School board to hear ‘Mass Customized Learning’ plan

Talk about it

The Mitchell Board of Education will hear plans today for a “Mass Customized Learning” pilot program that could be implemented as early next fall in Mitchell schools.

The board meeting will be at 5 p.m. in Room 116 at the Mitchell Technical Institute north campus, 821 N. Capital St.

District Superintendent Joe Graves has requested staff to develop MCL pilot programs at all grade levels. Mitchell Middle School Principal Brad Berens said his school’s MCL committee will present its ideas to the board for implementing the new educational approach next fall.

As its name implies, said Berens, MCL will allow teachers to customize learning for individual students and to take learning to deeper levels. The same preliminary plans the board will hear tonight will be presented Feb. 7 during the district’s parent-teacher conferences.

In his Nov. 27 “Educationally Speaking” column, Graves described MCL as “a model of instruction which allows students to graduate as they master content rather than complete courses; to work through the Common Core and state standards in ways that are individualized to their interests and academic strengths.”

Graves said the new MCL pilot program will be led by district administrator Shane Thill.

The board will also:

* Consider a request to set June 4, 2013, as the date for the joint city/school board election. Board members Eric Christensen and Brenda Freidel will be up for election at that time.

* Hear the Middle School MCL committee.

* Hold a closed executive session regarding the “expulsion, suspension, discipline, assignment of, or the educational program of a student.”

* “Make a decision on the appeal of a student disciplinary consequence, using a student number (1-13) to preserve anonymity.”

* Hold a closed executive session to consider the annual evaluation of Superintendent Graves.

* Consider the possible extension of Graves’ current three-year contract.

* Consider several personnel items as part of a consent agenda.

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