Individualized Learning Plan

What is an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP)?

An individualized learning plan (ILP) is both a document and a process that students use – with support from school counselors, teachers, and parents – to define their career goals and postsecondary plans in order to inform the student’s decisions about their courses and activities throughout high school.

Many states have adopted policies that require all middle and/or high school students to develop and maintain an individualized learning plan in order to make schools more personalized and improve student outcomes.

What is a Quality ILP?

Based upon several years of research investigating the nature and use of ILPs in states across the U.S., the National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) and its partners have developed the following definition of quality ILPs:

• A document consisting of: (a) course taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career goals; and (b) documentation of the range of college and career readiness skills he/she has developed.
• A process that enhances the relevance of school and out-of-school learning opportunities, and provides the student access to career development opportunities that incorporate self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management skill building activities.

Research Findings

The ILP research studies by NCWD/Youth and its partners indicate that ILPs show promise as an effective strategy for delivering quality career development opportunities that improve several student outcomes. Students who were more engaged in ILP activities reported stronger goal setting skills, increased motivation to attend school, and increased academic self-efficacy which leads to better academic achievement, stress and health management, and readiness to engage in career decision-making. Teachers, school counselors, and family members highly value ILPs and believe that it helps students become more focused learners who complete more challenging coursework in order to reach their self-defined career and life goals.

Read the ILP Fact Sheet for more details.

Policy

• Webinar Presentation, May 16, 2013 "Using Individualized Learning Plans to Increase College & Career Readiness for All Students" (PDF Version) - Recording Coming Soon
• Using Individualized Learning Plans to Produce College and Career Ready High School Graduates (February 2013 Policy Brief)
• Personalized Learning: Policy Insights from Four States
• Additional High School Graduation Requirements & Options - Education Commission of the States

• Student Learning Plans: Supporting Every Student's Transition to College and Career - Brief by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy

Practices & Resources

• ILPs How-to Guide: Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A "How to Guide" Focused on the High School Years

How-to Guide Resources By Topic:

Self-Exploration
Career Exploration
Career Planning & Management

• Understanding the Role of Individualized Learning Plans in Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities (Info Brief)
• Individualized Learning Plan Fact Sheet

Research

• "The Nature & Use of Individualized Learning Plans as a Career Intervention Strategy" - 2012 Journal article published in the Journal for Career Development
• "Quality Learning Experiences, Self-Determination, and Academic Success: A Path Analytic Study Among Youth with Disabilities" - 2012 Journal article published in Career Development & Transition for Exceptional Individuals
• "Education Alignment & Accountability in an Era of Convergence: Policy Insights from States with Individual Learning Plans & Policies" - 2011 Journal article published in Education Policy Analysis Archives
• Webinar: The Nature of Individualized Learning Plans & Their Promise in Supporting College & Career Readiness (Recording & Transcript available)
• Individualized Learning Plans: A Research & Demonstration Project

Multimedia

V. Scott Solberg, Ph.D, Associate Dean of Research from the Boston University School of Education and primary researcher for NCWD/Youth’s individualized learning plans (ILP) work was featured on The Mary & Melissa Show, a call-in advocacy talk show led by two mothers who discuss the issues parents face raising kids with disabilities. On the show, Dr. Solberg summarizes the findings and recommendations from a multi-year individualized learning plan research and demonstration project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Listen to the audio. (8.7 mb mp3)

Source