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Historically, students have had little influence over the design of education institutions or opportunities (Benner et al., 2019; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018). Decisions about school policies, programs, and structures are primarily steered by administrators, policymakers, and teachers. In recent years, however, educators and policy advocates have amplified calls for education systems to grant students--the primary beneficiaries of these systems--more capacity to direct and personalize their learning (Project Tomorrow, 2020; Schwartz, 2020). As school leaders plan the transition to the 2021-2022 school year, there is an opportunity to strengthen and incorporate promising practices to increase student agency and ownership in the classroom, which is refer to throughout this paper as student-directed learning. Two promising strategies to promote student-directed learning are described in this paper: (1) Personalized learning plans; and (2) Supporting student voice and choice The paper is organized by strategy and offers a brief description of each strategy, a summary of the evidence supporting the strategy, and common barriers to implementing the strategy. Stakeholders will also find actionable steps for implementation in schools. Although this paper describes each strategy separately, implementation of both strategies within an education system holds promise to further increase student-directed learning opportunities.

While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted conventional assessment practices, it offers an opportunity to reconsider the purposes and types of assessment used to evaluate student learning and inform instruction. Cancellation of spring 2020 student assessments and the freezing of school accountability status gave many districts and schools an opportunity to use other measures to assess students during the 2020-21 school year through thoughtful approaches designed to fit new realities, such as remote and hybrid learning. Many teachers opted for alternative assessment options such as student capstones, reflections, or portfolios. Competency- and proficiency-inspired approaches, which prioritize the substance of student work over seat time, complemented remote learning by providing flexibility for students who faced scheduling and technological hurdles. Concerns about unfinished learning focused renewed attention to formative assessment as a strategy to help teachers tailor instruction to students' needs. Parents, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders can build on recent experiences and use these data to inform instruction -- ultimately focused on promoting deeper learning, skill or competency attainment, flexibility in student progression, and personalization of learning. In this paper, readers can explore three broad and evidence-based approaches to assessing student learning: (1) competency-based and proficiency-based assessment; (2) authentic assessment; and (3) formative assessment. [For the first paper to the Region 1 Comprehensive Center Reimagining Education Series, "Innovative College and Career Pathways to Advance Equity and Opportunity," see ED612760.]

Disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic introduced opportunities for PK-12 education systems to accelerate evidence-based innovations that may better prepare students to pursue their educational and career goals. Thoughtfully designed pathways--the programs and experiences that students complete to satisfy graduation requirements--can play a key role in reshaping student experiences and outcomes. The negative impact of the pandemic on employment for young workers and workers without college degrees further increases the urgency for schools to build robust student pathways. Career and college pathways that are not typically part of a traditional education trajectory may now take center stage. This paper highlights three evidence-based strategies that, individually or as part of a system of pathways, can support students as they develop marketable workplace skills and prepare for postsecondary educational opportunities. These strategies are as follows: (1) Work-based learning (WBL); (2) Academically rigorous career and technical education (CTE); and (3) Opportunities for accelerated college credit. This paper is organized by strategy and offers a brief description of each strategy, a summary of the evidence supporting the strategy, and common barriers to implementing the strategy. Stakeholders also will find actionable steps for implementation in schools. [For the introductory paper to the Region 1 Comprehensive Center Reimagining Education Series, "Strategies for Innovative Systems Change," see ED612755.]

To support Region 1 stakeholders in reimagining education, this paper series spotlights innovative and evidence-based education strategies that hold the potential to transform student experiences, leading to additional choices, deeper engagement, and increased preparation for students' postsecondary opportunities. These strategies are rooted in priority initiatives across the Region 1 states, and each paper highlights existing work within the region while providing suggestions to accelerate innovations. Each paper in this series provides information about one of the three strategies. These short papers: (1) Explain why the topic is critical for education now; (2) Summarize existing research and evidence related to supporting student outcomes, challenges, and connections to remote and hybrid learning contexts; (3) Highlight examples from Region 1 schools and states that have successfully implemented or expanded related strategies; and (4) Outline action steps that educators, schools, and policymakers can take to adopt or sustain these strategies. This introductory paper briefly summarizes each of the three papers in the series: (1) College and career pathways to advance equity and opportunity (ED612760); (2) Approaches for assessing student learning (ED612765); and (3) Strategies for student-directed learning (ED615829).