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Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Main Menu Making Connections Introduction Introduction Recommendations Recommendations Los Angeles Unified School District

Executive Summary

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This report is comprised of instructionally-focused concepts with supporting infrastructure suggestions for the Board’s consideration. In order to prepare L.A. Unified learners for today’s world, the recommendations that follow are founded on providing personalized learning opportunities for all learners. Thus, the recommendations propose a shift in instructional paradigm: effective instruction necessitates technology. If educators are not leveraging technology, how will students be best prepared for today’s increasingly digital world? How can students be expected to excel in higher education environments or effectively launch their careers without exposure to digital tools? More importantly, how can teachers effectively meet each student precisely where they are without digital tools to help them identify areas of instructional need? Personalized learning cannot occur in the District’s current instructional model unless educators begin leveraging the many opportunities afforded by digital tools to promote learner agency and academic rigor.

This report is comprised of the following sections:

Introduction: This section provides the framing necessary to understand the proposed recommendations, which requires an instructional paradigm shift.

Foundations: This section highlights two resources that played an integral part in the development of each recommendation and the infrastructure requests needed to support a 21st century instructional shift.

Recommendations: This section outlines the instructional recommendations put forth by the ITI Task Force, which were developed to lead subsequent infrastructure decisions. Recommendations were informed by a great deal of discussion through independent workgroup efforts and collaborative task force learning experiences.

Infrastructure Support: This section identifies District infrastructure needs that must be fulfilled to support the proposed instructional recommendations.

Funding Options: This section provides a summary of funding models that can be considered by the District to support effective instruction leveraging digital tools.

Reimagining Digital Learning: This section outlines the District’s current efforts to implement an effective and sustainable model to implement personalized learning practices with digital learning tools.

Glossary: This section defines keywords that are essential to understanding the full extent of each recommendation and their implication for cultivating a district-wide culture that supports personalized learning for all learners.

Appendix: This section houses ITI Task Force information such as minutes, task force member list, resources produced and/or reviewed by the task force.

Each recommendation and infrastructure support identified were based on discussion, research, and hearing directly from District stakeholders. Two key resources that informed this work were the 2015 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) and the 2016 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards. The 2015 NETP provides the vision for instructional technology nationwide, highlighting the potential of technology to amplify instructional practices and address matters of equity and accessibility. The 2016 ISTE Standards were designed by educators across the nation representing a variety of curricular background and grade levels. Seven recommendations were developed around three core principles: learner agency, academic rigor, and learner-centered learning environment.

Recommendation 1: Develop a continuum for achieving learner agency for students and school leaders
Recommendation 2: Support teachers in exploring curricular content that is interdisciplinary and provides real-world application
Recommendation 3: Support personalized learning initiatives district-wide
Recommendation 4: Integrate a learning management system (LMS) in support of a learner-centered learning environment
Recommendation 5: Design and deliver learner-driven professional learning opportunities for school leaders, teachers, students, parents, Board members and community and business leaders
Recommendation 6: Develop & adopt district-wide tools to measure lesson effectiveness
Recommendation 7: Provide authentic, real-world application learning opportunities in the classroom

The following infrastructure supports are needed to fully address the instructional recommendations provided:

Provide ubiquitous, persistent connectivity to high-speed internet in and out of school
Provide access to appropriate learning devices
Determine and identify high-quality digital learning content & resources
Establish a systematic and ongoing approach to change management
Establish adequate technical and instructional support staff/resources
Develop an active support plan for parent education and involvement
Update or establish relevant district policies to guide implementation and acquisition of digital learning devices
Implement a process to update district-wide instructional policies with a mastery-based learning focus

In order to provide access to digital learning devices district-wide and realize the vision of the ITI Task Force recommendations, the following funding models were discussed:

Education Technology Bond with matching contributions from schools
Use of general funds such as textbook funding or identifying other cost-saving alternatives textbook funds - phasing out textbooks & using
External partnerships with companies and organizations
Leasing digital learning devices
Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD)

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