Students can now decide what matters most to them

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School is changing the way students, teachers and parents come together to consider student performance.

At the Region One Board of Education meeting Sept. 12, English teacher Damon Osora and social studies teacher John Lizzi explained the concepts of “personalized learning portfolios” (PLP) and “student-led conferences” (SLC) to the board.

On Friday, Sept. 23, the two teachers, who are leading a committee charged with implementing the changes, met with The Lakeville Journal to flesh the concepts out a bit.

Osora said the SLCs replace traditional parent-teacher conferences, which have been held on two nights in October, with each conference lasting 7 to 10 minutes.

“There’s not much depth” in such a brief meeting, he said, adding that overall attendance at the conferences has been decreasing, and by the time students reach their senior year, the attendance rate is about 30 percent.

Lizzi said the new model ensures 100 percent attendance, by giving the student more control over the conference.

This starts with the development, for each student, of the portfolios.

The students are asked to identify the items they believe represent their best work. The PLPs are not restricted to academic work; extracurricular work, community activities, even hobbies may be included.

Lizzi said the students are told they “have ownership over what’s important to you.

“The portfolio is made up of things they are proud of. We want them to advocate for themselves.”

The students are all assigned to small groups who work on the PLPs with a teacher (or “coach” in this context), and they receive feedback from each other.

After a certain amount of material is assembled for the PLPs, the students, using feedback from their peers and with guidance from the coach, start culling the portfolio items. Ultimately, the portfolio will contain eight items.

These PLP groups meet regularly, for 35 minutes at a time.

Near the end of the semester, the student arranges for a conference with the teacher and guests invited by the student (by means of a personally written request). The guests may be parents — Lizzi and Osora expect parents will be the first choice for many students — but could also include coaches, mentors or anyone else who plays a significant role in the student’s life in and out of school.

Ultimately, the SLCs help the students define their personal goals, assess if those goals have been met and develop a plan for the following year.

Osora said the PLPs and SLCs represent a major change.

“Traditionally it has been the teacher’s role to define a student’s best work. Now the student decides, ‘This is what I value most.’”