Personalized Learning Systems Year 2 Guide
Program Details
● Schools are expected to use the PLS programs 30 minutes daily in ELA and
Math respectively or for a minimum of 2.5 hour in each subject weekly.
● Students will be assessed with Performance Series three times throughout year.
● PD will be provided throughout the year for Teachers, Supervisors, Parent
Coordinators, Data Specialists, & SPOCS.
● PLS Program implementation commences the first week of school.
● Teachers will use PLS program reports and other data sources to differentiate
learning experiences for all students.
● PLS Principals, as the primary pilot researchers, will be informed about the pilot
implementation in their school and collaborate with other PLS Principals and Pilot
Managers to document the lessons learned, best practices, program impact on
the learning environment, changes in pedagogical practice, student engagement,
academic rigor of content, and effectiveness of personalizing the learning paths
for all students.
Program Implementation
● Vendor coaches will continue to provide push-in support in the schools.
● Common prep for grade teachers will be scheduled and available for vendors to
provide training to classroom teachers, as needed.
● Teachers will create daily/weekly schedules that reflect program integration.
● Principals should consider the location of classrooms that are sharing equipment.
● Teachers will coordinate the sharing of equipment, where applicable.
● ELA and Math coaches, SPOCs, and Technology Teacher/Coordinator will be
identified and shared with DOE Innovation Managers and vendors.
● PLS Teachers and ELA and Math Coaches will receive 4 hours of per session for
collaborative work done after school working with vendor coaches to create and
upload differentiated lesson plans attached to their curriculum maps, in Atlas.
PD Registration
● The summer PD schedule, the posting and OP175 form are listed on the wiki at:
http://izone-ils.wikispaces.com/Schedule
○ New teachers will need to submit a resume and OP175 Form for the
summer posting to PLS@schools.nyc.gov and are strongly advised to
attend the summer PD or the make-up sessions after school in
September.
● To view the listing of PD opportunities and register go to the following site:
http://tinyurl.com/PLSpdRegistrationForm.
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Pilot Evaluation
● The pilot evaluator, EdLabs, will conduct in school visits and administer a student
survey.
● The Low Usage Explanation form will notify the DOE and project evaluators of
extenuating circumstances, so that usage data can be modified prior to running
reports.
● To access the form on the wiki, go to: www.izone-ils.wikispaces.com and click on
the link on the left for Low Usage Explanation.
Summer PLS Programs@Home
● The last date for program use has not been determined for summer 2012.
● Students can log in with their at home usernames and passwords to access the
sites.
SPOCs
School-based SPOCs are fundamental to the PLS program. In an effort to minimize
hardware and application downtime, SPOCs are charged with maintaining and providing
basic troubleshooting of PLS equipment. Listed below are some best practices of
supporting your school based SPOC:
● Designate a SPOC for each PLS program
● Block time in SPOC’s schedule for managing technical issues
● Employ a part-time CUNY tech
Equipment Maintenance
● SPOCs
○ Report issues to DOE Helpdesk or to the vendors’ helpdesk.
○ Maintain equipment inventory.
○ Secure equipment over long holidays and summer (see SPOC guide).
○ Create a basic troubleshooting guide for teachers and post on the inside
of every cart.
● Teachers
○ Implement a system for distribution and collection of laptops/netbooks and
headsets such as assigning monitors.
○ In classroom care of equipment
■Label machines/headphones with students names
■List contact/procedures on inside of cart with Helpdesk numbers
■Make sure equipment is plugged in and being charged
○ Assign machines to specific students so that there is a sense of ownership
and care. This will also allow us to track repetitive issues and ascertain
what student was doing at time of problem.
○ Know designated person and times to move cart if shared between
classes.
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○
Monitor student usage to ensure that they are staying on task and
completing assignments.
Items to consider in your budget
● Sub funding for teachers to attend PD
● Laptops to supplement program
● Replacement of headsets
Vendors
● Teachers should be advised that it is against DOE policy to release student’s
personal information, including OSIS # to vendors. Required student information
will be provided by DOE personnel, according to a pre-determined template, and
forwarded to vendor partners for user account processing.
● Principals will provide vendors with common prep day and time.
● Principals will receive push-in schedule from vendor by end of July.
● Principals will schedule regular meetings with vendors to review reports,
schedule presentations for parents, provide suggestions and address any
concerns.
Per Session Activities
● Administrators
○ Approve teacher registration for all PD activities.
○ Review & sign timesheets if activity is conducted in the school building.
○ If time is handwritten on timecard, principal signature is required.
○ Timecards need to be signed by teacher and both sides submitted with
paperwork.
○ Agenda and Sign-in sheets must accompany paperwork for all schoolbased pd.
○ Timesheets, timecards, agenda, and sign-in sheets submitted by fax in a
timely manner to: 718-935-3285.
Communication
● All PLS teachers and administrators will visit the iZone wiki on a regular basis to
get updates, see PD schedule & other information at: www.izoneils.wikispaces.com.
● Principals and teachers are encouraged to contact their DOE liaison with any
suggestions and concerns regarding the PLS program.
● All PLS Principals are encouraged to join one of the PLS Professional Learning
Communities (TBD).
Suggestion for Donations of Headsets
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●
www.DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that connects teachers’ classroom
needs to donors. Teachers would need to submit a request for the specific
materials and if funded, teachers are asked to submit photos of the project in use
and thank-you notes from students which are sent to the donors.
This planning guide is designed to ensure an effective and consistent year two PLS
implementation. Principals are encouraged to add appropriate information to improve
this guide, which will eventually become the foundation for a document that will be
available to principals who wish to replicate this pilot in a non-PLS school.
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