At its core, personalized learning is about recognizing that no two students learn exactly the same way. It goes beyond a one-size-fits-all approach by focusing on each student's strengths, needs, and pace of learning. By creating more flexible, student-centered classrooms, personalized learning allows students to take ownership of their education and develop the skills they need to thrive both academically and personally.
To learn more about how districts are integrating innovative educational practices and data-driven tools for more personalized learning, EdSurge spoke with <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jwmancuso” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>Dr. José MancusoSuperintendent of East York School Districtand Michael CalvertDirector of Primary Education Southern Allegheny School District. Your Pennsylvania districts are using real-time data to inform instruction, foster student ownership of learning, and support teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students.
EdSurge: What inspired your districts to shift to more personalized instructional practices?
Mancuso: When I joined the district in 2018, Eastern York already had innovative practices in place, such as K-5 coding and STEM initiatives. As superintendent, I wanted to explore these practices further. I asked the teachers if they wanted to move forward and how we could get there. From your responses, we began to develop a plan to establish a new vision for the district.
In October 2018, we gathered everyone in our auditorium to see “Most likely to be successful”, which showcased personalized learning. Additionally, my administrators studied innovative school models in several locations. we examine Battle for children and the portrait of a graduateamong other experiences.
We then collaborated with a thought partner on a framework around modern learning that incorporated the Portrait of a Graduate model. In April 2019, we began our journey to personalize learning. Our focus was on addressing learner variability (how students learn at different rates) and tailoring instruction on an individual basis.
We have branded our district with the belief that there is no such thing as an average student; Each student has an irregular learning profile. Now in our district we talk about Design, teach and learn to the limits.which is our personalized approach.
Calvert: We follow the data as a district. We are not just talking about (Pennsylvania School Testing System), but rather our training data and what we see in the classrooms. Our building data showed that the number of students proficient in mathematics was not sufficient. We needed to improve that number and send kids to high school with math skills. Even classroom training data showed a greater variety of needs, with students at different learning levels in each classroom. We obviously needed to change our approach to mathematics to identify what each student needed and adapt instruction accordingly.
What initial obstacles did you face when you began your transformations?
Calvert: The biggest obstacle was getting teachers up to speed and supporting them in their practice. It wasn't about acceptance, but about helping teachers feel comfortable making changes. successfully. This involved professional development, providing space for collaboration, sharing best practices and challenges, and offering administrative support. We gave teachers the opportunity to fail, succeed, and learn from mistakes.
Hill McGraw has been a great partner in helping us design support for our teachers. Our main challenge was to ensure that when we asked teachers to change their practice, we could listen to them, support them, provide the necessary professional development and offer them confidence and opportunities to work together to do it well.
Mancuso: For us, it was important to develop a shared understanding of personalized learning: how we as a district define it and what it looks like in classrooms. We focus on implementing this systematically and not on a small scale.
Our professional development focused on helping teachers move from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered one. Once we established that, we focused on expanding it. We created a common glossary of terms, so when teachers come into the district, we define what these concepts mean specifically in Eastern York.
What do teachers and students need most to be successful in a modern learning environment?
Mancuso: To support teachers, we found that data analysis with prescriptive plans is crucial, along with technology for flexible grouping and small group instruction. We are exploring resources that allow teachers to help multiple groups simultaneously, access grade-level content, remediate struggling students, and accelerate others. Teachers have expressed the need for a repository of resources to create learning plans, which has been key in the implementation of personalized learning.
Students need to know who they are as students. We started talking about student profiles and how (those profiles) connect with students. When we ask them to make decisions in their learning, they need to know why they make that decision. Now we are talking about student ownership and student agency.
How has McGraw Hill helped you better use student achievement data?
Calvert: McGraw Hill Plus for PreK-12 Helps teachers effectively use student performance data by integrating multiple sources, including ALEX, Reveal math assignments and assessments, and NWEA MAP. Instead of spending time collecting, organizing, and analyzing data from these sources individually, Standards and Skills Charts allow teachers to easily use a more complete picture of student progress. Besides, McGraw Hill Plus allows our educators to quickly form groups and assign specific learning activities for customization.
Mancuso: We have data in front of us consistently and constantly. Every time we use an exit ticket or create a new assignment, we have new student data for teachers to analyze.
We have become much more data-rich because the information is readily available for teachers to use, rather than having to do manual analysis. Teachers can easily navigate through McGraw Hill tools to create optimal student groups and be ready for the next day's lesson.
What additional advice or ideas would you offer to other districts considering similar shifts toward personalized instruction and innovative practices?
Mancuso: We take a systematic and methodical approach to personalizing learning in our district. We used the design process, which we teach even to kindergarten students, to transform our district. My advice is to know why you are doing this and take your time.
Start by knowing what you want to achieve and why. Change management is crucial to this process. Consider steps for working with your administrative team, who will then work with your teaching staff. Think about how you will share this with families, as many parents did not learn this way.
Calvert: First, personalization is the right thing to do and your students are worth it! During the change process, be sure to create a vision for the need for customization (answer the “why”) and what the instruction should ideally look like. Pay special attention to the processes and systems that will support teachers and students. We updated our master schedule to increase and maximize time spent on math blocks, created daily professional learning communities (PLCs), differentiated PLCs to include team time by grade level and content area, and created shared folders to facilitate resource exchange.
Professional learning opportunities are also essential. We schedule different types of professional learning with McGraw Hill to include in-person and virtual training, on-site training days, and virtual office hours for teachers to ask questions and get built-in support. Most importantly, administrators encouraged and rewarded change efforts, supported teachers as they learned from mistakes or challenges, and encouraged communication and collaboration.
To hear from Calvert and Mancuso district teachers about their experience with personalization, read <a target="_blank" href="https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/how-two-teachers-use-advanced-ai-to-personalize-math-instruction-bdfda35e06da” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>How Two Teachers Use Advanced ai to Personalize Math Teaching.
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