Designing for Student Agency in Scheduling

MyMAP allows students to progress through color-coded learning stages based on their developmental readiness rather than chronological age, resulting in 89% of classes being multi-age.

The system features over 285 different subject offerings across years 7-10, with students having complete autonomy to design their learning pathway after experiencing a diverse "Quire" semester in year 7. Teachers create deep-dive courses aligned with curriculum standards but focused on specific interests and applications - from marine biology and forensic science to archaeology and remote pilot licensing. This approach eliminates subject hierarchy (all subjects receive equal time allocation), reduces average class sizes to around 20 students, and enables teachers to work with no more than 100 students total. The results have been remarkable: student engagement has increased from bottom-10% statewide to top-tier performance, with engagement levels rising even during typically problematic middle school years. The transformation occurred despite launching during COVID-19 disruptions and demonstrates how systematic structural change can revitalize both learning culture and academic outcomes in traditional school settings.

"We decided to try to design a curriculum based on self-determination theory... that promoted Mastery through deep learning, autonomy via voice and choice, and purpose for purposeful learning."

"It's a student centered timetable, it's not a timetable for adults... and whatever the students select we'll put on as a school."

"Since 2016 gone from the bottom 10% right up to probably the top school in the state for school engagement... the Gap has been 19%... at assumption our engagement levels actually increased which was quite staggering."

• What assumptions about age-based learning does MyMAP challenge? How might learning outcomes change if students could progress based on readiness rather than birthday? What barriers exist in your context to implementing stage-based progression?
• All students experience 15+ subjects in their first semester before choosing their path. How might broad exposure before specialization change students' understanding of their interests and aptitudes? What does this suggest about early tracking systems?
• 89% of classes contain students from multiple grade levels. What are the social, emotional, and academic benefits and challenges of multi-age learning? How might peer relationships change in mixed-age environments?