A State Framework for Innovative Learning Models in Math

This project will develop a comprehensive solution to support personalized competency-based math learning, consisting of three core components: 1) Personalized learning technology and assets including adaptive assessments, high quality instructional materials, robust teacher-facing data reporting, and a skill recommendation engine that matches students with lessons appropriate to their current competencies. 2) State Education Agency systems supporting seamless integration of innovative models and maximizing impact, including comprehensive professional development for teachers and leaders and a variety of implementation models that prioritize responsiveness to different schools’ needs. 3) Innovative educational policy and legislation that removes barriers to personalized learning by, for example, reducing emphasis on high-stakes grade-level testing and encouraging adaptive assessments at the beginning of the school year to facilitate differentiated instruction. 

To develop this solution, New Classrooms and NDDPI will first conduct user research, market analysis, and a policy landscape evaluation in North Dakota in collaboration with a working group of stakeholders to develop a detailed picture of the obstacles to be overcome by the proposed solution. Using the data collected and New Classrooms’ technological tools, we will then design a set of school- and district-level implementation models that meet a variety of stakeholder needs and initiate conversations with policy makers regarding legislation supporting personalized learning. To complete the solution, we will design a professional development program for teachers to support implementation. We will iterate on these concepts with frequent feedback and engagement with the local North Dakota community. When the solution concept is sufficiently refined, we will create prototypes and a rapid-cycle testing plan to validate it, and plan for future phases of this project.