Bolingbrook's 'Visible Learning' Brings National Attention

Photo: Surrounded by a video recording team from Corwin Press, Wood View Elementary School teacher Renee Calabrese talks with her first graders about learning targets and how they learn in a classroom. The group is utilizing VVSD as a model district for a nationwide Visible Learning training video.

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Based on its recent efforts to implement high-impact “Visible Learning” instructional practices, Valley View School District 365U has been asked to serve as a model district for other school districts across the country.

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A team from Corwin Press visited three VVSD schools earlier this week to record interviews with students, faculty and administrators who have truly embraced the Visible Learning research to adjust their practice to best impact student learning. The video will be used in Visible Learning professional development as more and more school districts nationwide begin to recognize the power Visible Learning has on impacting student growth and achievement.

“This means a lot for our district and community because we are truly being recognized as a Visible Learning school district,” said VVSD Executive Director for 6-12 Educational Services Karen Flories. “We are extremely proud to be able to help support the work of Visible Learning throughout the country.”

Visible Learning, which is a 2009 publication based upon research by John Hattie, compiles tens of thousands of studies involving over a quarter of a billion students to best identify what has the greatest impact on student learning. The goal of Valley View’s Visible Learning work, and the mantra of Visible Learning as a whole, is to create teachers who see learning through the eyes of their students and students who see themselves as their own teachers. Valley View has used this research as a catalyst to drive the development and support to administrators and educators in the district.

“It was truly exciting to see the incredibly hard work and targeted development everyone has put into our Visible Learning journey captured on film.” Flories said. “The footage they shot might serve as an example of a best practice in action. It might be an example of how we get kids to internalize what it means to be a good learner. It might be about how a teacher is reflecting on Visible Learning practices or how a building admin has a vision for their staff.”

VVSD will receive the raw footage as well as the polished copy of the training video. Plans call for utilizing the information to help future VVSD teachers and administrators better understand Visible Learning while also having an opportunity to see the research in action.

“Even though Valley View is a national leader in Visible Learning implementation, we still have enormous opportunities ahead of us as we continue to grow,” Flories added. “Our work will continue to focus on using Visible Learning to guide us to identify what works best in improving and impacting student learning.”