Sunset Elementary staff report progress on "Visible Learning" pilot, highlight student ownership and feedback practices

Sunset Elementary teachers and staff told the Salina Public Schools Board of Education on April 8 that the school’s Visible Learning initiative has increased the posting and use of learning intentions and success criteria and that students are demonstrating greater ability to describe their learning.

Presenters said their goals included posting learning intentions and success criteria for whole‑group ELA and math lessons and increasing student ability to articulate learning. The staff reported that by December 2024, 100% of classrooms posted learning intentions and about 90.5% posted success criteria; a March‑quarter walkthrough showed 70.9% of students could describe their learning at a “level 2” response, exceeding a May 2025 target of 65 percent.

Sunset staff outlined challenges and next steps: improving the quality of posted success criteria through professional learning communities and increasing teacher use of the posted statements during lessons (staff reported about 70% refer to learning intentions at lesson start but fewer do so during and at the end of lessons). Classroom strategies described included student‑friendly wording of standards, “fist to five” checks for immediate feedback and using success criteria as a checklist throughout lessons.

A presenter read remarks from a colleague who could not attend and other staff members described classroom examples where learning dispositions are taught via morning announcements and weekly meetings to connect behaviors to learning. Staff asked the board to continue supporting Visible Learning professional development and said the initiative has made a positive difference in classroom clarity and student ownership.

Board members received the update as informational; no board action was taken on the Visible Learning presentation at the meeting.