Using a Personal Learning Framework to Transform Middle Grades Teaching Practice

In 2013 the Vermont legislature enacted Act 77 mandating that students in Grades 7–12 develop personalized learning plans (PLPs) to guide them toward high school graduation using proficiency-based requirements. In the present qualitative self-study, we document the impact of implementation of a personal learning framework integrating PLPs into a humanities curriculum on a seventh- and eighth-grade team at a Vermont middle school during a 2-year period. Findings indicate that: (1) teaching transformed over time—it became more constructivist and integrated; (2) the personal learning framework required students to develop a growth mindset through the iterative process of goal setting, evidence curation, and reflection; and (3) the use of the personal learning framework and the digital tools to facilitate the development of PLPs afforded exposure to multiple and new literacies.