Based on our research, school districts must cultivate and align to 10 conditions to effectively scale personalized learning.

Over the past few years, there have been numerous publications, reports and briefs focusing on the elements of an innovative school from a programmatic and a policy standpoint. These have helped to shape what practitioners and policymakers expect to see in innovative, student-centered or personalized learning environments.

Personalized learning, broadly speaking, is stuck in the school pilot phase. There are examples of personalized learning environments, models and schools nationwide. We have all seen that great school or model and the world of possibilities it offers for the students that attend the school. But how are the other students in that district being educated? How do we reach a level of scale for personalized learning? How do we move from isolated examples to whole systems that provide personalized learning options for all students? How do we build a school system, a learning system, with personalized learning at the core? One important step in this work is to identify the conditions for scale that exist at a district level. In other words, what are the conditions that a district should put in place to support the scaling of personalized learning throughout a K-12 school district?

Personalized learning requires the following elements:

• Instruction that is aligned to rigorous college-and-career-ready standards and the social and emotional skills students need to be successful in college and career
• Individualized instruction allows each student to design learning experiences aligned with their interests
• The pace of instruction is varied based on individual student needs, allowing students to accelerate or take additional time based on their level of mastery
• Educators’ use of data from formative assessments and student feedback in real-time to differentiate instruction and provide robust supports and interventions so that every student remains on track to graduation
• Student and parent access to clear, transferable learning objectives and assessment results so they understand what is expected for mastery and advancement

District conditions necessary for scaling personalized learning:

• Curriculum
• Instruction
• Comprehensive assessment system
• Learning environments
• Student supports
• Professional development
• Leadership development
• Technology policy
• Comprehensive data systems
• Partnerships

These conditions can help districts across the country implement a more aligned, supportive education system that is oriented towards putting the student at the center of the system through an expressed focus on personalized learning.