SS/OG Revised 12/06
Learning Record Policy and Procedure
Learning Record Policy:
Legal Requirement:
Parents/Students and
education specialists meet face to face at least once every 20 school days* to review
and document the learning that occurs in each growth area. (If the student must
be absent from the meeting due to an unavoidable time conflict, this would be
acceptable but is considered the exception rather than the rule). The
Learning Record Contents:
Before writing a Learning
Record, ESs must watch/review the Learning Record Video, use the Learning
Record Checklist, and read this “Learning Record Policy and Procedure” Document. There are many ways to write a LR based on
what your individual students are doing, but all LRs must contain the following elements:
Learning Record purpose:
Remember that the Learning Record:
1. Is one of
the most important parts of the
2. Is an auditable, legal school document that becomes
the course of study description for that course.
3. Is looked at by other schools as it becomes a part of
the cume file if a student transfers.
4. Is read by college counselors to determine if
prerequisites for courses have been met.
5. Is read by the superintendent of the school district
and the board to assess the quality of the charter school and the students’
achievements, and may be a determining factor in whether or not a charter is
renewed from year to year.
6. Is read by a financial auditor who views items
discussed in the LR almost like a
7. Is viewed by a programmatic auditor to determine if we
are complying with charter law requirements in stating activities, means of
assessment/evaluation, school resources used, and objectives (standards) for
each subject area covered.
8. Is compared to the transcript by the programmatic
auditor to be sure it supports the awarded grades and credits.
Learning Record requests:
Copies
of learning records may be given to parents upon request as long as the
students are enrolled in the school. BUT, after a student has dropped, the
request for any school info needs to go to the IEM office for processing.
Learning Record Procedure:
Determine the Assignment Period
When the
Scheduling Learning Record Meetings
It is
necessary for a full-time ES to spread their learning record duties throughout
the month by scheduling their meetings in such a way that they meet with a
portion of their families each week rather than attempting to meet with all of
them at once. In order to accomplish this, the ES must schedule meetings with a
portion of their families at the beginning of the year just one week after
school has started. It will be a proportionately short learning record for that
first week, of course. Another group of families can be met on the second week,
and another on the third and fourth, thus establishing a pattern for the rest
of the year; meeting each family subsequently 19-20 days thereafter (unless
AESS). This will spread the workload out over the month so that any deadlines
become more manageable, and the 5 day span required for completing the learning
record, is reasonable. Be sure you are not scheduling more than 6 to 8 LR
meetings on any one day (except for the last day of school). Remember that
each meeting with a student must last a minimum of 1 hour, and according to CDE
guidelines, an independent study charter school teacher works 6 hours a day. To
prove our accountability to an auditor, therefore, you cannot possibly be
meeting with more than that number of students in one day. It is also almost impossible to keep up with
the job if you are not spreading your LR meetings out over the month. Talk to
your advisor if you need scheduling help.
Scheduling example: If an ES has 25 students, they should plan to meet @7 of them a week
so that their work load is spread out evenly throughout the month. A good
weekly schedule might be:
Meet Face-to-Face with the Parent/Student
The following activities must
occur during the face-to-face meeting:
·
assessment of the
student's work product to verify that the student has made adequate and
appropriate progress toward the attainment of the student standards
·
provide
educational support and counsel to the parent
·
pick up of the hard copy attendance roll sheet which the
parent kept for that learning period, and provide them with one for the next
period.
·
arrange the next two appointment dates and locations with the
parent.
·
pick up portfolio
samples
·
assign work if
AESS
·
council on the
school yearly writing sample
During the face-to-face
meeting, it is expected that each ES will view work completed that learning period,
and interview the students to acertain/verify the
learning for that period. This can be accomplished by viewing the entire body
of work, interviewing the student extensively on what they did/learned in each
subject, or the best way is to use a combination of both viewing work and
interviewing students.
Assessment of Work Product
It is the responsibility of
the ES to evaluate the work product of the student in order to determine if
adequate and appropriate progress toward the charter school objectives (the
student standards listed in the school charter and the
It is the responsibility of
the ES to assess the student's progress and to prepare the learning records.
Parents are NOT REQUIRED to keep lesson plans, take notes or write learning
records. Parents can choose to keep notes or a journal if they wish.
Parent notes can be written by hand or sent to the
It is the responsibility of
the ES to determine which growth areas learning fits in. It would be prudent to
discuss the placement of learning in various growth areas and the standards
with a concerned parent. Often, such a discussion helps the parent to
"see" educational value in activities they had not before considered
educational. This enables parents to maximize this
Educational Support and Counsel
These regular meetings
provide an opportunity for the parent to ask questions and for the Education
Specialist to share different teaching strategies, suggest activities and
resources with educational value, offer support and encouragement, give help
with the yearly writing assignment, or identify appropriate work samples to be
included in the student's semester portfolio. The time spent with the parent during
the face-to-face meeting is an opportunity to help parents and students.
The ES must become skillful
in "interviewing" the parent and student in order to find all
learning which occurred. The technique of interviewing is a balance between
questioning and careful listening. Every student is an individual. Each student
learns in different ways and at varying ability levels. All students in charter
schools are required to achieve at least as much learning as would be required
in the regular schools in
The ES verifies that learning
has occurred and selects the state standards attempted, so it is the
responsibility of the ES to learn the various ways learning can take place.
There are many philosophies of education and styles of teaching. Again, it is
the responsibility of the
Here are some examples of how
an
Prepare the learning record
The main purposes of learning
records are to document the new learning represented on the attendance roll
sheets and how the learning was assessed or evaluated, list by name any major
school purchased materials or activities used in that learning period (service
vendors, CP courses, or GEAs), and document a student's progress toward the
charter school objectives (the student standards listed in the school charter
and the California state standards). Time spent in preparing this documentation
is a significant portion of the
Documentation:
Learning records will include
descriptions of the major objectives, activities,
and means of assessment/evaluation of the course of study covered by the
agreement that were used within each assignment period. The course of study
objectives are described by the selection of appropriate standards, written by the
ES when a specific standard is not available to describe the content of the
learning, and supported
by the learning activities and means of assessment listed. These activities selected to reach the objectives may
include, but are not limited to: reading, research, essays, term papers, flash
cards, illustrations, oral reports, demonstrations, participation, group
projects, lesson exercises, games, projects, comprehension questions, computer
programs, field trips, simulations, discussions, note-taking, videos, audio
tapes, coloring, and other educational activities. For a list of examples of
these types of LR statements, see the Learning Record Specific Examples section below. An assessment/evaluation is any
observable activity that shows comprehension of content learned. The means of
assessment/evaluation can often be the activity, but if the activity does not
denote an assessment/evaluation (as in discussed, completed written exercises
and tests, performed skit, etc.) then additional documentation should be
included. Because learning records must be written to reflect the requirements
of independent study law, just marking standards covered in each growth area is
not enough information. The standards must be included, but also those activities and means of assessment/evaluation which support the
attainment of the standard.
Activities Documentation:
See the documents “Examples of
Appropriate Educational Activities for LRs Listed by Growth Area” for
examples of appropriate Learning Record activity phrases.
Assessment Documentation:
See the documents “Examples of
Appropriate Assessment Statements for LRs Appropriate for most Growth Areas”
for examples of appropriate Learning
Record assessment phrases.
When to mark a Content Standard:
When marking a standard on
the learning record, the ES is not judging if the student has mastered the
standard, but is noting those standards that the family
tells/shows/demonstrated to us that they worked on that learning period. We can
emphasize that not all standards in each area must be covered if the family has
chosen NOT to study a part of a curriculum that they find inappropriate for
their child (as in Health Education). What we do expect to be covered are those
essential standards in the core subject areas that will be tested by
STAR/CST/CAHSEE and are critical to each student’s graduation/future success.
(See assessment blueprints for the essential standards for this year at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/blueprints.asp). Remember that Scantron is available all year long
for you as an ES to use at any time. If
a standard is not being met in the ELA or math areas (most critical to the
students and the school), and you see the STAR tests approaching, you can go
into Scantron and print out a short lesson directly correlated to that standard
to offer to the parents (or assign to the students yourself if they are AESS
students).
Student Standards
The Charter school objectives
are the student standards listed in the school charter and the
It
may be helpful to have a copy of your students
textbooks’ table of content. (Ask parents to supply you with a copy, make a
copy prior to giving the family their textbooks, or search the internet for the
table of contents for major publishers).
This helps the ES to choose the correct standards when completing the LR. Some
texts have tables of content and/or correlations on their website for an
"easy" selection of standards achieved in each chapter.
Matching LR to Attendance:
The amount of learning (or
progress toward the attainment of the student standards) must support the
number of days of attendance assigned by the ES. As a charter school we are
held accountable for the performance or achievement of our students rather than
traditional methods of attendance accounting based on "seat time". It
is the responsibility of the
Match LR dates and Rollsheet dates in Webfiles:
In order to accurately match
the dates on the learning record and the attendance roll sheet, the ES must be
clear on the difference between the assignment period and the learning period
recorded on the learning record. The assignment period is the time identified
by the ES and the student/parent between face to face meetings. The assignment
period can be weekly, bimonthly, monthly or any other amount of time agreed to
as long as it is at least one day and no more than 20 days. The learning record
includes documentation of learning that took place on 20 or less school days.
The learning record can include a learning period of one or more assignment
periods.
Example: ES meets a family on 1st Thursday of every month at
Example: ES meets an independent study student every Wednesday at
Example: ES meets a family every twenty school days. There has been
only one assignment period included in this learning record. The attendance
roll sheet corresponding to this learning period includes the same 20 school
days.
Learning Record
Specific
Examples:
Activity Words:
Anthony completed three
chapters in his Science Text. He read
each chapter, and answered in writing
the chapter review questions to show comprehension of the key points. He completed an on-line activity unit with
accompanying worksheets, and watched a
video.
Note in the above example the
activity words. Avoid using words
like “studied, completed, etc” and use words that “paint pictures” in the mind
of the reader of what the student actually did to meet the objectives and
standards. Using Bloom’s
Taxology is helpful.
Learning records should only document new learning, and not repetitive activities unless the student
has learned increased skills or abilities, and if so, these should be noted.
For example, in PE for young
children, they usually do a variety of activities - skating, riding bikes,
2-square, hop-scotch, etc. They often delight in showing their ES the new
skills or improved abilities and it can be noted as a teacher comment. For
older students, statements like "The student walks daily to complete the
requirements of PE 2A" for three LR's in a row, is too repetitive and does
not show new learning. You can state "The student walks regularly for
increased cardiovascular conditioning, walking about 1.5 miles in 25 minutes -
and the next learning period it can be said, " increased walking pace to
1.5 miles in 20 minutes." Students can site heart-rate, distance or time
(or all three), and for many sports you can use words like “developed stamina,
increased strength, increased endurance, etc”. Learning the rules of a game and
participating with a group game fulfills some of the standards. Asking the high
school student to keep a journal of their activities, noting nuances, can help
the ES when documenting the learning in the LR. There are some books and
programs for teaching about sports that can enhance a PE program.
Other activities not typically done through a text
book, computer learning, typing, career exploration, art, etc. should be
handled similarly to PE.
Document any Contract Program Activity/Service PO on the LR.
Use the words "EA"
if the school is paying for the class, tutor, or
activity this learning relates to.
Example:
(EA): Johnny went to the zoo. He visited the reptile
house, read descriptions and discussed what he learned with his father. He also
drew a picture of his favorite reptile and told his family about it after this
visit to assess this activity.
The documentation of learning should include content
of what is learned but not where it is learned.
As stated in the
Example:
Community Service - Ramon helped at a community
location putting received food goods on the shelf, assisting in distributing food,
cleaning and organizing the storage shelves, helping carry boxes as needed, and
keeping inventory. He wrote a report on his activities with regard to this
volunteer service and received a letter of appreciation from the community
organization
Some specific school provided resources must be
listed.
The major expenses of the
school should be listed on the LR, but not every single item purchased, such as
pencils/paper etc. Specific text titles should be listed if purchased by the
school, if for high school credit. The ES will need to make a professional
judgment on what is primarily being used and important to document. Expenses
like "violin", "digital camera", "telescope"
should be listed separately, as they are higher priced items. However, for
supplemental items, the following would be sufficient:
You may also include chapter numbers in a school
purchases text if you wish, but that is not required.
There is no need to mention the amount of time that
learning took place or the dates that earning took place for any activity.
As a charter school we are
held accountable for the performance or achievement of our students
(performance-based) rather than traditional methods of attendance accounting
based on "seat time" (rule-based). Portfolio samples require the
designation of an amount of time spent on one educational assignment each
semester.
Any references to religious content must be in the
context of the study of world religion only.
Examples:
Art:
Family Studies: Francis learned how to entertain a
large group of people. She planned all aspects of a large family seasonal get
together: menu planning, budgeting, making shopping lists, shopping &
choosing bargains, creating holiday table settings & center pieces, and the
cooking & baking of the meal. She asked the group to evaluate her table and
meal using a checkbox form she created.
History: Jane read about the history of the
Jewish culture and their religion. She also learned about
A learning record will include nontraditional learning
as well as traditional.
Learning comes from more than
textbooks. Include anecdotal evidence of learning through activities, projects,
etc. Activities and events can help create a more comprehensive picture of
student learning. When you are presented with a unique achievement,
breakthrough, or insight while interviewing parent or student, celebrate it by
including it in the learning record. By improving your interviewing skills, you
will discover nontraditional learning which the parent may not think to tell
you about. Many families will not tell you the "fun" stuff because
they do not know it “counts as learning” or they may forget: Outings, board
games, educational computer games, videos, educational TV, etc.
Examples:
Math: The student practiced their critical thinking
skills by playing chess games this month.
Science (EA): Mary culminated her study of fish habitats by
taking a trip to see the Salmon run this month.
She visited the fish hatchery museum, observed salmon displays, asked
questions of the rangers, and read information about Salmon. To evaluate her
learning, she participated in a discussion of what she learned with her
parents.
The learning record can include teacher
observations/evaluations/comments.
Examples of comments might
be:
English: Fred shows much improvement in his writing
assignment. This month I observed…
Music: Francis played a new song for me that he has
been practicing this month. It sounded
much improved from last month.
A properly written learning record should provide a
record of student progress which may be used to support the life goals of that
student.
If a student wants to attend a
college, then the ES would write up the learning records in such a way that
they could be of use for college entrance, resumes, etc. If a student wishes to
become employed in a trade or a specific field of work, the learning record
would be written to document the student's interests and achievements in that
field.
Example:
Career Exploration: Joe began a job in the food
services field. He has a new job at a cafe where this month he prepared food,
operated a cash register, counted money, made change, & balanced his cash
register, prepared food for a catering job, waited on tables, washed dishes,
cleaned, weighed out portions for food platters & dishes, and maked sandwiches. He kept a journal of his new experiences
to share with his ES each month.
The information presented on the learning record
should be organized.
A well-written LR will stand
alone so the reader can make sense of it without having to be instructed in
what a learning record is. There is great latitude in how the
Take time to write your learning record
professionally.
This includes using your
spell checker (see info on how to set up a FRED Dictionary elsewhere), organizing the information and making sure that information is
complete. First impressions are important. Take a little extra time to create a
document that you would be proud to show anyone: one which positively
represents the learning achievements of your students.
High School Students' Learning Records
The ES will be assigning credits to the high school student
for work completed. Accountability for the assignment of credits is utmost
importance when completing the high school student's learning record. The ES
must be able to explain to an outside party why any particular student was
assigned credits. When you assign credit, you are verifying that the student
has performed the work required in order to earn that credit. You need to have
sufficient documentation to "prove" learning took place. Precisely
written learning records and other backup documentation is essential. Since
documentation and other record keeping is so important the following additional
requirements must be met (over and above what is required in the learning
record policy).
Examples from some Learning Records for high school students:
English
9B: Abe read
Great Expectations as part of his English course. He completed answers to
questions after each chapter read and is beginning a short essay about the life
of Charles Dickens, using the internet and library for his research. He
reviewed grammar principles as he completes written exercises in his worktext. He took a unit test on grammar and scored 97%.
Health: Gina worked diligently to complete the
Health requirements this Learning Period. She read
daily in "Health Our Way" and completed the answers to all questions
in the chapter review, and all workbook exercises. She wrote an essay on the
topics she read about. For assessment,
she took and passed the chapter test!
PE
1A: David is
keeping a journal of his PE activities which included the following this
learning period: worked out on free weights every other day, went bike riding
once a week, and every other day he walked two miles. He is working on
increasing his strength and endurance. He continues to progress in amount of
weight he can use with the same number of sets and reps, according to the chart
he keeps of his progress.
World
History 1A:
Mary is studying ancient civilizations this month. She read chapters 3 to 5 in
her textbook "Our World, Our Life" daily, completed written questions
in the chapters, and completed the chapter reviews. She worked on a map project
of the area she is studying. She enjoyed watching a video series documenting
the Roman way of life, and we had a discussion of what she had learned at our
meeting to assess her learning.
General
Science:: (EA) Mia is studying the science of atoms.
In her 4 classes this learning period, she took notes, participated in 2 lab
experiments, completed written assignments, participated in class discussions,
and completed written exams. She observed teacher demonstrations and a variety
of hands-on experiments. She began a lab notebook with her lab experiments
write-ups in it. There have been no assessments at this time for this class.
Latin: George is studying Latin grammar by
completing a chapter a day in his "The Latin Language". This month he
worked on chapters 7-10. Each chapter includes written grammar exercises in
verb conjugation, vocabulary definition and translation of simple sentences.
(EA): Weekly his Latin tutor gives him written tests covering the topics he
studied during that week. His last test scores were 67%, 83% and 79%. George is making better progress in this
class since he started working with a tutor.
Algebra
I: (EA) Marvin
worked in Saxon Algebra 1 and completed Lessons 10 – 45. He reads each lesson,
then works out the practice problems and written problems. He took the unit test at the end of each 5
lessons which his CP teacher grades. He then reviews any problems he has missed
before going on. Marvin has scored
between 85% and 90% on each test this learning period.