FAQs About Personalized Learning

What Is Personalized Learning?

Personalized Learning is what education should be for the 21st century.

It is a unique, blended classroom-based and beyond classroom-based educational model that is tailored to meet the needs and interests of each individual student. Personalized Learning is a 21st century approach to public education that honors and recognizes the unique gifts, skills, passions, and attributes of each child. Personalized Learning is dedicated to developing individualized learning programs for each child whose intent is to engage each child in the learning process in the most productive and meaningful way to optimize each child's learning potential and success.

The key attributes that comprise the Personalized Learning model are based choice and flexibility in how, what, when, and where each student learns, and upon a solid foundation of the latest educational research findings as to how students learn most successfully, including a strong emphasis on:

• Blended, flexible learning delivery
• Choices in curriculum, learning environments, and pacing
  
• Parental involvement
• Smaller class sizes
• Student-Parent-Teacher relationships
• More meaningful one-on-one teacher and student interaction
  
• Attention to differences in learning styles and intelligences
  
• Student-driven participation in developing the learning process
  
• Technology access
  
• Varied learning environments
  
• Teacher and parent development programs
  

No other educational model offered in today's public education system has integrated these proven educational research results in such an in-depth and comprehensive manner to serve the diverse needs of today's public education students.

The Personalized Learning model is fast becoming recognized as the most flexible, multi-faceted, and individualized approach to learning in education today. Personalized Learning is the exemplary model of how a blended learning and education delivery model should be designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of 21st century students.

If I am a parent who wants my child to have the best Personalized Learning experience, how can APLUS+ assist me?

If you are a resident of California, APLUS+ can refer you to one of our high quality Personalized Learning member schools in your area. All of our member schools are high quality public charter schools committed to academic excellence, so as public schools there is no tuition for your child to attend. All of our member schools follow the core principles of the Personalized Learning model, which honors each individual child to reach his or her highest learning potential and involves you, the parent, in the child's personalized learning plan. Each child is assigned a personal advisory teacher/guide, who works with you and your child to develop the personalized learning plan that is best matched to your child's needs and interests to ensure your child's learning success. To view a current list of our member schools, please click here.

Regardless of your place of residence, should you desire to homeschool your child, APLUS+ can assist you in accessing FREE or low cost learning resources and tools online, and in accessing member discounts on online courses, curriculum, career and college counseling services, and other learning tools and resources. Simply choose our APLUS+ individual membership subscription for only $99 per year to access our services immediately and you will save many times that amount over the course of the year. Click here to sign up for your individual membership.

Do students in an APLUS+ member Personalized Learning school attend classes at the school's campus full time?

Students who enroll in an APLUS+ member Personalized Learning school are supported with choice and flexibility in where they learn, how they learn, what they learn and when they learn. Most of our member schools offer onsite courses at one or more of their resource center campuses, and students may choose to enroll in one or more courses as needed to fulfill their learning requirements. Personalized Learning schools are designed much more like a university model, where students may attend classes at the campus a few hours on one or more days per week, and then fulfill their other learning requirements off campus.

Do they have to ride the school bus every day to campus? NO

Do they have to get up at before dawn to get ready for school each day? NO

Do they have to complete their learning assignments and fulfill their learning obligations? YES

Can they fulfill these requirements at their own pace or to fit their individual schedule and in the manner in which supports them best to succeed? YES

As a parent, do I have to be involved in my child's education?

Only if you want your child to have the best chance for a successful education. Education research demonstrates without any doubt that parental involvement in their child's education leads to the child's greatest chance for education success.

However, can you be creative and flexible in how or how much you are involved in your child's education? Yes, and your Personalized Learning school can assist you in developing a Personalized Learning plan and program that works for the entire family.

Other Questions or Comments?

Feel free to contact me directly at jeffrice@jps.net

If this mountaintop represents the body of knowledge, skills, and information that each student must master in order to successfully graduate, then, in a Personalized Learning model, the path to reach that mountaintop is as unique and individual as each student.

Tens of thousands of California students have successfully graduated from Personalized Learning schools.

 Many families enroll all of their children in a Personalized Learning school, and the other siblings are encouraged and supported to mentor their younger brothers and sisters.