October 27, 2016

Questions/Confusions about ALP's

Parents in our community are hearing about Advanced Learning Plans from one another. My hope is to provide enough information to our community so that we understand their function and the process by which students are placed on these plans and eliminate misunderstandings. At the end of the last school year the state required that schools identify students through a formal process using assessments and work samples that demonstrated that a student was working at advanced levels. The goal of this process was identification of students. This was a new process for us to put into place, which we did, and we will continue to refine it.

What is an ALP? It's an acronym for an advanced learning plan. We also have ILP's, which is an acronym for an individual learning plan. There is also an IEP - individual education plan. These have been created by the Department of Education. Our goal would be to have an individualized plan for all students.  It's a little confusing to me, because we do have a plan for all students - it's called daily instruction. In daily instruction, teachers are working from the plan they've created based on the students in their care. Gone are the days where a teacher pulled a plan from a filing cabinet that they used last year. The biggest difference is that these state mandated plans call for formal documentation.

We have communicated with you if your child has an IEP, ILP or an ALP. But what if my child doesn't have any of these? We always have a plan for all children!

So what looks different this year? The most important part is creating a system to provide the instruction. With the wide variety of instruction needed for all students it is challenging for one teacher to deliver it all, and/or possibly have the level of expertise. We are working as an entire school to provide instruction at all levels. We employ the expertise of our specialist in literacy, mathematics and mental health. This means we use a wide variety of resources, teacher expertise and high levels of collaboration. We've been doing this in literacy for some time and have increased what we are doing for students in math. It takes revising and careful monitoring.

This system means that some students may work with different teachers for parts of their day, or are using different materials, or participating in a group of learners for one unit and a different group for a new unit, and/or a modified assignment. Structures shift around depending on the individual needs of learners - and that's for all learners, not just students with ALP's.

I'm a parent. I completely understand that we worry about our kids. It's so natural to have a desire to want them to be ahead. Pressuring, added assignments, and anxious parents won't create an advanced learner - it will shut down learners. If I could share only one piece of advice, it would be to embrace the growth of your child exactly as it is. This holds true academically, socially and emotionally. They are growing into themselves. It's a journey that spurts and stalls, and they need you to be okay with wherever they are.

We want to challenge kids at whatever point they are in the learning progression. It is not a competition or a goal to be advanced. If your child is advanced, then that's where they are. If their pace is slower, then that's where they are. If your child is making steady growth, then that's where they are.

The absolute most important thing - and this I know for sure - is that kids are learning how to learn.