This week in CONNECTIONS:
SPOTLIGHT ON FLEMING COUNTY | During our recent visit to Fleming County Schools, we saw a district where vibrant learning isn’t aspirational—it’s operational. We’re excited to share our experience with you this week!
ECHOES OF LEARNING | Use our new post-Defense reflection tool to uncover important implications for the day-to-day student experience. Learn more in Happening in the Field.
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!
REAL WORLD LEARNING | Fleming County students are vaccinating goats as part of their pathway experience. Authentic, real-world learning like this has become the norm in this special Kentucky district.
CONNECTIONS
April 2025 | Issue 20
Spotlight on Fleming County: Where Accountability Meets Agency
It was a rainy day in Fleming County, but inside a buzzing elementary classroom, students were fully engaged—working in pairs to solve fraction problems grounded in real-world contexts like baking and sharing. The magic wasn’t just in the math—it was in the collaborative thinking, as partners talked through each problem and made their learning visible at vertical whiteboard stations.
Down the road at the high school, a student steadied a young goat while her classmate prepared a syringe, explaining the importance of vaccinations in herd health.
These weren’t isolated learning moments—they were evidence of a system where student agency, real-world application, and interdisciplinary thinking are the norm.
From Framework to Culture
Here, accountability is locally defined and deeply human, rooted in the belief that students thrive when learning is relevant, authentic, and full of purpose.
What sets Fleming County apart is the coherence across the entire system. From district leaders to classroom educators, there’s a shared language and a collective commitment to meaningful, student-centered learning.
This isn’t a patchwork of innovation—it’s a thoughtfully supported shift in how success is defined and pursued.
Some ways this shared vision comes to life across the district include:
A common definition of vibrant learning that helps everyone—from students to school leaders—speak the same language about what great learning looks and feels like.
A shift from traditional tests to real-world performance tasks (NextGen Assessments) that ask students to apply their learning in meaningful, hands-on ways.
Every student in grades 3–12 maintains a personalized digital portfolio to showcase their BRIDGE Performance Indicator (BPI) artifacts—capturing growth, reflection, and mastery in ways that honor both voice and evidence of learning over time.
Fleming County uses the Measures of Quality 4.0 (MoQ 4.0) framework (MoQ 4.0) This framework offers a compelling roadmap for reimagining accountability. Grounded in community priorities, MoQ 4.0 emphasizes student agency, real-world connection, and multiple ways to measure success.
For districts looking to move beyond compliance-driven models, Fleming County isn’t just an example—it’s an invitation to rethink what’s possible.
ECHOES OF LEARNING: A TOOL FOR POST-DEFENSE REFLECTION
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.
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!
