PLP Pathways: Equity Literacy, Act 77 and Professional Development

This past summer, over 125 middle-level educators gathered at the 2019 Middle Grades Institute which focused on the theme of Advancing Equity in the Middle Grades.  PLP Pathways is committed to sustaining the focus of Advancing Equity in the Middle Grades through the webinars and blog posts this year.

Using the Equity Literacy for Educators: Definitions and Abilities as our conceptual framework, we will be keeping equity centered in our work this year. “Equity literacy prepares us to see even subtle ways in which access and opportunity are distributed unfairly across race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, language, and other factors” (Gorski). 

Personalization, when done right, is a truly equitable practice.  True personalized learning facilitates more equitable outcomes by promoting success for more students. By designing classroom practices that embrace individual differences, personalization can add depth to the learning experiences of all students. 

What You Can Expect

Each webinar will have a theme that is connected to one of the four equity literacy abilities. Our first webinar’s theme is Starting Up: Building Relationships and Creating a Culture for Personalized Learning which is connected to the equity literacy ability recognize.  

In each webinar we will be using the Equity Literacy Framework to share ways that we are practicing building the equity literacy ability in our classroom and schools within the context of the personalized learning theme. 

We will share personal stories and experiences, resources to support you and your next steps, as well as provide discussion questions to use within your team meetings. Additionally, once the webinar is posted online to the PLP Pathways YouTube channel, educators can receive an hour of professional development credit by watching the video and completing a short assessment to earn a micro-credential.

This approach will support you and your team in the integration and development of equity literacy abilities as you implement the personal learning framework.

We hope you can join our fifth season of webinars as we
support educators implementing Act 77, developing
equity literate practices, and sharing our resources and
experiences to support Vermont’s students. 

PLP Pathways: Refocusing on Equity, Act 77 and Professional Development

With a new school year underway, PLP Pathways is excited to begin our fifth year of supporting Vermont's educators in the implementation of Act 77. 

This year we will be strengthening our core professional development, offering new opportunities for growth and learning, and paying particular attention to issues of equity. Additionally, we hope to continue bringing examples of the great work Vermont's educators are doing as they work to implement personal learning plans, proficiency-based learning and flexible pathways.

Webinar Series

This year we will again be offering a monthly webinar series to discuss issues related to the aforementioned pillars of personalized learning: personal learning plans, proficiency-based learning and flexible pathways. One change is that we will be utilizing Zoom for our webinar platform. Rather than live streaming our work on YouTube, each webinar will be a collaborative meeting open to viewers.

Interested parties will be able to join the conversation live, access the recorded conversation through Zoom for two weeks after the event, or visit our YouTube channel to revisit episodes related to your work. Our first webinar will be on September 26th and we'll focus on building relationships with students.

Equity

As personalized learning and Act 77 have evolved, issues of equity have come front and center. Educators, school systems and communities across Vermont are taking on these issues to ensure that all students have access and opportunity to the learning experiences that will support their growth and learning. 

Throughout the year, we will be discussing these issues, identifying resources to help educators and reflecting on how issues of equity impact us all. 

Many educators use the first few weeks of school to build relationships with students and to explore issues of identity. PLP Pathways will again try to provide you with resources developed by educators in the classroom. 

For example, check out this identity learning activity from practitioner Matthew McCormick. These resources and more can be found on our PLP Pathways website.  We will also be providing viewers with short videos throughout the year that deal with specific topics related to Act 77. 

These will be hosted on our YouTube channel in order to provide support, ideas, and innovative thinking for those seeking to improve their practice.

Professional Development

Finally, PLP Pathways will be continuing to offer professional development hours through a micro-credentialing program. Viewers who watch our program can complete a short Google Form and receive 1 hour of professional development credit and a certificate of completion. 

Additionally, PLP Pathways offers personalized consultations and support for action research in the field.

It is going to be an exciting year and we look forward to re-connecting with the hard-working and committed educators of Vermont. Have a great year!