{"id":16229,"date":"2022-11-17T17:00:14","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T22:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/?post_type=cw_post&p=16229"},"modified":"2023-03-03T08:39:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T13:39:52","slug":"cbe-starter-pack-4-progress-based-on-mastery","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/cbe-starter-pack-4-progress-based-on-mastery\/","title":{"rendered":"CBE Starter Pack 4: Progress Based on Mastery"},"content":{"rendered":"
When educators begin to explore competency-based education (CBE), the <\/span><\/i>CompetencyWorks Initiative<\/span><\/i><\/a> is a key place to start, but it can be overwhelming to take it all in. This post is the fourth of a series of \u201c<\/span><\/i>CBE Starter Packs<\/span><\/i><\/a>” focused on each of the seven elements of the Aurora Institute\u2019s <\/span><\/i>2019 CBE Definition<\/span><\/i><\/a>. A note on language: we use the different terms used in the field (e.g., competency, mastery, proficiency) interchangeably.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n At the heart of competency-based systems, decisions about student learning and advancement are made based on their demonstrated mastery \u2013 rather than their age or a standardized time frame. The first three elements of the CBE definition create the transparency, evidence, and learning skills and mindsets to enable student advancement based on mastery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Summative assessment, rather than occurring only at the end of a unit of learning and being fixed based on pacing guidelines for covering grade-level standards, is a flexible process that occurs when the teacher and student are reasonably confident the student is proficient. This might mean that summative assessments are organized based on when students are ready or that summative decisions are based on a body of evidence of learning in a portfolio. Students may advance more quickly in some academic domains, while taking more time in those that are more challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In CBE systems, teachers strive to be transparent and consistent when assessing students\u2019 proficiency. Doing so interrupts inequities of the traditional system that allow students to progress without fully mastering content and skills. To build consistency, educators score student work together and collaborate to develop rubrics with student work samples that illustrate what proficiency looks like. This reduces variability across teachers in expectations and judgments of proficiency. Shared high expectations are central to ensuring equity in a system where student progress is based on demonstrating mastery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These examples illustrate how real schools base student progress on their demonstrated mastery in practice, in ways that fit their own local communities. Implementing CBE is not one-size-fits all for students or for schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At Red Bank Elementary School (RBE) in the Lexington School District One in South Carolina, work to transform to a personalized, competency-based model began with optional summer retreats where staff learned together to understand what is wrong with the traditional system. Over 10 years later, all students at RBE are learning in an environment that develops the skills they need to be the drivers of their own learning. In <\/span>their own words<\/span><\/a>, RBE students \u201cknow what standards must be learned and they are expected to show proficiency in learning those standards. Students progress at different rates and in different ways. They have choices about how they practice and demonstrate their acquisition of skills. Each student is challenged at his or her academic level.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n RBE staff focus on pedagogy and transparency \u2014 around students’ learning targets, their progress, and the different ways they can learn. They aim to teach students starting where they are in their own development, rather than focus on teaching a grade-based curriculum. RBE staff utilize technology and online learning tools to provide more options for learning, but keep their focus on meeting every student\u2019s learning needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more:<\/b> The <\/span>Competency<\/span><\/i>Works blog series on Red Bank Elementary includes five posts, <\/span>Five big takeaways<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Teaching students instead of standards<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Teacher perspectives<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Student perspectives<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Parent perspectives<\/span><\/a>. RBE practitioners have also written for CompetencyWorks, such as this post <\/span>Two Teachers’ Perspectives on CBE<\/span><\/a>. Here is an <\/span>interview with two RBE administrators<\/span><\/a> (p. 12-16).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n At <\/span>Alta Vista Innovation High School<\/span><\/a> in Inglewood, CA, all curriculum is mastery-based and all students have personalized learning plans. Alta Vista serves many students who started in traditional high school settings but didn\u2019t thrive there for various reasons. The school is part of the <\/span>Learn4Life network<\/span><\/a> of charter schools with 100 learning centers serving more than 49,000 students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Every student has a \u201csupervising teacher\u201d who serves as their mentor and guide while also providing some academic support in their areas of certification. Most students take two subjects at a time, or three if they\u2019re highly motivated. They work at their own pace through written and online materials, often in two-hour, small-group meetings with teachers and students, as well as with one-to-one support from teachers and tutors. Scheduling and pacing are flexible. Students come to school at least twice per week for four hours per day, but they can come as much beyond that as they want, so long as they\u2019re being productive \u2014 which can mean not only making academic progress, but also meeting with a social worker or just coming in to eat lunch and connect with the school community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Learn more:<\/b> The <\/span>Competency<\/span><\/i>Works blog has two posts about Alta Vista, <\/span>Ensuring Responsiveness to Student Needs at Learn4Life Schools<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Educating the Whole Child (and Young Adult) at Alta Vista Innovation High School<\/span><\/a>. See also the <\/span>student stories<\/span><\/a> across the Learn4Life network and <\/span>this video<\/span><\/a> about Learn4Life in California.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
What does progress based on mastery look like?\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n
Example: Red Bank Elementary School<\/span><\/h2>\n
Alta Vista Innovation High School\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
What to Look for in the Student Experience<\/span><\/h2>\n