This week in CONNECTIONS:

• POST DEFENSE REFLECTION IN OWEN COUNTY | We’re celebrating and learning this week with Maurice Bowling Middle School after their first time Defenses. Whether some kind of defense-like process is new for your district or something your students have been doing for years, don’t miss the takeaways - and a new resource from ElevatED Studios - in this special story!

• A NEW TOOL FOR POST DEFENSE DEBRIEF | Download our Echoes of Learning Tool and use to celebrate successes, find opportunities for growth and imagine what’s possible.

• A SUMMER OF INSPIRATION | AI for Kentucky Educators, Momentum 2025 and new opportunities to learn with ElevatED Studios. Details in What’s on Deck below!
  

One proud Owen County middle school defender proudly poses for a photo op with all of those who came to support him on his special day.

CONNECTIONS

April 2025 | Issue 19

First Time Defenses: Longterm Wins

It’s Defense of Learning season—a time when schools across the country give students the mic to reflect on who they’re becoming as learners and people. For Maurice Bowling Middle School, this season marked a bold first in their school’s story: every single student participated in a Defense of Learning aligned to their district’s Portrait of a Learner.

And it wasn’t just a checkbox event. It was a full-on celebration.

Students showed up prepared—nervous, but excited to share their learning. And this wasn’t a moment reserved for a few. Every learner—non-verbal, ESL, homebound—had a platform to reflect on their growth. Families and the community showed up in force, filling the audience with pride and even a few tears.

Some donated to a new “Dress for Success” closet so students could feel confident stepping into the spotlight.

The school made it special, with a student-led social media blitz, photo ops, and every defense recorded. And the celebration isn’t over—a letterman jacket “coat” ceremony is on the way to honor each student’s accomplishment in style. (Check out Principal Sarah Goodrich and student Jaden sharing more about this tradition!)

But what happened after those defenses?

It’s tempting to bask in the post-defense glow—to celebrate the big day, share the photos, and move on. But the real opportunity lies in what comes next. When we pause to reflect after defenses, we unlock insights that can shape everything from daily instruction to long-term system design.

That’s where the team at Maurice Bowling leaned in.

Reflection Isn't a Bonus—It's the Work

What often gets overlooked in Defense of Learning is what happens next. It’s easy to focus all our energy on the presentations themselves—the spotlight moments. But when schools lean into reflection after defenses, that’s where growth takes root.

Maurice Bowling used the Echoes of Learning tool not just as a post-event wrap-up, but as a way to:

• Examine where the Portrait of a Learner was coming to life. Staff looked closely at which competencies students naturally leaned on in their defenses—like community service—and which ones were less visible, helping to identify where shifts in the student experience might be needed.

• Surface patterns in the stories students told. From sports and church groups to specific classroom projects, the team reflected on what types of experiences students cited as evidence of growth, offering a window into the learning opportunities students valued most.

• Dream up what could come next. The process inspired new ideas—like student-led conferences and ongoing reflection checkpoints—to keep student voice and celebration alive beyond the big day.

A Tool for What Comes Next

The Echoes of Learning tool is designed to extend the power of defenses—not just document them. It helps schools make meaning out of the moments and ensure that insights from student stories actually shape instructional next steps.

If you're diving into defenses this season, don’t miss the moment to pause after and ask:

• What patterns are emerging in student reflections?
• Where do we see the Portrait of a Learner thriving?
• What structural shifts can we make to elevate student voice all year long?

Want to Dig In?

Download the Echoes of Learning reflection tool or reach out to learn how we can support your Defense of Learning season.

Maurice Bowling Middle School student Annystan shares about being an Effective Communicator on MBMS Live, with a student-created Portrait of a Learner visual as the backdrop.

PLANNING FOR 2025-26 | What’s your next step in your school or district’s Transformational Learning Journey? The team at ElevatED is ready to travel with you! Whether looking to rethink the way time is used each day to using performance assessments at the classroom, school or district level to change the student experience to reimagining Tier 1 to something completely different, we’d love to be your design partners.

Learn more about what we do here - and reach out soon to make plans for 2025-26!

HOW MIGHT WE RETHINK TEACHER-LED CLASSROOM ROUTINES TO INSPIRE STUDENT AGENCY? | April 17 | 9:00-3:00 pm EST | 

Join us this spring to learn how even the simplest of classroom routines can cultivate agency in your students. Register here!

VIBRANT LEARNING: WHAT’S AI GOT TO DO WITH IT? Join us for what promises to be an incredible kick-off for a thriving AI network for KY Educators on June 4! Together, we will share, learn and explore the game-changing opportunities AI provides for students, teachers and leaders. Let’s shape the future of AI in education—together!  Learn more and register here!

IT’S BACK! MOMENTUM 2025 | That’s right - the conference created to provide an opportunity for KY teachers to share and celebrate vibrant learning experiences is back for a second year! Momentum 2025 will be held on June 18, again at the STEAM Academy in Lexington. Session proposals are being accepted now until May 1 and registration is live! Don’t wait - space is limited! Stay up-to-date by bookmarking the conference website: MOMENTUM 2025.

LEARNING IN JULY | Take a sneak peek to see what’s coming from the team at ElevatED Studios this summer and register HERE

WHAT MIGHT THE NEXT STEPS BE FOR YOUR CLASSROOM, SCHOOL OR DISTRICT?

Whether looking for ways to bring your Profile to life, rethinking the way we use time, designing your local accountability system, creating a performance assessment system or finding simple shifts to create a different - and much more meaningful and memorable - learning experience, we’d love to be your design partners. Check out some of the key ways we can partner with your school or district here!

Not sure what your next steps need to be? We can help with that too! Contact us at elevatED studios!