Huntley Community School District 158

In the real world, you don’t have to learn in one particular way - so school should be the same. HHS students can tailor when and how they learn to their lives, strengths, and needs, with 70% of students taking advantage of blended learning classes. As of the 2018-2019 school year, 73 teachers teach a blended learning course, 2,100 students experience at least one course, and 58 courses are offered throughout all eight periods of the day.

Blended learning at Huntley High School is an attack on the traditional school day, so students have control over the time, place, and path they follow to achieve their education. HHS practices a novel approach to blended learning focused on breaking down time constraints of the traditional school day, giving students more ownership over the time and place for learning, and enabling differentiation to meet the instructional needs of all students.

Blended classes typically meet face-to-face as a whole class two days a week. On the remaining days, students are responsible for online work and have the class period to use as they wish. For example:

• A high-achieving student who has mastered course material can complete the required work online without having to sit through class periods covering topics they’ve already mastered.
• A student who requires additional attention from the teacher can get it by visiting the teacher when the class does not meet as a whole to receive one-on-one or small group instruction.
• A student could use the class period for other purposes, such as meeting in small groups, completing work for another class, going off-campus, or taking a nap. He or she can then complete the Blended classwork at a time that better suits their schedule/learning style.

The experience mirrors that of and better prepares students for college, where no one is telling you exactly where you must be and what you must be doing at any given time. However, a “safety net” exists in that students who fail to keep up in the blended format. All blended classes are offered simultaneously in the traditional format, and struggling students can transition to the traditional format, temporarily or permanently, so that students may meet with teachers for more support with academic mastery and time management. In this way, teachers can provide differentiated levels of support as needed.