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The Kentucky Department of Education defines an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) as a “comprehensive framework for advising students in grades 6 through 12 to engage in coursework and activities that will best prepare them to both realize college and career success and become contributing members of their communities”i. An ILP is both a document and a process that students use – with support from school counselors, teachers, and parents – to define their career goals and postsecondary plans in order to inform their decisions about courses and activities throughout high school.
Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, the development of an ILP for each student shall be established within the first 90 days of the 6th grade year and shall be focused on career exploration and related to postsecondary education and training needs. Detailed regulatory requirements can be found in 704 KAR 3:305.
While the ILP is mandated, the key to its effectiveness is in implementation. Effective implementation of ILPs empowers students to make informed decisions about their coursework and activities, aligning them with their future goals and aspirations. Research indicates that ILPs are an effective practice for delivering quality career development opportunities that improve goal setting skills and increase both motivation to attend school and academic self-efficacyii.
Districts and schools should utilize the guiding resources provided by the Kentucky Department of Education for effective implementation and continuous improvement of an Individual Learning Plan system.
What Does Effective Implementation Look Likeiii?
Policy and Guidance Adoption:
- The local board of education adopts guiding policies requiring schools to fully implement an advising system to guide students along career and academic pathways that incorporate individual learning plans (ILPs) for every student in grades six (6) through twelve (12).
Resourcing:
- The district provides resources for ILP planning and vertical communication and transition planning (including Area Technology Center or Career and Technical Center programs if available).
- The ILP and advisory process includes providing students with specific links and opportunities to continuing education, life and career options by working with elementary, middle, secondary, post-secondary schools and school-to-work programs. The process also provides students with relevant opportunities and experiences (e.g. advising program, career planning fair, resume writing, job shadowing, guest speakers, college fairs and career majors).
Student Performance Enhancement:
- Student performance is enhanced through the advisory program and the ILP, which is evident, observed and clearly communicated in all aspects of the school settings and reflected in teacher lesson plans.
Curriculum and Pedagogy Adaptation:
- Teachers/advisers revise curriculum and pedagogy to obtain information on student progress and collaborate across all content areas.
Comprehensive Planning:
- The ILP and advising process are used to design a comprehensive plan for each student. The planning process includes parents/guardians and community members to closely align the plan and educational experiences to the student’s transition goals.
Stakeholder Communication:
- Representatives of all stakeholder groups (including local and regional businesses and ATC/CTC programs) establish a communications team to ensure the community understands the importance of the ILP.
Transition Support:
- Procedures are in place for tracking the status of students for up to twelve (12) months after graduation to ascertain transition goals and offer continued support and transition advising.
Shared Vision and Collaboration:
- School leadership has developed and sustained a shared vision of the ILP and advising process. A system regarding the ILP process is developed in conjunction with the district and the other schools of the district to ensure a process that is seamless and includes involvement from all stakeholders (including local and regional businesses and ATC/CTC programs).
Minimized Disruptions:
- School leadership and other stakeholders collaborate to implement procedures to minimize disruptions during the advisory program activities, learning experiences and implementation of the ILP process to ensure student success.
Ongoing Monitoring and Feedback:
- School leadership uses a system to provide ongoing monitoring of the ILP advisory process that includes debriefing with students, staff and parents/guardians to ensure an effective advisory program.
- The district ensures that students, teachers, parents/guardians and advisers review and revise ILPs throughout the year to inform instruction.
- ILPs are used for analyzing programming offered to students (including extra-curricular and curricular offerings designed around the needs and interests of students from all backgrounds). ILPs also provide an additional means for the school/district to provide support for all students in regard to intellectual equity and diversity.
- Students, advisers and parents/guardians receive regular, meaningful feedback from multiple assessments (e.g. diagnostic assessment results, skills standards survey, interest inventories, career interest profiles) and activities during the ILP and advising process.
Involvement of Stakeholders:
- All staff and teachers (including CTE educators) within the building providing services to students are involved in the ILP process advisory program for academic and career development. They meet in groups, a maximum of 22 students with one adviser per group and meet regularly to help students develop and implement their ILP.
Engagement and Connection:
- The ILP and advisory process ensures that all students are engaged in their career path and makes connections to the principles from math, science, art, humanities, social studies, practical living and career studies to what they will encounter throughout their lives.
- Students articulate the connections between the academic core knowledge gained in the classroom and their chosen career path, and other academic disciplines, through discussions and activities during the ILP and advising process.
Effective Use of Technology:
- Teachers, students and other instructional staff members effectively use a variety of technology (Google classroom, online surveys, career search databases, interest inventory and/or career matchmaker surveys, etc.) to assist students in ILP planning to achieve their academic and career goals.
Resources Required
Resources required will vary depending on the complexity and scale of local implementation, but at a minimum, districts and schools will need to consider policies related to ILP integration, resource allocation for planning and collaboration, curriculum adaptation, stakeholder involvement, ongoing monitoring, and technology use.
Research demonstrates that strong collaboration between families and schools significantly contributes to student and school success. Engaged families result in better academic and social outcomes for students, improved attendance, higher graduation rates, and increased likelihood of further educationiv v. Schools should actively involve families in implementing students’ Individual Learning Plans, which has been shown to foster positive relationships between families and schoolsvi.
Active engagement with employers and the business community is also crucial for the effective implementation of Individual Learning Plans. Collaborating closely with businesses allows students to gain valuable insights into current job market trends, skills requirements, and experiential learning opportunities, ensuring that their ILPs are relevant and robust. This requires dedicated resources, including personnel to establish and maintain partnerships, coordinate experiential learning opportunities, and ensure ongoing communication between educators, employers, and students.
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