PLP
In accordance with recent changes to state law primarily the implementation of S.130/Act 77 and guidelines from the Vermont Agency of Education, Windsor School has begun developing and implementing Personalized Learning Plans, commonly called “PLPs." These PLPs are intended to help all students achieve “college and career readiness," while also accommodating the broad spectrum of learning styles, personal attributes, and proficiencies.
Under the state rules a structure for PLPs must have been implemented by November of 2015. Windsor School is currently in full compliance with these rules. Last year, we developed and successfully implemented a “Capstone” program for all graduating seniors, and the beginnings of the freshmen program have been in place for two years. For several years now, Windsor High School has also offered “Flexible Pathways” as a course option, which offers students a time to pursue an independent study, an internship or job shadow, or a dual enrollment college level course. This preliminary work now falls within the broader PLP process.
Beginning in September 2015, all students in grades 7-12 are developing PLPs using weekly flex periods to engage in tasks and activities designed to help students better understand their own attributes and needs as learners, while spurring them to consider the breadth of opportunities that potentially lie ahead, both academically and on a broader scale. We have chosen to utilize an online service, Naviance, to assist us in the logistics of creating and assigning tasks, gathering and storing data, and creating a platform to organize and share student PLPs. Naviance also has a collaborative partnership with the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. (VSAC) and, indirectly, the Vermont Agency of Education, making it a logical choice for this type of work. This PLP work should guide a student’s individual decision making related to future choice of classes, activities, and post secondary plans.The school guidance department will become the primary oversight of PLPs and will utilize them in crafting a comprehensive program for each student in the Windsor School system.
Windsor School's current PLP program can be seen as encompassing the following initiatives:
● Revision of Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment
● Flexible Pathways - alternatives to traditional coursework
● Individual planning, exploration, and self-assessment using Naviance
● Flextime options - a pursuit of interests and academic support
● March Intensives - a chance to explore or expand perspectives
● Capstone - a culminating pre-graduation demonstration of achievement
In the weeks to come, information pertaining to each of these will be linked to this introductory page.
For more information about PLPs in general, visit the AOE website: http://education.vermont.gov/