Across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a groundswell of change has taken root. For many districts, this transformation began with the creation of locally defined Portraits of a Learner—community-driven visions of the skills and dispositions learners need to thrive. Building on that foundation, many school districts now offer system level performance assessments, often called Defenses of Learning, at key transition points like 5th, 8th, and 12th grade—moments where learners reflect on their growth and present evidence of readiness for what’s next. These capstone moments are powerful. They shine a bright light on students’ thinking, creativity, and growth. But as more districts engage with this work, a critical question is surfacing: What if we didn’t wait until the end of the learning journey to offer students that kind of meaningful reflection and voice? Performance assessments are designed to measure not just content mastery, but students’ ability to transfer their learning to meaningful, real-world tasks that demonstrate growth in competencies like communication and critical thinking—skills we value in our Portraits of a Learner.
CONNECTIONS May 2025 | Issue 22 A Celebration of Student Agency and Relevance: Purposeful, Powerful Learning Last week’s Student Showcase at iLEAD Academy reminded us of what’s possible when learning is human-centered, intentional, and real-world. Each year in May, students at iLead choose the work they are most proud of to display for the annual Showcase. From individually designed projects to demonstrate application of math and ELA content to collaborative products designed for participation in state and national competitions like those sponsored by TSA and HOSA, the work was powerful, and conversations revealed curiosities, reflections and passions unique to each learner. What made this Showcase so powerful? Authentic format: One-on-one conversations highlighted student voice in the most personal, powerful way. Rather than formal panel presentations, this format created space for more natural dialogue—allowing learners to genuinely reflect, make personal connections, and surface meaningful questions. Work that matters to learners: Instead of starting by explaining their durable skills, students demonstrated them—through meaningful work they were proud of and grew through. A single artifact often revealed collaboration, critical thinking, and so much more. Real-world tasks: From interdisciplinary golf course designs to travel budgets and career research, high-quality work was on display across every content area. The evidence learners shared underscores the importance of providing meaningful performance assessments at the classroom level—not just at key milestones. This event wasn’t just a showcase—it was a celebration of what education can be when we design for student agency and relevance. Has your team recently hosted Defenses of Learning or a similar showcase? Our tool, Echoes of Learning, is designed to help teams reflect on the experience and consider the instructional implications and next steps. We’re happy to help facilitate this conversation with your team!
CONNECTIONS May 2025 | Issue 21 WHAT MAKES LEARNING STICK? What do students really remember from a school year? That question takes center stage this time of year, especially as testing and end-of-year wrap-ups approach. Naturally, we start searching for creative ways to help students reflect on what they’ve learned. One of our favorite approaches is a simple two-part challenge. A SPECIAL CHALLENGE You may recall Barret Middle School principal Amy Strite once shared a clip of math teacher Tammy Hodges posing this challenge: With your group, list the names of all the lessons you remember from this year, and then… Choose the one your group remembers the most about, and create a poster including as many details as possible. Not only did this prove to be a powerful way for students to reflect, but finding out which lessons (and learning!) they remembered uncovered important insights about what makes learning stick. SHARING THE CHALLENGE Because the takeaways from this activity were so impactful, we challenged our Teacher Navigators to do the same thing with their students. Morgan Seely (4th grade, Shelby Co) and Michelle Gross (7th grade math, Spencer Co) did just that. Just as with Tammy’s students, the results were both affirming and inspiring. You won’t be surprised to know that the lessons students recalled were the ones where they created something new, had choices, worked together to solve real problems, made connections to their own lives, and/or shared their work with an authentic audience. In other words, the lessons the students remembered were rooted in the Transformations: Learner-Led, Learner-Owned, Personal, Real-World and Collaborative DO YOU HAVE OR KNOW TEACHERS WILLING TO POSE THE CHALLENGE? We’re sharing clips from Michelle and Morgan’s experiences below as an invitation: Could this simple challenge spark powerful reflection for your students, too? 🟣 4th Graders Tackle the Challenge | Morgan Seely 🟣 What Makes Learning Stick? | Michelle Gross Reflects Asking students to reflect—through drawing, discussion, writing, or video—offers more than review. It celebrates their learning and helps uncover what leaves a lasting impact. If you know teachers who might be interested, let us know—we’d love to learn alongside them!
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.
