencybased systems provide educators a clearer picture of students’ current academic abilities, which, in turn, informs instruction by allowing it to be tailored to a student’s current needs and level of understanding.
Blended Learning Adaptive software systems can personalize lessons so that each student is receiving content best suited to his or her current abilities. Various schools incorporate blended learning to one extent or another to facilitate academic skills acquisition. Cole Arts and Science Academy has class periods dedicated to blended learning, facilitated by dedicated blended learning technicians. Further, these blended learning technicians collaborate and align with core teachers to ensure that curriculum is seamless. At Rocky Mountain Prep, a blended classroom model is utilized whereby students engage in daily digital skill practice. This blended classroom allows teachers to divide the classroom between those engaged with digital content and those receiving teacher-led instruction, which provides personalized small group instruction. At both Cole Arts and Science Academy and Rocky Mountain Prep, the blended software adapts to student skills and deficits to provide individualized content, and immediate data for teachers on student proficiency. Blended learning can also utilize technology resources that are aligned to core standards, as is currently being done in Adams 50 School District. The computer-based learning and recorded teacher instruction are made available to students through the internet. The Aurora School District implements an online program, “Ed 20/20”, to address individual student achievement gaps. Aurora School District also has alternative high school opportunities, such as APSOnline, to offer students alternative paths to high school completion. BVSD provides online content, “Newton Adaptive” to address student needs, as well as gather student data. In these ways, the use of blended learning and digital content can aid in the modularizing of content.
Summary of Considerations for Modularized Content Modularizing content may represent a major shift for many. Transitioning to a competency-based model will require shifts in paradigms regarding student assessment, the ways in which students are taught, the manner in which student data is tracked and assessed, and how schools are held accountable. Implementation of blended learning systems also requires a change in the approach to education, as well as likely requiring enhanced infrastructural components. The following are some considerations regarding modularizing content:
School-Level
How does this element relate to your vision for personalized learning? How would unbundling content, or the ability to be more flexible about content delivery, better support student learning and educator effectiveness? Moving to a modularized content model will be a considerable philosophical shift for some people and will require retooling for many. Identifying schools where this is working to learn from, allowing for input throughout the process, and providing on-going training will be needed.
District-Level
Identify schools inside or outside the district that have been successful in modularizing content, so that other schools interested in modularized practices can see it “in action.” Evaluate how district policies and academic expectations facilitate or hinder school buildings in embracing modularized content practices. Provide mini-grants or district resources to support schools interested in modularizing content.
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Consider how district-oversight can accommodate schools looking to revise their instruction and content to be learner-centered both for schools with special status and those without.
Educational Partners
Consider how your services and expertise can promote individualization of learning. Consider how your services and expertise can align with schools’ modularization of content.
Maximize Time CLF and CDE have defined Maximize Time as Schools make the best use of each minute in the day and each day in the year. Calendars and schedules are driven by student learning priorities and are organized to support educators’ ability to engage in the assessment and planning required to deliver personalized approaches.
Students’ time is differentiated and they are able to make decisions about time based on their interests, learning styles, and individual strengths and weaknesses; students have choice over how time is spent – and the amount of time spent - to achieve learning goals Educators have the flexibility and support to make decisions about time based on their students’ interests, learning styles, and individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as on their professional development needs; time is built in to the day and year that supports their professional development and needs; their school makes strategic decisions about time and supports them in making tradeoffs.
A seemingly natural place for many to begin thinking about ELO is with altering the time they have both with students and in preparation for working with students. Many people see a logical connection between time utilization and student outcomes. Providing teachers with more opportunities for professional development and more time to assess individual student needs can allow them to more effectively address student needs. Further, increasing instruction time can provide more opportunity for students to acquire and develop skills. To date, many schools in Colorado have considered how to increase student learning and teacher collaboration time through maximizing or restructuring time within the existing school day or year, or by considering how to extend time. Many schools have found that increasing planning and collaboration time for educators is essential if every student is to receive a dramatically personalized learning experience.
Maximizing Existing Student Time Many schools have found that they are able to do more for their students through reassessing and rethinking the usage of their existing school day and year. To this end, various strategies have been developed to better utilize the existing time. The elimination of class periods or transitions that were viewed as unessential is one way that schools have found additional time within the day. For example, William Smith High School and North High School have eliminated off periods and, thereby, increased their available instructional time. Schools such as Cole Arts and Science Academy and North High School have tightened class transitions in order to create additional time within their existing day. Shortening lunch periods is another way in which schools have found additional time. In these ways, hours of additional instruction time can be added to the school week. Maximizing time can include altering the schedule to better target identified student needs. For instance, Merrill Middle School and West Generation Academy have been able to extend class time for core courses by shortening class periods for elective courses. This helps to ensure that students gain a greater mastery of the core academic skills. North High School has implemented unique schedules for each grade level. These unique schedules emphasizes more class time in the courses that student data has identified as being areas of particular need for each grade level. At William Smith High School, periods are longer to reduce the number of transitions and teachers move to the students’ classroom, rather than all students moving to a teacher’s classroom to shorten transitions. This allows them to further maximize their instruction to total student day length ratio.
19 Rearranging the existing school calendar is another strategy designed to allow educators to more effectively use existing time. BVSD, for instance, is choosing to focus on rearranging existing time to be more effective. Some schools in BVSD are exploring retaining the same number of schools day but spacing them out by adding extended breaks throughout the year. These breaks could then be used for professional development and assessing student data, which would allow for more effective and personalized instruction when students are in session. Further, the BVSD Board of Education is committed to providing sufficient flexibility in district policies that allow schools to alter their calendars without requiring innovation status. Utilizing technology is another means that districts are exploring to make more efficient use of time. For instance, blended learning can be used to create teacher planning time while students are engaged in academic practice. Educational Associations, such as SWTURN and DCTA are focused on maximizing existing time, either through a reorganization of the current amount of time or through a maximization of the current time formats. One concern is the economic feasibility of increasing teacher demands that is commonly associated with an increase in instructional time. Various entities, including SWTURN, Denver Public School District (DPS), and Woodglen Elementary School, have used the National Center for Time and Learning (NCTL) time analysis tools to gain a clearer understanding of how they can best utilize their existing time.
Extending Student Time Many educators have a sense that there is more that they would like to accomplish, yet they do not have the time to get done what they would desire. Some schools have extended the amount of time that the school operates. One of the primary goals in extending time is to add instructional hours. There seem to be two main approaches for accomplishing this: adding time to each day and adding days to the school year. In terms of the former, several schools, such as Alicia Sanchez Elementary School, Cole Arts and Science Academy, and Manual High School have extended their school day for all students. Moreover, DPS has identified extending the day or year as one of their four pillars of ELO (along with providing intervention/accelerate for all students, enrichment, and increasing teacher collaborative time). DPS has also suggested that it is essential to be purposeful in the usage of additional time; simply adding time for the sake of adding time is likely not to be beneficial. This purposeful use of additional time can take various forms, such as enrichment opportunities, intervention periods, blended learning times, etc. A common strategy for those that have added additional time to their day is to use some, or all, of that time for student enrichment offerings. Often enrichment classes are taught by outside providers. Partnering with community organizations to teach the enrichment classes has allowed some schools to find additional time for teaching planning, collaboration, and professional development. For example, Grant Beacon Middle School has added an hour to their school day, four days a week, and they use this time to provide enrichments, advanced classes, and interventions. Their enrichments are provided by a combination of community partners and teachers. Each academic department creates enrichment courses aligned to core academic skills. Teachers at Grant Beacon Middle School teach enrichments two days a week and the use the other enrichment times for collaboration. Another approach to extending the day is to add academic supports before and/or after school, which are either optional for students or are provided for those identified as needing additional support. Schools such as Riverdale Elementary and Merrill Middle School currently provide such supports to students. Alternatively, North High School offers “Saturday Sessions�, which provides additional times for optional, as well as mandatory instruction opportunities. One benefit to this approach is that it allows schools to provide additional academic support to students without needing to staff the entire school for additional hours each week.
20 The second approach to extending time, altering and extending the school year, also can take a variety of forms. Sheridan School District has extended their year, providing seven weeks of breaks throughout the year and three weeks of intercessions for students identified as having achievement gaps. Schools such as Rocky Mountain Prep and Manual High School have added as many as 40 days to their previously existing school year. The idea is that the more contact days schools have with their students, the more that the student can be taught and the less the student will regress during prolonged breaks from school. One reason for extending the school year is to avoid any academic regression students may experience during a prolonged break. This has led some schools and districts to look into rearranging or extending the school year calendar. SWTURN also noted that due to budgetary constraints it is often easier to engage stakeholders in conversation regarding maximizing existing time, as opposed to extending time. Other schools have taken alternative strategies to using additional days. In the Aurora School District, such as at Vista PEAK Exploratory p-8 and Vista PEAK Preparatory 9-12, implemented what they call “PoWeR Sessions,” which are 23 days of additional, targeted instruction provided in blocks throughout the year; these blocks provide an additional 172 hours of instruction per year that is available for all students. Vista PEAK Prep has used volunteer enrichment providers to help relieve some of the additional costs associated with providing additional instruction. West Generation Academy offer what they call “Intensive Courses,” which are two separate one-month blocks of college and career readiness programming during the school year. Summer programming is another way in which students can be given additional supports throughout the year. Schools often take varying approaches to the provision of summer programming. Some schools provide summer offerings that are available to all students. Others, such as the Aurora Schools District’s “Fifth Block” summer programming, are available to students who are identified as having particular needs and are invited to attend. Other summer programming can be mandated for students who have been identified as having fallen behind, as is the case with Rocky Mountain Prep. However, one of the major issues with adding additional time is the demands that it places on teachers and staff. The desire to not overwork teachers and to also remain within contractual constraints has led to the implementation of strategies that increase student contact time without increasing staff’s hours. CEA has indicated that staggering teacher schedules may be one strategy to address this issue. Schools such as Alicia Sanchez Elementary School have implemented staggered teacher schedules in order to remain within the contractually agreed upon teacher work hours. Many schools have used additional or outside providers in certain circumstances to help alleviate additional demands on teachers. For instance, West Generation Academy has two-one month periods of instruction during their school year for the delivery of “Intensive Courses.” They use a dedicated set of teachers to deliver these intensive courses, which provides planning time and break periods for the other teachers. Similarly, at Vista PEAK Prep, they have implemented “PoWeR Sessions” throughout the year, which provide an additional 172 hours of instruction. Each teacher is responsible for teaching only a half of one of the power sessions, which provides them with additional break and planning times. Further, because only select students attend these power sessions, the student to teacher ratio is lower than in the traditional courses, which allows for more personalized instruction. The decision to extend student time often comes from identifying the needs of the student body. For instance, Alicia Sanchez Elementary School works towards supporting the overall development of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. They identified that their students had significant academic, behavioral, emotional, and familial needs, which has in turn influenced their decision to extend both the day and the year. However, for many schools,
21 particularly those that have initiated extended time through the use of time-limited grants, it can be difficult to sustain extended time. When days and annual calendars are different from the district norm, coordination with district services (such as food service and transportation) are important considerations. Extending school time involves a balance between providing ample educational opportunities to students without overworking teachers and designing a model that is economically sustainable. Therefore, there are often barriers to extending time. For instance, Jeffco Public Schools reported having difficulty gaining parental acceptance of a proposed extension of the school year. Further, the inability to develop an extended school model that is financially sustainable is often a primary reason for not adding addition student time. Districts, such as Sheridan School District, have cited this cost barrier as being prohibitive to extending the school day and year.
Adding Planning and Collaboration Time When examining how to best use time, how to add time for teachers to reflect on their practice and students’ progress should be considered. This often comes in the form of adding planning and collaboration times throughout the week or year. Any increase in instructional time requires commensurate increases in opportunities to prepare. Similarly, expansion in student tracking systems necessitates time for teachers to regularly interpret and incorporate this information if the data are to inform practice. How schools choose to add planning and collaboration time, as well as how this time is structured, reflects the values of each school. For instance, some schools want to promote interdisciplinary faculty collaboration to focus holistically on students; other schools prioritize intra-disciplinary collaboration time as a means of investigating curricular and instructional excellence. Similarly, some schools have increased collaboration time without lengthening student days whereas others have staggered staff schedules to provide increased collaboration time in concert with increased student hours. Numerous schools have made a concerted effort to have increased time for teacher planning and collaboration. Several strategies have been implemented to increase these planning and collaboration times. Schools, such as Cole Arts and Science Academy, utilize community partners to provide instruction, which creates time for teacher planning. Other schools, for instance Alicia Sanchez Elementary School, that have extended their school day have designated a portion of that time for teacher planning and collaboration. Various schools have altered their weekly schedules to achieve this goal. Riverdale and Woodglen Elementary Schools have instituted early release of students on Wednesdays to add weekly time for school-wide collaborations. Woodglen has also made changes within their school day to allow for more collaboration and planning time during the day. William Smith High School releases students early on Fridays for faculty collaboration and professional development. Other schools have altered their class periods. Grant Beacon Middle School combines a late start and shortened class periods on Fridays to allow time for teacher collaboration, which is used for data teams. The use of this additional teacher time can vary. For instance, Rocky Mountain Prep, which use blended learning, allocates additional time for teachers to assess the data that the student software is providing them. This, in turn, allows them to better assess student skill levels and modify instruction accordingly. Other schools, such as William Smith High School, which emphasize cross-discipline collaboration, allocate additional time for teachers from various disciplines to cooperatively align teaching strategies to best support student learning. Adding planning and collaboration time is also an issue addressed at the district level. Sheridan School District has scheduled student lunch, recess, and enrichment classes in a block in order to provide opportunities for data teams and collaboration with staff and teachers. BVSD has added 11 days to the school year dedicated to teacher planning, professional development, and collaboration.
22 Teachers’ unions and educational partners also have an interest in ensuring that teachers have ample time for planning and collaboration. Whether schools are extending time or maximizing existing time, teachers are often being called upon to do more without commensurate time being added for them to plan. AEA, DCTA, and JCEA all expressed focusing on making sure teachers had ample planning and collaboration time regularly within their schedule as essential to maximizing outcomes for students.
Summary of Considerations for Maximizing Time There are several factors to consider when addressing the issue of maximizing time, including the use of existing or additional time during the day as well as the annual calendar. The focus should always be on how the utilization of time can best support students’ engagement and learning. Further, considerations of maximizing time should also include how to best support teachers in using time efficiently and effectively, as they are the most essential element in students’ success.
School-Level Maximizing Time Considerations
How does your use of time support your personalized learning vision? o How does student learning time relate to your personalized learning vision? o How does teacher collaboration time relate to your personalized learning vision? How does the utilization of time meet your personalized learning vision? How is time currently a barrier to achieving personalized learning goals? Or, how is rethinking time an opportunity to achieve personalized learning goals? How would the ability to use time differently in the school day or year enable changed instructional practice or effectiveness? What supports will teachers need in order to use time differently? How should time be maximized for all students? In what ways is (or could) time be used to deliberately target specific student needs, or differentiated based on student needs? Will altering time require creative faculty and staff schedules (e.g. staggering schedules)? Consider how non-school time (or traditionally out-of-school time/informal learning) could be leveraged or structured in support of learning: o Summer and break programming o Before/after school programming Which departments or individuals at the district-level (i.e., transportation, food service, custodial staff) should be engaged to achieve schedule and calendar goals? Consider community partners that align with your personalized learning vision and could help maximize time for students and teachers.
District-Level
Identify how district services can facilitate schools’ unique time and schedule visions; what departments need to be involved in the ELO vision and could have helpful input? What role could district leadership plan in supporting schools that want to think differently about time? Decide how to alter or maximize district-guidelines on time: o School day o School year Decide what time strategies will be consistent across district and what strategies will be building-specific, considering:
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o Potential efficiencies of standardization o Individual school needs and differentiations o Needs of subpopulations within district How can the district provide incentives or support for teachers having additional planning/collaboration time? How will altering time impact faculty and staff schedules? Identify how the district can work with community partners to support students outside of traditional school times.
Educational Partners
What content or trainings does your organization have that could lend to maximizing time within or outside of the traditional school day (e.g., before or after school, summer school)? How does your organization’s intended impact on student learning align with your school/district partners’ vision for the use of time to personalize learning? Consider how your organization’s work aligns with academic standards and skills/21st Century competencies; what skills and knowledge do students gain as a result of working with you? What are the best uses of your skills and resources in promoting the maximized use of time? Consider supports for: o Enriched curricula o Project-based learning o Individualization and differentiation o Teachers and staff
Reimagine Human Capital CLF and CDE have defined Reimagine Human Capital as School leaders think creatively about how to get people into roles that allow each teacher to give students his or her best each day. They also think differently about community partners and what it means to be highly qualified to deliver specialized content in credit bearing courses. Human capital is the most valuable and essential resource in education. When human capital is reimagined:
Students see themselves, their peers, and others as human capital; they are not always reliant on teachers to drive their learning, but work with each other and connect to resources and people outside the classroom to engage in meaningful, relevant learning Educators are facilitators of learning, and are placed in sustainable, strategic roles that leverage and maximize their strengths; they are engaged in leadership teams and decision-making about classroom- and school-level decisions (e.g., professional development needs/structures, staffing strategies, tools/resources needs, policies); they work with one another, families, and community partners to make the best use of resources and talent to maximize learning for all students. In Colorado, efforts to reimagine human capital have focused on schools collaborating internally, community partners and schools collaborating to support students, professional development, and leadership teams.
Schools Collaborating Internally When thinking about reimagining human capital, promoting collaboration is an important consideration, including collaboration with key stakeholders, such as members of the educational community. In order to successfully implement collaboration time, the schedule of the school day may need to be adapted to allow teachers (and community partners) to meet. This may include utilizing other teaching personnel to educate the student in other areas (i.e. specials classes) or working with community partners. Teachers are often expected to perform additional duties or perform dual roles.
24 Across the district, Sheridan encourages collaboration between general education and ELA instructors by sharing spaces and coordinating lesson plans. DPS encourages teacher collaboration in using student data to design interventions, accelerations, and action plans. DPS also encourages collaboration efforts between schools regarding ELO practices. Jeffco Public Schools and JCEA have collaborated extensively on the implementation of ELO practices to ensure student success. In the process of deciding how to adopt ELO practices, Jeffco involved the union in each step. They stress the importance of working with teacher unions because they represent the individuals who will be implementing the practices and have a great knowledge of student needs. CEA supports collaboration as well. They recognize that teachers want time to collaborate with colleagues to better serve students and advocate for that collaboration time. SWTURN has built partnerships between unions and schools and they provide supports for administrators collaborating with teachers as educational practices evolve.
Community Partners and Schools Collaborating to Support Students One aspect of Reimagining Human Capital within the ELO model is leveraging partners outside of the traditional school day, e.g., community-based organizations, museums, colleges and universities, or local businesses. Most schools and community partners have much to offer the other, as both are committed to the development of engaged, educated citizens. Together, they are much more able to support personalized learning experiences for students by providing experiential learning opportunities, as well as providing enrichment, learning interventions, and accelerations. In addition, collaborating creatively is often what allows for more and better use of time aligned to school priorities. School-community partnerships can be structured in a variety of ways. Alicia Sanchez Elementary works with undergraduate education students who help teach classes centered on health and wellness. This allows future teachers to get valuable experience, while offering supports to the school. Community partners like Downtown Aurora Visual Arts, Black Actors Guild, and Muay Thai (a martial art school) help deliver enrichment classes at William Smith High School and Grant Beacon. At Manual High School, students spend an hour every day in a class taught by community partners. One partner is the YMCA; the YMCA teaches different classes to about 150 of the students. These enrichment classes are designed to help students see what is possible in the “real world.” In the Sheridan District, community partners teach basic life skills and character development. One example is an instructor who teaches tae kwon do, which contains elements of building confidence, focus, and behavior regulation. Adams 12 is encouraging every school to partner with community members by reaching out to the community to see what it needs and in turn asking community members to provide work and learning opportunities. Post-secondary institutions, such as Aurora Community College, award college credits to Aurora high school students. In 2012-13 Aurora Public School Students saved approximately $1,000,000 in tuition through this partnership. Additionally, community partners and the Aurora School District have a Community Work Force Planning Team and Pathways Advisory Committees that assesses the needs of the community workforce and aligns curriculum to prepare students for postsecondary success. Community partners can also help deliver professional development to teachers and staff. West Generation Academy operates with the help of community partners. As an example, they are currently working with mental health providers to deliver trainings and support around wellness activities and education. Community partners can support technology utilization by offering trainings to the staff. Community partners can also identify the needs of the school and develop tools that may be of use to the school and potentially other schools. The Denver Mayor’s Office of Children’s Affairs promotes collaboration between community partners and DPS. They see the need to utilize parks and recreation sites along with libraries and cultural organizations to provide Denver’s children with out-of-school programming. They conducted a needs assessment to determine what services the children in the school system were receiving and in which geographic areas of the city were children being underserved. They
25 worked with community organizations to get enhancement opportunities to all children. Their current goal is to expand services in the summer, with a priority on children from areas that historically have had few summer options. AEA suggests that schools and school districts involve the community by recognizing its needs, which discourages working in isolation of each other. DCTA advocates for schools working with community partners, but suggests that these partnerships need to remain non-political.
Professional Development Professional development is an important way for teachers and support staff to ensure they are providing the best services to their students. A challenge to providing professional development is finding the people and time to provide continuous professional development. Some schools rely on one or multiple members of the faculty to facilitate professional development. At Malley Elementary School, the academic coach is in charge of offering instructional professional development. Cole Arts and Science Academy has a technology representative, who is part of the administrative team, who provides technology assistance and training to all of the staff. At Vista PEAK Prep, all teachers are required to participate in a team that oversees a certain aspect of the school’s development. As examples, there are instruction teams, operations team, an equity team, and a parent organization team. These teams are all responsible for delivering professional development to their peers around their area of expertise. This ensures that best practices are being taught and used and there is up-todate information because there is a group of people who can focus and be responsible for the information of one area. Sheridan School District provides professional development for community partners as well as teachers. DPS provide professional development regarding leadership for teachers because leadership is necessary to the ELO process. As teachers are the main connection with children, they know what is best for the students because they are able to recognize the needs. Thus, it is imperative that they have the skills to be a leader and facilitate positive change. They also have monthly professional development meetings that promote cross-school collaboration.
Leadership Teams Leadership teams are an essential way of ensuring that all voices are heard within a school, especially when implementing new practices. They also serve as a way to allow faculty to focus on one area and work with others to enhance expertise. These team members are then seen as the go-to people within the school when other teachers have questions or concerns. Riverdale Elementary has an ELO leadership team charged with acting in the best interest of the students and the school. Vista PEAK has all teachers involved in a leadership team. West Generation Academy has a management team that consists of three staff members who oversee intensive courses, wellness programs, and collaboration with community partners to ensure the needs of the students are met. They also have teacher leaders within the school who strive to promote best practices. Leadership teams ensure that numerous voices are heard to help collaborate on how to personalize learning for every student. When making school-level decisions, the involvement teachers and staff leads to buy-in and greater engagement from them, thus from the students as well. In Adams 12, each school has a leadership team that must be involved with every step of ELO. BVSD stresses the importance of strong leadership teams to begin an ELO movement. As discussed within the professional development section, DPS focuses their professional development around leadership. These leadership teams consist of teachers, parents, and students (at the high school level). They also involved their Human Resource Department early in the ELO conversations and that department has helped facilitate school-level desired human resource reallocations.
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Summary of Considerations for Reimagined Human Capital Reimagining human capital is an essential component of the ELO vision. Reimagining human capital is a way for educators and schools to think differently about individual educator roles, as well as resources that can be brought to bear outside the traditional classroom to influence learning. This allows for a more personalized learning experience for students because it focuses on leveraging individual educator strengths, and introducing students to educators of diverse backgrounds. It also promotes the idea that one educator should not need to be responsible for meeting all the unique, diverse needs and interests in a classroom, but should be supported in leveraging resources and partners outside the classroom to support learning. The following considerations are recommended when thinking about how to structure components of reimagined human capital.
School-Level
How does your utilization of human capital support your personalized learning vision? How could rethinking human capital or redeploying human resources better support your personalized learning goals? How will you clearly define new roles and expectations prior to implementation to support a smooth transition? After changes are made, what structures are in place for ongoing evaluations and feedback to refine roles and expectations over time? Responsibilities for implementation need to be identified and decision-making process needs to be clearly articulated: o Need to identify an implementation team; often this is most successful when it include teachers who were elected by their peers; all teachers should vote on the implementation o In some cases, an individual should be appointed to facilitate ELO implementation
District-Level
Given the human resource changes that schools want to implement, what district-level supports will they need? Will there be different needs for teachers, administrators, and support personnel? How can the district help engage the teachers union to support schools’ interests with regard to reimagining human capital? Explain the objects of ELO to the Human Resources department and utilize their expertise to facilitate schoolinitiated resource changes Evaluate the district distribution of resources and personnel: how does resource allocation support schools’ ELO visions? If possible, appoint a district ELO coordinator to facilitate across-school conversations and learning.
Educational Partners
Evaluate the points of overlap between your mission and the school or district’s ELO vision o What can you add to the school’s ELO vision and practices? o What resources does the school need to supply for you to be able to fulfill your mission and support the school? Beyond supporting academic and career goals, are there other roles that you would like to and can play? Participate in the ELO implementation and planning team. Beyond understanding the ELO vision, need to understand Common Core standards for levels of students wishing to support, as well as post-secondary readiness goals of district and school. How can partners maintain relationships with the schools to ensure both parties are still benefitting?
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When Teachers Unions are involved and contract negotiations are considered, success and sustainability are more likely.
Vary Delivery Methods CLF and CDE have defined Vary Delivery Methods as Teachers and schools work with students in flexible systems that provide students with multiple ways to engage in and demonstrate the same rigorous learning. Varied delivery methods encompass not only learning modalities, but also means of demonstrating understanding and mastery. When delivery methods are varied,
Students are able to choose from a variety of engagement methods and instructional supports (e.g., technology, projects) to make connections through expanded access to connect and varied methods for building knowledge, practicing skills, and organizing information Educators have the flexibility and support to differentiate place and method for how students engage in and demonstrate learning. Some examples of how delivery methods have been varied include the use of technology and digital content, experiential learning, and internships. Technology and Digital Content With the rapid advancement of technology and digital content, one way the education system is varying delivery methods is by utilizing technology as a tool to supplement and support learning. Technology can allow for differentiated instruction according to student needs. Technology can also be a way to make content and learning available to students outside of the classroom and beyond the school day. Through online and blended learning, students can engage with digital content full-time, or part-time in combination with face-to face instruction. Some schools offer online classes to differentiate instruction to students. William Smith High School has an online civics class; the online curriculum measures content knowledge and confidence in that knowledge, as well as providing instant feedback to students. West Generation Academy uses a rotation blended model as part of their curriculum structure by using computer instruction in the classroom to allow for smaller group instruction with the remaining students, as well as students receiving tailored curriculum from the computer-based instruction. Some schools note that it is hard to stay up-to-date on technology because of the cost. Many schools and districts cannot stay atop of updating technology resources; others cite that the software that would be most beneficial is too costly. The cost of supporting students with home technology is especially concerning to some families. West Generation Academy collaborated with Comcast to offer internet and laptops to families at a low cost so they could use technology in the home to support their student. At the district level, Adams 50 School District is encouraging teachers to make online videos to supplement and help further the students’ understanding of content areas. BVSD is in the process of creating their own online system so the content pacing can be personalized to each student. They also offer “full virtual” online courses which ensure that students obtain a mastery of skills. Although this started as an online credit recovery program, Boulder Valley has also seen a demand for online credit opportunities from students that want to expedite their graduation and from students who have other commitments (such as competitive athletes). Similarly, Jeffco Public Schools has a program called “Virtual Academy” which offers online classes. The added component of virtual learning allows students to choose to expand their knowledge at the time that they desire and be able explore different subject areas on many different levels. Students’ learning paths can more closely align to their individual needs.
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Experiential Learning Experiential learning involves project-based learning experiences that allow students to enhance their core learning by applying their knowledge in real world situations with hands-on experiences. Experiences usually link multiple academic areas and allow students to delve deeply into content. William Smith has an integration of fieldwork and service learning experiences to supplement didactic learning. At Odyssey Elementary, they utilize technology to individualize the learning of core curriculum in the classroom, but also plan expeditionary “fieldwork” outside of the classroom linked to the course curriculum. Sheridan School District has a “journey program” which offers school-based enrichment and educational experiences outside of the school. These enrichment experiences are used to teach and enhance core curriculum, as well as partner students with community members.
Internships Internships allow students to apply and deepen what they know, as well as prepare themselves for the work force. Internships are being used as a part of school programming to help students define how their interests and talents could lead to a career they may want to pursue post high school. To have internships available, schools and districts collaborate with community partners to make those opportunities available to students. One school that offers internships to their students is Vista PEAK; they work with community partners like the Anschutz Medical Campus to offer internships in the medical field. The Aurora School District focuses on career preparedness and work force readiness. This not only includes working with colleges to offer classes that earn students college credits at their high schools but also working with community partners to create internship opportunities and other contextual learning experiences. The partnerships with the community members also helps Aurora align curriculum to the work-force demands to better prepare students for post-secondary careers. They strive to ensure a variety of internships are available to meet the interests of the students. Jeffco has a program offered specifically to students who qualify for special education that provides job training to learn skills outside of the classroom. They also offer internships and community experience opportunities to all students for career related experiences.
Content Integration There seems to be a shift in many schools towards integrating skills across class periods or increasing time blocks and addressing multiple core academic areas in those longer blocks. Several schools, such as Riverdale Elementary, Alicia Sanchez Elementary, and West Generation Academy have implemented a focus on literacy throughout their curriculum. William Smith High has created time within their schedule to facilitate cross-discipline collaboration to promote integration and alignment of skills across subjects. There are also opportunities to integrate core content with English Language Acquisition (ELA) and Special Education interventions. At Woodglen Elementary, Special Education and ELA instructors are placed within classrooms to provide students with support within existing classrooms. Merrill Middle School also incorporates ELA reading interventions into language arts classes. JCEA also advocates for the incorporation of core skills across disciplines and content areas. Various extended learning offerings provide opportunities to integrate core skills. The Power Sessions and personalized student Pathways offered at Vista PEAK Prep have been aligned to core instruction standards. Manual High offers four weeks of student excursions during the school year, during which they provide students with academic content in an experiential manner. Enrichment opportunities also provide an opportunity to integrate core skills. The community enrichment providers at Alicia Sanchez Elementary, for instance, actively collaborate with teachers to align enrichment offerings with core academic content. Grant Beacon Middle School has enrichment courses created by their academic departments aligned to the core course content which include project based activities and extensions of their learning. Sheridan has incorporated vocabulary, writing, geography, and/or math in virtually all of their enrichment
29 offerings, so as to align ELO activities with grade-level standards. Additionally, Sheridan incorporates a focus on psychosocial needs within their enrichment offerings.
Summary of Considerations for Vary Delivery Methods Varying delivery methods is a way to provide students with access to education and learning in a variety of ways. This allows for a more personalized learning experience for all students because they can learn in a method that is relatable to them. The following guidelines provide considerations for varying delivery methods at each level.
School-Level
How can different curricular delivery methods support your personalized learning vision? What different kinds of learning styles are represented in your student body? How do you know this? How might you best meet students’ needs with these various learning styles? In what ways are you currently varying delivery methods? What support would educators need to do this well? Technology is a tool, not the objective; in order to use technology most effectively, consider: o Forming a technology team within the school o Evaluating the comprehensiveness and integration of software systems o Evaluating home access to and facility with technology
District-Level
Identify potential implications of varying delivery methods on district departments/school support needs. How to manage state requirements around minutes and hours for full-time funding in supporting internship and community service experiences. Technology o What instructional technology is needed to support individualized learning and student engagement? o What infrastructure and hardware is needed to support individualized learning and student engagement? o What professional development is needed to support the use of the above technologies so that learning is individualized and students are engaged?
Educational Partners
What educational enrichment opportunities can you provide on campus that serve your mission and support the school’s ELO vision? What educational enrichment opportunities can you provide off campus that serve your mission and support the school’s ELO vision? Are you able to provide technology assistance to schools, students, or families?
Case Studies of Schools: Putting it All Together to Create Dramatically Personalized Learning Experiences that Ignite the Unique Potential of Every Student Although ELO is still a new conceptualization of practices, there are schools that have already experienced meaningful success in their conceptualization of how to reorganize resources to personalize learning for students. Alicia Sanchez Elementary School, West Generation Academy, and Rocky Mountain Preparatory School are explored in greater detail below.
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Alicia Sanchez Elementary School Alicia Sanchez Elementary School in BVSD is an International Baccalaureate Pre-5 School located in Lafayette. Alicia Sanchez emphasizes providing comprehensive educational support and care to their student body. Moreover, many of their educational decisions have been informed by best practices for schools that support families in poverty. The student body they serve is approximately: 290 students, 40% second-language learners, 60% Hispanic, and 80% percent qualified for meal assistance. Therefore, they began designing their current school structure based upon meeting the specific needs associated with their student body. Before implementing any changes, teachers, elected by their peers, led research groups designed to study best practices within high poverty schools. The teachers also drafted an agreement amongst themselves to promote accountability. By involving teachers in the process of reinventing the school, they ensured a teacher-driven effort, focused on leveraging teachers’ knowledge of student needs. Thus, they avoided the struggle that many schools encounter when administrators impose changes upon teachers. Teachers that were unwilling or unable to commit to making the changes were reassigned and replaced. Alicia Sanchez aims to support students and their families academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. In order to provide such a comprehensive level of support and intervention, they have extended their school day and school year. Through the extension of the school day, they have been able to provide enrichment opportunities to their students. They utilize over 200 community partners to provide these extended learning opportunities to students, which helps facilitate at least 60 minutes of collaborative time per day for teachers. In order to extend the school day without breaching the contractually agreed number of teacher working hours, they have implemented staggered teacher schedules. Further, they have only fully implemented the extended day for second grade and up. They have extended the day for a few of their kindergarten and first grade students in order to ascertain how younger children will respond to an extended school day. They have also designed before- and after-school programming to support students and families. Through a partnership with CU Boulder they implement a program called El Pueblo, whereby undergraduate education students provide after school programming focused on health and wellness, which is a need among their high poverty student body. They also have homework help provided by staff members before and after school. Further, they also provide after school programming for parents, such as GED and parenting classes. Alicia Sanchez has also extended the school year to further support their students. They have implemented a jumpstart program that provides an additional two weeks of instruction for incoming kindergarten and first grade students prior to the usual start of the academic year. They also provide summer programming, which is divided into two sections. The first section operates in the morning and provides support for individuals learning English as a second language, and it is open to the entire community. The second section operates in the afternoons and targets students who are a year and a half below grade level, and it has a focus on literacy skills. Alicia Sanchez is currently exploring redesigning their calendar so as to provide year round support and instruction to all students. Providing these comprehensive supports to students requires the use of numerous individuals in various roles. In addition to the community partners and CU students, they also utilize individuals in various other roles. They utilize math specialists, literacy coaches, and interventionists to support the academic needs of students. The interventionists are assigned to a particular grade level. This allows them to more personally know the students, as well as help provide small group, personalized instruction within the classroom. They also have community liaisons, who help coordinate after school programming, provide additional supports to parents, and support various other student needs. They also have a family resource specialist who helps to support parents and connect them to community resources; they have identified addressing family needs as a critical component of ensuring positive outcomes for high poverty students.
31 Alicia Sanchez faces a fundamental challenge that many schools encounter: how to best support students of poverty. In response, they have extended the learning day and year, so as to be able to focus on providing psychosocial and family support, in addition to academic supports. Through the flexible policies of the BVSD, they have been able to make these changes within the teacher contract. However, their current model requires the usage of significant additional funds, which brings into question the long-term sustainability of their model. They currently utilize funding from several sources including: CDE, CLF, and Title III and Title I funds. The sustaining of the current model is a primary challenge. Alicia Sanchez has successfully implemented an ELO vision by supporting teacher-led decision groups focused on providing a personalized learning experience that addresses the multi-faceted needs of students growing up in low socio-economic background families. Over the past year they have noticed significant improvements in student literacy, as well as significant gains in student attendance.
West Generation Academy Another example of a school with a multi-component ELO structure is West Generation Academy in DPS. West Generation Academy is a public school in Denver that focuses on college and career readiness aligned with the student’s individual skill sets and goals. They are an innovation school and currently serve approximately 450 students in grades six, seven, nine and ten. They will have built out to just over 1,000 students in grades 6-12 by 2016. West Generation Academy is in its second year of receiving a small Student Improvement Grant through the Colorado Department of Education, they are also designated a turnaround school. West Generation Academy is a local pilot school of the Generation Schools model, which launched its first pilot in Brooklyn, NY with the goal of leveling the playing field for disadvantaged students who were not performing at the same rate as other students. Students who do not perform as well as others in a typical school environment often need more individualized attention. They also need to be exposed to the possibilities and opportunities that are available to them upon graduating from high school. West Generation Academy focuses on adding time while simultaneously reimagining human capital as a means to reach their personalized learning vision for students. Their vision is to create an environment where every student, regardless of circumstances, is prepared for life’s responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities. The West Generation Academy model adds 20 days to the traditional school year and operates on an 8 hour school day. To make the extended day and year feasible it was necessary realign the use of human capital to ensure teachers were not being overworked and simultaneously keep class sizes small and personal. Teachers work 180 days, which is similar to the work schedule of most teachers. To do this, they divide their teachers into three rotating teacher teams: Foundation (core courses), Studio (science plus electives, replacement curriculum, etc.) and Intensives (focused on college/career transition). Utilizing the three team structure, they implemented a schedule where students have intensive class for one month twice each year, which allows teachers to have staggered vacation schedules. Intensive classes focus on college and career readiness and give students the opportunity to complete rigorous course work as they explore careers and educational pathways in high growth industries. Examples of classes include Robotics, Energy and Environmental Science, Hospitality, Creative Design, and Money Matters, which focuses on financial jobs. These classes are offered to an entire grade level at a time. The intensive classes are taught by certified teachers who specialize in a specific area, so the students are able to receive credit and quality instruction on a subject that is of interest to them as a way to further personalize the learning experience. In addition to the month-long Intensive Courses, students take Studio Courses as part of their daily schedule. These classes are based on data about the student population, interests and student needs. Examples of classes include science, health, language support classes, fine art classes, and intervention classes. During this time, Foundation Course teachers teach once course and then have time to collaborate through common planning time and participate in PLC’s.
32 The Foundation Courses are taught in the morning over two 90 minute sessions. Each Foundation Course teacher team (either math or humanities) is comprised of up to four teachers who work collaboratively to teach these core subjects with the ability to group and regroup students as often as needed to help achieve academic growth. The team consists of experts in each subject some of whom are dual certified in special education and ELL to meet the needs of the diverse population of students. The afternoon planning time allows each team to discuss goals, assess student data, hold Rti and SPED meetings and plan. Over 90% of the staff at West Generation Academy teaches classes, which allows for smaller class sizes. Because of this, teachers are also expected to take on additional roles within the school that are typically the responsibility of support staff in the additional time they have beyond the 120 minutes of daily planning time Due to the GSN belief in whole child development and supports, they partner with community based organizations to supplement meeting student needs in addition to the shared campus psychologist, social worker, nurse and social work intern to ensure students are getting their mental and emotional needs met. A member of the Generation Schools Network staff works with one of the assistant principals to establish partnerships that deliver a broad array of services to students and families. One example of a partner they work with is Mental Health Services of Denver. As many families cannot afford to get their children mental health services because of either time or money, in many cases the only time children will receive this type of care is in the school. Collaborating with community partners ensures students’ mental health and wellness needs are being met, a need that is so critical in education. The other structure built into the model to help eliminate barriers to success and propel future focus is the Faculty Advocacy program. Every student is assigned a faculty advocate that they meet with daily for 45 minutes around lunchtime along with 8-10 of their peers. This allows for a single teacher to have a group of students they get to know deeply over time allowing them to develop a trust relationship and to be the school’s first line of defense for keeping the student in school. Personal, social, emotional and workforce skills are taught during Advocacy. Students undertake regular goal setting and review of their progress, strategize with their Advocate to eliminate barriers they are facing, and plan for the future. West Generation Academy also focuses on other components of the ELO model to deliver more personalized learning to their students. Online and blended learning is part of all three course types and skillware is used extensively to help push, expand and remediate learning. All teachers are expected to incorporate the use of technology in daily lesson planning, using the computer bank as a learning station which allows teachers to both supplement learning and individualize instruction. The use of computers also allows teachers to facilitate small group instruction within the classroom while still ensuring other students are learning. West Generation Academy offers multiple opportunities to integrate learning and provides teachers with the time to collaborate together to connect different subjects to each other allowing them to be taught simultaneously. For example, the children are learning both English and Social Studies in their Humanities Course. When there is a connection between subjects, children are able to consistently utilize skills and knowledge from different disciplines throughout the day. West Generation Academy cites fitting a new model into existing district structures as its greatest challenge. This includes receiving very small amounts of turnaround funding compared to other district turnaround projects and having time to build relationships, and advocate with various departments for implementation of the approved Innovation Plan. While the model seeks to operate close to a cost-neutral basis once the school has reached enrollment capacity, transitional costs to a new model in a turnaround setting are to be expected as part of the turnaround effort.
33 Transportation has also been a barrier as the school seeks to attract students back to a campus that had largely been abandoned by the students assigned there. The transportation policies that apply to the rest of the district leave students with long RTD rides, crossing major thoroughfares (Federal, Alameda, 6th, 8th and I-25) and having siblings riding different buses when going to and from the same school. Padres Unidos and the district are working together to try to abate some of these transportation issues, especially since almost all of the West Generation Academy students come from low-income families.
Rocky Mountain Preparatory School Rocky Mountain Prep is a public charter school located in southeast Denver, which serves a diverse student body. They currently serve approximately 130 students, 84% of students are eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Demographically, 35% are Hispanic and 35% African-American. This new school is designed to serve Pre-K through 5th grade. However, they currently serve Pre-K through 1st grade and are using a slow growth model whereby as their current student progress in grade level, they will begin to serve higher grades. A major emphasis at Rocky Mountain Prep is to provide personalized instruction through a combination of accurately assessing student skill levels and small group instruction. Rocky Mountain Prep utilizes a classroom model that facilitates personalized instruction. Students in the classroom are divided into three groups: one that is engaged in blended learning, one that is receiving direct instruction from the lead teacher, and one that is receiving direct instruction from a “Teaching Fellow” (a younger educator studying to become a lead teacher). Students are grouped based on similar skill levels so as to allow instruction to be provided at a level that is appropriate for all students in the group. Further, the students are regrouped weekly to allow for relative fluctuations in student achievement. The blended learning within the classroom allows for both small group instruction and thorough student assessment. As the students practice their skills on the computers, the system is constantly gathering data about how the student is progressing academically. The system then provides teachers with detailed information regarding each student’s individual progress, which they can then use to personalize instruction for that student. They have weekly Data Meetings, where student data is formally discussed. This data informs each student’s small group placement. Also, because the digital content programs automatically records and tracks student data, teachers save time by not needing to manually record student data. Moreover, because approximately one third of the students are engaged in technology-based learning at any given time, teachers are providing instruction to fewer students and can more easily personalize instruction. To further provide individualized instruction, they have teaching fellows within each classroom providing instruction to one of the three student groups. Through a partnership with Metropolitan State University of Denver (switching to University of Colorado Denver), they are able to provide a licensure opportunity for their fellows. In exchange for providing instruction and receiving training as an educator, the fellows are provided with a stipend and benefits, which makes this a far more economically feasible option for the school than hiring more teachers. Therefore, they are able to greatly reduce the student to educator ratio while still remaining within their budgetary constraints. To further personalize learning, they are incorporating within their school day what they call “PEAK hour.” This is a period of time where students who are exhibiting proficiency in their basic skills can undertake an educational project of their choosing. This time is also used to provide intervention for students who are not showing proficiency in their skills. This flexibility time will therefore serve to allow students to personalize their education in accordance to individual interests while creating time within the school day for any necessary academic interventions.
34 Rocky Mountain Prep operates with an extended day and an extended year. Through extending each day and adding four weeks to their calendar, they are able to provide as much as 33% more instruction than traditional school calendars. They have a mandatory summer program for their lowest achieving students. The summer program consists of four hours core instruction and two hours enrichment time each day. Supporting students outside of school is also a goal at Rocky Mountain Prep. In part they accomplish this through involving parents. They have mandatory orientations for parents, so that they can inform parents of the educational process at it exists at Rocky Mountain Prep. Also, they have mandatory volunteer hours for parents to further involve them in their children’s education. They have also made the computer-based learning available online so that students may access it remotely. Further, they utilize a partnership with Comcast whereby laptops and internet access are made available to low-income families at a greatly reduced rate. This ensures that all students have access to internet content at home. The fiscal model at Rocky Mountain Prep is one designed for sustainability. The use of teaching fellows in conjunction with the use of blended learning allows them to place more students within a classroom while still providing individualized instruction. This approach, therefore, creates savings through decreasing the total number of classrooms required, which allows for continued reinvestment into the school. However, though this model reaps operational savings, the tech-heavy infrastructure required a significant investment. Funds from several private foundations, as well as a federal charter school grant have allowed Rocky Mountain Prep to develop this infrastructure. Rocky Mountain Prep has developed a model centered around personalizing the learning experience for each student. Accurately assessing student needs and providing personalized instruction are central to this mission. Extending learning time is another element that they utilize to ensure that students receive the instruction they require to succeed both in their current academics as well as in their future endeavors. As a new school, they are still rolling out several of the initiatives represented by their vision. Preliminary challenges have included difficulty in keeping the blended learning fully aligned with the classroom instruction. Also, given the copious amounts of student data that are being gathered, there is a need for a fully integrated and comprehensive monitoring system. Further, due to the newness of the school, longer term data related to student outcomes are as of yet forthcoming. However, initial indications are that the personalized learning experiences provided at Rocky Mountain Prep will translate into longer term academic and personal success.
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Sustainability Considerations School leaders, district administrators, and educational partners have also identified other areas of critical considerations for the sustainable implementation of ELO over time. In addition to the findings from this report, other experiences during the first year of ELO implementation have led to several lessons learned in the areas of: funding, policies, data management systems, and prioritizing and implementing ELO while balancing key state reforms.
Funding
There are startup expenses associated with ELO. One-time moneys (such as grants) can be a great way to begin ELO planning and implementation. However, sustainability should be considered from the development of your ELO design so that changes can be maintained. For example, technology will represent an ongoing expense for maintenance and updates; this should be considered in the budget development. While evidence of extending days or adding days in a cost-neutral manner exists, it is limited. Some schools and districts have identified strategies for accessing additional or more flexible funding, such as through Innovation Status, Title I, turnaround, mill levy override, state or federal waivers, philanthropic, or other funding sources. However, there is a strong need for innovative resource allocation support that helps school and district leader identify new decision-making strategies around use of time, staff, technology, partners, and budget. As the statewide work advances, emphasis on sustainable models will be a continued priority. This is one reason why, where new funds cannot be identified, schools and districts are rethinking and reorganizing schedules and other resources to maximize existing time. Volunteers and community partners may be one means to feasibly and sustainably provide students with learning and enrichment opportunities, and teachers with planning time, both within and outside of the scheduled school day. Although some schools have relied on Innovation Status for more fiscal autonomy, other schools have implemented ELO without special status.
Policies
Developing policies and initiatives that increase spending long-term are often not sustainable At the state level, dedicated leadership and staff at CDE have increased awareness across the department about ELO as a vehicle for systems change. The Executive Team, the Division of Innovation, Choice, and Engagement, and other technical assistance and grant-making teams are using the ELO vision and strategies to drive grantand decision-making and inform policy implementation. For example, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Program, Title I, Supplemental Education Services (SES), Race to the Top, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and Unified Improvement Planning (UIP) teams have started incorporating ELO into their grant and training processes. Additionally, the ELO vision is reflected in multiple state-level policy efforts, including turnaround, innovation schools, graduation guidelines, and changes to the accountability system in support of blended learning. Feedback from experts have also highlighted the need for clearer state-level leadership related to the systems conditions needed for ELO proof points to thrive. For example, competency-based pathways represent a primary example of how education leaders aspire to use time differently in policy and practice. However, absent state-level policy conditions that promote and support competency-based efforts, proof points will struggle to succeed, much less scale.
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Data management systems
In many cases, school-level data initiatives have been stalled due to difficulties of integration with the district’s system. In other cases, data may exist, but in disparate systems that are incompatible or impermeable based on school or district policies. Much greater school and district support is needed for data management systems, including requirements and specifications for comprehensive data systems that support, inform, and promote the ability and effectiveness of educators to personalize learning. To truly impact a statewide initiative, CLF and CDE must tackle the data picture in ways that: 1) support use of data cycles and common assessments to personalize learning; 2) cause educators to understand and internalize the value of data platforms and applications to inform their practice; and 3) allow school and district leaders to engage with and customize data infrastructure in cost-efficient ways that incite sharing and co-creation.
Integration with other initiatives and school/district priorities
Some educators indicated that they are suffering from “initiative fatigue” or “reform fatigue”; schools should be careful to approach ELO in a way that does not feel like another “add on” without identifying other activities that will be de-prioritized or stopped as a result. To mitigate challenges related to current infrastructure and systems alignment, it is valuable to clearly and early on articulate how your ELO agenda will support and integrate into SB 191 and teacher effectiveness evaluations, Common Core and state-mandated testing, Special Education requirements, gifted and talented programming, English language acquisition, or other district or school initiatives. ELO must operate within other mandates and agendas; ELO implementation tends to be most successful when it is approached not as a brand new project in addition to a school or district’s other priorities, but as a mindset shift to rethink overall the approach to learning and teaching. For example, some administrators have indicated that, given implementation of SB 191, the timing is not right to initiate blended learning. While the concern about initiative fatigue is real, blended learning supports educators with technology tools that provide a constant data exchange about individual student learning. It is also a way to improve working conditions for educators by enabling time to be used differently. With the right infrastructure, blended learning can increase efficiency by streamlining time-intensive work of data collection and analysis, lesson planning, and grading, and enabling educators to focus on personalized learning.
Next steps In May 2012, CLF and CDE published a strategic plan for advancing a statewide vision for ELO. One year later, the context in Colorado has changed and this work continues to evolve, driven primarily by extensive feedback received from Colorado educators and national experts. The first year of implementation have caused CLF and CDE to realize that the ELO vision articulated in 2012 was not the vision, but the start of a vision, and part of a greater readiness effort to engage the state in articulating and moving toward a new education system that produces not only better, but different outcomes for today’s students. While our work will continue to be strongly connected to the vision for personalized learning articulated in 2012, feedback has highlighted the need for greater clarity around “personalized learning” and “unique potential.” It has also become clear that the state’s efforts to articulate an updated vision must: be inclusive of students, parents, and educators; identify language that clearly resonates desired outcomes for students and intended benefits for educators; and recognize a commitment for other current priorities to stop or be decommissioned as part of this shift.
37 Based on the feedback we have already received from the field, we believe the education system we need must help students:
Develop the academic, professional, and entrepreneurial competencies that the modern economy demands Instill the drive to contribute to society in ways that improve our state, nation, and world Understand and challenge themselves and take responsibility for maximizing their talent and potential
Using this as a starting point represents an important shift from our 2012 strategic plan: we believe our vision must revolve around student-level needs, and how systems at all levels must shift to support them, rather than starting from a systems-level perspective. Importantly, we have also come to realize that while personalized and personal learning experiences are crucial to developing these student outcomes, they are likely additional characteristics of learning environments that also promote the development of these outcomes. These lessons learned imply some changing priorities in the ELO initiative’s use of time and resources in the next year and beyond. While remaining connected to the two-year implementation priorities identified by CLF and CDE in the 2012 strategic plan (proof points, communications and awareness, and capacity building and change management), we expect new priorities to emerge: building the case for change by connecting school and district leaders to peers, models, and experts that can inform their thinking, as well as opportunities to self-assess their own readiness for change; creating systems conditions by identifying factors that enable or constrain implementation of next generation learning, and then strategically promoting or de-commissioning; and bringing new resources to bear in support of this work.
Collaborations Importantly, there is evidence of an ecosystem for a shift to next generation learning which ignites the unique potential of every student in Colorado beyond the ELO Initiative. Additional evidence of engagement and readiness across the state includes but is not limited to leadership of: Donnell-Kay Foundation; Rose Community Foundation; SW TURN; Padres Unidos; the University of Colorado; the Out of School Time (OST) systems-building work facilitated by the Mayor’s Office for Education and Children; blended learning efforts through Janus Foundation, eNetColorado, and the Colorado eLearning Collaborative (CeLC); Colorado Children’s Campaign; Colorado Education Association; Colorado League of Charter Schools; Race to the Top District competition proposals; design thinking efforts of Design EDU, Front Range BOCES, and Rework; and many others. CLF and CDE have prioritized engaging with, learning from, and identifying linkages between these efforts as they continue to drive forward this work. While a strong foundation of thought partners exists, rethinking teaching and learning to reflect the needs and perspectives of students, parents, and educators will require new kinds of support and engagement. This will have implications on a diverse range of stakeholders, including, for example, policy makers, business and community partners, school boards, advocacy organizations, educator prep programs, higher education, local champions, and technology bandwidth and infrastructure partners. CLF and CDE are committed to partnering with stakeholders to identify roles that can best support this work.
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Appendix A: Matrix of Schools by ELO Elements School Alicia Sanchez Elementary Doris Candeleria, Principal BVSD Grades K-5 254 Students ● CLF starter grants, 21st Century Learning Grants, Prevention Integration Grant, Title III funding, ERA Innovation, Title I funds
Dramatically Personalized Learning Sanchez aims to support students and their families academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. ● Alicia Sanchez works with over 200 community partners to extend learning and has focused on maximizing time; longer days account for 20 extra days of learning and a schedule was created to allow for at least an hour of collaborative time per day through staggered intervention teacher schedules. ● To
Know the Student Education and enrichment offerings are tailored to meet the needs of students of poverty. ● A color coded tracking and monitoring system was implemented that helped to easily identify children who need intervention services. Academic performance, behavior, and attendance are all monitored. ● Student data informs academic placements.
Modularize Content
Maximize Time The school day was extended by an hour each day. The schedule in place now has allowed for at least an hour of each day to be spent on collaboration time. ● In order to facilitate a longer day, teachers' schedules are staggered. By extending each school day by one hour, the school has added 20 days worth of time. ● Every day in the week has a unique focus. For example, one day math is
Reimagined Human Capital
Vary Delivery Methods
ELO was discussed by teachers and an agreement was made among them to implement changes within the school to better serve the children. ● Interventionists, math specialists, literacy coaches, special education teachers, and ELL teachers all play a significant role and collaborate with each other and general education teachers. Intervention teachers are assigned to a specific grade level and work within the classroom to promote knowing the students, as well as co-teaching or
Students are able to be instructed in small groups because intervention specialists work within the classroom. ● Students are exposed to many different enrichment opportunities such as theater, dance, and cooking. ● Additionally, the school has worked to provide a computer adoption program, as many families cannot afford computers.
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School
Dramatically Personalized Learning support these changes, teachers drafted an agreement to promote accountability amongst themselves. ● Core academic skills are incorporated into enrichment programs through collaboration of the teachers and enrichment instructors.
Know the Student
Modularize Content
Maximize Time emphasized; another day literacy is more emphasized. ● The use of time before and after school and utilizing that time appropriately was also a major focus. Students can utilize time before and after school for homework help. ● GED and parenting classes are offered as part of some after school programs that have been made available to meet the needs of the families of the school. ● Alicia Sanchez also offers a summer program for additional
Reimagined Human Capital
Vary Delivery Methods
provide small group instruction while partnering with the teacher in the classroom. This also makes it easier to identify students who are struggling and are in need of an intervention plan. ● Over 200 community partners also assist with providing extended learning. Partnerships include CU Boulder, El Pueblo undergraduate education students to facilitate afterschool programming that focuses on wellness.
This helps families get access to computers to supplement their child's education at a greatly reduced cost.
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School
Dramatically Personalized Learning
Know the Student
Modularize Content
Maximize Time instructions for students that are performing 1 1/2 years behind their grade level. Typically, these students are ESL students as the focus is literacy. â—? Kindergarteners also start the school year two weeks early to become acclimated to school and get them accustom to literacy methodologies.
Reimagined Human Capital
Vary Delivery Methods
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School Cole Arts and Science Academy Julie Murgel, Principal DPS Grades PK-8 689 Students ● Innovation Status
Dramatically Personalized Learning Cole started the ELO process by refining and making better use of the time that was already in the day. ● The school shares a business manager with Grant Beacon that consists of a principal, technical representative, and a business manager. ● The growing computer infrastructure supports blended learning. ● The blended learning technicians spend 45 minutes each day in each class which gives teachers more preparation time and support within the classrooms.
Know the Student Computer based learning provides information regarding student achievement level/gaps. ● Placements of summer and afterschool programming are based on voluntary enrollment and student achievement.
Modularize Content Blended programming allows each student the opportunity to work on the skills that they need at a pace that is aligned with their progression.
Maximize Time
Reimagined Human Capital
Vary Delivery Methods
Before implementing ELO, teachers were given stopwatches for two weeks to monitor how time was being spent and were encouraged to think about how time could be best spent. ● 200 students are involved in after school programming and 250 students are involved in summer school programming. ● Blended learning frees up time to have more planning and collaboration time. Teachers from two grades have
Cole partners with DSST to transition students into middle school on the same campus. ● A School Technology Rep (STR) oversees blended learning. 12% of their time is spent teaching, all other time is dealing with technical service. ● School partners were extended from just after school programming to within the school day. This relieves teacher load and is more attractive to qualified people because there are more hours. ● Professional development was provided to the
Promethean boards are in all classrooms and there are over 300 laptops for use. ● Laptops are in reserve when another laptop is malfunctioning so instruction time is not interrupted. ● A computer interface allows students to access all programs through a single login. ● Blended learning instruction is two days of math, two days of reading, and one day of choice each week. ● If a student is struggling in one area flexibility exists. ● Blended
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Reimagined Human Capital blended learning technicians about appropriate grade level instruction and how to best use technology. â—?
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School Grant Beacon Middle School Alex Magana, Principal DPS Grades 6-8 432 Students ● Innovation Status
Dramatically Personalized Learning Implementing extracurricular activities within the school day was the first step as an effort to engaging students more fully. Teachers voted to implement ELO and were involved in the implementation process. Teachers are compensated for their time. ● The school day was extended to allow for more instructional time. ● The school operates on a 9-week enrichment cycle for 1 hour four days per week. This allows students to be exposed to multiple opportunities. ● On Fridays students
Know the Student With the exception of assigned math interventions, students are able to choose enrichment options to focus on an area that is of interest to them. ● Of the core classes, reading classes are leveled, while all other classes are composed of mixed ability levels. ● Twice a month teachers meet to have data team meetings to discuss data. The data that is monitored includes progress on personalized learning goals, which are set for each individual
Modularize Content Computerized software helps facilitate math intervention. The content that is part of the software helps individualize the interventions.
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In order to add enrichment, advanced, and intervention classes, an hour was added to each day four days a week. On Friday the day is shortened because no enrichment classes are offered. This time is meant for teacher collaboration time, which is used for data teams. ● In addition to this time, all teachers have 60 minutes of planning time daily. ● Enrichment classes rotate every 9 weeks so that every student has an opportunity to take an
The enrichment classes are taught by teachers or community partners. This facilitates smaller classes. ● A business manager is in charge of the enrichment process. ● Teachers teach enrichment classes two days a week, and use the other two days for collaboration time. All grade level teachers have collaboration time at the same time to facilitate a group problem solving approach. ● Professional development or data team meetings occur every Friday morning, when
Departmentderived enrichment classes are designed to teach core content through nontraditional learning experiences. Students have Google accounts that are composed of their course content, calendars, lesson plans, and quizzes; this provides students with instant feedback. ● Small group instruction is encouraged within the classroom.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning come late so teachers have school-wide planning and collaboration time and discuss student data. ● Teachers have grade level collaboration time two times per week. ● A blended learning model includes student virtual accounts to access information from their classes online at any time. ● Each department creates enrichment offerings related to academic teachings. The enrichment activities have helped students become more engagement as attendance has
Know the Student student, and data from a computerbased math program. This data is meant to identify students for intervention classes.
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Reimagined Human Capital students have a late start. ● In addition to teaching, every teacher provides an additional student service, which allows for smaller classes.
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Malley Elementary Anne Wesley, Principal Adams 12 School District Grades K-5
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The principals and staff wanted to implement ELO because test scores were declining. Malley started by looking at how time could be adjusted.
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25% of the students are involved in the various after school activities, focused on their interests.
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Playworks, a company that facilitates structured recess while working with the children on life skills, comes in to work with the children at recess time.
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An academic coach Technology allows is responsible for the for differentiated professional instruction. development of the teachers.
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School 465 students Manual High School Brian Dale, Principal DPS Grades 9-12 349 Students ● State Innovation School, Grants from CLF Community partners
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In an effort to close the achievement gap between Manual and surrounding schools, Manual decided to implement ELO, as it would be an estimated 102 years before the gap was closed at the current rate of progress. ● The school adopted an experiential model. The mission is centered on making sure students get to be who they are, not who others think they should be. Personalized communities are created within the school. These
Every day huddle groups meet to talk about values and maintain close connections with peers and teachers. Huddle groups are a group of students who work together throughout the year and maintain a connection with each other through school and excursions. Every huddle group travels together during excursions. ● Additionally, every student meets with counselors once a week to discuss and learn about
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The school day was extended by one hour and the school year was extended by 40 days. The students like the extended model because they get different experiences and get to be with their friends. ● A master schedule was created to best serve students and teachers and allow everyone to know the expectations.
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The extended hour of the day was spent in a class taught by a community partner. The community partners are chosen based on the student needs and to be role models for the students. These community partners receive professional development to ensure they are teaching to the common core, goals of the school, and the students’ needs. ● By reorganizing the school schedule and utilizing community partners, teachers have 3 hours of planning time each day. This
An experiential learning model is used. Four weeks throughout the year is spent where students go on excursions that align with the sponsor class lesson. Each class is encouraged to link their lessons with the excursion lesson. The model is based on "learn it, then live it." ● Community partnerships are based on student needs. Students are able to choose their community partner class.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning communities also travel with each other on trips that supplement what they are learning in school.
Know the Student relevant life topics. This encourages students to look through a social lens and feel they have a purpose for their learning. â—? The teachers and staff encourage students to speak up and give their opinions because they want them to feel in charge of their learning. â—? Students are enrolled in classes based on their ability level.
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Reimagined Human Capital time is spent working with an instructional coach and meeting with grade level teams for collaboration, in addition to individual planning. In order to ensure that excursions align to the instructional goals, an employee was hired to oversee every aspect of the excursions.
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School Merrill Middle School Amy Bringedahl, Principal DPS Grades 6-8 545 Students ● ELO Grant
Dramatically Personalized Learning Merrill Middle school started ELO by looking at the way time was being used. The schedule and extra hours are designed to make sure there is time for every student who needs an intervention to have the opportunity. ● Computer lab and tutoring opportunities are available before school. ● An hour after school is allotted for enrichment and interventions for special education, high unsatisfactory, and low partially proficient students. ● A teacher committee designed
Know the Student High-unsatisfactory and low-partially proficient students are targeted for intervention as they are the students who are typically not in pull-out services. These students are identified by their performance on the TCAP. Intervention classes are offered by the quarter, 12 weeks at a time. At the end, the student is reassessed to determine if an intervention class is needed again. ● Even if the student is in an intervention class, they are still able
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Maximize Time An additional hour was added to each day. ● Every core class was also changed from 60 to 90 minutes. ● Math and Language Arts are part of the daily schedule, while Science and Social Studies classes are rotated. Elective classes and intervention classes are 45 minutes. ● Students are able to take 2 elective classes or 1 intervention class and 1 elective class. ● Additionally, before and after school tutoring is offered to students
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A committee was formed to look into extending the day as a way to improve student performance. The ELO initiative was put to a vote and teachers were able to 'opt in' or 'opt out' of a nine hour day. ● The new schedule allows for 45 minutes of grade level collaboration four days a week. ● Paraprofessionals who accompany special education students who are 'mainstreamed' into the general education classrooms often facilitate small group instruction within
Computer based learning is utilized within the intervention classes to facilitate personalized learning.
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North High School Nicole Veltze, Principal DPS Grades 9-12 874 Students ● Federal Turnaround Grant
Dramatically Personalized Learning the schedule, which extends the day by an hour.
North High School uses academic data, attendance, and participation rates as the primary metrics for ELO effectiveness. ● Class periods are extended in accordance with grade-level needs. ● There is a growing base of online course content.
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to choose an elective class to ensure they can select an area that is interesting to them.
Reading intervention classes are offered to students who are "below proficient" in reading. The classes are matched by the specific needs of the students (e.g. fluency, comprehension, etc.) and reading level. ● Program
An Engagement Center is utilized by students who are 17 to 20 years old and are around 100 credits short of graduation. There are both morning and afternoon cycles. The center is for students who are off-track or who have
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who need additional help. While tutoring is not mandatory, students who are struggling are encouraged to attend the tutoring sessions.
the classroom.
Teacher collaboration time was increased to daily for the 9th grade teachers and to four times per week for other teachers. ● Saturday sessions are available to all students and are assigned to students who have missed instruction time or may need
The 9th grade team consists of four teachers who share the same students and collaboratively plan for each student. ● During collaboration time they have a team conference with struggling students and their parents to develop a specific plan for them. ● Community partners
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Students have access online to syllabi, assignments, online lectures, and other content. ● There is also a district “Parent Portal" online for families to monitor their child's progress. ● An engagement center utilizes online, Apex, and
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Know the Student providers have "caseloads" of students which facilitates personalized attention. ● An online student portal allows students to track their attendance and grades. ● Students also compile a "Body of Evidence" folder which supports their progress towards personal goals. The folders are presented to teachers and family members.
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Maximize Time additional help. ● They have ACT prep and AP tutoring along with after school supports such as math lab, homework zone, and a career center. ● Instruction time was increased by over 120 minutes per week. Passing periods were tightened as one way to facilitate this.
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support blended credit recovery learning. classes. Organizations like Mi Casa, Colorado Youth for Change, and City Year provide support within the classroom and after school. ● Communication with parents has increased. They provide support and connections to resources to keep parents more engaged.
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School The Odyssey School Marcia Fulton, Executive Director DPS Grades K-8 225 Students ● Portfolio B School
Dramatically Personalized Learning Odyssey is an expeditionary learning model school. Board members, parents, staff, and administrators formed a committee to facilitate the implementation of ELO. ● There is an emphasis on technology to facilitate individualization. ● Teaching assistants are utilized to further individualized instruction.
Know the Student In addition to intellectual achievement, Odyssey focuses on social and character development. ● Students are expected to be in control of their academic learning as well as monitoring their own progress. Frequently students meet with faculty to evaluate and discuss their progress. Parents and students are provided with information to understand and monitor progress. ● Parents are frequently surveyed to get
Modularize Content Computers are utilized to facilitate individualized skill practice as children are able to work at their own pace. ● They come back together to collaboratively problem solve.
Maximize Time Platooning teacher schedules have recently been implemented. The structure of the classroom is a multi-age.
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Computers are utilized for independent learning so teachers have more time to meet student needs. ● Both during and after school, teaching assistants are integrated into classrooms. ● Teachers are asked for feedback to gain perspective.
Technology is utilized in the classroom but it is emphasized as being a tool, not the objective. ● Expeditionary learning is used as the approach to how learning and teaching is taught together. All students participate in the adventure program. ● There is a balance between full class instruction and independent, selfpaced work.
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The school has been conscience about how much time is spent on literacy instruction and how literacy can be implemented into the existing schedule and classes. A 90 minute literacy block has been implemented every day. ● A digital literacy teacher helps implement
The leadership team includes teachers. ● Parents have been encouraged to be more involved to help on different subject nights. Each night has a different subject focus and different stations allow the children and their families to explore different components of each subject. This engages the students and their
A technology team consists of teachers in the building who help other teachers learn how to use technology and utilize it in their curriculum.
their feedback on different programs.
Riverdale Elementary Margo Walsh, Principal Adams 12 School District Grades K-5 421 Students
Riverdale focuses on literacy through writing. ● They view ELO as all about people, time, and money. ● When implementing ELO it is very important to celebrate the small successes along the way. ● Leadership teams are utilized to connect to more students.
More clubs have been added that target various students' interests to keep them more involved in school.
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Rocky Mountain Prep James Cryan, Founder DPS Grades PreK-2 ● Charter School
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Rocky Mountain Prep moved to an ELO model as an effort to close the achievement gap and ensure their students are successful in college and life. The students who attend the school are very diverse.
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Computerized learning is utilized as an effort to consistently gather data on student progress. ● Small groups change weekly based on student achievement and needs. ● Teachers call parents weekly to further develop partnerships with parents.
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Adaptive software focuses on individualized skill development. ● Teachers use software to personalize curricula to students. There is an emphasis on making sure that the software is aligned to the school’s concept of proficiency.
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electronic literacy programs.
families.
The school day was extended to operate on a 7:45 to 4:30 schedule. Students also start two weeks early and finish two weeks late. ● The 40 lowest achieving students attend a mandatory summer program consisting of four hours of traditional classroom instruction and two hours of flexible block time.
Computerized data tracking frees up teacher time that had previously been spent on manual entry. ● Metro teaching fellows help provide further individualized instruction. ● Each teacher is observed for fifteen minutes and then given feedback of their performance. ● Parents are expected to volunteer at the school and attend an orientation.
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The school operates with traditional instruction accompanied by online curricula. ● There is an emphasis on small group instruction. This is made possible by operating on a rotation system in which 1/3 of the students work with the lead teacher, 1/3 work with a teaching fellow, and 1/3 work on computers.
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School Vista Peak Preparatory Marisol Enriquez, Pathways Director APS Grades 9-12 ● Innovation status, SB130
Dramatically Personalized Learning Vista Peak Preparatory sought to align a system that opened the door for ELO's, real intentional learning and equity for all. The initial thought regarding ELO was to create a system in which every student’s needs are met and curriculum is modified to individual needs. ● Academic and Career Pathways is a postsecondary/career readiness program that consists of four different Pathways: business, arts, communications, and health sciences. Vista Peak Prep operates on a triangulated leadership model composed of two pathways directors
Know the Student Every student has an ICAP to get them ready for post-secondary career readiness. Every quarter each student meets with their advisor to discuss progress and adapt plans. ● College curriculum is also incorporated into classes and students are able to enroll in college classes while still in school. ● Additionally, students are offered choices in classes, a way of scheduling classes that is similar to college. ● Students either chose the classes or are
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Maximize Time The school year is extended so students are able to have more instruction. The extended time provides the means to offer an additional 172 hours of instruction throughout the year to smaller groups of students. It also creates more time for the teachers to receive PD.
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Faculty work with community partners to provide Academic and Career Pathways and align content to core competencies. Time is allotted in the schedule for community partners to help with enrichment opportunities to engage children. ● Community meetings are meant to engage partners and show them how they can help.
Vista Peak Prep works with local businesses to provide internship opportunities to the students. For example, a group of students worked with the Colorado Technology Association and Noodles and Company to develop an application for Noodles and Company. Last year they had an executive internship program partnership with the Aurora Media Group / Aurora Sentinel and student worked
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West Generation Academy Bob Villarreal, Principal DPS Grades 6-12 450 Students ● Turnaround Setting, Innovation Status, SIG
Dramatically Personalized Learning and a director of operations and management. ● All teachers are involved in various leadership teams. ● "Power sessions" add instruction without increasing teacher instruction hours. West Generation Academy is a pilot school of Generation Schools Network™ (GNS), which originated in New York. Their focus is on redesigning the school day and year through maximizing the use of existing resources to expand the school year and increase student opportunities. ● Sensible dual roles
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invited based on needs or achievement. ● Teachers invite students to classes based on what they know about each student.
GSN seeks to demonstrate a whole student focus that includes the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and creative well-being of each student. They embrace the understanding that students challenged by circumstances such as trauma, poverty and immigration
Vary Delivery Methods with staff members from Florida to Colorado to learn WordPress technology, Search Engine Optimization, and marketing techniques.
A morning focus on core courses with a majority allocation of staff time and resources and integration of technology banks allow for longer block times and smaller student/teacher ratios. ● The Intensive Courses are two one-month periods of time that are staggered
Morning and core classes operate at around a 20-25: 1 student-teacher ratio allowing for further differentiation as students rotate through the classroom in three stations: direct instruction, computer bank and collaboration area.. ● GSN contracts with the district to
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Dramatically Personalized Learning for teachers, blended learning, and swarming teachers around core courses are utilized to reduce the instructor to student ration. ● The school operates on a 200 day school year and an 8 hour school day which allows for every student to participate in two separate month long, academically rigorous college and career focused Intensive Courses designed around high growth industry areas.
Know the Student can benefit from scaffolded supports intentionally built into school programming. GSN also recognizes that the educational model must be a sustainable one for teachers, allowing them to grow as professionals, collaborate with their colleagues up to two hours each day to deliver their best instruction and work a sensible schedule that keeps the best educators in the field.
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Maximize Time throughout the year. ● Within each school day 2 Foundations Courses are taught in the morning and 3 Studio Courses are taught in the afternoon. Every student has different opportunities throughout the year, Studio Courses run on trimesters while Foundation Courses run on semesters. The schedule allows for more flexibility to respond to student needs. ● The students are on a 200 day schedule while the three teams of teachers
Reimagined Human Capital provide the tools, training, and technical assistance needed to implement the model. ● A school leadership team comprised of a principal and two assistant principals ● Teacher leaders help to facilitate change by leading Professional Learning Communities, teacher teams and taking on administrative duties in key areas as a result of reduced course loads.
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Community partners are utilized to help deliver enrichments. They partner with community members such as Aurora Visual Arts and Muay Thai to help deliver enrichments in the school day. The Wellness Group in Boulder provides yoga classes to students through a grant program. ● Teachers help out with enrichment
The beginning of the school year is spent on trips that emphasize team work. ● An online civics course assesses what content the students know as well as how confident they were in their answers. ● While grades are important, students are also evaluated based on what skills
(Foundation, Studio and Intensive) rotate allowing for a 180 day schedule.
William Smith High School Jane Shirley, Principal APS Grades 9-12 290 Students
An experiential learning model is implemented at William Smith High School, in which all kids create in all disciplines. ● Teachers have to assess what the core competencies are for different disciplines and be cognizant of what students are learning those competencies. ● Self-knowledge is emphasized to
Many students choose to enroll at William Smith because they have not thrived in a traditional school environment. ● The school curriculum focuses on character development and scholarship, as well as academic performance. ● The content the students receive is based on results from various
In 9th and 10th grade, students start the year two weeks early for orientation. ● When they are in 11th and 12th grade, their schedules resemble a college schedule, with much of the time spent on selfdirected work.
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Woodglen Elementary Brett Drobney, Principal Adams 12 School District Grades K-5 429 Students
Dramatically Personalized Learning develop character and habits of scholarship. Growth in these areas is how success is measured. ● The varying schedule structure is meant to support younger and older students. Students monitor their own progress through data displays. ● Teachers are supported within the classroom by having paraprofessionals in the classroom. ● After school programs support enrichment and tutoring opportunities; 14 clubs were added to increase student
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assessments that evaluate their core skills.
Students are more in control of their learning and are able to monitor their progress through various data displays. ● Monthly assemblies recognize the students who are nominated by their peers as leaders in the school.
Reimagined Human Capital classes and opportunities as well.
Teachers were encouraged to look at their existing time and how they use that time with the time analysis tools. ● In order to have more collaboration time, students leave early on Wednesdays. To compensate for the time lost students start school 10 minutes earlier
To add extra support for both the teachers and students, the ELL teacher works within the classroom. This also allows for more effective collaboration. ● Teachers and community members help with extracurricular clubs and after school tutoring.
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Appendix B: Matrix of Districts by ELO Elements District
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Adams 2: Sheridan
Sheridan began the ELO process by looking for opportunities that would provide learning opportunities that are not typically found within the traditional school setting. These opportunities help target getting students’ basic needs met. ● District wide Curricular Quarterly Based Measures (CQBM) are implemented. They have benchmark assessments, created by teams of teachers that are matched to the
Data Director software monitors student progress and creates assessments to measure progress. The assessments are implemented district wide through CQBM. ● Improvements in student behavior and well-being have been found for enrichment participation.
.
Teacher collaborative planning times were increased and moved from the end of the day to the middle of the day by combining lunch, recess, ELT classes, and rotations to the middle of the day. The school calendar was extended and seven weeks of breaks are implemented throughout the year. Three weeks of intercession was implemented for students with identified
A full complement of community partners are utilized to provide services to the students. These community partners are considered experts who teach basic life skills as well as character development. The community partners are provided with professional development that includes some of the professional development general education teachers receive. ● General education teachers and ELT
Core curriculum skills are taught through enrichment experiences. The "Journey Program" is enrichment and educational experiences which take place outside of the school.
61 District
Dramatically Personalized Learning curriculum calendars. ● The enrichment classes offered align to core standards. ● The district calendar has been extended along with efficient transitions, professional development, and three weeks of intersession time for remediation. ● Since the time of implementation, TCAP scores have increased significantly throughout the district.
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achievement gaps. ● An early release at 2:12 pm on Mondays was implemented district-wide while the release is 4:00 pm district-wide Tuesday-Friday.
instructors are encouraged to collaborate by sharing spaces and resources, and coordinating lessons.
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62 District
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Adams 12 Five Star
The district’s initial goal was to conduct a refined analysis of time and the NCTL rubric. ● The district has encouraged each school to look at what the community sees as its needs and how they can work with the community to help the school.
The district believes that extra-curricular activities should meet the needs of the students.
Adams 50: Westminster
The goal is to offer a standards-based education and standards-based high school diploma that holds equal expectations for all students and allows students to progress at their own paces. ● In order to
Students are able to "level up" or move to a higher level when they have demonstrated proficiency in each standard separately. If a student gets relevant
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Resources available to students align to standards. These resources are considered fun, engaging, and hands-on. ● High schools operate on a Flipped Classroom model.
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Time data are public at each school to evaluate the use of time. ● Enrichment classes were altered from changing every semester to changing every quarter so students have more opportunities.
A leadership team at each school is involved with studying time usage and proposing ideas based on their findings.
Enrichment opportunities and interventions are incorporated into academics, science, technology, digital literacy, and foreign languages.
A blended interventionist model encourages a team-based approach. ● A Superintendent Advisory Council meets monthly to discuss with parents what is happening in the
Teachers have been encouraged to make online videos available to help further students' understanding of each content area.
63 District
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implement ELO, at least 85% of staff had to vote in favor of the shift. The standards-based education was presented to the teachers and community to allow them to buy-in to the plan. â—? The current diploma will state the level of competency for each standard area that a student has obtained. â—? The Flipped Classroom Model has been implemented at the high school level. In this model, lectures are watched independently as homework and then there is active
experience outside Students are in of the classroom, it classes based on can be built into levels. their demonstration of proficiency. â—? In each class there are no more than three levels of student proficiency in order to meet the needs of all students.
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schools.
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64 District
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The Dashboard progress monitoring system provides up to date information regarding student proficiencies. ● Quarterly color coded proficiency reports track progress of reading, writing, science, and math for all students to identify classroom skill deficits. The goal is to explore progress tracking without assigning grades.
The Ed-2020 program can be targeted to address particular achievement gaps. ● The math curriculum is where differentiated content has been integrated. ● The 'Fifth Block' provides curriculum in accordance with identified student needs.
The 'Fifth Block' is reimagined summer learning. 23 days of extra full-day instruction is meant for students who are identified as partially proficient. The goal is to move them to proficient. The program has shown significant gains in CSAP/TCAP scores, particularly in math and sciences. Elementary schools are each allotted 50 Fifth
The Fifth Block incorporates existing teachers so students have consistency in their instruction. ● Due to partnerships such as the Community College of Aurora the district has awarded over 2,200 college credits to high school students.
The Pathways Advisory Committee works with community members to identify the current needs of the community and find opportunities for students to learn about these needs. A menu of options is provided ranging from guest speakers to field trips to internship and employment opportunities. ● Concurrent enrollment allows high school students to receive
learning in the classroom.
Aurora Public Schools (APS)
Aurora’s goal of ELO is to increase the number of students who are proficient and advanced on TCAP scores. ● At the high school level, APS is focused on post-secondary readiness through their Career and Academic Pathways program. This program is offered through partnerships with the community. ● Additional time is used for differentiated and enrichment learning. ● The "Fifth Block" is
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Dramatically Personalized Learning an additional 23 days of instruction in the summer for students who need additional instruction.
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Block slots while the secondary level schools have 100 slots. In order to implement Fifth Block the school calendar was shifted so that students start earlier in August and end in midMay. â—? There are fewer school days but the days are longer (construction calendar).
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college credits by working with the Community College of Aurora. â—? Enrichment opportunities include Middle School Health and Wellness, Defenders of Wildlife, Cultural Experience, World Language, Personal Cooking and Wellness, and Yoga so students can get a wide range of learning opportunities.
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Boulder Valley School District (BVSD)
The implementation of ELO was of interest to BVSD because they traditionally have the largest withindistrict achievement gap in the state and ELO aligns with their mission to focus on whole-child development and work with communities to provide personalized education and meet the needs of each student. ● Blended learning is utilized so that teachers can work on professional development. ● There has been an emphasis on creating online content and
BVSD believes that in order to properly educate each student, academic, social, and emotional needs need to be met. ● Interventions are in place for younger students so they reach proficiency in reading by third grade. ● In order to focus on the "whole child" music, art, and physical education classes have been retained. ● The Schoology Learning Management System manages online content and
Online content is adapted to student needs and abilities. The Newton adaptive platform focuses on providing content to students based on their current skills and needs while also providing a gamelike scoring system to engage the student. Online courses ensure that a student has developed a mastery of skills before they can move on to the next level.
Eleven days each year are dedicated to teacher planning, professional development, and collaboration time; teachers are assured 4 ½ hours per week of planning time. At the elementary level, specials provide the necessary time. ● 54 semesters of online content were created, mainly at the high school level and in core subject areas. This provides flexibility in students' schedules.
BVSD has demonstrated strong leadership in order to get ELO implemented. In order to alter the schedule to maximize time, the support of both the teachers and parents is needed. Typically, ELO begins with a visionary leader in a building. They create teams to support their efforts and determine what is best for the school. ● Because there are students of poverty in BVSD, it is important to actively seek to engage parents.
Currently BVSD is creating an online system so that content can be personalized to student needs. Content is assessed in a way that is meaningful to students and corresponds to abilities. Examples include allowing the student to present their knowledge, take a test to prove what they know, or write a paper. ● Fully online courses and the online credit recovery program currently serve about 700 students. ● The district is moving
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developing partnerships for sharing content.
data. A report is provided for the teacher to show the student's progress and needs. Currently this is being utilized mainly for math content.
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Schools have made resources available to parents during extended hours so they have a chance to connect and be involved. â—? Mentors are used in the summer program to increase student engagement.
towards interdistrict content sharing. â—? Blended learning has been implemented to divide classrooms and be able to provide more individualized instruction. This also helps teachers have time for professional development.
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Denver Public Schools (DPS)
DPS operates using four pillars of ELO: providing acceleration and intention for all students, extending the school day and year, adding collaboration time for teachers, and providing enrichment opportunities. ● Maximizing time and expanding time are top priorities. ● Teachers, parents, and students are all a part of ELO planning teams. Their input along with data drives what components of ELO will be used. ● To streamline communication and
Every student is provided with an acceleration or intervention plan. This will help to provide accelerated student growth, especially at the middle school level so students are prepared for ontime high school graduation and post-secondary success. ● Assessments are based on growth and are related to attendance, behavior, and engagement.
Students are able to recover missing credits by utilizing computer based curricula.
Extending the school day and/or year is one of the four DPS ELO pillars. Schools are encouraged to maximize time within the existing school day. ● It is important to balance the extended time with athletics and after school programs. Some schools have made the enrichment periods last in the day as to facilitate students in athletics. ● Collaboration time for teachers is one of the four DPS ELO pillars. This
To implement ELO, leadership teams within each school have been targeted to help provide professional development. ● Currently DPS is actively seeking to engage community members and in some cases providing budgets to the community organizations.
There is a need for a comprehensive data management system that communicates with community partners’ data systems and integrates with the district’s learning management system.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning budget issues ELL and human resource finance partners are involved in decisions and implementation. â—? Collaboration between teachers as well as collaboration with schools and the unions at the district level are also essential to implement ELO. It is also important at the district level to get the support and guidance of Human Resources and the budget team. â—? Schools were charged with showing how they had looked at their students, school, and classroom
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time allows teachers to look at data, develop action plans, and design accelerations and interventions with each other.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning needs; how they connected with the community on the ELO plan; and how they intended to address each of those priority areas in their plans.
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Jefferson County Public Schools (Jeffco)
Jeffco has a goal of ensuring a personalized, individualized education for all students. ● The first step in ELO implementation for Jefferson County is reforming time. The biggest challenge is extending the academic year. ● The focus thus far has been on intensive time within the current calendar because families of Jefferson County like the traditional calendar. ● The District and Union share responsibility for teacher professionalism.
The District collects student perceptions of engagement and academic rigor. They compare student feedback to assessment outcomes inform interventions.
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One reason for wanting to extend the school year is so teachers have more time to plan and receive professional development. They also want to add days for students who need intervention. ● Different schools within the district are experimenting with ways to extend time.
A universal staffing model for all schools in the district has been implemented that will match teacher expertise with student needs.
The Virtual Academy is composed of online classes to supplement or substitute classroom learning. The Jeffco 21st Century Virtual Academy offers online courses to students in grades 7-12 throughout Colorado. Students can be enrolled full-time, part time, or for credit recovery. ● Special Education students receive on the job training to learn skills outside of the classroom. ● High school students have the
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Dramatically Personalized Learning Jeffco has a positive and collaborative relationship with the teachers union to facilitate reform. It is important to involve the union in implementation and reform regarding ELO. â—? Jefferson County supports online learning by the implementation of the Virtual Academy.
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opportunity to have executive internships to obtain career related experiences.
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Appendix C: Matrix of Educational Partners by ELO Elements Educational Partners Aurora Education Association (AEA)
Dramatically Personalized Learning AEA believes that in order to implement an effective change to a school, the school must know what is going to work for their students. ELO cannot be put into a "box." When moving towards ELO, there should be a reason for the change and why it will help the school or system. ● Teachers need to be included on every step of the ELO process, including the initial discussion. Families, community members, and
Know the Student AEA believes that children need a solid foundation to develop and create new understandings. Their education can be personalized by involving them in decision making because at some point the student needs to be in charge of their learning.
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Maximized Time There is greater need to focus on how current time is being utilized than there is in extending the day. Teachers want to modify time to have more time to work collaboratively. ● When implementing changes it is important to be meaningful about why the implementation is necessary. With the change there must be a solid foundation built before shifting; rushing into change is not effective.
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While teachers need to evaluate data, their time is not best spent entering the data. Many schools have a position for a data-entry staff member. ● There needs to be more educational support staff and there needs to be purposes for the positions.
Before using technology in the classroom, teachers need to know how to effectively use that technology to enhance the quality of instruction. ● It is a good idea to provide support to parents who are unsure about how to do what is best for their child.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning administration should also be involved. Including everyone promotes a shared accountability model. â—? Best practices include thinking smartly and effectively about ELO protocols. â—? AEA believes that families will be involved and collaborate if they know it is the best thing for their child and outcomes will be seen.
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Educational Partners Colorado Education Association (CEA)
Dramatically Personalized Learning CEA works jointly with teacher's associations when reorganizing structures. This leads to more buyin and partnerships with teachers. Teachers are empowered to own the profession because they see what is best for the students. CEA recognizes that teachers are constantly given new initiatives and programs but they want to know how the initiatives can work together and what should no longer be in practice.
Know the Student Teachers are open to practices and structures that are in the best interest of and have the biggest positive impact on students. Additionally, while assessments are valuable, growth must be measured by qualitative means as well.
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Postsecondary workforce readiness helps combat "same day, same page” mentality. Students are more prepared for different options after high school rather than being put into a field of study or work Building relationships that may not be are an important right for them. component of fostering student engagement. If kids are not emotionally okay, they will not learn. Kids should be encouraged to become what they should be, not what others tell them.
Maximized Time The Time Analysis Tool helps educators evaluate how time is being used. ● Professional development should be embedded into the day. ● Time to collaborate should be embedded into the day. Teachers would be excited about collaboration, planning, and professional development time. ● CEA is more interested in making a longer year than making a longer day because children get tired after too many hours. Staggered schedules are an effective way to ensure teachers are
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CEA believes staggered starts to facilitate longer days or years should be based on what schedule works best for students and teachers. ● Teachers need to see that collaboration promotes efficiency and effectiveness.
When decided which delivery methods work best for students, practices need to be evidencebased. Extracurricular activities are crucial.
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Maximized Time not working for free and an option when extending the year.
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Educational Partners Denver Office of Children's Affairs (DOCA)
Dramatically Personalized Learning Out of school time (OST) programming is correlated with increases in attendance, academic growth, and reduction of behavioral issues. ● The Denver Afterschool Alliance is a group of city and school leadership members who have created a citywide plan for how to increase access, participation, and quality of OST programming.
Know the Student OST programming has been targeted for increased needs of the students. There is a need to evaluate and acknowledge benefits of out of school programs beyond academic gains. Regular participation, at least 30 days of attendance in after school programming is the most beneficial to students ● There is a need to evaluate and acknowledge benefits of OST programs beyond academic gains. A minimum of 30 days or more is the most beneficial to students.
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The Mayor's office helps to provide grant opportunities to fund OST programs. A minigrant program helps to provide funding to sites who serve a smaller number of students. ● The Beacon Neighborhood Center provides comprehensive services to a large number of students 5 days a week. ● The Youth One, Book One Denver summer literacy program served 1,000 students. ● The Denver Camp is a comprehensive costfree summer program. ● Within
Trainings around positive youth development are provided to educators and partners. ● Agreements are made with partners to ensure that they are adhering to standards of service. ● Strong leadership is important when working with partners to align programs to meet student needs. Some OST programming is delivered by teachers. The DOCA is part of the Denver Quality Afterschool
OST programming is typically seen as more active and participatory than duringschool classes.
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Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA)
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DCTA states that there is a need for a clear definition of ELO. ELO is a first step in reform. At some point the reform will need to think about how poverty and funding will be
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DCTA believes that proper identification of learning targets and student deficiencies would allow for maximization of current resources. ● ELO efforts should focus on schools with
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many of the programs, family supports are built in to help families get their basic needs met.
Connection (DQAC), which is a network of after school providers from the areas of arts and culture, sports and fitness, science and technology, health and nutrition, and academics who help provide various opportunities to children.
What is in the best interest of all involved should be to focus on maximizing time within the existing school day. ● DCTA believes that within the day teachers need planning and
Teacher tutors within the school day would allow for reducing class size and providing more individualized learning for the students. ● When utilizing
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managed.
students who have the greatest needs.
JCEA feels strongly that schools and districts with the strongest collaboration do the best. Everyone should be involved in every step. This leads to greater buy-in as no one should be forced into ELO. Teachers want to see how ELO will affect their students. Teachers want to do what is
Over the summer kids with high needs can lose up to a year of growth. However, not all students experience that same loss. Extended years should be based on the level of mastery and experiences children will likely receive over the summer. ●Looking at data is not always the best way of targeting
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Teachers would love to see a school teach science, social studies, technology, music, and specials on a rotation bases instead of taking the subjects out of the curriculum.
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collaborative time, especially if teaching time has increased.
community partners, nonpolitical organizations should be targeted.
Teachers need more time for collaboration, developing lessons, looking at their data, and expanding their practices. ● Summer programs should be utilized for children who need it most. The JumpStart program helps middle school students transition into high schools. JCEA believes that
Instructional tutors should be available all day for students who need to catch up or may need additional help. ● Community partners can be utilized so teachers have more planning and collaboration time. However, teachers would prefer to have qualified teachers over
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The literacy block can incorporate history, science, or other subjects. ● Online classes can help enrich education but face to face contact is necessary for personalized connections in instruction.
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Dramatically Personalized Learning right for their kids and want to be involved in the process. ●ELO should focus on cultural and artistic expression to promote the development of well-rounded individuals.
Know the Student children for additional instruction of intervention. ● JCEA believes that in order to fully support the child, you need to personally know what the child needs. Therefore there is a need to look at more than just data. ● Evaluations based solely on test scores do not seem to be in the best interest of the child. Collaborations efforts are easiest in smaller communities.
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Maximized Time these programs are beneficial, especially when teachers that the students have an established relationship with are involved. ● Staggered schedules could be beneficial, but there needs to be a focus on not shortchanging kids from all subjects. ● Extending time often means "if you add more of the same, you get more of the same." When extending time, there needs to be a purpose.
Reimagined Human Capital community partners because they understand the school structure and are more studentgrowth oriented. Instructional leaders act as coaches and help teachers perfect their practices. ● Teachers should have a say in what professional development they receive. A parttime teacher could potentially teach in the summer time.
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Educational Partners Southwest TURN (SWTURN)
Dramatically Personalized Learning SWTURN represents 8 states and focuses on better results for students through exposing them to 21st century skills. â—? Because Colorado already has more instruction time than other states, the focus has been maximizing existing time.
Know the Student There is discussion about allowing students who are capable to graduate in less than 12 years.
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Maximized Time The tools from the National Center for Time on Learning allow teachers and professionals to learn how time is being used. Initial focus on time is on maximizing existing time prior to extending time due largely to budgetary constraints.
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Accountability should be increased for everyone involved in ELO. For instance, because of a positive relationship with the teachers union, Jefferson county has been successful in initiating ELO and expanded learning models. Unions should be involved in each step and component of ELO and initiatives including issues such as budget cuts. â—? Teachers are open to the idea of collaboration and utilizing each other
Currently, the possibilities of blended learning models are being analyzed. SWTURN is analyzing how systems will be funded if they rely primarily on virtual learning.
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