N.J. Students to develop personal learning plans in pilot program in 16 schools
Posted Friday, September 18, 2009 from The Star-Ledger
N.J. students to develop personal learning plans in pilot program at 16 schools
by Kristen Alloway/The Star-LedgerFriday September 18, 2009, 7:00 AM
Sixth- and ninth-grade students in 16 New Jersey schools will begindeveloping personal learning plans this year -- examining theirinterests, strengths and goals -- as part of a two-year statewide pilotprogram to get kids looking toward their futures.
The Personalized Student Learning Plan Program is part of newgraduation standards, adopted by the state Board of Education in June,that aim to make high school more rigorous. After the two-year pilot,the state DOE will review the learning plan program and decide how tocontinue it.
Exteriorof the Thomas R. Grover Middle School in West Windsor Township in this2000 file photo. The school is among 16 schools that is implementing apersonalized personal learning program for sixth- and ninth-gradestudents.Twenty states and the District of Columbiarequire learning plans for all students. Another five states encouragetheir use, according to the New Jersey Department of Education.
Too often some students reach their senior year in high school anddiscover they should have taken different courses or worked harder toachieve their academic goals, educators say. The aim of the learningplan program is to help students set scholastic, career and personalgoals and develop a path to reach them, officials said.
"Sometimes they realize too late that my freshman grades did countor I need more math classes because I want to go in to this field,"said Fran Schlenoff, a school counselor at Sparta Middle School, one ofthe pilots. "It helps them to understand that the choices early on areimportant."
As part of the learning plan program, students will be surveyed on their personalities, interests and learning styles.
For sixth graders, many of whom are beginning middle school, thatmay mean understanding how they best learn: visually, by listening orby doing hands-on work, for example. Throughout the year, they mayexplore career areas that mesh with their interests and learning styles.
("It's) not pigeon-holing someone in one career," said DennisLepold, principal of Thomas R. Grover Middle School in Mercer County,one of the pilots. "You can look at some (career) clusters that mightbe something they hadn't thought about."
For ninth graders, the learning plan program will help teens selectcourses during high school that are related to their interests andcollege and/or career goals. It also may assist them in findinginternships or other independent learning opportunities.
Sixth graders and ninth graders in the pilot schools will beginusing the program this year. Next school year, those same students willcontinue with the program as seventh and 10th graders, and incomingstudents in the lower grades will also start the learning plans.
As part of the effort at Sparta Middle School, all 380 sixth graderswill take a course in skills needed to be a successful student, such asorganization and study strategies.
They also will put together a portfolio of their work, and they willuse an online program to help determine their learning styles,strengths and interests, Schlenoff said.
Sparta sixth graders also will work with a faculty adviser in groupsof about 15 to discuss goal-setting and other issues that surface inmiddle school, such as bullying and getting along with peers.
"Even though we don't expect sixth graders to know what their majorwill be, what they want to do, it gives them the opportunity to explorewhat's out there," Schlenoff said.
At Bloomfield High School, all ninth graders will be assigned afaculty adviser, in addition to a guidance counselor, who will workwith them on goal-setting. They also will use an online system thatwill help them explore career options and the education required, saidCyndie Schirm, assistant principal. They, too, will look at how theylearn to adjust their study habits, organizational skills and bettermanage their time, she said.
North Brunswick is one of just three districts in the state with sixth and ninth graders participating in the program.
Students in both grades will explore their interests and compatiblecareer paths using an online system, similar to the other districts.And they will begin assembling a portfolio with grades, attendancerecords, test scores, and information on their extracurricularactivities, in school and outside. The portfolio will follow them asthey continue into upper grades.
North Brunswick parent Ann Kingsley, who served on the districtcommittee implementing the program, said she, her 10th grade son andeighth grade daughter have tried the online portfolio program with goodresults.
"I really liked it as a parent," said Kingsley, "It's a place toorganize ideas and to give you information on things that might be ofinterest, to get things started."
Participating districts piloting the program will be eligible for upto $7,500 each year from the state to help with costs, includingcurriculum materials and Web-based programs.
LindwoodMiddle School in the North Brunswick school district, in this 2008 filephoto. The middle school will participate in the Personalized StudentLearning Plan Program.With most districts getting their programs underway this month, many parents and students are still learning about the plans.
At Grover Middle School, sixth graders piloting the program areexploring how they learn, using a computer program that asks questionsabout how they approach their school work.
"I learned I'm mostly technical, I'm creative and I think outsidethe box," said sixth grader Erica Anderson, 11. "I do better on aposter assignment than an essay."
She said she learned that if an assignment requires a precise answershe might need to work a little harder, but "if I wanted to make agraph or build something, I could be very good at it."
Parent Lisa Chiariello, who has a fourth and ninth grader in Spartaschools, said she welcomes the learning plan program for high schoolstudents. But she questions how well it will work for sixth graders,who may be dealing with biological and social changes as well asacademics as they start middle school.
"There is so much that is new to a sixth grader that it's too muchto take in and disseminate. There's so much that's going on that's outof their control," Chiariello said. "(They are) growing physically andemotionally. You're a very different person down the line than you areas a sixth grader."
Personalized Student Learning Plan program
The state Department of Education has selected 16 New Jersey schoolsto participate in the Personalized Student Learning Plan trial program,which is being launched this fall. The plans aim to help students beginthinking about their futures. The middle and high schools will pilotthe program with sixth and ninth graders for the next two years.
Bergen
Emerson
• Villano Elementary
• Emerson Jr./Sr. High School
Burlington
Northern Burlington County Regional
• Northern Burlington County Regional High School
Camden
Camden County Technical Schools
• Camden County Technical Schools
Essex
Bloomfield
• Bloomfield High School
Gloucester
Delsea Regional
• Delsea Regional High School
Hudson
North Bergen
• Horace Mann School
• North Bergen High School
Mercer
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional
• Thomas R. Grover Middle School
Middlesex
North Brunswick
• Linwood Middle School
• North Brunswick Township High School
Greater Brunswick Charter School
• Greater Brunswick Charter School
Monmouth
Asbury Park
• Asbury Park High School
Passaic
Passaic City
• Passaic High School
Sussex
Sparta
• Sparta Middle School
Union
Roselle Borough
• Abraham Clark High School
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