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| Annotations ENTRY 3: DEEPENING AND SPREADING THE WORK Annotation 1 This is the first of many extended quotes from participants in the VRP - teachers, students, parents, principals, community folks have voices in this entry. The breadth of commentators, and their knowledgableness about the effort, points in the direction of Theme 1: Instructional Spread and Theme 2: Community Engagement. Annotation 2 Great graph! The bands help you to see which schools are engaged in projects that draw on specific aspects of place-based learning. The bands also show you which constructs in the place-based learning curriculum are being addressed by projects, and which constructs might need more attention. This graph illustrates clear evidence that place-based learning has impacted many schools in Vermont. This is evidence of Spreads to new places. In addition, to the degree the criteria align with the rubric, several other themes and aspects are represented. It would be good to know where these helpful criteria came from - who developed them, and how are they being used, apart from this kind of documentation. Annotation 3 Incorporating place-based learning efforts into the state standards is clear evidence that place-based learning in Vermont is Impacting curriculum.  Annotation 4 Evidence that place-based learning in Vermont has Impacted teaching and teachers, where a great many teachers are familiar with place-based learning curriculum. Annotation 5 All teachers enrolled in courses provide strong evidence of Instructional Spread, with specific emphasis on Impacting curriculum, and Impacting teaching and teachers. In addition, the course offerings provide evidence that place-based learning Is supported by teacher development and planning, and Is supported by school policies and practices. Annotation 6 Teachers and students have the opportunity to share their work at regional meetings with people not necessarily working in their school. Strong evidence of Spreads to new places. It would be helpful if the portfolio makers referred to Exhibit B at this point in the narrative and explained what should be learned from that exhibit. It might also be helpful to document the total number of people who attended the conference, as well as the number of people who participated in each workshop. Year-by-year analysis of participant data will enable the portfolio makers to compare growth over time and supply evidence of Instructional Spread and Supporting Structures. Annotation 7 This demonstrates that place-based learning efforts in Vermont Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Annotation 8 Having teachers take the lead in curriculum development as a result of their engagement with place-based learning curriculum provides evidence of Impacting teaching and teachers, and Impacting curriculum. The articulation across the grades also suggests the seriousness with which place-based learning is being integrated into the curriculum. Annotation 9 Measures are in place to promote the sustainability of place-based learning in Vermont. The website will allow for many people, even from other parts of the country, to access the place-based learning tools produced in Vermont and learn from their experiences. This website will allow place-based learning efforts in Vermont to Spread to new places. Annotation 10 Refer to Exhibit 7 for a full interview with Cara Cookson. For ease of reading and analysis, portfolio makers need to make connections between the narrative and the evidence. Otherwise, the portfolio could become a vessel for storing documents without the benefit of analyzing what the documents mean and how they help to define the next steps in the place-based learning efforts in Vermont. Annotation 11 Strong evidence that place-based learning Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders and that their efforts will Impact curriculum. In addition, the fact that the work was presented at a statewide conference shows that the work is Spreading to new places. Annotation 12 Evidence of Influencing community policies and structures. Annotation 13 Involvement of a community entrepreneur in curriculum development shows Community Engagement. His involvement in curriculum work is blurring the lines between school and community. Annotation 14 Refer to Exhibit 8 for a complete description of conference activities. See Exhibit 8. Annotation 15 Testimonial shows that at least one student has been profoundly impacted by the VRP, with emphasis on Helping students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Annotation 16 This is impressive evidence of place-based learning Influencing community policies and structures. In addition, it’s clear that students have an active voice in state and national policy-setting groups, which certainly addresses Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Annotation 17 The Snelling Center’s involvement in the VRP seems to have been pivotal for sustaining the project. However, the Center’s contributions to this entry lean a bit toward the theoretical and abstract, kind of like grant proposal talk. Annotation 18 Many of the quotes and efforts described in this section go directly to themes and aspects that are valued in Entry 2: Community Learning and Empowerment. Annotation 19 Encouraging the principal to broaden his/her view of curriculum leadership through the professional learning teams will Attract and create new resources to spread place-based learning in Vermont schools. It also shows evidence of Impacts teachers and teaching. Annotation 20 If place-based learning is to be sustaining in the Vermont Rural Partnership schools, then major efforts and initiatives cannot depend solely on school principals or on a small group of people. Clearly, Vermont schools have made strides to broaden the leadership role of those implementing place-based learning so that the sustainability of the work does not depend on a handful of committed faculty. This provides evidence that place-based learning Is supported by school policies and practices. Annotation 21 Good example of the way the works Helps the students to stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Annotation 22 Strong evidence that the school/community newspaper has Broadened the school’s role within the community and Leads to increasing impact in the community. School and community people have partnered to create a product that both the school and community depends on. Annotation 23 Clear evidence that a wide variety of community members are involved in place-based learning projects. However, there is still some question as to what extent community members are involved in the work. At this point in the narrative, it’s not clear whether their involvement goes beyond volunteering to help teachers or mentoring students to actually designing and facilitating place-based learning projects. If they are deeply involved, then there is potential to have an Increasing impact in the community. Annotation 24 There are a wealth of examples that illustrate how place-based learning is Broadening the school’s role within the community and addressing community needs and interests. Annotation 25 Wonderful! There is great potential for Vermont schools to develop deeper community collaborations and provide for evidence of Community Engagement. The fire chief’s story is an especially compelling one of the reciprocal nature of school-community connections. Annotation 26 There are several examples of students having a real impact in the community. This provides evidence that place-based learning in Vermont Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Annotation 27 It would be helpful for the portfolio makers to describe the process by which students analyze school and community assets and become change agents, or to provide a list of the school and community policies that have been created as a result of student analysis. If this type of documentation and analysis were evident in the portfolio, the Vermont Rural Partnership would be able to track growth along aspects such as Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders and Influences community policies and structures. In addition, the presentation of the student-centered approach at the national conference will help place-based learning Spread to new places. Annotation 28 Evidence that the Vermont Rural Partnership Attracts and creates new resources. Annotation 29 Local and outside resources are becoming sufficient to sustain and grow the work. Refer to the forecasted Planning Budget for more information about Vermont’s funding sources. It’s not yet clear how the finances of the VRP will work in the absence of some existing grants that won’t be renewed. Annotation 30 The seasonal retreats provide an avenue for schools doing place-based learning to celebrate their work and to learn from one another. This kind of professional sharing is instrumental in supporting the sustainability of place-based learning in Vermont and it provides evidence of Supporting Structures. Annotation 31 The VRP network, and the regular opportunities for conversation, support the development of a professional community devoted to place-based learning, that Impacts teaching and teachers (as well as sustaining their sustainers, the principals). The VRP is a good example regarding the strong role that principals are playing in developing and sustaining place-based initiatives. Annotation 32 Efforts to deepen and spread place-based learning are supported by school leadership. This kind of support is essential to efforts to spread place-based learning to all aspects of school life, potentially having an affect on the hiring, evaluation and professional development of teachers. This is evidence that place-based learning Is supported by school policies and practices. Annotation 33 Nice use of data! Annotation 34 New policies and practices are emerging that actively spread the work. These curriculum mapping sessions provide evidence of Instructional Spread. Annotation 35 Clear evidence that place-based learning efforts are Supported by teacher development and planning. Annotation 36 Clear and concise plans for improvement will enable place-based learning curriculum to make advances across the levels of development of the themes and aspects. The listed goals address all of the aspects in Instructional Spread, and Supporting Structures. Annotation 37 The list of groups with which the VRP has allied itself suggests that the VRP has Attracted and created new resources. This is exemplified by fact that Vermont Community Works is hosting the website. The website is yet another way that the work Spreads to new places. (It would be good to know how much this website is being used, and by whom.) Annotation 38 There is a serious effort to spread place-based learning in Vermont Rural Partnership schools. In addition, the website will allow for their learning to Spread to new places. Annotation 39 Refer to Exhibit 15 for an example of one school’s curriculum mapping report. This kind of curriculum mapping activity, where teachers survey and analyze the place-based learning curriculum at their school, provides evidence that place-based learning is Impacting curriculum. Annotation 40 Refer to Exhibit 1 for Vermont’s self assessment results. Annotation 41 Wonderful example of teachers coming together for professional development. This is evidence that place-based learning Is supported by teacher development and planning. Annotation 42 It is important for the portfolio makers to reflect on how the schools are changing as well as analyze how the changes might affect place-based learning efforts in Vermont’s schools. It would also be helpful for the portfolio makers to reflect on the success of the adaptations that they have made to support the changing conditions in Vermont schools. This will help the portfolio team to assess what they have done, and decide where their future efforts should be focused. Annotation 43 There is still a clear need to involve more people in the school and community in place-based efforts and create broader leadership capacity so that place-based learning can be sustained. Vermont Rural Partnership should focus its next steps in Creating school policies and practices that will stay in place regardless of principal turnover. This is evidence of Supporting Structures. Annotation 44 How will the PEW Civic Engagement work to link place-based learning efforts to other initiatives?
Comments for General Comment: In general, there is little analysis of the exhibits that accompany the narrative. The narrative and the exhibits together do an excellent job of documenting the "What" of the place-based learning efforts in Vermont, but do little in their analysis of the "So What." Without understanding the "So What," it is difficult to identify where and how Vermont Rural Partnership schools can improve in their place-based learning efforts. Comments on Unlabeled Exhibits: Brochure Budget Sheet Exhibit 1 Wonderful example of using the rubric to identify key phrases that describe the evidence that was collected in the portfolio. The visual display of the underlining helps participants see where the project currently is, and identify language in more advanced levels to determine steps that the project could take to improve. Including the accompanying evidence sheets that aided in the assessment would help to ensure that the placement on the rubric was evidence-based. Also, it would be interesting to note who the five individuals were that participated in the assessment. The characteristics of the people who participated in the assessment could serve as evidence in the following aspects, including Helps students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders, Involves a wide variety of individuals and organizations, and Spreads to new places. Exhibit 2 Throughout the years between 1997 and 2002, Vermont Rural Partnership displayed continued growth and steady momentum in acquiring New Resources and Connections, Supporting Structures, Instructional Spread, and Community Engagement. Growth is particularly evident in the Stated Goals, the Conferences, and the Projects categories. It is clear that place-based learning efforts have become a central part of Vermont Rural Partnership schools, and thus has a high probability of continued sustainability. Exhibit 3 This report provides an interesting picture of each of the Vermont Rural Partnership schools. These "school portraits" give the reader a glimpse into the student population of each school, and the type of place-based learning projects that each school has engaged in. For the Vermont Rural Partnership schools, these "portraits" are helpful in the following ways:
As a piece of evidence in the Entry 3 portfolio, however, this report reads like a stand alone piece of work, separate from the narrative. For example, there is one school (Blue Mountain School) that appears in this 2001 report that is absent from the 2002 narrative. Similarly, there are two schools (Hazen Union High School and Thetford Academy) that are absent from the 2001 report. It would be helpful if some explanation or analysis were given in the narrative accounting for the changes that occurred in Vermont Rural Partnership schools from 2001 to 2002. This kind of analysis would help the Vermont Rural Partnership to better understand its progress and determine its future direction. Exhibit 4 This exhibit represents the data that was collected from one school (Thetford Academy) to be used in aggregate with the results from all the Vermont Rural Partnership schools to create Figure 1-1. This exhibit provides an excellent example for how data collected in schools can be analyzed to help understand the story of place-based learning efforts in Vermont. There is an excellent opportunity to analyze the faculty data as well. In fact, the faculty data has the potential to identify staff who have expertise in place-based learning activities and can serve as professional development consultants or mentors to staff who wish to engage in place-based learning activities. It would have also been helpful if in the narrative, this evidence was referenced as the data collection tool for generating Figure 1-1. All of this provides evidence of Instructional Spread. Exhibit 5 The topics offered at this conference provide excellent evidence of place-based learning Impacting teaching and teachers, and Helping students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. The variety of workshops offered are appropriate for people at different levels of experience with place-based learning activities. This provides evidence that place-based learning Is supported by teacher development and planning. Exhibit 6 Very interesting description of a case study designed to document the impact of Service Learning in Vermont schools since 1990. Including the results of the research and analyzing the results through the lens of the Entry 3 portfolio would make this piece of evidence stronger. Exhibit 7 These four interviews provide wonderful insight into the development of four students who attended (or are still attending) Vermont Rural Partnership schools. Each student reveals ways in which the Vermont Rural Partnership schools and their engagement in place-based learning activities have affected their life. Documenting student stories in this way can provide for extraordinary data collection potential in examining student growth across multiple constructs (i.e., leadership, higher education and career pursuits, community activism, etc.). Again, it is very important to collect evidence, but equally, and perhaps more important, to analyze the evidence collected through the lens of the portfolio Entry. Nonetheless, these interviews provide good evidence of Helping students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders. Exhibit 8 Wonderful example of students taking responsibility for their own learning and creativity. This student extravaganza was a clear outgrowth of Vermont Rural Partnership schools engaging in place-based learning curriculum that ultimately empowers students. It would be interesting to note if this type of student extravaganza is sustained over the years and if it spreads to new parts of Vermont and beyond. All of this provides evidence of Helping students stretch themselves as learners, problem solvers, and leaders and has the potential of providing evidence of Spreads to new places. Exhibit 9 Nice editorial about the benefits of portfolio assessment over standardized tests. This piece of evidence could be stronger if it explained how the editorial was used. Exhibit 10 The values and beliefs articulated by the Burke Community of Purpose demonstrate high expectations for students, teachers, and community members. It would be interesting to note how these values and beliefs helped to shape the place-based learning projects and curriculum in Burke. It would also be nice to know the affiliation of each of the participants in the meeting to gauge the diversity and viewpoints of the participants. Nonetheless, this exhibit provides evidence that place-based learning Involves a wide variety of individuals and organizations, and Impacts curriculum. Exhibit 11 The Community of Purpose meetings provided an avenue for community members to voice their concerns about school and community issues, and to focus their attention to what is best for the students and community in Peacham Vermont. These meetings provide evidence of Community Engagement. However, there are unanswered questions about whether and how the information from these meetings influenced the community, the school, and their relationship. Exhibit 12 Very clear and comprehensive plan to achieve the mission of the Vermont Rural Partnership schools. The challenges section, in particular, provides concrete steps for supporting and sustaining place-based learning efforts in Vermont. This provides great evidence of Supporting Structures and Instructional Spread. Exhibit 13 The schedule of activities listed for the different categories are intended to sustain the momentum of place-based learning in Vermont. Clearly, sustainability is at the heart of this governance’s board strategic plan. This provides evidence of Supporting Structures and Community Engagement. Exhibit 14 Involving school leadership in planning place-based learning activities is essential to sustainability. These notes provide evidence that place-based learning Is supported by school policies and practices. Exhibit 15 Wonderful example of staff coming together to analyze the current state of place-based curriculum and make recommendations for improvement. As an accompanying exhibit to the Entry 3 narrative, this evidence reads more like a stand alone piece. To further improve place-based learning efforts along the themes in the Entry 3 rubric, it is important for the portfolio makers to explain what they learned from the evidence and how that discovery will help to define their next steps. |
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An informative
and concise brochure. With it, VRP schools have more potential to spread
the word about their place-based learning efforts to other schools in
Vermont and beyond. This speaks to the aspect