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Innovative Education in VT

A blog exploring innovative, personalized, student-centered school change

  • ABOUT US
    • We stand against systemic racism.
    • Our Communications Diversity Policy
    • The Tarrant Institute
    • Our staff
      • John Downes
      • Emily Hoyler
      • Life LeGeros
      • Rachel Mark
    • Our schools
  • Our book
    • How to use this Educator’s Guide
    • Ch 1: Defining Personalized Learning
      • 1.1 The Three Pillars of Personalized Learning
      • 1.2 The Definition of a PLP
      • 1.3 New Student & Teacher Roles
    • Ch 2: PLPs Aren’t Just For The Teacher
      • 2.1 Knowing Students Well
      • 2.2 Avoid the Pitfalls!
    • Ch 3: Laying The Groundwork for PLPs
      • 3.1 What Are Your Pedagogical Priorities?
      • 3.2 Structures to Support Personalized Learning
    • Ch 4: Starting with the Learner Profile
    • Ch 5: Flexing Your Pathways
      • 5.1 Engaging Pedagogies for All
    • Ch. 6: Scaffolding for Equitable, Deeper Learning
    • Ch 7: PLPs & Proficiency-Based Assessment
    • Ch 8: Student-led PLP conferences
    • Ch 9: Sustaining Innovation
    • Chapter References
  • TOOLKITS
    • Action research
    • Adult Culture
    • Advisory
    • Digital citizenship
    • Community & Culture
    • Essential Skills & Dispositions Toolkit
    • Family & Community Involvement
    • Flexible classrooms
    • Genius Hour
    • Identity
    • Makerspaces
    • Negotiated curriculum
    • Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs)
    • Proficiency-Based Education
      • Learning Goals
      • Formative Assessment
      • Summative Assessment
    • Project-Based Learning
    • Reflection
    • Remote Learning
    • Scheduling
    • Service learning
    • Student-led conferences
  • VIDEOS
    • Middle Grades Conference (MGC)
    • PLP videos
    • Proficiency-Based Learning Videos
    • Student-Led Conference Videos
    • Tech Tips
  • PODCAST
    • #vted Reads Episode List
    • #vted Reads Videos
  • ARCHIVES
  • EVENTS & COURSES
  • CONTACT

Author: Rachel Mark

News 

NEW Essential Skills & Dispositions Toolkit

October 25, 2022October 25, 2022 Rachel Mark 1 Comment

Many schools and classrooms across the country identify student skills for success. Ideally, those skills cut across content areas and

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News 

Updated Student-Led Conferences Toolkit

September 28, 2022 Rachel Mark 2 Comments

Around this time of year, many middle schools begin to prepare for a fall student-led conference. This conference serves as

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News 

Centering Connection and Wellness: A Lifelong Sports Program at Rutland Middle School

April 1, 2022April 12, 2022 Rachel Mark 10 Comments activity, exercise, fitness, indoors, lifelong sports, outdoors, well-being, wellness

As we move through another calendar year impacted by COVID, I find myself taking stock of what’s important for our

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News 

The Annual TIIE Winter Reading Round Up

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 Rachel Mark 1 Comment

Dear Readers, We are rolling into that time of year when we hope that you find time to get cozied

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News 

Do you need a radical reset?

November 12, 2021November 13, 2021 Rachel Mark 1 Comment

In late October, the middle school 7th and 8th grade team at Flood Brook School realized that the 2021 school

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News 

Successful student-led conferences

September 21, 2021September 20, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

A student-led conference that brings together the student, teacher, and parent or guardian is a very powerful thing. It puts

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News 

Start the year with building the culture

September 2, 2021September 7, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

As we begin the year with students in our classrooms, it’s important to start with a focus on building the

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News 

Art for Action at Rutland Middle School

July 1, 2021June 25, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

Art for social change? How do you engage students in an exploration of the ways that art impacts social change?

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innovative Ed mailbag: Flummoxed in Flannery
Teaming 

From the innovativeEd mailbag: Flummoxed in Flannery

June 9, 2021June 9, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

From the innovativeEd mailbag: a reader looks for ways to keep pathways of conversation open with their colleagues when it

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increasing student self-direction
Self-directed learning 

Increasing Student Self-Direction

May 18, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

“Increasing Student Self-Direction” was a webinar presented by Rachel Mark as part of the 2020-2021 UVM Tarrant Institute Professional Learning

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screentime in a pandemic
News 

The unexpected joys of screentime in a pandemic

March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments For Your Family

Virtually every night around 8 pm, I hear two teenage boys shouting. They’re yelling commands and occasionally letting expletives fly.

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scaffolding success for self-directed learners
Online Courses 

Scaffolding success for self-directed learners

February 11, 2021February 12, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments self-directed learning, self-direction

We talk a lot, as professional development coordinators and as educators, about self-direction. We think a lot about ways to

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how are you
Remote Learning 

Authentic ways to check in on your advisees

February 8, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments morning advisory

Ways to move beyond “I’m fine” How are you? No, really. How are you? Right now, that’s a tough question

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News 

Setting goals with students for the new year

January 19, 2021 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

No matter what that new year looks like. At the start of a new year, we often think about our

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mindfulness activities for advisory
News 

7 mindfulness activities for advisory

December 2, 2020April 12, 2022 Rachel Mark 1 Comment advisory, goal-setting, identity

Now, more than ever. Many schools have an advisory structure to promote strong relationships and a sense of close community.

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you deserve a break
News 

Dear educators: you deserve a break. 

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 Rachel Mark 0 Comments

As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, please take care of yourselves and find time for rest and solace. You

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pandemic the parent's role in a student-led conference pandemic student-led conferences
Student-Led Conferences 

Making pandemic student-led conferences work

November 9, 2020 Rachel Mark 0 Comments Rutland Middle School

Staying connected to one another during a pandemic can be hard. Like many of us, teachers and parents have faced

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integrated curriculu
Integrated Learning Teaming 

What makes integrated curriculum work?

October 23, 2020October 26, 2020 Rachel Mark 2 Comments

Middle level educators have long sung the praises of integrated curriculum. It’s been a foundational practice in some middle schools.

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hunter education in Vermont
Flexible Pathways 

Hitting learning targets in Vermont hunter education

October 7, 2019April 29, 2022 Rachel Mark 4 Comments Flexible Pathway Implementation Kit, hunting, hunting education, proficiency-based learning, transferable skills, Vermont Fish & Wildlife, Vermont Hunter Safety, VT AOE

My twelve-year-old son is becoming a hunter. Myself, I’ve never even fired a gun, but Henry has been interested in

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Manchester Historical Society in action
Stories from VT Students 

Who are the keepers of your town’s history?

March 1, 2019March 5, 2019 Rachel Mark 0 Comments 3D printing, architecture, CAD design, history, integrated unit, Manchester Elementary Middle School, Manchester Historical Society, Tinkercad

Reviving Manchester’s past through oral histories & 3D printing With support from the local historical society, 7th graders in Manchester

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Currier School cooking videos
Proficiency-Based Learning 

Getting started with cooking videos

December 12, 2018August 20, 2019 Rachel Mark 0 Comments cooking, cooking videos, Currier Memorial School, digital storytelling, food, iMovie, video in the classroom

A recipe for video-making proficiency The ubiquity of the digital camera, whether mounted in smartphone, tablet or Chromebook, is getting

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parenting a student-run business
Flexible Pathways 

Parenting a student-run business

October 8, 2018October 11, 2018 Rachel Mark 1 Comment family involvement, parenting, pop-up business

There’s learning in the lemonade stand What might be your child’s first experience with business? That’s right: the lemonade stand.

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Reflection 

When students share their work, it deepens the learning

April 20, 2018April 29, 2022 Rachel Mark 0 Comments Flood Brook Union School, school exhibitions

Lessons from an exhibition These days, I’ve been thinking about the reasons we ask students to share their work. A

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what makes school exhibitions so powerful?
Stories from VT Students 

Why host a whole-school exhibition?

April 6, 2018September 26, 2018 Rachel Mark 2 Comments Manchester Elementary-Middle School, school exhibition, school exhibitions

Providing an arena for powerful family feedback School exhibitions take work. They take work to organize, schedule, promote and pull

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Uncategorized 

A Developmental Designs approach to student-directed learning

August 25, 2017June 18, 2018 Rachel Mark 1 Comment #everydaycourage, Brattleboro Area Middle School, developmental designs

It takes a courageous village In order for student centered learning to happen, we have to invest in explicitly teaching

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News 

#everydaycourage

August 22, 2017November 21, 2018 Rachel Mark 1 Comment #everydaycourage, back-to-school

It’s time we celebrated it in our schools. When we walk into Vermont schools, we see it. It’s there, every time,

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Uncategorized 

4 end-of-year activities for advisory

June 11, 2017June 16, 2017 Rachel Mark 0 Comments advisory, Flipboard, Google Sites, Manchester Elementary-Middle School

Acknowledge, share, recognize The end of the school year is every bit as happy and joyous as it is chaotic

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Flexible Pathways Self-directed learning 

The student-centered art classroom

May 16, 2017June 23, 2017 Rachel Mark 4 Comments art, proficiency-based assessment, Rutland Town School

Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school

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Augmented Reality 

Can virtual reality teach empathy?

January 27, 2017April 29, 2022 Rachel Mark 11 Comments Flood Brook School, Google Expeditions

Google Expedition aims to connect students with refugee experience Teaching empathy to our future citizens of the world may be

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Uncategorized 

5 Google Chrome apps and extensions for learner support

January 3, 2017April 14, 2022 Rachel Mark 1 Comment Announcify, Calmly Writer, Google Type with Your Voice, Grammarly, SpeakIt!

Support for visual, attention & motor control challenges Remember training Dragon Dictation to recognize your student’s voice? That technology was pretty

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Student-Led Conferences 

How to evaluate student-led conferences

November 17, 2016November 17, 2016 Rachel Mark 2 Comments Brattleboro Area Middle School

Feedback, feedback, feedback! As educators, it’s absolutely critical that we reflect on our practices, especially new ones. As schools around

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Dorset School
Self-directed learning 

Looking to try more student-directed learning?

October 17, 2016November 30, 2018 Rachel Mark 0 Comments genius hour, student-directed learning, The Dorset School

Test the waters with “Genius Groups” Start by turning your class over to students. You heard me. Set aside classroom

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Uncategorized 

Power up your Advisory programs

September 29, 2016April 19, 2018 Rachel Mark 2 Comments #readytolaunch, advisory, Brattleboro Area Middle School

How 30 minutes can leave a lasting impact on the day. Advisory: the first 15 to 30 minutes of every

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Uncategorized 

3 ways to create a student-led open house

September 12, 2016April 13, 2022 Rachel Mark 0 Comments #readytolaunch

Student leadership at a school Open House? You betcha. You’ve heard of student-led conferences, but how about a Student-Led Open

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Innovative Edtech Classrooms Student-Led Conferences 

Want end-of-year family involvement?

June 10, 2016September 19, 2018 Rachel Mark 0 Comments Brattleboro Area Middle School, family communication, family engagement, family involvement

Try Passage Presentations. The end of every school year is tough. Teachers and administrators struggle to keep students in line,

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Uncategorized 

Exploring careers in middle school

May 24, 2016April 22, 2022 Rachel Mark 0 Comments Mill River Union High School

How one school tackles work-based learning “Work-based learning experiences are activities that involve actual work experience or that connect classroom

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Uncategorized 

Helping your teen or tween with social media

April 11, 2016April 13, 2022 Rachel Mark 15 Comments digital citizenship, social media

To follow or not to follow… that is the question. Oh Hamlet, you would be so perplexed on this one!

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Project-Based Learning 

Real-world problems and project-based learning

March 16, 2016April 29, 2022 Rachel Mark 10 Comments community schooling, PBL, real world learning, STEM

Adapting big science for a middle school classroom One of the keys of the Project-Based Learning approach is to engage

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Student-Led Conferences 

The Parent’s Role in a Student-Led Conference

February 19, 2016February 28, 2016 Rachel Mark 11 Comments family communication

How can you support your student in sharing how they learn? In recent decades, schools have turned the table on

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Uncategorized 

How parents can model healthy tech habits

February 3, 2016April 22, 2022 Rachel Mark 5 Comments

Tips for when to turn off the tech In addition to being an educator, I’m also a parent — of

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Uncategorized 

Providing support for goal-setting in a PLP

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 Rachel Mark 6 Comments goal-setting

3 strategies shared by local educators At Manchester Elementary Middle School, sixth grade students speak fluently about their Personal Learning

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Student-Led Conferences Videos 

Screencasting as PLP reflection

December 17, 2015August 7, 2019 Rachel Mark 6 Comments Screencast-o-matic, screencasting, The Dorset School

Students create screencasts for student-led conferences Sixth graders at The Dorset School in southern Vermont are in their second year

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Uncategorized 

Balancing screen time and family time

November 30, 2015February 2, 2016 Rachel Mark 5 Comments digital citizenship, family communication

When to put the device down Let’s face it, it’s a challenge to balance technology in our lives; but it’s

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News 

Tailoring the Emergent Project approach for middle school

November 9, 2015November 10, 2015 Rachel Mark 8 Comments Vermont

Emergent Project approach works wonders in middle school An unexpected highlight of my days at the 2015 AMLE Conference in

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Uncategorized 

Y is for Young Writers Project

October 16, 2015April 22, 2022 Rachel Mark 8 Comments #ABCsofedtech, literacy, Young Writers Project

Using the Young Writers Project to teach writing There are so many reasons to appreciate how we teach adolescents to write

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Student-Led Conferences 

S is for Student-Led Conferences

September 26, 2015April 19, 2018 Rachel Mark 5 Comments #ABCsofedtech

Steps to a student-led conference Some of my most poignant moments as a teacher occurred around the table of a

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Uncategorized 

O is for Online Collaboration

September 18, 2015April 19, 2018 Rachel Mark 8 Comments #ABCsofedtech, edmodo, Google Docs, Google Slides, Skype

Online collaboration extends student learning networks Online collaboration takes on new significance as students extend their learning network in conjunction

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Uncategorized 

L is for Learning Management System (LMS)

September 10, 2015April 19, 2018 Rachel Mark 7 Comments #ABCsofedtech, Canvas, edmodo, Edmunds Middle School, Google Classroom, Harwood Union Middle School, LMS, Peoples Academy Middle Level, Schoology

What can you do with an LMS? LMS stands for Learning Management System. An LMS is an application for planning, delivering, managing,

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identity in PLPs
Identity 

I is for Identity

September 2, 2015April 22, 2022 Rachel Mark 5 Comments #ABCsofedtech, Book Creator, Edmunds Middle School, evernote, Flipboard, Google Sites, Harwood Union Middle School, personalized learning, personalized learning plan, personalized learning plans, PLP, PLPs, portfolio, portfolios, Young Writers Project

3 tech-rich strategies for exploring identity with students “Who am I?” is the question at the heart of the adolescent

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Uncategorized 

Reading for fun and growth this summer

July 9, 2015July 9, 2015 Rachel Mark 6 Comments growth mindset, reading

Howdy. I’m Rachel – new Professional Development Coordinator at the Tarrant Institute. I live in the beautiful southern part of

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