“The best evidence for the rigor and excellence of these efforts [SB 163, 212, 191] has been other states’ adoption of key elements of what is increasingly known as ‘the Colorado model’… These accomplishments underscore Colorado’s commitment to improving education for all students and demonstrate how states can lead the push for education reform.” - Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
Elo and standards & assessments Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) is an innovative teaching and learning platform designed to ignite the unique potential of every child through the creation and delivery of dramatically customized learning experiences. ELO creatively and systematically integrates a vast range of new and existing teaching and learning tools, resources, modules and approaches into more personalized, engaging and relevant learning experiences that tap into each student’s passions, interests and learning styles inside and outside of the classroom.
Standards and Assessments in Colorado’s Context Standards and assessments represent what every student in Colorado should know, be able to do, and demonstrate – regardless of where they live or what school they attend. In 2009, Colorado’s K12 and higher education systems jointly adopted a definition of success when students leave high school, a definition that is shared by a growing number of thought leaders nationally. To be considered postsecondary and workforce ready (PWR) in Colorado, students must be able to master core academic content as well as demonstrate critical learning and behavior skills. The adoption of the description of PWR set in motion a number of major reform efforts in Colorado, including the adoption and implementation of revised academic standards tied to the Common Core that explicitly address such 21st century skills as innovation, critical thinking and reasoning, information literacy, self-direction, and collaboration. Colorado also moved toward the adoption of a new assessment system that is designed to signal mastery of standards at grade level and measure progress toward the skills and content knowledge required to demonstrate college and career readiness. Additionally, the system is being designed to inform instruction and provide early feedback, including interim results and online administration to accommodate timely return of data.
What is the connection between ELO and standards and assessment? The world is changing rapidly. How children learn and what they need to know is changing, too. With the technological advances of the 21st century and the enormity of information in our global society, we need to think differently about how to educate students in ways that are relevant, engaging and dynamic. If standards and assessments represent what students need to know, be able to do, and demonstrate; ELO represents how students learn. Making the connections between ELO and standards means working at the school and classroom levels to rethink how standards are packaged and delivered to maximize student engagement. For example, linking standards and delivery of content to individual student skills and interests; unbundling content to meet individual student needs; delivering standards and content via multiple methods that encompass varied learning styles; and reinforcing that competency matters more than seat time.
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Connecting ELO and assessments means working at the school and classroom levels to rethink how and when individual student assessment data is used to inform and customize the delivery of standards. For example, assessments that encompass real-time measurements and enable flexibility for schools to test students when they are ready to advance. A five-year goal of the ELO Initiative is that Colorado students will have ample opportunities to master content and skills through a blend of experiences that integrate classroom and school-based educators with the strategic use of external online and community-based partners.
Why is this important? Research is clear that when students find relevance, challenge and excitement in learning, they are more likely to have increased attendance, achievement and engagement. While Colorado’s State Board of Education and Department of Education determine the statewide standards and assessments systems, local districts and schools have autonomy and flexibility to determine what implementation looks like and with what curriculum, programming, partners, methods of delivery, etc., make the most sense for their students, in their specific context.
What are the benefits for students and teachers? The key elements of the ELO vision are meant to aid and accelerate the efforts of district, school, and classroom leaders in the implementation of new standards and assessments. For example:
How do elements of the ELO vision support standards and assessments? Knowing the student means educators know what students know, can do, and are ready for, as well as, what motivates them and how they work and learn best. Modularizing content means 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. Maximizing time means 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.
More timely and accessible data will support educators’ ability to customize the delivery of standards to student interests and learning styles. More timely and accessible data, including assessments that inform acquisition of skills in addition to mastery of content, will support educators’ ability to use what they know about each student to determine next steps, grade, as well as course completion and earned credit. Identifying more flexible and creative staffing and scheduling structures will provide school leaders with greater options for how they respond to student data – focusing student learning and teacher collaboration time on the areas of identified need.
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How do elements of the ELO vision support standards and assessments? Knowing the student means educators know what students know, can do, and are ready for, as well as, what motivates them and how they work and learn best. Reimagining human capital means 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. Varying delivery methods means teachers and schools work with students in flexible systems that provide students with multiple ways to engage in and demonstrate the same rigorous learning.
More timely and accessible data will support educators’ ability to customize the delivery of standards to student interests and learning styles. Leveraging expertise inside and outside of the classroom will support school leaders’ ability to create learning experiences that engage students with standards and content in more relevant ways.
Students and parents should feel integral to this process, and should experience more customized options that recognize that each student in class will not learn the same way.
What’s next? ELO Initiative implementation priorities and other upcoming opportunities: • During the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years, Colorado schools and districts are expected to transition to the new standards with full implementation occurring by the 2013-14 school year. The Colorado Legacy Foundation (CLF) will be looking to highlight and invest in proof points, partners, and exemplars that model this transition through the lens of the ELO vision. • Assuming that funding is identified and secured, Colorado’s new assessment system is currently scheduled to be administered in the 2013-14 school year. The Colorado Department of Education’s Content Collaboratives are working to identify interim and formative assessments that districts can use to measure student progress more frequently and explore movement through the system based on mastery of content instead of seat-time. Related, Colorado is a leading state partner in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a 23-state consortium working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers. These new, innovative K-12 assessments will build a pathway to college and career readiness by the end of high school, mark students’ progress toward this goal from 3rd grade up, and provide teachers with timely information to inform instruction and provide student support. They are slated to launch in Colorado in 2015. CLF will be looking to highlight and invest in proof points, partners, and exemplars that model regular use of student data to drive personalized learning and inform decisionmaking by stakeholders. Recommendations from Colorado’s ELO Commission related to standards and assessments: • Develop individualized learning and assessment plans for students that are co-developed by teachers, families and the student and include flexible schedules, as well as blended, direct, online, project-based, experiential and creative learning opportunities, based on each student’s needs and interests. 1 6 6 0 L i n c o l n S t . , S u i t e 2 7 2 0 * D e n v e r, C O 8 0 2 6 4 * ( 3 0 3 ) 7 3 6 . 6 4 7 7 * i n f o @ c o l e g a c y. o r g
• Expand the use of career and technical education, pre-collegiate service providers and community-based organizations to customize student learning opportunities, including both in- and out-of-school contexts. • Expand blended, distance and online learning as primary strategies for expanding learning opportunities and meeting individual student needs. • Further explore and disseminate models that effectively incorporate blended learning models with the traditional classroom. Questions for consideration: • How can schools and community partners work together to understand Colorado’s revised standards and align efforts to share ownership for meeting them? • How can schools and districts use real-time assessment data to create flexible schedules and nimble student/ teacher relationships that respond to individual learning needs? • How can community partners and blended learning programs be utilized to enhance or supplement local postsecondary and workforce readiness program requirements?
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