1. Vision for Personalized Learning
November 2015

2. Is vision really that important?
In our 20 minutes:
Driving Question:
Is vision really that important?
Take 3 minutes and share your personal/school/district vision for personalized learning with your elbow partner.

3. INTRODUCTION to Henry County Schools
Henry County Schools: a mid-sized suburban district that has in the past decade seen rapid growth and an increasingly diverse student population
Enrollment
41, 982
Metro Atlanta
23,601
2001
2005
2010
2015
Economically disadvantaged (%)
2001
Students by race (%)
2005
2010
2015
Henry County
50 schools
~42,000 students
Students with disabilities: 13%
40 languages spoken
Spend $173 per child on central office; Georgia average: $463
Other (7%)
Hispanic (9%)
Black (51%)
White (33%)
2001
2005
2010
2015

4. The Case for the Shift to Personalized Learning
INTRODUCTION to Henry County Schools
4-year cohort grad. rate
HCS
The Case for the Shift to Personalized Learning
Composite SAT (avg.)
Better prepare increasingly diverse student body for college, career and life success
Move from “good enough” to “exceptional”
Traditional model is no longer sufficient
Nature of knowledge has changed
Information is ubiquitously available
Focus on metrics beyond standardized tests
People learn in different ways (Pace, Place, Path, People)
National avg.
Georgia
HCS
2009
2011
2013
2015
Composite ACT (avg.)
National avg.
6:00 both slides.
Georgia
HCS
2009
2011
2013
2015

5. Why Vision is key to district innovation and change
-Essential as:
1. Anchor and guidance through the messy nature of innovation implementation
2. Norming tool as a tool against which you can measure all decisions.
3. Guiding philosophy as models and strategies change. (North Star)
4. Evaluation tool when external measures are in flux or out of your control.
5. Common language and definitions so everyone knows what we’re doing.
Vision is essential
We developed it with a small group, then a larger group, then larger group, then visited all schools, did community visits and sessions
WE come back to the vision for PL at every single event and experience

6. Communicating and Committing
What did we do to spread the vision:
Small Focus Group at District
Large Advisory Team at District including parents, teachers, administrators
Adopted by the Board
Over 75 community and faculty meetings to share the vision in first year
A play, a video, documents, a website, a social media blitz
Communicate Vision to Stakeholders
Evaluation Against the Vision
Commit to the Vision
Tweet ideas for sharing/commiting to vision to : #spreadthevision

7. Henry County Schools’ Vision for Personalized Learning
Learner Profiles & Personal Learning Plans: Learner Profiles reflect students’ prior school performance and interests. Personal Learning Plans are co-created by students, their families and HCS staff to help chart learning paths unique to each student.
Competency-Based Learning: Courses have clearly identified learning targets, and students move through coursework as they demonstrate mastery of each target. Time and place are flexible, while learning is constant.
Henry County Schools’ Vision
for
Personalized Learning
Authentic / Project-Based Learning: Students learn through real-world projects, problem-solving, and service learning inside and outside of the classroom, and present evidence of their learning to authentic audiences such as parents, business and community members.
Communication, Collaboration Creativity, Critical Thinking: Learning experiences will be designed to foster these key overarching skills and dispositions needed for 21st Century college and career success.
Technology-enabled: Students use technology to access and learn content and demonstrate what they know. Students will receive a mix of face-to-face and online instruction in order to ensure facility in both.
District Supports
GAPSS visits
Program evaluation
Build capacity
Feedback
Accountability
Goal-setting
Digital curriculum
LMS
Data platforms
Webinars
Convenings
Professional learning
School Autonomies
Staffing
Budget
Staff evaluation
School design team
Site-based PD
Community engagement
Time
“Ensuring Success for Each Student”
For more information visit:

9. Henry County Schools’ Timeline for Redesign: December 2013-
116 days
485 days
2125 days
129 days
540 days
1785 days
124 days
547 days
1444 days
129 days
541 days
1103 days
129 days
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
541 days
762 days
Apply
12/1/ /26/2014
129 days
Cohort 15
(6 schools)
Plan
4/5/ /2/2015
542 days
Implement & Evaluate
8/4/ /28/2021
420 days
Apply
10/1/ /6/2015
Cohort 16
(9 schools)
Plan
2/9/ /1/2016
Implement & Evaluate
8/2/ /21/2021
Apply
10/1/ /1/2016
Cohort 17
(9 schools)
Plan
2/2/ /1/2017
8/2/ /15/2021
Implement & Evaluate
Apply
10/1/ /6/2017
Cohort 18
(9 schools)
Plan
2/7/ /1/2018
Implement & Evaluate
8/2/ /8/2021
Apply
10/1/ /6/2018
Henry County Schools’ Timeline for Redesign: December 2013-
August 2020
Cohort 19
(9 schools)
Plan
2/7/ /1/2019
8/2/ /1/2021
Implement & Evaluate
Apply
10/1/ /6/2019
Today
Cohort 20
(9 schools)
Plan
2/7/ /1/2020
8/2/ /25/2021
Implement & Evaluate