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You
are here: Students in Applied Learning Programs Excel at State Tests
by Dan Keller
Applied Learning students are meeting state standards at rates outpacing district and state averages, according to the Executive Summary of the Applied Learning Program Report. The report, submitted by the Fort Worth, Texas Applied Learning Program to the Fort Worth Independent School District Board, examined the elementary, middle, and high schools in the Applied Learning Program. The results were clear: Applied Learning Programs led to higher rates of meeting state standards than district or state averages. Over the period measured, students meeting standard rose 9.9% district-wide, 12.5% statewide, and 22.8% in the Applied Learning Programs! Meeting state standard was measured by the percentage of students passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (Texas' version of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning).
What is an "Applied Learning Program?"
According to the Forth Worth Applied Learning Program: "Applied Learning is an instructional strategy which enables students to take greater responsibility for their learning and to make connections between in-school learning and out-of-school experiences." The Applied Learning Program, focussing on interdisciplinary concepts, challenges teachers and students to function in five areas:
1) Problem Solving - "Applied Learning focuses on having students use processes to solve ill-defined problems around authentic questions/needs that usually come from the students themselves."
2) Communication Tools and Techniques - Examples would be giving oral presentations to external audiences, creating written correspondence relating to a real-world project, and publishing information in various methods and formats for distribution to the general public.
3) Information Tools and Techniques - Students will access, use, and create real-world sources of information, particularly those other than textbooks.
4) Learning and Self-Management Tools and Techniques - Students will manage their own learning, materials, and time while modeling their performance upon that of competent adults.
5) Tools and Techniques for Working with Others - Students learn to work with others, help others learn, and provide services to others. Forth Worth's Applied Learning Program is in alignment with the Applied Learning performance standards set forth by the National Center for Education and the Economy and University of Pittsburgh's New Standards Project.
Sources:
National Center for Education and the Economy (1996) New Standards Project: Performance Standards. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center on Education and the Economy
You may contact Dan Keller at kellerd@edmonds.wednet.edu
Posted with permission by
New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org
E-mail: info@newhorizons.org
