Explains the journey of our district in promoting and implementing personalized learning and competency-based education.

1. Personalizing on the Prairie
Jason Ellingson, Collins-Maxwell CSD
iNACOL Symposium
November 6, 2014

2. Purpose
 Promising practices / philosophies
 Celebrate our successes
 Learn from our mistakes
 Challenge our thinking
 Join in the journey

3. Start With Why
 We are a district that is relationship-driven.
 We know every student – well.
 We form strong relationships with colleagues and
parents and community.
 So . . . If we know better, can we do better?
 Why = Better system to know the learner, grow the
learner

4. Starting Out
 CBE Forum, December 2011
 Applied for waiver in spring 2012
 SIAC meetings
 Board meeting
 Application process
 Legislature approves competency pathways in
spring 2012

5. SIAC/Board meetings
 What we learned:
 Parents LOVED concept – kids engaged, focused on
their interests, self-pacing
 Parents struggled with process – eligibility,
scholarships, transportation, lunch, scheduling
 Staff felt the same way – but also had to implement it
and explain it

6. Structures to Support
 KASAB for stakeholders (students, staff, admin)
 Knowledge
 Attitude
 Skills
 Aspirations
 Behaviors
 Theory of Change/Action
 Continuously revising

7. Mistakes
 Thought we were communicating well
 Thought we were going slow
 Thought we had people convinced
 Result – STAFF RESISTANCE

8. Current Reality /
Desired State
 Took a deep breath in 2012-2013
 Look at current instructional strategies
 Examines philosophies and practices that helped or
hindered learning in our district system
 Answered every question
 Shared there was no ulterior motive
 Reviewed the DE’s CBE Pathways principles

9. CBE Pathway Principles
 Students Advance Upon Proficiency
 Competencies Include Explicit, Measurable, and
Transferable Learning Objectives that Empower Students
 Assessment Is Meaningful and a Positive Learning
Experience for Students
 Students Receive Rapid, Differentiated Support Based on
Their Individual Learning Needs
 Learning Outcomes Emphasize Competencies that
Include Application and Creation of Knowledge along
with Development of Important Skills and Dispositions

10. Professional Development
 Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW)
 Teacher task
 Student work sample
 Instruction
 Instructional Changes
 Standards-based grading, CGI, and other innovations
 Technology integration - fall 2012
 Increased technology at elementary
 6-12 1:1 iPad initiative

11. Iowa CBE Collaborative
 10 districts to pilot CBE structures and practices
 Working on writing competencies, assessing
competencies and changing instructional practices
(Curr/Inst/Assess)
 Participants – 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 6-12
vocal, K-12 TAG, elementary principal, secondary
principal, superintendent

12. Currently
 Making connections to current work
 Look at our ten district student learning goals –
transform the goals into competencies
 Looking at changes in learning facilitation,
leadership, and policy/governance
 Piloted C4K/MTSS last year – seeing connections

13. Internal Supports
 Professional Library
 GoogleSite for information form CBE Collaborative
 Collaborative members sharing new learning with
colleagues
 Updates to the SIAC and board

14. External Supports
 Iowa ASCD
 Website of resources
 CBE Conference in 2013, 2014
 CompetencyWorks (www.competencyworks.org)
 ASCD – Whole Child Initiative
 Iowa Department of Education

15. Books to Read
 Off the Clock by Bramante and Colby
 Inevitable by Schwahn and McGarvey
 Delivering on the Promise – by DeLorenzo, et al

16. Next Steps (Inside)
 Special education
 How will this work?
 Are there legal implications?
 At-Risk
 Will CBE practices increase engagement?
 System
 Does this change funding, graduation, eligibility, and
scholarships?
 Implement the work of the Collaborative

17. Next Steps (Outside)
 Add information section to district website
 Continue discussions at SIAC, open houses and
other community meeting
 Add information to monthly newsletter

18. Contact Information
 Jason Ellingson
 jellingson@collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us
 515-387-1115, ext. 1100
 @jasonellingson