What is Breakthrough?

With a history of piloting blended and personalized learning, the Henry Elementary team proposed a bold end-design that can have national implications.  As the recipients of the $280,000 Breakthrough Grant through LEAP Innovations, Henry began implementing during the 2016-2017 school year student-selected courses and catalogues, 10-week units designed around student needs and interests, and a personal learning advisor who will help students with goal-setting and choosing courses.  

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"The Patrick Henry Personalized Learning Initiative (PHPL) empowers students to take an active role in their learning by providing authentic opportunities for student voice and choice, developing SEL competencies, multiple pathways to mastery, and creating real-world learning partnerships that develop connections with communities. Student activities and options are rigorous and aligned to standards, and students are empowered to use and understand their own data to set personal goals and chart their success. The PHPL initiative fosters greater student independence while enabling teachers to facilitate collaboration and connections within students' individualized learning and goals."
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Components of Henry's Breakthrough Innovation

Voice and Choice

• ​​Create Learner Profiles to understand the whole child
• Build an understanding of what is Personalized Learning and Voice and Choice
• Using the Learning Continuum to support whole group instruction with three levels of differentiated tasks
• Choice scheduling and levels of autonomy
• Goal setting with students
• How to incorporate student voice in demonstrating understanding of the learning targets/objectives
• Voice and Choice in units of study

Ambitious Instruction

• Understand how to use Hess's Cognitive Matrix to analyze learning tasks' DOK levels within the choice schedules
• Using the Learning Continuum to support small group instruction targeted to advance student learning and progress monitor
• How to monitor progression for student goals
• Using Student Learner Profiles to provide options that meet the type of learner

Dynamic Partnerships

• Develop an understanding of Project Based Teaching Practices
• Learn how to support the essential project design elements
• Learn how to develop the project pathway to set a clear routine for students
• Starting with Stage 2 in our UbD units: students demonstrating content knowledge through PBL
• Connecting outside of our 4 walls: Service Learning Project, Genius Hour, etc...