State Education Department Announces Schools Selected for Performance-Based Learning and Assessment Networks Pilot

The Department has selected 23 middle schools, high schools, and BOCES programs from across the state to participate in the Performance-Based Learning and Assessment Networks (PLAN) Pilot, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. Each of the selected schools will be part of a Pilot Network where educators will receive training and professional development to shift their instructional practices and implement high-quality, performance-based approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment. Schools participating in the PLAN Pilot will work together in networks to learn and support each other in successfully implementing performance-based learning and assessment practices.

Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “The PLAN Pilot is a key component of reimagining the state’s education system, which includes a comprehensive statewide assessment strategy. Pilot schools will develop best practices that go beyond traditional teaching and assessment models and prepare students for success post-graduation. This initiative isn’t just about raising standards; it’s about fostering equity by ensuring that every student has the opportunity to excel based on their unique strengths and abilities.”

Commissioner Rosa said, “When provided with opportunities to engage in meaningful, rigorous learning that meets students where they are, New York’s young people can accomplish great things. The PLAN Pilot looks at how to give students the opportunity to develop and apply their knowledge and skills in authentic ways to promote deeper learning. Congratulations to the schools selected today and thank you for rising to the challenge to better meet the needs of our students.”

PLAN Pilot schools were selected to represent different geographic regions of the state, different stages of implementation, and different student populations. The Department, in collaboration with its university-based research partners, will collect data from the pilot to guide the development of tools and resources to support broader implementation.

A list of PLAN Pilot Schools is posted on the Department’s PLAN Pilot website.

The networks of Pilot Schools will focus on implementing different kinds of evidence-based approaches, such as:

• work-based learning, internships, and career and technical education;
• approaches designed around a “learner profile” to help students develop a set of attributes through their educational experience; and
• project-based learning.

The Pilot Networks will primarily be supported by technical assistance centers operated by two contracted professional learning providers, Modern Learners LLC and Questar III BOCES. In addition, the Department is launching a process to identify Mentor Schools to serve as models and support Pilot Schools in their transition to implementing performance-based approaches. Schools that are successfully implementing a system of performance-based learning and assessment in New York State and who would be interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise are encouraged to visit the Department’s PLAN Pilot website for more information on how to apply to become a PLAN Mentor School.

The PLAN Pilot will study how best to support networks of schools and educators in shifting their instructional practices and improving school culture in a way that better prepares ALL students for college, career, and civic success. All three promising approaches to Performance-Based Learning and Assessments ("PBLA Focus Areas") are being studied through the PLAN Pilot. Each Pilot Network will adopt, adapt, and learn from successful models operating in one of the focus areas, and be supported by a PLAN Technical Assistance Center (TAC) that specializes in that focus area. To learn more about the purpose of the PLAN Pilot, and how it fits into the broader PLAN Program, see the FAQs on our Program Description webpage.