Transcript From Students “At Risk” to Students “At Promise”

Middle School Individual
Learning Plan Program
Karen Bradbury
Christine Miller
2010 ASCA Conference
Boston, Massachusetts
Expected Results
for This Presentation
 Increased awareness of one middle
school’s approach to using the
counseling program as the
infrastructure for personalization
 Deeper understanding of the
Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
process and how it benefits students
Personalization and the ILP
are State Requirements
 The Rhode Island Board of
Regents and the Department of
Elementary and Secondary
Education believe that learning
how to plan is critical to students’
future success
 They have mandated that all
Rhode Island students in grades 612 have an Individual Learning
Plan (ILP)
What is Personalization?
 Personalization is a learning process
in which schools help students
assess their own talents and
aspirations, plan a pathway toward
their own purposes, work
cooperatively with others on
challenging tasks, maintain a record
of their explorations and
demonstrate learning against clear
standards in a wide variety of media,
all with the close support of adult
mentors and guides. (Clarke, 2003)
What is an ILP?
 The ILP is a structured process that
enables students to plan for their future
in three developmental domains:
academic, career and personal/social
 The ILP is results-based with specific
learner outcomes. It functions as a
primary vehicle for personalizing
student learning
 The ILP allows teachers and counselors
to observe and guide student progress
along the learning continuum
New Trend in
Individual Learning Plans
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Arizona
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Vermont*
What is the
School Counselor’s Role?
 School counselors stand at the
juncture in students’ lives where the
world of school, world of home and
world of work intersect
 This an opportunity to scaffold the
success of every student
 School counselors can help students
become proficient planners for their
future success
What is a School
Counseling Curriculum?
 A documented curriculum organized
as a scope and sequence
 Developmentally appropriate activities
that focus on:
 Knowledge acquisition
 Skill development
 Embracing attitudes/behaviors that
lead to success
 Aligned with ASCA student
standards
An Important Distinction
 Excellence in the School
Counseling Program is the
responsibility of school counselors
 Excellence in the ILP Program is
the responsibility of the whole
school community with major roles
being played by school counselors,
teachers and school leaders (e.g.,
principals and school improvement
team members)
Student Planning
is Important
 Planning is a lifelong skill
required for personal growth
and future success
 It is our responsibility to
contribute to students’ success
by helping them focus on their
own futures, establish and pursue
goals, reflect on their progress
and demonstrate that they
are proficient planners
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Individual Student Planning:
A Programmatic Approach
 The ILP provides a structured
process to help students plan for
their future through:
 Acquisition of relevant knowledge
 Development of appropriate skills
 Adoption of behaviors/attitudes
 These are the same outcomes as
those of a comprehensive School
Counseling Curriculum
Relation of ILP Program to
the Counseling Curriculum
 The ILP Program can serve as the
primary organizing principle for
the counseling curriculum:
 It organizes what we deliver to
students in terms of teaching
them how to learn,
 How to plan for their future, and
 How to cope with the many
challenges of growing up and
preparing for life after high school.
My Life…
My Future
How an
Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
can help you succeed
Calcutt Middle School
Central Falls Public Schools
Central Falls, Rhode Island
What is an ILP?
 An Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is a
process for setting goals, planning to
achieve them and evaluating how well
we are doing
 An ILP helps us decide what to do after
high school, identify what is required to
be successful in our chosen
pathway(s), and to prepare for meeting
those requirements
Why is an ILP Important
to Your Future Success
 An ILP will help you decide what you
want to do in life
 An ILP will help you know what is
required and to begin preparing for your
future
 An ILP keeps you focused and on track
so you don’t lose your way
 Employers look for people who know
how to plan and will hire them before
those who are not good planners
The ILP is Required
 The Rhode Island Board of Regents
and the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education believe
that learning how to plan is critical
to your future success
 They have mandated that all Rhode
Island students in grades 5-12 have
an Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
The ILP Process
At the beginning of the school year:
 Learn (or refresh your memory) about the ILP
process—how it can help you and what is
expected of you
 Review your transcript or report card, update
your Academic Plan and be aware of the high
school graduation requirements
 Set goals in four areas (academic, career,
personal and social)
The ILP Process
During the school year:
 Meet with your advisor and/or school
counselor to conduct a quarterly review
of your progress and document your
reflections
 Decide what action steps to take to
resolve concerns and problems
 Work on producing artifacts that
demonstrate what you know and can
do as a result of participating in the ILP
process
 Use multiple opportunities to meet with
your advisors and counselors to discuss
your future
The ILP Process
At the end of the school year:
 Write a self-reflection about your
school year, your accomplishments and
challenges and what you hope for the
next school year
 Demonstrate that you are becoming
proficient planners by producing
artifacts for your ILP portfolio
What We Expect from You
 Review your academic plan with your counselor.
You will be asked to sign the plan and to get your
parent/guardian to sign your plan
 Set and document your goals at the beginning of the
year
 Reflect on your progress and discuss it with your
advisor and/or counselor throughout the year
 Produce evidence that you are becoming proficient
planners, including
– Completed and signed academic plan
– Written reflection
– Results of exploring and preparing to meet
requirements for further education and/or work
after high school
What You Can Expect
from Us
 Your advisor and counselor are
committed to helping you become
proficient planners
 We will guide you through the ILP
process, step-by-step
 We will help to make your learning
experiences more personal and
meaningful
Contact Information
 If you have questions at any time,
please contact your advisor and/or
school counselor
Student Outcomes
In order for ILP Programs to be
successful, they must deliver
to students:
 Opportunities to learn relevant
content
 Time to practice applying what
they are learning to real-world
contexts
 Opportunities to demonstrate
progress/proficiency
Knowledge We Want
Students to Acquire
 Essential information students
will learn through the ILP:
 Importance of planning for
their future
 Steps in a complete planning
process
 Standards and requirements
which affect their future
 Roles and accountabilities
Skills We Want
Students to Develop
Tasks and skills that are essential for
proficient planning:
Envision the future
Identify developmental needs
Develop an action plan
Implement the plan and monitor
progress
 Evaluate progress and document
conclusions
 Develop new plan
 Provide evidence of progress toward
results
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Behaviors We Want
Students to Adopt
 One’s behavior and attitude
are critical to success in
school, work and life
 The ILP highlights behaviors/
attitudes required for success
by business and educational
communities
ILPs Enable Students to:
 Have meaningful interactions with
adults who help them plan
 Learn the planning process (set
goals, develop action plans, monitor
progress, reflect on one’s experience,
use results to update plans)
 Become skilled in identifying barriers
to their learning and developing
strategies to overcome them
 Always know how they are progressing
toward graduation and being prepared
for post-secondary opportunities
ILP: A Personal Challenge
to Take Ownership for
One’s Learning
The ILP provides students with a
meaningful and ongoing process
focused on their future success
 It is a personal challenge to
students to assume ownership
for their learning and learn s
elf-direction as a life-long skill
ILP Core Curriculum
 Every school year lessons are
delivered that focus on:
 Understanding the Planning
Process
 Academic Planning
 Personal Planning
 Periodic Reviews of Progress
 Year-end Written Reflection
Supporting ILP
Curriculum
 A Comprehensive School
Counseling Curriculum includes
activities that support the ILP
program.
 Examples include lessons on:
 Learning: learning styles, study
habits, test-taking strategies
 Coping: self-esteem, respecting
self and others, managing anger
College & Work Readiness
 Students are ready for college and
work when they finish high school
having:
 Acquired relevant knowledge
 Developed skills appropriate to
their post-secondary pathways
 Adopted behaviors/attitudes
that lead to success
 Demonstrated proficiency in
applying what they have learned
 Become proficient planners
Accountability and Data
 Data provides compelling
evidence of the impact of
implementing the school
counseling and ILP programs
on student success and
school reform
 It enables us to demonstrate
our accountability
 Data is our friend
Calcutt Middle School
Demographics
 75% Eligible for Free/Reduced Rate
Lunch
 70% Hispanic
 15% African American
 15% White
 22% English Language Learners
 26% Mobility Rate
Data Gathered
 Process Data
– Logs
 Perception Data
– Surveys
 Results Data
– Student Work
 Student Information System Data
– e.g., Attendance
Preliminary Data Results
 Research has shown that students
who are engaged in learning and
understand the process have
increased cognitive ability (Dimmitt,
2007)
 At Calcutt:
 Student and parent engagement
 Improved attendance
 Reduced suspensions
 Decreased drop-out rate
Student Survey Question
Student Survey Question
Lessons Learned
 First time is most difficult
 Second time both students and
teachers take it more seriously
 Begin with basic vocabulary
development—don’t take for
granted the understanding of goal,
for example
 Develop relationship with TeacherAdvisors
Next Steps
 Refine the ILP especially for ELL
and Special Education Populations
 Customize forms for middle
school
Contact Information
Karen Bradbury
[email protected]
Christine Miller
[email protected]
RI School Counselor Association
www.rischoolcounselor.org