Turners Falls High School
Turners Falls’ Individual Learning Plans (ILP)
At Turners Falls High School (TFHS), the Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is a comprehensive fouryear portfolio of a student’s progress and personal growth, academic plans, and career development
through their high school career. Turners Falls was one of the first high schools in the state to create
Individualized Learning Plans for all students, and the class of 2018 will be the first class with an ILP
for all four years. The school is moving forward on institutionalizing their ILP approach funded
through a state Integrating College and Career Readiness (ICCR) demonstration site grant.1
Students start their portfolio by using the Massachusetts Career Information System (MassCIS)2 to
explore interests, careers, and colleges. They then develop their own ILPs and explore their
interests and talk about their goals with assistance from school guidance counselors, teachers, and
parents/guardians.3 ILPs are implemented through the students’ weekly advisory program that is
taught by faculty members and designed to focus on college and career readiness, academic checkins, and social-emotional growth.
This TFHS sample material can help other interested high schools and districts learn about, design, and
implement a framework for using Individual Learning Plans with students in grades 9-12. It consists of
the following four parts, which can be used separately or as a whole, by administrators, other school
leaders, faculty, and counseling staff:
1. Individual Learning Plans Summary – an outline of the ILP structure; description of
strengths, challenges, and hints related to implementation; and next steps for implementation.
2. Individual Learning Plan Cover Sheet – a template for identifying and tracking the
components of a student’s ILP and recording completion dates.
3. College & Career Readiness Advisory Lessons – a chart that shows the advisory monthly
schedule and the CCR class activities planned for 9th-12th graders.
4. ICCR Grant Initiative at Gill-Montague Regional School District – A PowerPoint that
outlines the initiative’s components and activities, e.g., middle and high school career lessons,
ILPs, internships/work study, MA Model Implementation plans, and CCR enrichment activities.
1
The ICCR is an MADESE competitive grant program that provides start-up support to districts to create a
comprehensive approach to college and career readiness through the creation and integration of activities that
mutually support both academic and workplace readiness goals. The program offers two years of funding, with up to
a year to create a plan, and then an implementation phase upon completion of the plan, so that participating
districts can launch their plans. Awardees are expected to serve as demonstration sites for effective practices to help
scale up efforts in other districts to prepare all students for success after high school.
2
The Massachusetts Career Information System (MassCIS) is a comprehensive, internet-based career information
delivery system that is made available free on-line to all state residents by the Department of Career Services (DCS).
The system is designed as a tool for career and school counselors, job seekers, students and educators to help
people make better-informed career and school choices. MassCIS provides information on career assessment and
planning, occupations, the labor market, outlook, and educational options.
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Turners Falls High School 2014-15 Student Handbook: http://toolbox1.s3-website-us-west2.amazonaws.com/site_0606/gillmontaguetfhs_studenthandbook_093014.pdf
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Turners Falls High School
PART 1: Individual Learning Plans (ILP) Summary
 Pilot with current 9th grade students (2014-15 school year).
 Implemented through weekly advisory program.
 Thirty-five advisory meetings once a week throughout the year, beginning August
28, 2014 through June 4, 2015.
 Five-week topic rotation: College & Career Readiness, Academic Check-In, Fun,
Upstander (anti-bullying curriculum), and Teambuilding.
 Each class is 30 minutes in length.
 Use MassCIS to administer most college and career readiness (CCR) lessons.
ILP Implementation
 Strengths
o 9th graders have at least one trusted adult in the high school that they can go
to if needed.
o Students are familiar with the graduation requirements and the academic
expectations of high school.
o Counseling staff feels more connected with 9th graders.
o Students get to create a plan, explore their interests and talk about their
goals much earlier than ever before.
 Challenges
o
o
o
o
Students often forget usernames and passwords to MassCIS.
MassCIS can be difficult to navigate through and is not user-friendly.
CCR lessons only happen once every five weeks within the advisory program.
Advisory time is often not long enough for CCR lessons.
 Helpful Hints
o Select user names and passwords ahead of time for the students and make
them easy to remember. Maintain a master spreadsheet with all of the
usernames and passwords for all facilitators.
o Provide students with the schools log in information first before logging in
with their own user name and password on MASS CIS so the student’s
information is captured under the appropriate school.
ILP Next Steps
 Will expand ILP implementation with the 9th and 10th graders next year, however
staffing cuts will affect how frequently those services are provided.
 Continue to develop CCR curriculum to rotate throughout all of the grades.
 Continue to grow our advisory program through feedback from students and
advisors.
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Turners Falls High School
Part 2: Individual Learning Plan Cover Sheet
Name: __________________________________ Date initiated ______________________
Check to
indicate plan
to complete
Item

Create MassCIS Portfolio

Career Interest Inventory

Career Interest Inventory II

Career Values Inventory

Learning Styles Inventory

Resume

Graduation Audit

Graduation Plan

Reality Check on MassCIS

Other: __________________________________

Other: __________________________________

Other: __________________________________

Other: __________________________________
Date completed
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Turners Falls High School
Part 3: College & Career Readiness Advisory Lessons4
Advisory
Date
9th Grade
(Will always be using
computer/Ipads,
laptops)
9/11/14
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade
MassCIS Log In
Portfolio Review/ILP
Intro (Computers
needed)
PSAT PowerPoint
PSAT
PowerPoint
Post Secondary
Planning (WVA) (2
Handouts)
Education After High
School (Handouts)
Study Skills
Assessment (WVA) (2
Handouts)
You and Your
Abilities (1
Worksheet LDE)
College Interview
Process (2 Handouts)
11/20/14
College Search Lesson
Part 1 Using Big
Future and MassCIS
Improving
Organizational Skills (1
Handout)
Post-Secondary
Planning
Completing a College
Application
1/15/15
College Search Lesson
Part 2 Using Big
Future and MassCIS
Test Taking Strategies
(WVA) (Handout 1)
Relating School
to Career (WVA)
Fundamentals of
Financial Aid
3/5/15
Career Cluster
Inventory Using
MassCIS
Career Cluster
Inventory Paper
Career Cluster
Inventory Paper
Part 3 - College Door
Decorating
Part 3 - College Door
Decorating
Part 3 - College
Door Decorating
Resume
Preparation/Activity
Sheet Advisory Lesson
Resume
Preparation/Activity
Sheet Advisory Lesson
Summer
Calendar and
Life After High
School Options
10/16/14
4/9/15
5/28/15
Reality Fair Lesson
Senior Advice Letter
to Underclassmen
(Also, last Advisory
Celebration)
Part 4: ICCR Grant Initiative at Gill-Montague
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For related information, refer to Sparking the Future Curriculum: Lesson Plans for Grades 7–12. The Sparking the
Future curriculum was designed for students who are the first in their family to attend college. These lessons
supplement Navigation 101 by providing extra help for students in grades 7–12. Students follow a guided tour through
postsecondary options, helping them explore college and career options.
http://www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness/SparkingFuture.aspx
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