juliana

“Blended learning comes in many shades and colors, as does a spectrum. Inspiring schools and classrooms across the United States are using variations of the four basic models, multiple models at the same time, and countless unique approaches to blending their classrooms. For this reason, in this module, blended learning is being illustrated as a spectrum with limitless shades, entry points, and ways of approaching the work, as opposed to a linear progress with one discrete start and finish. I chose these six schools because of the impact they made on me as well as their students!”

—Juliana Finegan, Relay GSE Blended Learning Curriculum Designer

While the data is still coming in on blended, we have a number of schools who are implementing various structures and getting fantastic results right now!

Directions: Click on the tabs below to learn about the six schools and their blended models

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Gilroy Prep School
Joseph Weller ES
Wheatley Education Campus
Blanca Alvarado MS
NYC iSchool
Summit Denali

Gilroy Prep School –Navigator Schools
- Charter school, grades: K-8 (by 2018)
- Gilroy, CA
- Gilroy Prep uses both a station rotation model to allow for more small-group instruction as well as a lab to give students extra time and support with adaptive software. This year Gilroy Prep is also piloting a whole group flex model approach with their 5^th grade students in hopes of further pushing personalization and student ownership, as well as allowing for flexibility in pace and place.

Joseph Weller Elementary
- District School, grades: K-8
- Milpitas, CA
- Joseph Weller originally implemented a lab rotation model with one teacher running the lab, while each class rotated in and out throughout the day. This year they continued to rotate K-6 into the learning lab but also moved devices into the classroom in order to pilot a station rotation model. With this shift, teachers will have more flexibility of implementation and also gain more ownership over the data in their own classrooms.

Wheatley Education Campus
- District school, grades: Pre K 3 – 8^th
- Washington, DC
- Wheatley Education Campus recently received an NGLC (Next Generation Learning Challenge) grant. With this grant, they have had the opportunity to go to a one to one model. In the classroom teachers are primarily using a station rotation model to give more small group instruction and collaborative time, while also allowing for personalized online time, where students complete “to do” lists, learning modules or project/problem based lessons at their own pace and at their own level.

Blanca Alvarado Middle School – Alpha Schools
- Charter school, grades: 6-8
- San Jose, CA
- Students at Alpha: Blanca Alvarado Middle School rotate between online and offline learning activities throughout the school day. The school's 1:1 model allows teachers to experiment with many different types of small group rotations and with full-class engagement in online resources. Teachers use data from blended programs to inform their direct instruction and their student grouping.

NYC iSchool
- District school, grades: 9-12
- NYC, NY
- Many classes at the NYC iSchool utilize a blended model. In most of the math courses teachers flip their classrooms by creating video lessons for students to view outside of class along with a structured worksheet as their homework. This frees up class time for collaborative projects, small group work, one on one time, differentiated instruction, problem solving, and engaging math games!

Summit Denali
- Charter School, grades 6-7
- Sunnyvale, CA
- Summit Denali is a Next Generation school that pushes students to drive their own learning through self-paced playlists, cross content collaborative projects, and a personalize learning plan dashboard. Summit schools have constantly pushed the envelope and been on the cutting edge of thinking about how students can not only own their own learning but also become truly college and career ready.

DISCLAIMER: Each school is at a different stage in implementation and continually iterates on its model, so what they are doing today may not even match what they are doing tomorrow, but that is what makes blended learning so exciting!

Additional schools to explore:

Though each school has approached blended in a unique way, they have all been extremely thoughtful in their design and promoted strong cultures and routines in order further to ensure success and effective implementation of their models.

The website for each school, including the ones summarized on the spectrum, is included below to allow you to further explore their approaches to blended.

Elementary Schools	Middle and High Schools
Aspire Titan, CA Gilroy Prep School –Navigator Schools, CA Joseph Weller Elementary, CA Rocketship Spark, CA CICS West Belden, IL Arthur Ashe, LA	Blanca Alvarado – Alpha Schools, CA Smidt Tech High School-Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, CA Summit Denali-Summit Schools, CA USC Hybrid, CA Wheatley Education Campus, DC Intrinsic Schools-Belmont, IL KIPP Central City Academy, LA NYC iSchool, NY