NY Inspires has a direction. What does your district do next?
Across New York, district leaders are asking what NY Inspires means for their schools. How will the Portrait of a Graduate show up across grade levels? How will students demonstrate what they know and can do? What should change in assessment, instruction, and the way adults work together?
Those questions need practical answers. Modern Learners helps leaders and educators understand the direction of NY Inspires, make decisions in their own context, and build the capacity to carry the work forward.
We help you move from direction to decisions
Your district may already have a vision for learning. You may have a Portrait of a Graduate that people believe in. The next step is deciding what those commitments mean for students and educators on an ordinary school day.
We work alongside leaders and educators to:
- Identify a practical starting point based on what is already happening in your schools
- Connect the Portrait of a Graduate to learning experiences and assessment
- Develop performance-based learning and assessment practices
- Create time and routines for teams to examine student work, learn from implementation, and make adjustments
- Build the leadership and staff capacity to sustain the work
We bring experience in implementation science, coaching, and professional learning. We also bring questions. The strongest path forward comes from understanding your students, educators, community, and existing work.
We work alongside schools as a critical friend, helping teams build systems that reflect their beliefs and serve their learners. We don’t bring a one-size-fits-all solution. We work in context.
What we’ve learned through the PLAN Pilot
Modern Learners has served as a Technical Assistance Center for the New York State Education Department’s Performance-Based Learning and Assessment Networks (PLAN) Pilot. Working with schools and districts in the pilot has given us a close view of what it takes to put new approaches to learning and assessment into practice.
One lesson runs through the work: a promising idea needs more than a good launch. Teams need opportunities to learn together, make decisions, test practices, and build on what they discover.
We bring that experience to districts working beyond the pilot as well.
Let’s talk about your next step
You don’t need to have the whole plan figured out before you reach out. Tell us what your district is trying to accomplish, what you’ve already tried, and where you’re stuck. We can help you find a useful place to begin.
Contact Kimberly Moritz, Executive Director of New York State Partnerships, at kimberly@modernlearners.com.