Individual Learning Plans (ILP’s) are now required for all students in grades 5-12 as a part of the RI High School Diploma System.  An Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is primarily authored by students themselves, with guidance from adults who know and care about them: their school advisors, teachers, counselors, and parents.  They are a foundational component of personalization efforts intended to help students reflect upon and plan for their future in three developmental domains: academic, personal/social, and career.

 

Barrington Middle School has created a digital system in which students can do this.  During Connect, our school’s advisory time, students work closely with their advisors to write their own plan.  It includes their perceived learning styles, strengths and interests, personal achievements, and future goals.

 

Once written, students enter the data electronically directly into their digital ILP portfolio.  Students are given a user name and secure pass word.  This will enable them to visit their page to alter or amend information as new circumstances emerge and/or as their goals evolve.  In addition, students will revisit their ILP each year to update their information.  That way, students are able to view their experiences retrospectively and gain an awareness of how they have developed as students and individuals.  ILP’s also offer an excellent opportunity to engage parents in their child’s learning.  Parents will be able to view and comment on their child’s ILP to ensure family involvement in the process.