Parents/guardians are required to submit a "Student Learning Plan" for each PEP student.
What is a Student Learning Plan?
A "Student Learning Plan" is defined (in lines 1049-1043 of the HB1 Enacted Bill, available on our Helpful Docs page) as:
"a customized learning plan developed by a parent, at least annually, to guide instruction for his or her student and to identify the goods and services needed to address the academic needs of his or her student."
Note: Step Up's documents specify that this "Learning Plan" is not used to determine what a parent can purchase with the scholarship funds, but rather to "help parents and guardians meet their student's individual educational needs." For more information from Step Up about the Learning Plan, see this PDF on their website: https://go.stepupforstudents.org/hubfs/PEP/Learning%20Plan%20FAQ.pdf. You can also view this informational video Step Up posted about completing the learning plan through their system.
If you are using AAA rather than Step Up, you may want to contact them directly to get information on how to submit your Learning Plan.
How do I submit a Student Learning Plan?
Step Up has set up a resource on their website to walk you through the process of creating and submitting your Learning Plan(s). It will ask you to select your learning "priorities" for the year within certain categories. It also provides a way for you to track progress for your own records in their system. However, the Learning Plan PDF from Step Up specifies that a Learning Plan is in "no way mandating the way a child must be educated," and that the Learning Plan "can be updated as often as the parent desires." Step Up also specifies in their informational video that the progress tracking is for your use only, and that Step Up "will not be storing longitudinal data for your child." At this time, they are also not requiring a detailed list of what you plan to purchase, or anything like that. The process is pretty simple and straightforward.
If you are using AAA rather than Step Up, you may want to contact them directly to get information on how to submit your Learning Plan.
Why are PEP students required to have a Student Learning Plan?
Simply put, for accountability. Far more intrusive options were initially suggested, which Brenda advocated against. As stated above, the Learning Plan does not mandate how you can educate your child, and you can update it at any time.
If you have any questions not answered in these resources, you can reach out directly to Step Up or AAA (whichever Scholarship Funding Organization you applied for PEP through) to get more information.
Note from Brenda:
There are tools provided in Step Up's platform related to each of the subject areas you can check on the Student Learning Plan, but those things look a whole lot like the benchmarks for public school to Brenda. Brenda has a particular concern about the "soft skills" (character development, etc). She believes we need to keep watch on that, because we don't want those to become mandatory when the law doesn't say they're mandatory.
This is part of why it's so important for parents to stay in touch with us, to let us know if they see any changes happening inside those portals (since those of us in leadership aren't always directly in those portals ourselves) and also so they can get updates if we get word things might be changing.
Also, Step Up is actively taking feedback from parents right now, which means we can help shape this program by providing our suggestions for programs and resources to be added to their Purchasing Guide, among other things. Please reach out to Step Up if there's a change you'd like to see! You can contact them through the feedback form on their website.
I noticed that I can't just choose from the Academic Learning Priorities category although the instructions say that you do not have to choose from both categories. I have to select at least one from the Personal Learning Priorities (the "soft skills") in order to click next and complete the SLP.