About the Pilot
Personalized Learning Environments Pilot: "The Why"
Pilot Mission:
Our cohort of K-5 Personalized Learning Environment Pilot Schools seeks to create models for technology-enabled, personalized learning environments that transform student learning across SFUSD with an initial focus on designing learning environments that will benefit our African American/focal students and can eventually be scaled districtwide so that each and every SFUSD student can achieve the competencies of the Graduate Profile.
[Draft] PLE Theory of Improvement:
Personalized Learning Environments Pilot: "The What"
The Personalized Learning Environments Pilot is focused on creating models within our district that empower teachers as designers and students as agents and owners of their learning.
A few key points to help understand "The What":
This is not a curriculum or a software program, but rather an emphasis on instructional shifts that align with our SFUSD Core Curriculum implementation.
In the fall of 2018-19 we focused on understanding our Guiding Principles and mindset shifts that support effectively leveraging technology and learning spaces for personalized learning design (see below for more information).
In the spring, pilot teachers received technology for student access as well as flexible furniture that supports 21st Century learning experiences.
Pilot teachers receive ongoing professional development and support and document their experiences and our team will document lessons learned and promising practices to support expanded implementation.
2020-21 Research Results
2021 May 27 PLE Presentation.pptxIn partnership with Stanford, the research for the 2020-21 year resulted in the following recommendations:
Expand opportunities for teacher collaboration and sharing of best practices
Offer professional development for teachers and support staff aligned with the graduate profile
Build on teacher and student fluency with technology to capitalize on technology-enabled opportunities
Support teachers in recruiting student engagement
Continue to invest in school-family partnerships and seek ways to continue to connect families with children’s learning as school transitions back to the classroom.
The research partnership with Stanford for the 2021-22 year will continue to focus on how the pilot empowers teachers as designers of technology-enabled learning and best practices for student learning.
Guiding Principles and Mindsets
Guiding Principles for Personalized Learning
The Guiding Principles for Personalized Learning emerged from the "Discover Phase" and a cross-departmental design sprint conducted in the Spring of 2018.
These were identified as the essential elements that are present in personalized learning experiences, informing both the design of our program as well as the design of learning experiences for students.
4 Mindsets for Personalized Learning
The 4 Mindsets for Personalized Learning were created with designer, author, and educator Rebecca Hare in order to address the mindsets that teachers and administrators need to create the conditions for our Guiding Principles to be enacted. These mindsets include:
Equity and Agency
How can you design with equity at the forefront, ensuring that all students are met as individuals?
How can you empower your learners to be autonomous and self-driven?
Addition by Subtraction
What can you remove to create opportunities that amplify learning?
How can you eliminate the distractions that affect learning?
Pull vs. Push
How much information are we pushing at students and how much are we pulling from them?
How can we employ powerful questions instead of providing answers?
Process over Product
How do we create growth mindsets and celebrate growth over time?
How do we focus on making learning visible and building in feedback loops?
Personalized Learning Environments Program: "The Who"
2021-22 Pilot Schools
17 schools across SFUSD are participating in the the Personalized Learning Environments pilot. Administrators self-selected into the pilot based on alignment with site goals.
Participating schools include:
Bessie Carmichael, Bryant*, Carver*, Chávez*, Clarendon, Drew*, Flynn*, FS Key, Lau , McCoppin, Muir*, Ortega*, Sanchez*, Sheridan, Sloat, Tenderloin*, VVES
(* = PITCH and/or Tier 3 school)
Two to eight pilot teachers per site also self-selected into the pilot based on alignment with their instructional goals.
Pilot Design Partnerships
Student Access Working Group
The Student Access Working Group meets regularly to plan the vision and execution of the K-5 Personalized Learning Environments pilot.
This group also influences related projects under the Personalized, Blended, and Online Learning for Students Initiative, including district tech-enabled pilot alignment and the creation of a roadmap for technology-enabled personalized learning for students.
This team includes SFUSD Curriculum and Instruction and LEAD representatives.
The SFUSD Digital Learning and Enablement Team
The Digital Learning and Enablement Team plays a key role in designing and facilitating both professional development and site-level support/thought partnership for our pilot teachers and administrators.
This team serves as our thought partners for leveraging technology to enable all students to develop the skills outlined in the SFUSD Graduate Profile Competencies. The pilot ties together key digital learning initiatives including:
Personalized Learning Environments Pilot Leaders
Personalized Learning Environments Program Manager
Zareen Poonen Levien facilitates and coordinates the many voices and experts who contribute to the design and implement the pilot.
She connects and documents the experience from the pilot to lead PLCs and working groups towards the larger goal of creating a roadmap for Personalized, Blended, and Online Learning for Students in SFUSD.
Research Partnership
Amber Maria Levinson is a Research Associate at Stanford Graduate School of Education as part of the TELOS Initiative (Technology for Equity in Learning Opportunities).
Amber is our research partner and serves as a thought partner for pilot design.
Space Design Partnership
Rebecca Hare is the co-author of The Space: A Guide for Educators. She is an educator, designer, and consultant on reshaping school spaces to better support learning.
Rebecca is our thought partner on the role learning spaces play in designing technology-enabled personalized learning environments.
LEAD Thought Partner
Dr. E'Leva Hughes-Gibson, Assistant Superintendent of SFUSD Cohort 5, serves as an ongoing thought partner on design to promote equity.
She brings the perspective of the SFUSD Leadership, Equity, Achievement, and Design (LEAD) team to ensure alignment with district programs, such as PITCH.
Executive Director of Digital Learning
Lindsey Blass leads digital learning for San Francisco Unified School District. Lindsey develops systems and processes to leverage technology and learning environment design to promote academic and socio-emotional growth for all students, with an emphasis in reaching historically underserved student populations. She designs for scale and sustainability, moving innovation beyond pockets to create systemic change.