NYC’s iZone

Want to see some incredible models for true educational reform? New York City’s iZone is one to watch.

The iZone school designs are characterized by five core principles:
–Performance assessment & mastery-based grading
–Personalized learning plans
–Multiple learning modalities (e.g., a combination of independent student work, small group instruction, one-on-one instruction, student collaborative activities, online instruction)
–New staff and student roles
–Globally competitive standards

iZone schools fundamentally change their structures and employ cutting-edge technologies to support student needs.  The new designs employ technology to tailor teaching to meet the needs of individual students.

Launched in 2010, the Innovation Zone-iZone for short-is an ambitious program that expects to produce upwards of 100 schools in the next three years. The iZone schools are being asked to “reinvent” themselves by fully individualizing student learning in order to achieve student mastery of subject material, not just “basic skill proficiency.”

Now it’s easy to learn more about this exciting ititiative. New York City’s iZone is the focus of a new working paper from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) at the University of Washington Bothell. Based on interviews and school visits in New York City, the report looks at the goals and challenges of the young initiative.

The report is available at http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/download/csr_files/WorkingPaper_2011_1.pdf