Protesting parents are fighting this web-based school program, but some in Ky. love it.

Some parents at Lincoln County Middle School at Stanford, like some families in other states, are protesting a web-based program called Summit Learning that more than 30 Kentucky schools are using.

While officials from several school districts praise the program, parents in Lincoln County have joined a Facebook page called “Lincoln County Parents and Teachers against Summit Learning” that has about 200 members and have signed a change.org petition called “Make Summit Voluntary. “ Earlier in May, some parents kept their children home one day in protest of what they say is a mandatory school-wide implementation of the program.

Among the concerns in Lincoln County -- which Summit proponents dispute --are that students are getting too much screen time and not enough instructional time with teachers, that Summit does not meet Kentucky Department of Education standards, and that parents have had largely no say in the decision, said parent Bethany Berry.

Berry said the parents’ goal in appealing the decision to implement Summit Learning is not to be negative toward officials at Lincoln County Middle School, which she said “has done really great things for our kiddos.” Berry said parents simply want to create awareness to the growing concern about Summit Learning and “to find a different way to educate our children other than this modality.”

Summit Learning, which is free to schools, gets some support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative which is led by Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife Priscilla Chan, confirmed Dakarai I. Aarons, Communications Manager of Education for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Summit Learning Senior Director of Learning Catherine Madden said “there are more than 30 schools in Kentucky participating in our program.”

“I can’t provide you with a list of names,” she said. “We respect a school’s right to privacy and allow them to choose whether or not to speak publicly about what’s going on in their school.”

Madden said that no one profits from Summit Learning. “We are a nonprofit organization,” she said.

Summit officials say every Summit Learning classroom has three core components: a focus on teaching through projects, a mentoring program for every student, and a drive to equip students with the skills and habits associated with lifelong learning, such as self-direction. In addition to what is taught by teachers, students are also able to access additional learning resources, set goals, and track their progress via an online platform.

There has been some nationwide opposition to Summit Learning. Madden confirmed that there had “pockets of pushback” over Summit Learning in Kansas, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

“We hear those concerns and take them seriously. We work closely with the schools to support them and help the parents understand what Summit Learning is,” Madden said. But Madden said the numbers of people opposing the program does not represent the vast majority of the 380 schools using Summit Learning. Summit is currently used by more than 72,000 students.

Lincoln County parent Greg Snow said his child, who typically gets straight A’s, had initial problems with the learning system and he was concerned about how much interaction teachers have with students under the program.

He said parents are upset that “there’s no other options.”

“Several parents are talking about homeschooling and pulling them out,” Snow said.

But Lincoln County Middle Principal Billy Harris said the school has seen improved results on high school placement tests and in other areas from students enrolled in Summit Learning. Teachers continue to teach in the classroom and the district is bound by law to teach state standards, Harris said.

“We are looking for improvements in our students overall so that we can produce more well-rounded students, ...so that they are prepared for the rigor of high school,” said Harris.

In response to the Lincoln County parents’ concerns, Lincoln Superintendent Michael Rowe said “ the decision to implement Summit Learning is a school council decision. As a district, it is our job to support the decisions made by school councils. “

Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis said the Kentucky Department of Education does not have oversight over curriculum adopted at the school level. Kentucky law gives the authority to adopt curriculum to school-based decision making councils.

“We do not provide any support for Summit Learning,” said Kentucky Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Fletcher.

“The adoption of high quality curriculum and materials is a major responsibility of councils,” said Lewis. “My hope and expectation is that Kentucky’s SBDM councils, with support from district and school staff, are adopting and using high quality curriculum that aligns with Kentucky’s academic standards. “

“With Kentucky’s recent adoption of new academic standards in reading, mathematics, and social studies, KDE staff are working with district leaders and education co-ops across the state on standards implementation. SBDM councils should be working now to ensure that there is alignment of curriculum and standards,” Lewis said.

In Fayette County, Lexington Traditional Magnet Middle School Principal Larry Caudill has used Summit Learning in a pilot program for two years. This fall, it will expand building-wide, including the advanced magnet program. Another special middle and high school program in Fayette County called The Stables is also using Summit Learning.

Caudill and Scott Flowers, a Fayette County Public Schools middle school director, said they are not getting complaints about Summit.

Caudill said the rigorous program is perfectly aligned to state academic standards and that students in the self-directed program are more aware of their learning and see success. Caudill said there are high expectations for students and in order to meet objectives they really have to understand the material. They can’t move on unless they master the content.

Caudill said before implementing Summit, LTMS was having difficulty increasing the amount of students who were proficient. He said that is changing with an increase in reading proficiency and he thinks Summit is one of the factors. Caudill said in 23 years as an educator, he has never seen students in middle school discuss their learning and their goals to the extent that students in Summit Learning are.

“There is an element of cognitive struggle that is healthy,” said Flowers. Students know what they’ve learned and what they need to learn to be successful, he said.

Seventh-grader Aasha Brown sets goals all year long and completes projects which require her to create and analyze and interpret. She said the program “motivates me to do better and better.”

“Everything is laid out for you,” said Aasha. “You can go at your own pace.”

In addition to having teachers in general academic classes, Aasha and other students attend a personalized learning class which helps them practice objectives and become an independent learner through the Summit Learning program.

But Caudill said students are not autonomous and that teachers are at the heart of the program, navigating the efforts of the kids. Students have direct instruction with teachers and then move into small groups in workshops. In addition to teachers, each student has an additional adult mentor at the school who monitors their progress. He said too much screen time for students has not been an issue and that kids who are not meeting goals get intensive instruction.

As part of their contract with Summit, the staff at LTMS meets remotely with a team from Summit on a weekly basis to review school-wide data, and Summit staff also makes site visits, Caudill said.

“I don’t believe every child learns the same way but my daughter has been very successful with it I think because they are allowed to learn at their own pace....the teacher is there and available if they need help,” said Aasha’s mother, Shauntel Brown, who is a member of the LTMS school council. “It’s not as confining to the student as the traditional way of teaching.”

Elsewhere in Kentucky, James Brewer, the principal of Conner Middle School in Boone County, told families in a message that the school was discontinuing Summit Learning because school officials did not want to work in two different systems as they were developing common assessments to measure curriculum standards.

However, Boone County Schools Community Relations Coordinator Barbara Brady said the school district had not received recent or ongoing complaints about Summit Learning at Conner Middle School and that three other Boone County middle schools will be using Summit this fall.

At the other schools, said Brady, “It’s working very well. We’re very happy with it. Our principals are very happy with it. And Mr. Brewer was happy with it. But he decided he wanted to simplify things. That’s why they are moving in a different direction.”

Houston Barber, the Superintendent of Frankfort Independent Schools, said Frankfort High School was one of the first schools in the state to use Summit Learning.

“If you implement it with fidelity it’s a phenomenal opportunity,” he said. “It’s been a phenomenal game-changer for the high school.”

He said it helps students “become the best versions of themselves.”

Renee Holmes, a spokeswoman for Scott County Schools in Georgetown, said the Summit program is offered at Royal Spring Middle School, Georgetown Middle School, and in some courses at Elkhorn Crossing School.

“The Summit Learning program is an instructional strategy that helps teachers differentiate the delivery of materials based on the individual needs of student learners,” said Scott Superintendent Kevin Hub.

“Our schools take a lot of steps to make parents aware of the benefits of the program before students are enrolled at the middle schools that use Summit,” Holmes said. “This allows parents to ask questions and learn about Summit which results in shared buy-in from all stakeholders.”

This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 5:01 PM.