Reaching Beyond the Summit...
Developed by teachers from Summit Public Schools with engineering assistance from Facebook, the Summit Personalized Learning Platform is an online tool that powers personalized learning. It helps students connect their long term goals to their daily actions. Students move at their own pace to learn skills, apply those skills to real world projects and reflect on their learning.
Summit Personalized Learning Platform highlights include:
In schools that have embraced personalized learning, teachers have the tools and support to customize instruction to meet students’ individual needs and interests. This flexibility is supported by online software that allows teachers and students to create and carry out individual learning plans, track progress, and collaborate.
Personalized learning is an approach to learning where:
When you walk into a Summit classroom at CHS, you will see a variety of activities going on. During Free Climb or PLT, students are working on a playlist of content material to meet the objectives of the course. The playlist includes a variety of resources such as readings, videos, games, and/or flashcards. Teachers can modify resources as necessary to support the needs of students at CHS. Once a student has completed a content assessment, the teacher can identify whether or not the student is struggling in an area. This allows the teacher to pull specific groups to address specific objectives. At times, teachers may identify a different kind of need such as note taking or test taking strategies. These issues can also be addressed during PLT (or Free Climbing) time. Students are also learning to navigate their own learning by choosing resources that work best for them.
During Project time (or class time), students are using transdisciplinary skills to dive deeper into their content areas and also to develop the cognitive skills that are tied to student success in college and career. For example, one cognitive skill that is taught is using evidence and reasoning. In science, students complete a tradition lab assignment which allows them to both apply their content knowledge and focus on using evidence to prove a claim. In English, students complete a research project where they find evidence to prove a claim and hold a debate to show what they know.
Throughout the day, students will be involved in a variety of instructional activities that include, reading independently, working in collaborative groups, and working with teachers.
Cognitive Skills (Projects): 70%
Power Focus Areas: 21% Power Focus Areas
Additional Focus Areas: 9%
Students can view their progress across all courses for the entire school year.
The vertical line is the pacing line, and it indicates where a student should be today in order to be on track, or on-pace, to complete a given course by the end of the school year. Projects and focus areas to the left of the line are either completed or behind schedule, while all projects and focus areas to the right of the line are upcoming in the school year. Students are free to work on focus areas ahead of time or return to previous focus areas for review at any time.
Note: Projects that have been assigned are sized proportionally, depending on the start and end dates of the projects. For example, a longer project will take up more space than a shorter project. Projects that are unassigned, as well as all focus areas, are spaced equally and are presented at the same width.
Parents have unparalleled access to their child's educational experience through the Platform. A student’s online dashboard for setting goals and tracking progress towards those goals, the Platform helps families support their student’s academic success and college readiness at home. When they log into the Platform, they will see everything their student sees. Families are able to check the Platform at any time to understand:
In addition to having a direct window into the platform, parents and legal guardians can engage with students by asking them about the focus areas (content) or projects they are working on, what their goal is for the upcoming week, and how they did on goals for the prior week.
Teachers are leading the cultural shift in education toward personalized learning. Every step of the way, teachers are engaged in bringing personalized learning to the classroom.
Teachers applied to join the Summit Learning program because they wanted to expand or explore personalized learning.
Teachers develop and curate the curriculum for the Summit Personalized Learning Platform, and they use data from the Personalized Learning Platform to tailor instruction, understand student performance, and provide targeted feedback.
Check out the Summit website for more information!
Summit prepares a diverse student population for success in college, career and life, and to be contributing members of society.
How do we do that?
Summit flips the traditional adult-driven school model on its head by putting students at the center and creating an environment that enables students to drive their own learning.
Summit Schools are Small
• Every Summit student has at least one adult mentor and coach, who individually supports them to set goals, make a plan to achieve those goals and develop in their Habits of Success. A mentor also serves as college counselor, coach, family liaison and advocate.
• Every single student is known by every faculty member, and teachers continuously collaborate to ensure students have the feedback and practice they need to become empowered learners.
Summit Schools are Personalized
• Every Summit student has a dynamic Personalized Learning Plan and is able to access all of the learning tools and resources they need at any time.
• Summit students have the opportunity to explore individual passions, interests and careers for eight weeks each year.
Summit Schools are Empowering
• Summit students are self-directed learners. From the day they arrive, Summit students are encouraged and coached to develop in the elements of self-directed learning - Challenge Seeking, Persistence, Strategy-shifting, Response to Setbacks and Appropriate Help Seeking.
• Summit students receive consistent, relevant, and personalized support seamlessly integrated into their school day as they drive towards their academic and personal goals.
Summit Schools are Rigorous
• All Summit students demonstrate competency in college preparatory course work in five core subjects and the visual arts.
• All Summit students meet or exceed four-year college entrance requirements.
--All information is Taken from the Summit Site