This article was written by Dennis Pierce, the former editor-in-chief of eSchool News, and current freelance writer covering education and technology. He has been following the ed-tech space for more than 17 years.
Pennsylvania’s Central York School District has embarked on a journey to personalize instruction for every student through an ambitious project known as “Mass Customized Learning,” and a key to the program’s success is having what district leaders call a “GPS” that tells them where every child is on the learning spectrum at any given time.
The program puts students at the center of the learning process, allowing them to choose how and when they will learn various skills, to some extent—as long as they meet stringent standards. Students aren’t limited by arbitrary grade-level restrictions, and teachers—known as “learning facilitators”—design learning experiences that meet students where they are and advance them to higher levels.
Students engage in real-world projects for authentic audiences by finding problems to solve in their community or the world at large, then trying to solve those problems—while learning key skills and meeting state and local standards in the process.
“We’re moving away from a mindset of, ‘What we did yesterday is what we do tomorrow,’” said Assistant Superintendent Robert Grove, explaining the district’s innovative approach. “We don’t claim to have all the answers. We’re just asking the question: How can we improve on what schools have always done?”
Added Julie Romig, director of communications and marketing for the district: “We’re giving students a voice and a choice in their learning.”
Mass Customized Learning is a continuously evolving program that has been several years in the making. For the 2016-17 school year, all students in grades 4-12 have an iPad Mini device that they take home with them, and there is one device for every two children in grades K-3.
In these early elementary classrooms, students learn through a mix of whole class and small group instruction, with students working on digital devices in some of these small-group centers. In the middle grades, “you start to see that classrooms look different,” Grove said. “There are areas for student collaboration, and a sense of autonomy. The teacher is moving around the room and facilitating, while students are working on project-based learning activities.”
Online courseware plays a key role in the program, allowing students to learn core curriculum skills at their own pace. So does a learning management system, which helps teachers manage students’ learning and share their work with parents.
But MCL also wouldn’t be possible without software that helps teachers and administrators understand exactly where each student is on the learning spectrum and what skills they have yet to master, like a Global Positioning System helps orient users on a map.
The “GPS” that Central York uses is PerformancePLUS, a powerful assessment and data management tool that keeps educators informed of their learners’ progress.
“PerformancePLUS is where we capture and store all student achievement data, including the results from standardized tests,” Grove said. “Every teacher has access to this tool, and teachers use it to create Individualized Learning Plans for their students. We’re able to set goals, monitor progress, and demonstrate student mastery.”
*PerformancePLUS has since been replaced by PowerSchool Assessment.