Individual Learning Plan

Individual Learning Plan or ILP is a user (student) specific program or strategy of education or learning that takes into consideration the student's strengths and weaknesses. While normal classroom or distance education is based on the premise that all should get equal attention (a democratic principle), be exposed to same curriculum and evaluated on the same pattern ('One size fits all'), ILP presumes that the needs of individual students are different, and thus, must be differently addressed. Emphasis on the student's role in the learning experience has been shown in research to be crucial to a productive learning experience.

The Individual Learning Plan can also be used by an individual on their own or as part of a community of interest, a team or an organization to manage learning over the course of their life. This is explored further in the article "Learning Plan."

Adopted by many institutes as a teaching methodology, ILP for a student is generated after interaction between the student and the teacher, and is based upon assessment made therein. Further, ILP:

• Incorporates long-term goals of the student

• Synthesizes with the larger educational framework

• Gives credence to the student's aspirations - cultural, artistic, social, or personal

Individual Learning Plans are mandatory to complete for all students in Alaska (2010), Arizona (2008), Colorado (2010), Connecticut (2012), Delaware (2007), Georgia (2009), Hawaii (2009), Idaho (2011), Indiana (2006), Iowa (2008), Kentucky (2002), Louisiana (1998), Maryland (2008), Massachusetts (2007), Michigan (2009), Minnesota (2013), Missouri (2006), Oregon (2011), Rhode Island (2011), South Carolina (2006), South Dakota (2010), Virginia (2013), Washington (2000), West Virginia (1996), and Wisconsin (2013) in order to graduate.

The Individual Learning plan has many purposes, including:

• Discovery of many careers, beginning in the sixth grade

• Career matching making services

• Developing education plans

• Creating, maintaining and changing resumes

• Setting personal goals and keeping these insight as school progresses

• Saving and reflecting on activity including community service, work experience, career planning activities, and extra curricular activities

• Exploring colleges and postsecondary opportunities that fit with desired career, and other life goals

• Collecting personal information including assessment results, advising activities demographic information and educational history

• Keeping track of all courses taken

Also, the Individual learning plan is set to establish college and career readiness throughout middle school and high school. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, the graduating classes were more prepared for college-level work (in all four content areas of Mathematics, Reading, English and Science) after students created/used and ILP. On the other hand, in this same research, it was determined that nearly 16,200 students did not graduate in 2012, a fact that equates to a $4.2 billion lifetime earning loss for that class of students. This could be due to the lack of College and Career Readiness throughout states that do not implement Individual Learning Plans. The lack of college and career readiness does not only affect the student themselves, but also communities as a group. The lack of these critical skills in high school students can deny the community jobs and business due to the unfulfilled need for qualified employees.

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Wikipedia