The SPARK Initiative, which stands for Student Pathways to Autonomy, Relevance, and Knowledge
was a collaborative initiative aligned to Middletown's district goal of personalized learning which is
grounded in giving students consistent opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through diverse
and individualized learning experiences. This initiative was designed as a way to incorporate
personalized learning opportunities that reflect students’ individual strengths and interests while also
providing equity and ensuring that all students engage in authentic learning experiences. Through
the SPARK Initiative, all students in K-12 have the choice to apply their knowledge and skills
through a long-term, inquiry-based project that reflects personal strengths and interests. SPARK
projects are student-created projects that receive in-class support but can also extend at home.
The SPARK framework consists of three major components for students. First, students create
projects from a driving question. This question is the driving force behind the student’s topic,
captures the heart of their project, and ideally involves empathy.Similar to a Google business practice (e.g., Genius Hour), students develop an individual driving question and self-design a
project around it. The second component of the SPARK framework is ongoing reflection on the
learning process. “Literacy is about learning, and learning is about unlearning and relearning” (Spencer & Juliani, 2017, p. 61). Paying attention to the learning process helps students become more masterful at learning and unlearning. Students choose a platform to share their reflections that best works for them (e.g., a YouTube channel, podcast, videos, notebooks, blogs). The third element of SPARK is that students design a way to creatively communicate and share their projects with the world. Students choose how to accomplish this depending on their individual style and strengths as learners. The focus of assessment for SPARK projects is the individual’s learning process. Educators use a grade band specific rubric to assess the skills and dispositions of successful learning (see Appendix A) such as inquiry, research, use of time and resources, reflection, evidence of learning, risk-taking, resilience, and tenacity.
At the end of each school year, Middletown District hosts the #MTPSpride Innovation Fair. It is not a
requirement for students, but acts as a culminating experience to share SPARK projects, as the vision of this event is for K-12 students to share their passion projects, innovations, and/or creative
designs with the larger community. The purpose of the SPARK Initiative is to provide all students,
regardless of their school or teachers, with opportunities for choice and authentic, individual learning
experiences. It was the intention that the opportunities framed within the SPARK initiative would
empower students to be active learners, seeking relevant learning opportunities for themselves. The
overarching hope of SPARK is that every student feels they are important, supported, and believe
that they can and will be successful in accomplishing their individual goals.