Personalized Learning Plans and Competency-Based Education

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, and educational policymakers on the background of personalized learning plans (PLPs), the definition of a PLP, components of a PLP, and the research involving the use of PLPs. In recent years, states have spearheaded initiatives involving PLPs, either requiring the use of them through mandates or encouraging school personnel to use some sort of individualized plans for students to connect their K-12 experiences with postsecondary plans. The chapter also addresses competency-based education, which is often implemented in conjunction with personalized learning. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and a brief history of PLPs and competency-based education. Additional resources are included as well.

A Decade’s Difference

This study is a quantitative descriptive research design which compared 1995 and 2005 data regarding family influence on rural Pennsylvania high school seniors’ postsecondary decisions. A chi-square analysis at p < 0.05 determined that there was (a) an increase in students planning college attendance, (b) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans, (c) an increase in students planning college attendance who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (d) a decrease in students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans who did not have parents with postsecondary schooling, (e) an increase in lower-middle class students planning to attend college, and (f) a decrease in lower-middle class students not planning postsecondary education or unsure of postsecondary plans. There was no significant difference in students’ postsecondary plans when siblings’ pursuit of postsecondary education was considered.