Forma

Forma is designed to prepare young people (ages 12–22) for a future shaped by rapid technological change by centering learning on uniquely human skills—agency, collaboration, creation, and real-world impact. The model addresses a core challenge facing schools today: how to help learners thrive in an AI-rich world without reducing learning to content consumption or test performance. Forma organizes learning around community-connected projects, intensive coaching relationships, and a living curriculum that adapts to each learner’s development. Assessment is treated as a continuous learning process rather than a retrospective judgment, helping students navigate their growth with clarity and confidence.

What makes Forma distinctive is its integration of developmental science, project-based learning, and ambient AI to support deeply personalized learning pathways at scale.

Learning at Forma is organized into 8-week sprints built around community-connected projects that students co-design with Formation Coaches and AI-supported tools. Rather than progressing through fixed courses, students pursue personalized projects that serve as the vehicle for building academic knowledge and human skills. Content is treated as a medium for skill development, with targeted seminars (“dives”) in literacy, math, science, technology, and the arts offered in response to project needs. Learning happens both on campus and off—through internships, apprenticeships, community partnerships, and applied work—reflecting Forma’s emphasis on real-world relevance.

Students are grouped into coaching pods that provide daily relationship-building and academic support. Within these pods, learners plan their work, reflect on challenges, and receive feedback from peers, coaches, and community partners. Schedules are flexible and responsive, combining deep work blocks, design studio time, seminars, and optional experiences. Assessment is embedded in daily practice: students regularly reflect on their growth, revise their work, and use feedback to make informed decisions about next steps. FormaAI and FormaGPS aggregate evidence from projects, coaching conversations, peer feedback, and self-reflection to help learners understand where they are and where they want to go.

Adults at Forma operate in redesigned roles that emphasize coaching, design, and partnership. Formation Coaches stay with small groups of students over multiple years, acting as mentors and architects of learning experiences rather than content deliverers.

Additional roles—Learning Experience Designers, Data Analysts, Forma Experts, and Near-Peer Coaches—support high-quality projects and personalized pathways. A day in the life for a student might include a morning pod sync, extended studio time on a community project, a targeted seminar to build needed skills, and reflection informed by FormaGPS data. For adults, the day blends facilitation, coaching, project design, coordination with partners, and collaborative planning.

Key artifacts

• Portrait of a Graduate & developmental rubric
• See other resources here, including:
  • Assessment & navigation system
  • Project & sprint structure: 8-week sprint model and project scope
  • Sample schedule: “Leo’s (13) Student Schedule – 8 Week Learning Journey”
  • Adult roles: Formation Coach profile and staffing overview

Conditions that would need to be true to bring this model to life

• Flexible scheduling and policy environments that support multi-week sprints, off-campus learning, and competency-based progression.
• Robust AI and data infrastructure, with strong safeguards for privacy, consent, and bias mitigation.
• Significant adult capacity-building in coaching, project design, developmental assessment, and AI-supported practice.
• Sustained community and workforce partnerships to enable authentic projects and expert involvement.
• Assessment and graduation systems that recognize portfolios, exhibitions, and demonstrated competencies alongside or in place of traditional credits.