Blended Environment, Personalized Learning

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Saint Paul Public Schools Blaze Path to Improved Student Outcomes

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The Personalized Learning PromisePersonalized learning is more than a buzzword. It is

part of a set of new approaches that promise to reshape K-12 education. Blended environments, adaptive digital content and mobile device technologies let teachers more easily differentiate instruction to meet each student’s individual needs. The one-size-fits-all model is beginning to fade away.

Replacing it is a flexible, blended classroom. Some students might collaborate in person on a project while videoconferencing with team members studying at home that day; other students may use educational software, which adapts on the fly to meet their individual strengths and weaknesses. The teacher may pull together all the students — both in-person and online — for a discussion about the videotaped lecture she posted the day before, which students retrieved and watched on smartphones or laptops before class.

These are just a few of the many scenarios where digital technology is being used to blend the learning environment and make for a more personal learning experience. These technologies also complement the digital world students live in, making use of the tools they use in their personal lives. Students increasingly expect to be able to use these tools: Nearly 70 percent of high school and college students in a 2012 study said they wanted more technology such as tablets, smartphones and laptops, and fewer lectures, preferring virtual learning, hands-on projects and other, more individualized approaches.1

Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Common Core State Standards (adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia) call for higher levels of college and career readiness, including familiarity with technology and 21st-century skills. These standards, along with student and parent expectations, are driving schools to evolve and to offer more personalized, collaborative and engaging learning.

But how to get there, especially in a time of reduced budgets? K-12 schools need to form a transition strategy that allows them to take advantage of technology opportunities to improve student outcomes. This Center for Digital Education paper outlines a solid transition strategy by highlighting the journey of Saint Paul Public Schools in Minnesota as it seeks to adopt a blended, personalized mode of instruction that promises to transform learning for its students.

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A Strong Foundation for Personalized Learning

A blended learning environment is an important part of the foundation for more personalized learning. Blended learning combines online and in-person instruction, using content from multiple sources and formats to suit students’ learning styles. Research shows this type of learning can improve student outcomes.

• Eighth-grade algebra students in a blended learning class outperformed those in traditional classrooms, according to a 2011 study by researchers from the American Institutes for Research and Education Development Center. The analysis compared 218 blended students who studied using online methods while at school with 222 students who received instruction only in class. At the end of the school year, the blended students scored higher than the traditional group, plus were twice as likely to take advanced math classes the following year.2

• Hall County, Ga., undertook an aggressive initiative to provide its students and educators with a next-generation learning and teaching environment, which included personalizing and blending learning. Even though it’s still early to determine if the initiative is the reason for the district meeting its desired outcomes, preliminary data does show that teachers are seeing increases in student learning from state test scores to performance-based measures.3

• Blended or hybrid learning is more effective than face-to-face and fully online learning, according to a 2009 meta-analysis by the U.S. Department of Education.4

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Gordon Parks High School, part of Saint Paul Public Schools

The Saint Paul MissionSaint Paul Public Schools — a 39,000-student, urban school

district in the Twin Cities — serves a diverse population, with 72 percent of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, and with more than 100 different languages and dialects spoken by its student body. Demographically, the district is 31.2 percent Asian, 29.4 percent African American, 24.2 percent white, 13.5 percent Latino/Hispanic and 1.7 percent Native American.

While some segments of Saint Paul’s student body are successful, other groups have struggled, says Stephen Hoffman, assistant director for academic innovation and technology integration.5

“Minnesota is a high graduation state but has one of the largest achievement gaps of students of color in the nation,” says Hoffman. “We are an urban school district looking at an achievement gap for our students of color and American Indians. We have students walking out the door and saying, ‘I’m not interested in your education anymore — I’ll go someplace else or just drop out.’”

In early 2011, the district began considering a different type of learning environment that would better serve the students it was losing. Led by Superintendent Valeria Silva — a 26-year district veteran then in her second year as superintendent — the district started developing a shift to more choice and flexibility for its students and teachers.

No longer would a “factory model” be the only option for education, with all students going to school for the same nine months of the year. Instead, under a new plan formalized in November 2011, the district chose a next-generation learning approach that emphasized personalized, blended learning, digitized content, greater access to mobile devices and flexible scheduling no longer tied to seat time.

“We’re moving away from schools that start at 7:30 and end at 2, Monday through Friday, with a summer break, where time

is constant and learning is the variable,” says Hoffman. “We want the opposite: for learning to be constant and time to be the variable. It’s about removing barriers that get in the way of student learning.”

The district began its gradual process of implementation in early 2012, part of a multi-step developmental process that is expected to take 5 to 12 years, depending on results of a November 2012 referendum asking voters for an additional $9 million in technology funds.

Once fully implemented, Saint Paul will find itself ahead of other districts in its region by offering digital content; an integrated online platform that teachers, students and parents can access; and flexible, blended learning options that can be targeted to each student’s needs. The below steps outline the strategy that will help Saint Paul get there, and can be easily replicated by districts and schools throughout the nation.

Establish a Vision: The Starting LineLeadership from the top is essential to spreading

such far-ranging changes. Superintendent Silva has been a key force behind the move, making the case that the transformation to personalized learning is essential.

“We are learning now that technology can help us differentiate by providing lessons in different ways for different learners,” says Silva. “The unexpected beauty of technology is that what would initially seem to create distance between teachers and students is actually what can free up the time for stronger relationships.”

Getting all stakeholders involved is another crucial step in building support for change. To this end, Saint Paul held a “Visioning Day” in January 2012 to spread enthusiasm and get feedback and suggestions.

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The district got the idea for the Visioning Day from Dell, says Ivar Nelson, director of information technology. “This had been done at Hall County [Public Schools in Georgia]. We thought that was something that would give a lot of value to Saint Paul Public Schools.”

The district welcomed not only teachers, principals, administrators and other faculty, but also students from middle and high schools; altogether, about 70 people attended the day-long event.

Attendees discussed the reality of students’ lives and how the district was not always meeting those needs. The day helped create “a shared sense of urgency — that we’ve got to move in this new direction,” says Nelson. A follow-up Visioning Day was held in August 2012 to continue gaining feedback and building excitement for change.

Establishing a vision, with strong learning objectives, helps districts to rethink how learning should occur. A communication plan should also be developed to ensure that the strategy continuously meets the needs of stakeholders throughout the whole process.

Build a Strong IT InfrastructureThe foundation of an efficient system of blended

and personalized learning is a strong infrastructure. Otherwise, a district can crumble under a flood of missed connections and stalled downloads. With a tide of new devices requiring high-speed WiFi connectivity, a district needs to make sure it is equipped to meet the demand both securely and reliably.

Often, an assessment of a district’s IT environment is a key first step. This can help identify inefficiencies and can save money. Vendors can provide such assessments or districts can undertake

it themselves, creating a roadmap of infrastructure investments required to support the vision. Often what’s needed is an integrated approach to storage and data management, networking, systems management and security that optimizes services, 24/7, and provides an opportunity to scale.

Knowing options is also important. For example, what are some alternative hosting models such as the cloud that can bring cost savings and flexibility? How can managed services offload day-to-day management tasks and help optimize IT resources?

At Saint Paul, internal assessments have led to infrastructure upgrades over the years. The district has increased bandwidth at all sites, with wireless available district-wide.

“We’ve done a lot of work to make a very, very robust infrastructure,” says Nelson. “As technology director, I never say 100 percent, but we are so close to having wireless in all our instructional spaces throughout the district. For a district this size, that’s rare.”

Improvements are still being made to handle the demand for when all high-schoolers have at least one mobile device through a combination of BYOD and school-supplied tools. The district is adding wireless access controllers and caching applicances to account for this.

In addition, the district’s existing videoconferencing capabilities are being extended from the five telepresence units currently in place. The goal is for all schools to have equal access to videoconferencing technology, which can allow students to take part in virtual field trips, interview experts in other locations and collaborate with students in other locations.

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Prepare for ImplementationImportant planning steps for any school district include

developing a digital content and curriculum strategy; knowing which access model will be used, so that students can have equitable use of the services; and addressing professional learning so teachers know how to use the new technology.

Assessment needs to be kept in mind as well. Schools need to provide accurate, actionable data that enables educators to personalize curriculum for learning styles and intervene if needed to improve student outcomes. This also drives efficiency and increases accountability and transparency.

Developing a Curriculum StrategyThe biggest key to Saint Paul’s path forward is the

creation and adoption of a new, integrated teaching and learning platform. This suite of tools will be used by students, teachers, parents and other family members, administrators and others to connect with each other and the district, and to have access to information.

One major component of the platform is a digital repository, which will include the district’s digitized curriculum, largely built by its teachers. Master or core classes will be aligned to the Common Core and Minnesota State Standards. Course materials might include teacher-created educational videos and other digital learning objects, as well as lesson plans and assessment tools. Teachers will be able to access these course materials, which will be vetted so that only the most effective resources are posted and available. (This avoids the problem of just posting all material, which can be overwhelming and time-consuming to navigate.)

The courses can be used no matter which learning environment the student is in, says Hoffman. Because they are aligned, they can let students move back and forth between environments with continuity.

For example, a ninth grader in Algebra I might prefer a traditional, five-days-per-week classroom. Another student might choose another approach, such as attending class and collaborating with the teacher during out-of-class time on his/her mobile device to extend learning, to relearn material or even to cooperate with other students.

No matter the learning environment and content delivery mode, says Nelson, “we make sure if you earn an A in Algebra I, an A is an A is an A. And when you take your next level of math, you pick up right where you left off — all on track — because that instruction is aligned.”

The district is working on curriculum partnerships with other districts, both in Minnesota and outside the state, says Hoffman, as well as other partners such as the local public TV station and state historical society, which can provide digital content.

“This integrated platform is really it — the thing that ties together all the digital assets,” says Nelson.

The device-agnostic platform will integrate with tools the district already uses, such as Google Docs and Moodle, as well as new curricula. It will also serve the district’s goal of universal access, so that students can find the same content no matter where they attend.

“We have many teachers in our district doing wonderful things, many teachers working hard to offer their students multiple means of engagement in the curriculum and multiple means of expression,” says Nelson. “What we need to do is make that available to all kids.”

By making lesson plans and other learning tools available to all teachers, the district hopes to engage all students.

Establishing the Access ModelThe district is moving toward students bringing their own

devices and working to provide devices for those who don’t have their own. Another goal is to ensure equitable access to the Internet. Students who don’t have Internet at home can make use of extended hours at any district school as well as wireless hot spots in the community, plus can sync their devices before and after school so that material is available offline, says Hoffman. Internet providers are being pushed to provide lower-cost options to families in the community.

Implementing Professional LearningTo help teachers learn the best way to use all these new

technologies with students, Saint Paul has embarked on a

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Dell is committed to helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to learn and succeed in an increasingly digital world and a globally competitive workforce. As a top provider of technology and services to schools, Dell listens to and works with students, educators, administrators, communities and industry partners around the world to deliver innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more.

Learn more about Dell in Education at www.dell.com/k12. Follow us on Twitter @DellEDU .

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© 2012 e.Republic. All Rights Reserved.

multi-pronged professional learning path. Teachers have been and will continue to be trained using telepresence and live sessions. Some teachers, administrators and students viewed vendor demonstrations of the new interface, including hands-on activities.

As part of the personalized learning process, some classrooms are being changed into “Active Learning Spaces” with non-traditional furniture arrangements and flexible technology. The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, which has an Active Classroom initiative, will collaborate with the district and educate teachers in research and practices surrounding this type of innovative learning space.

Personalized, Blended Learning Builds a Next-Generation Education Environment

Hoffman gets excited imagining events like the Mars Rover landing made more engaging in a next-generation classroom through real-time video and audio hook-ups with NASA engineers — perhaps shared with the entire community.

“We could open a building at 2 a.m. and we’d have a flood of students, parents and community members who’d want to see that Rover land and talk about what that means for the upcoming generation,” says Hoffman. “To engage that conversation with the community in multiple sites in

Saint Paul — that would be thrilling. Students could say, ‘Wow, I’m watching real-time video from Mars and talking to people at NASA right now as they’re cheering.’ I get to imagine that — and it’s not imagination anymore; it’s a reality of what we can do.”

As students prepare for careers in fields that will use videoconferencing and other Web-based technologies as a matter of course, “It’s just ridiculous if we in schools don’t grab on to this,” says Hoffman. “This is a learning dimension that creates excitement for kids.”

With the addition of personalized and blended learning, along with technology used not just for its own sake but to better provide a responsive, flexible educational environment, Saint Paul is blazing ahead toward the future and showing others along the way that improving student outcomes is a possibility for all districts.

Endnotes1. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2012/07/hs_

students_want_more_tech_les.html

2. http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_20124021.pdf

3. www.forbes.com/sites/dell/2011/11/09/transforming-the-system-one-

student-at-a-time/

4. www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/

finalreport.pdf

5. All quotes from Saint Paul Public Schools from Center for Digital

Education interview on 9/14/2012.