BELLOWS FALLS — Bellows Falls Union High School has been awarded a $10,000 Personal Learning Plan (PLP) grant from the Vermont Department of Education.
The grant comes on the heels of a working committee whose mission was to figure out how to implement Act 77, a law the Vermont Legislators passed recently that requires all students in grades 7-12, create a personal learning plan based on their interests and goals.
Missy Wilkins, Ph.D., BFUHS's family liaison and student advocate, will work with BFMS guidance counselor Cathy Morris to ensure that each Bellows Falls Middle School eighth-grader and all Bellows Falls Union High School ninth-graders are supported in creating these plans.
In the grant proposal, Wilkins described a field test that she and the BFUHS guidance counselors conducted. They began by meeting with small groups of freshmen over the course of two weeks this past fall. Each student was asked to map out their plans. They then were able to participate in the process of creating their own PLP.
Feedback from students is described as “very positive.” Many reportedly felt the PLP helped them better understand how their education works. In December, BFUHS Principal Christopher Hodsden and Guidance Director Martina Mattison presented the results of the pilot Personal Learning Plan program to the BFUHS School Board.
Funding from this grant will allow Bellows Falls Union High School and Bellows Falls Middle School to receive the resources necessary to effectively implement and adopt Personal Learning Plans for everyone.
The state recently launched a new website to help educators and students navigate their way through the PLP process.
Gov. Peter Shumlin spoke about the site's launch in January, calling it ”a critical step toward providing individual students with the specific path to graduation and beyond that best meets their learning styles.”
Shumlin added that “there is no one-size-fits-all plan for teaching our children. These learning plans enable us to adjust education to meet the needs of all students, and ensure they have the skills they need to find good jobs after graduation.”
Vermont Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe wrote in a recent email to the PLP work group following the launch of the PLP website that schools “can't address challenges around engagement, relevance, and student responsibility for learning without taking on this issue of personalization.”