Personalized Learning: From Vision to Reality

From Vision to Reality
Personalized, Competency-Based Learning for All Kids

Publication

April 5, 2018

Topics: Student-centered Learning, Systems Change

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

A strong vision should be grounded in what the community wants every student to know and be able to do upon graduation
A school district vision is bigger than the district itself, and the approach to developing the vision should reflect the broader community
As the visioning process moves forward, it is important to not only think about the current state of the learning community, but also how you can take action to prepare students for a future that will look very different

Graduation isn’t the end of learning, and a foundation of personalized competency-based learning prepares today’s students to become lifelong learners.

This is especially important in today’s increasingly dynamic workforce, where a learner’s ability and drive to pursue new ideas and approach problems with creativity and a growth mindset is more critical than ever.

Demand is growing for comprehensive, relevant and rigorous learning environments that empower students to reason, to analyze and to create and collaborate with others to develop solutions and apply what they are learning in a real-world context. Students must be creative, strategic thinkers who can relate and compete on a global scale – and shape their own futures in a time of exponential change.

More than anything, and regardless of what they do after graduation, students must have the capacity and the desire to continue learning. Personalized, competency-based learning empowers learners to do just that, by providing educators with the flexibility and necessary opportunities to understand each learner’s needs, strengths and challenges.

Inside the publication

From Vision to Reality: Personalized, Competency-Based Learning for All Kids^© is designed to help school districts take steps toward personalized, competency-based learning, and equip leaders with the following support to do this critical work:

Rationale for making the case for personalized, competency-based learning, including what it means and resources to support conversations in a learning community
Guidance on crafting a future-focused vision and why it’s important
Essential considerations for educators, students and all stakeholders to ensure implementation of personalized, competency-based learning is successful
Resources on how flexible state and federal education policies can support personalized learning

To prepare every student for success, leaders must look beyond their own district and this moment in time and think about more than this year’s group of incoming students, this year’s graduating class. Students need a strong foundation, and that foundation is strongest when we consider the future, leverage policy innovation and grow the capacity of our educators.