Developing a personalized system of student learning

Our schools were designed around 1890 when educators knew virtually nothing about how the brain learned. It was assumed each brain had a predefined level of learning and the job of school was to figure out what that level was. They assumed learners who were fastest and without error were 'smart.” Others not so much. Fortunately, the result was what our economy needed at the time - lots of factory workers and a few college educated folks. That's far from what today's economy - and students - need today.

We now know a lot about how the brain learns. Our neural networks are unique and beautiful masterpieces - no single person learns exactly like another, the same rate, or the same things at the same age or time. Research shows that we must embrace each learner's experience as a starting point; that motivation and passion are keys to learning; that through failure we learn and develop; that we must harness what they learn outside of school as well as inside; and that we must know when to move students along when they've mastered an idea or concept so they don't become bored, disengaged, or overwhelmed.

Because of this, the Cedar Rapids Community School District is working to create more personalized learning experiences - an approach we call Learner-Centered. This means understanding where each learner is and where they need to go next. It means tapping into their natural curiosity and interests to drive deep learning and having a system to know when a student has mastered the standards and is ready to move forward.

Every day in classrooms across our District, teachers are working diligently to personalize learning. The challenge is schools are designed for standardization and uniformity. Our grading system and the way we organize schedules, classrooms, teachers, and learners are geared for uniformity and not personalization. To address it, we are creating new models to guide us forward. We are engaging in conversations about how to redesign schools for personalization. We are working to convert our current grading system to allow us to pursue personalized learning for every student. We must develop ways of documenting what a student knows and doesn't know so that we can tailor the next learning experience to meet their needs. We call this Learner-Centered Assessment (LCA).

Introduced and implemented correctly, LCA moves high-achieving students forward more quickly and allows them to dive deeper into areas they love without having to wait for the next unit or course or grade. Average learners can leverage their interests to learn to higher levels and be better prepared for the next step. The less-experienced learners can build efficacy and their own neural networks through experiences without being labeled 'failures” simply because they aren't at an arbitrary point in learning at an arbitrary point in time.

Students in such a system could all realize the high-expectation standards we want them to learn while also learning the critical 'soft” skills that largely define a successful adult. They could find and pursue their interests and passions sooner and become stronger owners of their own learning journey, setting themselves up for even more success at the next level.

This journey to personalization is not going to be easy or fast. But, with the help of our parents and community, the Cedar Rapids Community School District will continue to build a school system that delivers on its promise of 'Excellence for All.”

' Trace is Associate Superintendent for the Cedar Rapids Community School District and a 23-year resident of the community. Comments: tpickering@cr.k12.ia.us