New Report Outlines Options to Eliminate One-Size-Fits-All Learning

For immediate release

Contact: Diane Shinn 

New Report Outlines Options to Eliminate One-Size-Fits-All Learning

Evidence and lessons learned provide ideas to improve outcomes for D.C. students

WASHINGTON, November 13, 2018 – Student learning plans are being used across the nation as a tool for educators to support, personalize, and track student learning and progress, and a new report released today by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (ODCA) shows how such plans could be used in D.C. to ensure that students remain college- and career-ready upon graduation.

The report, Student Learning Plans: Options for a Pilot Project in D.C., is the final in a series of projects undertaken by ODCA in response to the State Board of Education (SBOE) resolution early this year asking the Auditor to review concerns with school governance and achievement including “the criteria and standards that underlie high school graduation and examine school-level execution of these policies across all state-regulated LEAs [local education agencies].”

ODCA contracted with George Washington University’s Education Consortium on Research and Evaluation (EdCORE), a partnership with American Institutes for Research and Policy Studies Associates, to study issues and options on student learning plans as one strategy to support the SBOE and other public education policymakers grappling with the challenge of improving educational outcomes for all D.C. students.

“In an era of multiple, ongoing student-centered school reform efforts, student learning plans have become a common support that can be tailored to meet individual student needs,” said D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson. “We hope this report will be useful to all of our education stakeholders and help make the case for the importance of rigorous research in improving our schools.”

The SBOE’s High School Graduation Requirements Task Force, which included parents, teachers, and school and community leaders, recommended in May that D.C. adopt student learning plans, revisited at three critical transition points during elementary, middle, and high school. The Task Force recommends a learning plan pilot project begin during the 2019-20 school year with a possible expansion to other schools in following years.

The ODCA report includes an overview of practices in other jurisdictions, and proposals for options for student learning in D.C. schools based on team research and a range of interviews with District stakeholders, including parents, teachers and other school staff, and state and local education leaders.

It also includes an appendix with comments provided by the SBOE, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), and the D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) on a draft version of the report. Each major stakeholder supports the general direction of student learning plans.

To prepare the report, EdCORE reviewed evidence and lessons learned in states and districts across the nation; gathered stakeholder input through interviews and focus groups with leaders from OSSE, DCPS and

PCSB, school leaders, teachers, and parents; and examined available technology platforms for web-based planning.

Based on advice and lessons learned, the report suggests options for piloting student learning plans in D.C. schools, including convening a working group, recruiting schools to assess the effectiveness of learning plans, and focusing on one specific grade level for initial implementation. Each option can stand alone or be combined, depending on the goals of the pilot and the participation of schools.

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