[Resource] 10 Steps for Creating Personalized Learning Plans for Students

Personalized learning plans (PLPs) can be powerful tools for nurturing students' growth and empowering them to take an active role in their learning and development. What isn't always so clear is how one goes about creating a PLP for students.

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Creating PLPs for each student can be a daunting task, but our 10-step guide will guide you through the process from start to finish. Here’s an outline of the 10 steps to creating PLPs for your students:

1. Define your starting point

Administer your assessment of choice, then analyze your results to define your starting point for each student.

2. Set goals

Model how to set and work towards specific goals and help students develop strategies to overcome challenges along the way.

3. Map learning modalities

Uncover how students learn best and share your personal observations with students to help them understand their personal learning needs.

4. Appeal to student interests

Incorporate students’ interests, passions, and hobbies into your instruction. Connect classroom learning to the real world.

5. Teach students how to track

Allow students to take ownership over their performance and internalize success by incorporating tracking tools into classroom activities. Track objective mastery percentages, unit test scores, or reading level growth.

6. Refine areas of focus

Partner with your students to identify specific learning gaps. Ensure students can communicate specific steps toward success.

7. Assess for learning

Use formative assessments and reoccurring check-ins to plot student progress. Chart growth metrics while also celebrating milestones to keep sprits high.

8. Conference with students

Use one-on-one sessions to provide feedback and offer encouragement. Help students self-reflect by posing questions like, “Why do you think you were able to show so much growth?”

9. Compile a student profile

Help students take an active role in the process by encouraging them to select which pieces to include to showcase their proudest achievements.

10. Share and repeat

PLPs are powerful tools when used regularly to keep parents involved and communicate progress. Revisit and revise plans as goals and learning abilities change.

Ready to get started? Download our guide today! This guide includes the 10 actionable steps to define essential components of a personalized learning plan outlined above, offers guiding questions to help you through the process, and provides examples to help you build effective PLPs in your school or district. It also includes an interactive planning worksheet to use with students right away!

Originally published on EdSurge on September 25, 2018. This post has been updated.