Introducing the Raising Blended Learners Implementation Continuum (RBL-IC)

Through the Raising Blended Learners initiative, we have developed the RBL Implementation Continuum  (RBL-IC) as a resource for teachers and administrators as they design student experiences for socially-distanced schools, at-home remote and hybrid learning scenarios, and plan for teacher support.¹

The RBL-IC is intended to help teachers develop their capacity to implement strong blended learning classrooms, and it can guide instructional coaches and school leaders in teacher development through non-evaluative coaching and aligned professional development. The RBL-IC presents a framework of the five core elements of blended learning and provides a progression of instructional strategies aligned with each component of the blended experience. Utilizing the RBL-IC can build a strong foundation around blended learning and embed new practices more deeply in classroom, school, and district cultures.

RBL-IC Constructs and Content

The RBL-IC identifies and defines core elements of a blended learning student experience, and presents common implementation strategies teachers deploy to realize the envisioned blended experience. The framework is built around two organizing constructs: Pillars and Strategies.  

• Pillars define the essential elements of a blended student experience:

• The RBL-IC provides an overarching definition of each pillar and how it applies within a blended learning setting. For example, Personalized Instruction is defined as: “Students are offered a variety of learning opportunities to master standards according to differentiated learning objectives dependent on students’ level of mastery, and frequently receive individual feedback about their progress.”
• Each pillar contains specific strategies – concrete actions teachers take to implement each element of the blended student experience.  For example, the following four implementation strategies are associated with the Personalized Instruction pillar: 
  • Varied learning experiences: Students access content from a variety of learning experiences which vary according to students needs and preferences.
  • Differentiated learning objectives: Teachers use differentiated learning objectives based on students’ level of mastery.
  • Individual feedback from teacher: Teachers provide timely and frequent feedback to help students improve and set time aside to help students set goals and reflect on progress throughout the school year.
  • Leverage technology: Teachers utilize educational technology programs to enhance students’ learning experience.

Supporting Teacher Progression

The RBL-IC is intended to support teachers’ progress over time as they learn, reflect, and refine the student experience in their classrooms. Each strategy has a corresponding continuum that describes shifts in teacher and student behaviors. Strategies evolve from a beginning stage through developing, practicing, and finally, achieving. 

In this example, implementing Differentiated Learning Objectives within the Personalized Instruction pillar moves from the beginning to achieving continuum with incremental steps. The ultimate goal is the following teacher-facing statement: “I almost always design learning objectives that are differentiated to facilitate progress for different groups of students based on students’ level of mastery.  I make sure the lessons are engaging and challenging for all students.”

Pillar 2: Personalized Instruction

Students are offered a variety of learning opportunities to master standards according to differentiated learning objectives dependent on students’ level of mastery, and frequently receive individual feedback about their progress.

Strategy	What is it?	Beginning	Developing	Practicing	Achieving
Differentiated Learning Objectives	Teachers use differentiated learning objectives based on students’ level of mastery.	I use the same learning objectives for all students at all times.	I sometimes design learning objectives that are differentiated to facilitate progress for different groups of students.	I frequently design learning objectives that are differentiated to facilitate progress for different groups of students based on students’ levels of content mastery.	I almost always design learning objectives that are differentiated to facilitate progress for different groups of students based on students’ levels of content mastery. I make sure the lessons are engaging and challenging for all students.

Introducing and Using the RBL-IC

Educators need time to learn the purpose of the RBL-IC and practice using it to improve instruction. Educators will most likely need one or more thoughtful training sessions on the rubric and principles of blended learning before fully integrating the tool into observation and coaching cycles. 

As with most rubrics of this type, the ideal use is for teaching teams, including instructional coaches, to adopt and integrate this rubric in existing cycles of instructional observation and improvement. Ideally, the coaching cycles are non-evaluative and should gather evidence that demonstrates where teachers fall on their developing continuum. The goal of these observations is to identify specific evidence of how teachers have utilized the blended pillars and strategies, and conversations should guide the next steps a teacher might take to improve blended implementation. For districts with no existing coaching process, the RBL-IC might provide an opportunity to pilot the development of a short-cycle teacher coaching and development protocol to support a group of blended learning teachers.  

Adapting Use of the RBL-IC During 2020-21

Supporting and developing teachers during COVID-specific learning environments will require educators to consider new approaches, especially when large gatherings of in-person professional development might not be feasible and in-person instructional coaching cycles are adjusted, reduced, or temporarily halted. 

While the RBL-IC was created for use in a blended environment, the progression of these pillars and strategies helps build teachers’ expertise in transferable skill sets that are directly applicable to at-home remote learning and in-person socially distanced schools. The RBL-IC could be introduced through professional development to develop a shared understanding of the tool, unify around a common vision for blended learning, and create norms for use if instructional coaching protocols are interrupted. Coaching practices utilizing the RBL-IC can be adapted for at-home or socially distanced settings, where teachers might be invited to submit videos of various aspects of in-person and/or online instruction as evidence for a coach to review and discuss.

In addition to coaching discussions, the RBL-IC can also be used for individual self-reflection, or among a team of teachers willing to serve as learning partners. Teachers can self-identify where they fall on the rubric, provide related artifacts as evidence, and list concrete next steps to push toward the next level of practice. Colleagues can respond with concrete feedback and suggestions to support the teacher’s growth, offering real-time support in areas where they are further along on the continuum. Interacting as learning partners in this way not only supports the development of individual teachers but also helps build consensus around strong blended classroom practices across grade levels teams, vertical teams, and campus cultures.  

As our educators are faced with unprecedented challenges this fall, it is crucial we provide them with the resources and training needed to best support our students. The RBL-IC is a valuable resource that promotes blended learning strategies, provides a framework for adapting instruction for a variety of learning environments, and encourages collaborative growth and improvement. 

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1. ^{The RBL-IC developers leveraged several rubrics already in use to support strong teaching and learning practices in blended/ personalized learning classrooms. These include the Dallas ISD’s PL Coaching and Development Rubric and the TNTP Blended Core Teaching Rubric.} ↩︎

Blended Learning Resources: