BARRINGERPassion! Joy! Smiles! Sometimes even giggles and a bit ofmagic. This is what Personalized Learning looks like at Barringer.

Ms. Ashworth is preparing her lesson plans for the week. Her math andscience time will include a Google classroom lesson on fractions inmathematics and the scientific process in preparation for science fair. She willbuild in time to conference with her students using their interactive notebooksto set individual goals for the first three weeks of the second quarter. She willalso allow for open exploration time to practice and investigate their math andscience concepts on Khan Academy during the open computer lab time. Ms.Ashworth builds in one hour a week for students to explore a topic of theirchoice that they want to research. The topic should be an idea or concept thatstudents cannot easily Google. The students will compile their research into atechnology presentation for other students and teachers. This specialexploration hour is known as “Genius Hour” and students are really enjoyingthis free exploration time each week

STUDENTS KNOW BEST

tEACH ER PERSPECTIVE

aCADEMIC CENTER

Sophia giggles to herself as she reads a funny part of her book during SEM-Rtime. (Schoolwide Enrichment Model - Renzulli) Today is a reading day, andshe knows her turn to conference with the teacher is coming up. She checksher post-it notes where she has jotted down questions and thoughts as shehas read, to make sure she is ready to discuss her book with the teacher. Tomorrow is a project day, where she can work on one of many choices toshow her understanding of her book. Her classmates are all doing the same,each with a different book of their own.

Michael's instruction begins the night before when he watches either aLearnzillion video or a standard specific Youtube video on the upcomingstandard of instruction. When he enters his Math class (grouped by ability), theteacher gives an "entrance" quiz of 3-5 questions based on the currentmaterial. If Michael does well on the entrance quiz, he may elect to skip theteacher's mini-lesson and proceed straight to his daily choices.

cONFERENCING pROJECTBASED

LEARNING

DIGITALLEARN I NG

mini-lessons STUDENT CHOICE STUDENT OWNERSHIP

CARMEL MIDDLEPersonalized Learning

How does a student define P L?

Student PerspectivePete finds a seat near the frontof the room since he struggledwith last night’s math video onlinear equations. After askingquestions during his homeworkreview, he moves to the back ofthe room, as he now understandshis mistakes. He grabs acomputer, finds teacher selectedresources on Blendspace, putson his “get focused” music, andbegins his chosen pathway ofassignments to complete.

Mini-lessonsStudents choose to joina mini-lesson based onassignment results

Digital LearningStudents have accessto Chromebooks anduse them as an aid topersonalize learning

PathwaysStudents use platformsthat are adaptive andchoose how to meettheir learning objective

"Choices, engagement, possibilities,As an educator these ideas fulfill me!Collaborate, create, present, Mystudents demonstrate excitement!Forever changed by pathways tolearning, My passion for teaching,ever yearning!" Carmel Teacher

My Science class flips! By watching myteacher’s instructional video at home, I’mable to pause, rewind, and take noteswithout any classroom interruptions. I’ve always been a student that’s beeneasily distracted, so flipping myinstruction as homework helps me focus. The next day in class, I’m prepared andready to collaborate with my peers as wechoose our pathway to demonstrateunderstanding of the lesson. My teacherhas given us choices, and my group hasdecided to grapple with a hands-on labanalysis! I’ll never miss a day of scienceinstruction again, because my teacher’swiki has all video lessons uploaded andarchived for easy review!

Personalized Learning

One of the first transformations 4th gradeteachers made this school year was achange in the physical environment. Achange noticed immediately by Tra’shonewho walked into his 4th grade classroomand yelled “Where are the desks?” This wasthe first but not the only difference studentsnoticed the first quarter of the year. Improved relationships between teachersand peers are evident as well. “My teacherand I get along this year and I have morefriends because I get to talk more in class. Iwant to do better. On Fridays I look at myreflection sheet and try to improve stuff that Idid not do well on,” Trashone stated duringhis interview. Fourth grade teachers havemade great strides to create an environmentthat encourages collaboration, buildscommunity, and fosters relationships. Thishas increased student accountability andtime on task. Tra’shone’s view andacknowledgement of his change in attitudeabout school is an indication of ourstudents’ buy-in to the school’s cultural shift.

TEACHERS'CORNER

Jessica arrives at her classroom and sits at atable to enjoy breakfast. She does not havean assigned seat, but instead keeps hermaterials in a chair pocket. This means thatshe is able to sit at different spaces in theroom throughout the day. Jessica enjoysworking on the carpet, but her favorite placeto work is on a pillow or beanbag chairscattered throughout the room. She knowswhere materials are stored in the room sothat she can access them when she needs to. Because she is not stuck at an assigneddesk all day, Jessica spends her days stayingon task and completing her work.

STUDENT CORNER

Flexible Learning Collaboration StudentOwnership

Reflection

EASTOVERWhere students exercise choice and teachers incorporate a

blended learning environment to strengthen theimplemetnation of Personalized Learning

BLENDEDLEARNING

PROJECT BASEDLEARNING STUDENT OWNERSHIP

A FEW PERSPECTIVES

One way our school is usingPersonalized Learning isthrough flipped classroom. Ilove flipped classroom for lotsof reasons. I like to do funexperiments because I like tosee what I am learning. Ithelps me to understand theconcepts more and keep theknowledge with me forlonger. I know that theteachers want to give thelessons before experiments. Alot of the time at school it iseasy to zone out and notlisten. When I am at home Ifind it easy to zone in on thelesson more. I feel like it is moremy pace. Also I can email myteacher directly if I have anyquestions about anythingconfusing. Times before a test Ican look at the videos andquickly be ready for the testtomorrow and know it long-term. This year in all of mysubjects I have done betterbecause of flipped classroom.

One way of PersonalizedLearning we are doing in 5thgrade is a passion project. Ithappens once a week wherewe can explore any topic thatinterests us. My thoughts of ourpassion projects are too muchto put on a page. We get toexpress our passions andfeelings in a new different waythan just doing a written report.It gives us a chance to look intoand learn more about thingsthat we love!! I think this is agood idea because it haschanged the way that I look atprojects and other assignments. I love school, but doing thingslike this has put a whole newgear in my mind to thinkdifferently and that there ismore to everything in life. Ihave certain areas where it’sharder to think and not zoneout. I don’t know why I functionlike this it was just something Iwas born with..

As a teacher, I have seen somuch opportunity forsuccess by introducing mystudents to elements ofPersonalized Learning. Thisyear, we have incorporatedgenius hour, project-basedlearning, and flippedclassrooms throughout ourschool, and the results havebeen fantastic. We haveobserved that our studentsare more comfortable, moremotivated and eager toabsorb new informationabout topics thanbefore...no matter theirability or skill level. They arecoming around to realizethe importance ofownership when it comes totheir learning, which instills aself-awareness and intrinsicdrive that is difficult toteach. By facilitating thesefeelings among our students,we have seen such achange in their outlook onschool in general. A studenteven said to me the otherday, "It's like you all areteaching to me specifically,"which can't help but bringsmiles to our faces.

Whole Child, Student Ownership, MasteryLearning , Pace, Playlist, Pathways

Gran OaMrs. Oak received a survey in her email inbox aboutchoosing which topic she is most interested in focusing herprofessional development on this semester. She chose froma list of options generated by the first school staff meeting. Once she made her choice, she met with the group thatalso is interested in her topic to determine their goals andobjectives for their learning. For example, in her“Working with TD Students” group, her team decided tofocus on administering a multiple intelligence survey andwork together to develop a bank of PBL activities fordifferent grade levels. Her professional developmentgroup meets monthly to check-in on objectives, goals, andnext steps to creating a final product of their learning toshare with the whole staff.

Ariana enters her fifth grade Math classand reviews her multiplication pre-assessment from the previous day. Sheanalyzes which objectives were herstrengths and which were her weaknessesand documents them in her data notebook. She logs into her Google classroom to findavailable math workshop activities inBlendSpace for her to choose from basedon the objectives she needs. Her teachervisits with her to check in, conference, andgive feedback on her goals. When Arianahas practiced and feels confident in hermastery, she chooses to pick up an exitticket for that specific objective.

Colbyʼs class and his friendʼs class are utilizing the mediacenter space during their Social Studies time for acollaborative group project. Colby and his group loginto their Google classroom to find the project rubric andexpectations. They assign jobs and goals to each other inorder to get started, and communicate with each otherabout their research, and together decide on apresentation product that best fits their needs. Colby andhis group review the rubric together to determine thattheir presentation meets or exceeds expectations.

Student Perspective

Data Notebooks

Choice Boards

Action Plans

Collaboration

PERSONALIZEDLEARNING

Mat

hR

EAD

ING

I really like Genius hour because youhave an hour when you first come toschool to do whatever you arepassionate about. Sammie and I haveworked on a project about roller-coasterswhere we explored force and motions. Me and Parnika have been working ona coding project on Hopscotch a codingapp for beginners. We are coding ahealth quiz to ask random questionsabout foods you eat and exercise. I likethe Personalized Math because you don’thave to do the things you have alreadymastered. You only do the things you donot know or need to work on. I am onmultiplying fractions right now and Ithink I am good at it and ready for mypost test.

5TH GradeZoe

I am really enjoying the new Genius Hourbecause I get a chance to make some newfriends. My friends and I are making amovie called "Detective Cheese." I am theVillian Sidekick “Evil Will.” I have alsoresearched dinosaurs and found out somuch that I did not know even though Ihave been interested in dinosaurs since Iwas a little kid. I like the new mathschedule because I get to work at my ownpace. I am in the dividing decimals andwhole numbers pathway right now. I amstill working on the word problem levelbut will be ready for the exit when I amdone. In my class we have a couch andsome big been bags with pillows andblankets. I feel I can concentrate more onreading when I am comfy.

5th GradeWill

Fifth Grade TeacherLuci Unferth,

It is exciting to work at Hawk Ridge andbe a part of the Personalized Learningjourney. The students are motivated andexcited about learning. I love seeing themexplore their passions during Genius Hour. One of my students recently told me,“Genius hour is a happy place because youget to focus on what you really enjoy andpush each other to try new things.”Although I always strive to get to know mystudents on a personal and academic level,this year I feel like I know them evenbetter. In math students are moving attheir own pace. They are taking ownershipin their learning by setting goals andreflecting on their mastery. Because mathis designed for each student, the studentsare feeling successful and challenged.

Interest Based Learning Flexible Learning Opp.

Mastery Learning Relationships

Kennedy revamped it's master schedule to allow students dedicatedPersonalized Learning time for exploration in areas of interest tostudents. Within regular class time, teachers are using the blendedlearning model of rotation. This model is used to group studentsbased on their mastery levels. Teachers are also able to provide mini-lessons for groups of students who need additional assistance.

Kennedy PersonalizedLearning

1. Incorporate pathways

2. Incorporate interest experiences

3. Incorporate PD time for teachersIt is early Tuesday afternoon, and Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Bloom sit together ina sixth grade math classroom at KMS. Bloom is creating pre-assessments andexit tickets on ExitTix.com for their upcoming unit on decimals, and Campbellis pouring through resources they might use for skill practice, application, andextension as a part of their new mastery-based learning pathways. Before theend of this weekly 3.5 hour PD and planning session, they will have learned theins and outs of Compass Learning and how it can benefit students at all levels,completed a full set (mastery, partial mastery, and non-mastery) of learningpathways for the following week, and compiled pull-out lists of students whowill receive remediation during PL Block over the next few days. It’s a lot ofwork, but if the students’ increased mastery levels versus last year are anyindication of its value, the added work is more than worth it

Anthony bounces lightly on the yoga ball as he types away on the iPad inKennedy Middle School’s cyber cafe. He is putting the finishing touches on hisscript for his newest video creation. Tomorrow, he and the rest of the students

in his “Go Viral!” video class will begin filming their short films in variouslocations around school. A movie fanatic, he’s spent hours watching and

thinking about the creation of box office hits, so when given the opportunity tomove to the other side of the camera for two hours every Tuesday, he jumped

on it.

Jada walks into Mrs. Bloom’s PL homebase and immediately looks to the “PLMenu” on the SmartBoard. The board sparks her memory - reminding her of thelearning pathways she has to complete for each of her classes. Aftermastering her decimals pre-assessment in math, she is working with aclassmate on a game board that other students can play to help them practicedecimal operations. She only has about twenty minutes to work on it, though,as she knows she has a phone call scheduled with a rabbi in the city to learnmore about Judaism for her newest Social Studies pathway.

Perspectives onPersonalized Learning3

Personal e Learnin aLak Wyli

Personalized Learning will be implemented over athree-year period. This year, 4th grade will be the

primary level. School-wide implementation includesthe "Leader in Me" and a genius hour.

Student Ownership

Mastery Learning

Paces,Playlist, Pathways

4th Grade Perspectives

When I walk into theclassroom I immediatelyknow what to get startedon. My teacher does not

have to redirect or explainworkshop time. This is the

time we are able torespond to reading on ourindependent level and ourchoice. We begin workingon a reading menu that

provides choices foractivities that help us toreflect on our reading. I

am able to work at a spotin the room that is the

most comfortable to me. Iknow how to take control

of my learning.

-Fourth grade student

Genius hour time issomething I look forwardto almost more than anyother part of my day. Wesometimes meet in the

technology lab andsometimes are able to

have a class set of iPads.This allows us to use

technology to help exploreour own ideas for

learning. We sometimeshave guidelines such asresearching leaders, but

we get to choose a leaderthat is interesting to usand how we will present

the information. Thisallows us to be productive

and invested in ourlearning. I enjoy geniushour because it gives usthe chance to discover

and be creative.

-Fourth grade student

As I walk into myclassroom for readingworkshop, I see my

students already workingon their “must dos.” Theyknow what is important tobe successful in workshopand are on task. They arereading books that are ontheir level and books theyare interested in. I quickly

walk around the roomand make sure studentsare focused and do notneed my help for theirreading response. I callover one of my novelstudy groups and webegin reading and

discussing our reading.Personalized learning has

given students theopportunity to flourishand feel successful. -Mrs. Fennel, Fourth

Grade Teacher

Genius Hour

Data Notebooks Mini-Lessons

Meta-cognition

Student Choice

Martin Luther King, Jr.Personalized Learning

A workshop model for Science and Socialstudies, along with the incorporation ofblended learning models is being used toimplement Personalized Learning at MLK.Students also use their Chromebooks andother digital tools (e.g., DiscoveryEd) inclasses to incorporate different learningpaths.

Student Perspective

Jaquan is reading a book called “We Beat the Streets” whichreflects young boys making decisions about their future and havingto choose a college to attend. Jaquan is required to describe thestudents from the book and complete an activity that allows him toapply the skills that he has learned to show his understanding of theconcept. He along with other students are researching colleges anddifferent majors to assist them in making decisions for their futurecareer paths. This activity allows Jaquan to have ownership by usingtechnology during genius hour to develop awareness of othercultures.

Lasha walks into her science classroom and discovers that herclass has a Choice Board activity for the unit on Matter. Lasha isexcited, she will be able to decide which activities she wants tocomplete. She will also be able to apply, design and create ameaningful activity based on her own decision-making. Lasha feelslike she has ownership of her work because of the flexibility, theright to choose and the freedom to work at her own pace. Inaddition she has the benefit of utilizing the chrome book to assist inher work. Lasha and her peers critique each other’s work to givepositive/negative feedback to each other.

StudentOwnership

Learning Paths

Digital Learning

Teacher Perspective Ms. Neilsen creates a classroom environment that is cozy and comfortable for her students. Thestudents in all of her classes have seating options that allow them to opt out of the traditional deskand chair organization. At times, Ms. Nielsen dims the lights to set the tone of the classroom,uses different pillow sizes and carpet on the floor in corners for the students to utilize for sitting.Ms. Nielsen uses data from exit tickets from lessons to drive instruction. Students complete theirSocial Studies assignments and activities using the station rotation model. Ms. Nielsen facilitatesthe class while allowing her students to make their own choices with the activity while working attheir own pace.

Newell

Elementary

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Walking into class Cesar is excited to start the day withmorning meeting. He knows this is a place where he can behimself, learn from others, and work as a team to talk aboutpersonal and global issues. When Ms. Nelson asks him tolead the class greeting it makes him feel empowered andbuilds his confidence. As he transitions to his happy spotin the blue bean bag for Reader's Workshop, he pulls out abook he chose which he feels is just right for him. Cesar isnot frustrated with reading like he was last year when histeacher told him what to read. Today he is eager to get lostin his book. While he is reading, Ms. Wheeler sits next tohim to confer about his book. Cesar shares his strugglesand his successes. He feels like the boss of his learning. Ms. Wheeler gives Cesar a compliment after listening tohim read and then shares a personal teaching point just forhim! He makes a note of the tip in his reading trackerwhere he keeps notes around his reading growth. Afterthey practice the new teaching point, Ms. Wheeler moves toher next conference and Cesar settles back into the beanbag and can’t wait to read another chapter with Ms.Wheeler’s tip in mind.

Effective Communicators

Self Directed Learner

Teacher Perspective

Data Driven

Flexible Learning

Continuous Feedback

Whole Child

Collaborators

After analyzing gaps identified in her students’ mathcommon assessment and looking across additional dataon her teacher dashboard, Ms. Klinger diagnoses severalmisconceptions her students are exhibiting when addingand subtracting fractions. She uses the data to designseveral coaching sessions to offer students during MathWorkshop to close their math gaps. As students enterthe classroom, they update their student dashboards,adding their common assessment score. After studentsreflect on their growth areas, Ms. Klinger addresses hermathematicians and asks a student to lead the class intheir Know.Grow.Go. cheer to prime their minds inpersevering through problem solving today. As studentssettle in to their personal math pathway, Ms. Klinger joinsfour students at the round table to have chosen to attendher first coaching session on adding fractions with unlikedenominators. After holding two additional conferencesessions, she has allotted time for conferring one on onewith three students who attempted to reference previousdigital mini lessons prior to seeking out her support. Ms.Klinger closes her Math Workshop with a share time,where students offer their success and struggleexperiences to problem solve with their peers.

1

2

3

4

5

OlympicRENAISSANCE

Personalized Learning at

Aryana has taken several career assessmenttests, personality tests, and workshops ondifferent careers. After reflecting on this data,she chooses to explore jobs in the legal field.She signs up for the Mayor’s Youth EmploymentProgram through the school and attends theMYEP trainings held at her school. ThroughMYEP, she secures a paid internship with a non-profit law firm. She speaks with her teachersabout this opportunity, and works with herteachers to tailor many of her projects andlessons to the legal profession.

cOLLEGE AND CAREER READY

idea Instructor Corner

Tia is a math facilitator for all grade levels. Students have her class as anenrichment block to work on standards in the Common Core Curriculum. Tiaconferences with the students' classroom teacher and the student semi-quarterlyto identify objectives in which student is not meeting mastery. She then uses thegoals to create playlists for reteaching objectives during enrichment period. Whilestudents work daily, Tia conferences with them based on schedule posted at thestart of the week. Students pick 5 goals for the week of which to demonstratemastery. When students feel ready during their conference with Tia they argueevidence of mastery with artifacts for proof. Once argument is "proved beyondreasonable doubt" students receive post assessment. Enrichment occurs everyThursday for fifty minutes.

1

Mr. Dunn is a European History teacher. He is working with the 10th grade mathteacher on the creation of a World War II unit. After a brief overview of the war, thestudents have chosen topics that interest them- specific battles, specific countries,political propaganda, art, concentration camps, and any other topic that they can thinkof that is appropriate to World War II. The students then research their topic andcreate a digital presentation (uploaded to the Google classroom site so that theirpeers have access to it) on their topic that also incorporates statistical trend modeling. Mr. Dunn lets students work alone, in partners, or in groups. At the end of the unit,students present their information and reflect on what they learned. Using Mr. Dunn’sunit objectives rubric, students determine where there might be gaps in theirknowledge.

These gaps are then addressed in supplemental mini-lessons or activities by Mr.Dunn before the end of the unit.

2

PERSONALIZEDLEARNING

"His teacher asks him what hewants to learn"

Amari is the kind of kid that loves a challenge.He has great number sense and always excels inmath. Last year in fourth grade he felt bored inmath because he always finished his work earlyso his teacher would ask him to help other kids,but he found he had a hard time explaining histhinking in a way other kids could understand. This year, fifth grade has been a completelydifferent story for Amari. His class is doingpersonalized learning for math and his teacheractually asks him what he wants to learn! Whenhe masters a topic he gets to move on andlearn about something new. He finds he stayschallenged and engaged and his passion formath has been reignited.

Student Interest

Mastery Learning

Blended Learning

“ He can't wait to share the newstrategy he has learned today.”Johann has never met a challenge he doesn'taccept and loves to push himself to new levels. Histeacher is currently teaching subtraction strategies,but based on his pre-assessment, he knows he hasalready mastered that standard. While some of hisclassmates attend a lesson, he begins work on alearning path. He still can’t believe that he gets tochoose the ways he goes about learning new skills.After he watches a quick video (that one of his peerscreated) teaching a new multiplication strategy, hechooses that he would like to practice using sometask cards. He gets stuck a few times, but is able toask some peers for help. He finishes checking hisanswers right as his teacher calls him back for hismath conference. He can’t wait to share the newstrategy he has learned today!

Learning Paths

“ Several students join her at thecarpet for small group instruction.”Ms. Walters ends her morning meeting, remindingstudents that the week’s focus is being a Self-Directed Learner. She posts her agenda for the day,on the Smartboard, which tells students the smallgroup instruction options for the day, as well aswhich students will be conferred with at the end ofthe period. She watches as her students find theirmath materials, which includes a learning path,notebook, and manipulatives, then head to alearning space. Several students join her at thecarpet for her first small group instruction lessonwhile the others are actively engaged in theirpersonalized learning paths.

Mini-Lessons

StudentConferences

Personalized LearningRidge RoadWhen you walk into a Personalized Learning classroom at RidgeRoad, you will observe students who are engaged in their learningexperience, because they get to choose how they learn throughthe use of choice menus and instructional options. In addition, ourstudents are effectively being taught how to use technology inorder to enhance and extend their learning beyond the schoolday. Google Classroom, Blend Space, Flipped Classroom, Discovery Education, and Compass Learning are just a few of thetools that support the students individual pathways, as well asunderstanding of how to use technology to help them succeed ina 21st century learning environment. Our students are takingownership over their learning by creating weekly action plans,which help drive their personal and academic goals. They alsodelve deeper into their understanding of content by “thinkingabout their thinking”. Students use self-reflections as a time toconference with teachers and peers in order to understand wheretheir current level of mastery is and how they can continue to growfrom that point. Furthermore, each teacher and student isdedicated to achieving mastery learning by identifying their levelof understanding through the use of multiple self-assessmenttools. In addition, students track their academic proficiency ofeach standard on digital data-trackers to ensure a consistenteffort in achieving mastery of each concept.

“Technology helps mewith my work, because itis easier and faster touse. I recommendtechnology, because itwill be easier forstudents to work in classor at home.” Student

“Mastery Learning helpsme as a studentunderstand and learntopics that I need to workon more. I can see whattopics I am struggling inor where I amsucceeding.” Student

“Personalized Learning hasbeen a wonderfulexperience for me and mystudents. My style ofteaching has been taken tothe next level by addingstudent choices based ondata! Teacher

“Personalized Learning hashelped in providing everystudent with a path toacademic success! Whenyou enter our classroomstudents are engaged andmotivated through studentchoice and 21st centuryskills. Teacher

Reflection Corner

Student Ownership Pathways Self Reflection Data Trackers

Tuckaseegee ElementaryTuck-Town: A replicable, model for community-wide sustainable, transformation under which learning is

possible and possibilities are endless! Provides daily experience in a society based, free enterprise systemfostering entrepreneurship, collaboration, leadership, and self directed learning

LI/TD Magnet

On a Monday, after a long weekend, the manager of Tuck Town's Warehouse asked if she could run a fewideas by me. When we sat down she pulled out a folder of work she had taken home to complete over thebreak. She explained that over the break she was thinking about ways to help the warehouse run moresmoothly. She created a set of warehouse norms for ALL employees including "Be nice to each other." and"Make sure the customer does not get mad." She also created an individual list of responsibilities for herselfand her employees. That afternoon, when all students reported to work, the warehouse manager called a"Warehouse Meeting". She reviewed the rules and responsibilities she created for each of her employees,had them sign their responsibilities sheet (which she hung on the warehouse wall for the employees to referto), and gave them all new handmade name tags to start the new week!"

"I think that Micro helps us understand what the real world is like. You have a job, you pay rent, you havemoney, and you get to spend it as you wish on break days. It is really nice to know what adults do every dayat such a young age. I LOVE MICRO." --4th grade student, T-shirt Designer

Students

"Micro Society Prepares us for our future and shows us how to work hard to achieve our goals." --3rd gradestudent, Sassy Spa Owner"I like Micro Society because it teaches about real life. Now I know how to deal with money, run a business,and now, I also know how to fill in important paperwork." --5th grade student, Tuck Town News Reporter

Teacher

"My child loves coming to school each day and works hard at building his business. He sees the value incollaborating with others who share a common vision, is learning how to delegate tasks effectively, and mustthink through many real world problems on a daily basis. He is learning how to creatively approach problemsand determine possible outcomes." --Parent of AeroSpace Museum Owner

Parents

StudentOwnership

PL Learner ProfilesMeta-cognition/Reflection

Personalized Learning is being implemented in gradesK-2 with a focus on Balanced Literacy. Grades 3-5 arefocused on mastery learning and student ownership.

whitewater academy

{student perspective}Emilee gets her Growth Binder from her cubby and returns to her seat to getready to receive her latest AIMSWeb tests back from Mrs. McTaggart. Emileechecked her own work right after the tests and knows approximately how shedid and wrote herself a note on each about her performance and whether sheneeds to study a particular area more or not. She opens her binder andplaces each test – Reading Comprehension – MAZE, Reading Fluency- R-CBM, Math Computation, and Math Reasoning - Concepts and Applicationsbehind the appropriate graph. As she does so, she colors in the graph so shecan see whether her current scores are trending up or down. She sees thatshe dipped in fluency, so she makes a plan to read out loud and have herparents time her to bring that score back up. Her math computation is up, butshe notices that math reasoning is not moving up, so she turns in a requestfor a conference with her teacher to make a plan for extra practice on wordproblems. She knows she can also use Dreambox and IXL to practice, aswell. She is excited about her plan and can’t wait until next week to see if herperformance improves.

Student ChoiceData Driven Feedback Flexible

Learning

William walks back to the kidneytable with 3 other classmates tomeet with Mrs. Moebes for hisgroup time. He makes sure to grabhis green Phonics tracking folderbefore going. Once he gets to thetable, he opens up his folder andchecks which spelling patterns hehas colored in – the ones he hasmastered - and which ones he stillneeds to work on. He knows heneeds to practice the silent espelling pattern this week, and hethinks about how he is going topractice it – a blind sort with abuddy, magazine search, writingsentences, draw and label, a wordhunt? Ohhh, or maybe he canpractice on an iPad or thecomputer? So many possibilities…and the choice is his!

Can we come to ESL classearlier?” asked Alberto. Heheads straight to the computerto log-on because he doesn’twant to waste time waiting forthe computer. He grabs hisjournal and scans the page toread his last entry about hispassion project on shoes. Hestarts talking to himself aboutwhat he wants to know. Afterreading a question from hisjournal, he starts typing. “Whoa! I wonder…,” exclaimed Albertowhile reading about his chosentopic. He turns to a classmatenearby and enthusiastically tellsthem what he has discoveredwhether or not they are listeningto him.