CONNECTIONS March 2025 | Issue 18 From Event to Habit: Reflection as Everyday Learning Defenses of Learning taking place across the state almost always ask that students reflect on themselves as learners both academically and in terms of the durable skills found in district and school graduate/learner profiles. However, we put students in a difficult situation when reflection only takes place when preparing for an event like a Defense. Years of study about the way humans learn makes it clear that reflection isn’t something to be overlooked. Probably all of us through our educator preparation programs learned about John Dewey and his theory that learning doesn’t simply happen as result of experiences but instead, as result of reflecting on those experiences. Despite Dewey’s work and the research of others who emphasize the essential role reflection plays in learning, it’s still sometimes an afterthought - something we have students do if there’s time. How might reflection become an integral and intentional part of lesson design? Rob Collins, former English teacher at Greenup County High School, now an Innovative Programs Consultant at KDE, shared an important question from one of Kentucky’s Innovative Lab Network Teacher Fellows and his response through a recent LinkedIN post. Today, we are sharing Rob’s post below with his permission. We hope it might spark some new thinking about the shape reflection can take - and if it does, please let us know! We’d love to share and learn from your ideas. Rob’s post: Important food for thought - and action Reflection is the most powerful, most enduring assessment we do in life. So why do we often overlook it as a meaningful measure in school? During a recent meeting of the teacher fellowship I facilitate, one of our excellent teacher fellows asked: "Does student reflection on their attainment of standards actually count as enough of an assessment?" She was reflecting on a classroom project that culminated in a community exhibition of learning, where students shared stories of their town’s history—how they are part of it and how they plan to contribute in the future. In previous years, she had walked around with a clipboard and rubric, scoring student projects and engagement. This year, she made a different choice: Instead of scoring projects in real time, she focused on being present—engaging in conversations, truly listening as students shared their work. The assessment? Student reflection. Instead of being graded by a rubric in real time, students completed a guided reflection—self-assessing their attainment of the project’s standards and their mastery of key skills. For me, the answer was immediate: Of course, that’s assessment! And a damn good one at that if her students’ reflections are any indication. But it raises a bigger question: Why do we so often discount reflection as a true, valid assessment of learning? 🔹 We assess ourselves through reflection all the time—at work, in relationships, in personal growth. These self-assessments shape who we are. 🔹 Tests fade. Projects get archived. But reflection endures. 🔹 When students reflect deeply, they’re not just showing what they’ve learned—they’re shaping how they learn (and who they are) in the future. How can we elevate reflection as a main course assessment, not just a formative tool or an afterthought?

CONNECTIONS January 2025 | Issue 15 Innovate, Iterate, Inspire: Revolutionizing Learning Through Prototyping Industries like healthcare and technology, which have transformed our daily lives, thrive on robust research and development (R&D). So why has education, the foundation of our future, lagged behind in embracing this transformative process? R&D systematically tests and refines ideas to solve problems and find new solutions. In healthcare, for example, decades of research enabled the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. Imagine if education adopted this same approach—testing new ideas with urgency and intentionality. Some schools have already begun. High School Prototype: One leadership team wanted to explore new scheduling options. What they didn’t want, however, was to implement changes long-term without knowing whether or not they’d really work. What might give them the opportunity to try something in a low risk way, learn from it and continue to iterate? They decided to find space for a series of short design cycles. One of their prototypes engaged students in designing one week - five days - of personalized learning. Not only did this ultimately inform their new approach to scheduling, this prototype is still in existence as Intersession, a five day period occurring each quarter that provides time for students to explore passions and interests as well as to take important steps toward their post secondary plans. It has become a popular cornerstone of the high school experience - one that students start talking about and planning for even in middle school. Middle School Flex Period: Frustrated with poor time management, teachers introduced a student-owned “flex period.” This simple concept evolved into a full flex day where students manage their own learning. A Different Approach to Summer Learning: Knowing the dismal outcomes often resulting from the traditional approach to summer school, one district asked teachers to create proposals for “adventures” with an intentional focus on math and reading/writing and the district’s Profile of a Learner competencies. Through a series of Design Studios, the district supported teachers in designing their “adventures” aligned with the district’s goal of authentic learning as the norm for every student. Not only did this result in a much more engaging and impactful summer learning experience for students, it also allowed teachers an opportunity to try something new in a way that felt much less risky than during the school year. A special celebration of learning to conclude the summer learning program involved both students and teachers reflecting on the impact of the new design. Student-Driven Credit: After a disengaged student wished he could get credit for his passions, his school designed a program allowing students to propose personalized learning paths alongside traditional credit models. (Imagine doing some R&D around a model like this for credit recovery!) These are just a few examples showing how R&D can drive meaningful change. Interested in thinking about what’s possible in your school or district? Join us on March 7 for a special Design Studio, Beyond the Bell: Reimagining the Secondary Schedule . Together, we’ll explore entry points, prototypes, and rapid design cycles to find new ways to use and organize time so that our students are truly equipped for the world today.

CONNECTIONS January 2025 | Issue 14  “All I’m hearing right now are questions - Where are you going to college? What will you major in? Who will you room with? And what I’ve realized is that for 13 years in school, I’ve been told what classes to take, when to eat lunch, how long papers have to be, and what books to read. I’ve never made any decisions. And now I don’t know where to begin.” -High School Senior Student agency. It’s a term often used in education circles, but what does it mean? And why does it matter? We know what agency isn’t. The senior who shared his realization paints a clear picture of a soon-to-be-graduate whose experiences in school don’t seem to have prioritized the development of agency. Considering that preparing students to work in factories was a priority during the Industrial Age, maybe that’s not surprising. Compliance was key. However, we have significant evidence to show this isn’t working for the learners of today. We’ve heard employers are saying the workforce isn’t prepared. Like that high school senior, graduates often say the same thing. According to a recent guest essay from the New York Times, “In a survey by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation of more than 4,000 members of Gen Z, 49 percent of respondents said they did not feel prepared for the future.” So why is this happening? “Many recent graduates aren’t able to set targets, take initiative, figure things out and deal with setbacks — because in school and at home they were too rarely afforded any agency” (NYT, Jan 2, 2025). Could this be another example of a system producing exactly the outcome it’s designed to produce - even if that outcome isn’t at all what we say our goals are? The term “student agency” is sometimes misunderstood. Agency is often described with words like voice and choice - and those are important. However, agency doesn’t mean that school becomes a free-for-all, with all decisions being made by students. From that same NY Times essay, “Giving kids agency doesn’t mean letting them do whatever they want. It doesn’t mean lowering expectations, turning education into entertainment or allowing children to choose their own adventure. It means requiring them to identify and pursue some of their own goals , helping them build strategies to reach those goals , assessing their progress and guiding them to course-correct when they fall short. So how might we begin to reshape our students’ experiences so that school isn’t something they just show up for, waiting passively for directions? Are there simple shifts we can make that begin to build motivation and autonomy - ultimately, agency? The short answer - YES - and it’s not all or nothing. Engaging students in meaningful goal-setting and planning is a great place to begin. Whether making intentional time for reflecting on important durable skills, academic skills or something else - setting goals, planning for reaching those goals, and reflecting on progress - just as suggested by the shifts under the Transformation we call learner-owned - are all impactful ways to give students control over their learning. Some schools are building agency by incorporating some kind of flex time into their weekly schedules. This is a block of time - whether an hour, half of a day or even a whole day - when students are given the opportunity to plan their time in the way they need. Flex time might include time for students to get additional help from a teacher, time to explore a new passion or work on a project. The point is - students plan for the ways in which they use their time. Waukesha STEM Academy , a middle school in Wisconsin, has incorporated several ways for students to have choice - developing agency - into their schedules. One of those is called CONNECT. “CONNECT happens at lunch every day, with students touching base with staff as needed or as requested. This is a very unique approach to lunch, because 100 percent of students have their lunch period at the same time. No one tells students when they need to eat or where they need to go. In this hour, students choose when they eat and which teachers they will go to connect with. At first, there were conversations about schooling this concept and telling groups of students when they needed to eat and where they needed to go. This quickly fell by the wayside when the mission of this time was looked at closely. We wanted to help our students build skills in time management and ownership of their day. When you do it for them and tell them when they can eat and where they need to sit, and make them raise their hands to throw their trash out or excuse themselves from the table, you have removed the ability and need to develop that sense of growth. Our goal was to build independence, not dependent students who didn’t need to think for themselves.” James Murray, Principal Ready to design? If you are interested in designing learning experiences and environments that develop that important sense of agency for your students, let us know. Contact us through our website or via email: ralbright@ovec.org, leckels@ovec.org or ccoleman@ovec.org. In the meantime, check out these resources - one being from Morgan Seely, a 4th grade teacher in Shelby County , who makes agency a priority in her classroom (a GREAT place for a visit for teachers of all levels!): The Drive Towards Student Agency: Empowering Students to Make Choices on Their Learning Pathwa y | Morgan Seely, Aurora Institute blog post (2024) Waukesha STEM Academy: Rethinking Space, Time and Reporting | Chris Sturgis (2020) Getting Started with a Learner-Driver Classroom: A Guide for Educators | Getting Smart (2024) Transformations: Simple Shifts for a Different Student Experience | See Learner-led and Learner-owned for moves especially focused on student agency. elevatED studios (2024) Agency by Design: An Educator’s Playbook | Aurora Institute (2023) The Promise, Practice and Power of Student Agency | ASCD (2022) Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results | Guest Essay,* New York Times (2025) *By Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop; their book on this subject is The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better (Crown, 2025)

Questions for Reflection in the New Year CONNECTIONS January 2025 | Issue 13 “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A classic question that leads to the most interesting responses - especially from some of our youngest learners. From “I want to be a dinosaur,” to cowgirl, teacher, doctor, basketball player…you name it. They have big ideas about their futures! (Need a smile to start the New Year? Hear what these young learners had to say!) Coming from Kindergarteners, we don’t worry that they answer this question without any real understanding or research into what it actually takes to reach their career goal. They have plenty of time. We love their optimism and certainty! But here’s another question. Are high school seniors able to answer that same question with a more informed response? In December, the Prichard Committee released a report highlighting Kentucky employers’ perspectives on the readiness of high school graduates. Shortly after the release, one news station’s leading headline read, “1 in 10 employers have no confidence in high school grads.” We are well aware that shocking headlines like this sell news - and aren’t always accurate. However, key findings from the report are important to consider. NEW YEAR | A TIME FOR REFLECTION With a new year often comes a time for reflection. Perhaps this report serves as an opportunity to consider - Are students graduating with a real plan - or is their plan really no more than a wish, being no more informed than the aspirations our youngest learners might share? Have we given our students opportunities to explore while exploration is free ? Are they learning from professionals in the field? Have we exposed them to careers with the opportunity to find out just what it takes to reach their goals? Have they looked into the education and other requirements that might be necessary? Are graduates leaving us with those important work-ready skills like so many of our Portraits of a Learner promise? If every senior, before being handed a diploma, had to show tangible evidence (acceptance letters, employer or military recruiter correspondence, scholarship awards, job offers) of a post secondary plan, and evidence that they are equipped for success (necessary academic and durable skills, work-based learning experience) could they? Resources, including the recent survey data from Kentucky employers, can be found here: Meaningful Diplomas Employer Survey Report (Prichard Committee, 2024)

A NEW APPROACH | The Flex Mod Schedule at Pulaski High School in Wisconsin is one example of a schedule created in an effort to better support students. Details about this school’s innovative approach as well as other examples below.

Never Mistake Activity for Achievement. — John Wooden

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FINAL EXAM | Freshmen at Bullitt Central HS were challenged with a different kind of final exam last week. Instead of the traditional final for English 1, Bullitt Central HS teacher Arianne Austin required her freshmen to do a Presentation of Learning (PoL). During their PoL, they were tasked with using artifacts they’d produced throughout the year to reflect on their learning, demonstrate their growth in Bullitt County’s Graduate Profile competencies and to show interdisciplinary connections. This first time Presentation of Learning proved to be a great success as well as a learning experience for everyone with several important takeaways: -Students used rubrics actually designed originally for teacher use to reflect upon where they were with each profile competency and where they needed to grow. This was a great reminder of the power of making learning and success criteria transparent for students. -Despite being very nervous about the public presentation aspect of the PoL, students said they felt like it was much more valuable than the traditional final exam, saying they actually learned from the process. They said putting the PoL together was hard - one said, “I’ve never read so much in my life!” - but emphasized how they enjoyed being able to look back over their work and see how they’d grown. -We were reminded of the important role on-going reflection plays in the learning process. Research tells us that making intentional reflection part of every day will only improve learning outcomes. This short video from Digital Promise helps to explain why. -It seemed obvious that the leadership in Arianne’s school encouraged taking risks and trying new approaches. Not only did Adrienne invite teacher colleagues and district and school leadership to serve as panelists, she reached out afterwards asking for feedback. You won’t be surprised to learn Arianne cultivated that same kind of safe, supportive environment inside her classroom, for her students. It was truly a learning community.

When have you had to publicly share your learning? Do you remember how you felt as you prepared? Did knowing you would have an audience make a difference? How did it impact your effort and the quality of your work? SHARE YOUR LEARNING | Whether called Presentations of Learning, Exhibitions, Defenses, or something else, we’ve seen learners of all ages - even teachers in Rowan and Bullitt Counties - being given the opportunity to publicly share their learning over the last several weeks. Although grades and scores come with pressure for some, many might agree there’s just no greater accountability than knowing someone who matters to you will be coming to see what you have to share. SPOTLIGHT | This week, we are excited to spotlight iLead’s end-of-year Presentation of Learning - the Showcase. THE MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANT | At iLead, students are introduced to their graduate profile - called The Most Qualified Applicant - from their very first day. To begin, each student creates a digital portfolio containing five sections: Introduction, Education, Soft Skills, Technical Skills and Professional Identity. The Introduction asks that students share who they are - their interests, special talents, chosen pathway and areas of growth along with any other information they’d like to include. The Education section focuses on the education needed for their desired career. This requires students to thoughtfully map and connect their high school and post secondary plans. The Soft Skills section requires students to provide evidence and ratings for the skills their career interest and pathway consider to be the most important. They are required to provide one or more projects - or pieces of evidence - for each set of skills. The Technical Skills section requires students to compare their attributes and interests to those needed for their desired career, and to reflect on how they compare. There, they also provide examples of technical skills through industry certifications they might have earned toward their career pathway. The Professional Identity section requires students to develop and upload their resume and any evidence of service or extracurricular activities. SHOWCASE | Along with learning about the Most Qualified Applicant competencies and their digital portfolios, students also learn that they will exhibit their learning at an end-of-year Showcase . Showcase is a BIG DEAL involving year long preparation. In each class, students do a Presentation of Learning focused on at least one skill they’ve gained or improved along with a specific project or projects that played a key role prior to Showcase. Also, prior to the Showcase, students prepare a script they will use for their presentations. Presentations for Showcase focus on 2-3 projects students feel show their best skills. Each student has an interview with community and/or industry partner/s prior to Showcase. During those interviews, they discuss and share projects and the skills they’ve gained. These partners provide feedback to students using this form: Community Partner Showcase Feedback Questionnaire . The Most Qualified Applicant competencies for each pathway and the iLead Showcase Guidelines are shared with students early on to help them know exactly what they will need to prepare.

It’s no secret that one of the most pressing issues we face today is a growing teacher shortage. Though increased pay is certainly a significant part of the solution, is there more? Many teachers have told us that something they desperately need is time - time to come together with others to truly be the designers of student learning experiences they dreamed about as they entered the field. Making space for teachers to share, learn and grow together through special teacher cohorts is something several districts have started to help meet this need while also building capacity for the kind of inspiring, relevant and meaningful learning journeys we want for our students. HENRY COUNTY’S AUTHENTIC LEARNING ARCHITECTS | Last week, we kicked off with Henry County’s Authentic Learning Architects. This is a fantastic group of trailblazing teachers (aka learning designers!) who want to think differently about the kind of learning experiences their students need to be equipped for success today. They began their journey by learning about 5 Key Transformations , and applying those to existing tasks and even units - some of those coming from their new HQIRs. We are so inspired by this group! If you’d like to know more about Henry County’s work and their new teacher cohort, we encourage you to reach out directly to us or Chief Academic Officer Chelsey Tingle at chelsey.tingle@henry.kyschools.us. ARE YOU READY? Finally, if you are interested in forming your own network for trailblazing teachers in your district, let us know! We’d love to help.

Just as teachers who want to think differently about the student experience (like our Teacher Navigators above!) need time together to share and learn, so do forward-thinking leaders. KENTUCKY’S INNOVATIVE LEARNING NETWORK | A key support for Kentucky’s innovative leaders - the Kentucky Innovative Learning Network - is a partnership between local districts and KDE “providing a shared professional learning space for education leaders dedicated to creating vibrant learning experiences, accelerating innovation and building a bold new future with communities.” On June 7, KY ILN members from across the state came together for a fantastic day of sharing and learning. Featured in a recent Kentucky Teacher article , the day included presentations ranging in topic from using senior capstones to redesign the ILP process (Barren County) to a powerful, district-wide approach to authentic learning for everyone (Rowan County). You can find the full list of ILN presentations here including links to each district’s presentation. For more information about the KY ILN including membership details, visit the KY ILN page from the KDE website. We hope you’ll consider joining KY’s ILN as well as our Crew@elevatEDstudios for the 2024-25 school year!

A New Approach to the First Days of School

Spencer County's Parade of Homes: A Beacon of Authentic Learning

As I look back on my journey in education, from my early days as a superintendent in Danville, Kentucky, to my current role at the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, one thing remains clear: the transformative power of deeper learning. This journey, chronicled in a Leading for Deeper Learning article published by several who continue to be inspirations in this work: 2Revolutions , ASCD , NGLC and the Aurora Institute , has been both a personal and professional quest to redefine what education can and should be. In Danville, we embarked on an ambitious path to rethink the school experience. Our guiding question, "What does our diploma mean?" led to the creation of " The Danville Diploma ," a symbol of our commitment to graduating students equipped not just with academic knowledge but with the skills to create, collaborate, communicate, and persevere. This initiative was more than just a local endeavor; it captured national attention, ( Harvard Education Letter , PBS NewsHour , NPR , Getting Smart /multiple articles) highlighting the incredible work our students were doing and setting a new standard for educational excellence. Moving to Jefferson County Public Schools, I found myself in a larger arena but with the same passion for making a difference. Here, we faced significant challenges but also saw incredible opportunities for growth and change. By fostering an environment that valued deeper learning for all students, we aimed to ensure that every child could develop the critical life skills necessary for success. My experiences have taught me that education is not just about imparting knowledge; it's about inspiring a love of learning, nurturing creativity, and preparing students for the complexities of the modern world. I invite you to read more about this journey and the lessons we've learned along the way in hopes that it might provide inspiration, courage or affirmation for your own unique journey. Together, we can continue to push the boundaries for what’s possible - what school can and should be - and unlock the full potential of every student. [Read the fu ll article here]