{"id":3933,"date":"2016-05-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-16T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/new-haven-academy-pedagogy-comes-first\/"},"modified":"2020-02-05T12:58:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T17:58:23","slug":"new-haven-academy-pedagogy-comes-first","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/new-haven-academy-pedagogy-comes-first\/","title":{"rendered":"New Haven Academy: Pedagogy Comes First"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"newThis is part of a series on mastery-based learning in Connecticut. See posts on New Haven Public Schools<\/a>,Windsor Locks Public Schools<\/a>, Naugatuck Public Schools<\/a>,\u00a0Superintendents Leading the Way in Connecticut<\/a>, and New Haven Academy<\/a>. Connecticut uses the term mastery-based learning, so that will be used instead of competency education within the series.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

There is no mistaking New Haven Academy<\/a>\u2019s pedagogy and vision \u2013 it hangs from colorful banners above the school: Think Critically. Be Responsible. Get Involved.<\/em> There is also loving attention to the social-emotional needs of students exemplified by the bulletin board in the main office:<\/p>\n

Just remember it\u2019s tough to enjoy life when you don\u2019t like yourself. When you learn to succeed at being yourself, you\u2019ll be well on your way to enjoying life more fully. <\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the way another person treats you determine your worth.<\/em><\/p>\n

Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. <\/em><\/p>\n

Co-founders Greg Baldwin (principal) and Meredith Gavrin (program director) have an interesting story about how they came to the world of mastery-based learning. It\u2019s a story shaped by how they operationalized the pedagogy at the center of the school and eventually came to the point where they had to make a full conversion to mastery-based learning, as grading and traditional practices of how students advance were just too out of sync with the rest of the school to ignore.<\/p>\n

The good news \u2013 among the juniors who were the first class to use mastery-based grading, there is an increasing number of them achieving mastery in their courses.<\/p>\n

From Habits of Mind to Mastery-Based Grading<\/h3>\n

Baldwin explained, \u201cBefore the shift to mastery-based grading in 2013, we were a project-based school using portfolios and exhibitions. Having a strong foundation in project-based learning was important before shifting to mastery-based learning, as our teachers know how to organize learning for groups as well as support individual needs of students. We value the learning that takes place in groups and in projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NH\u201cWhen we launched the school in 2003, the Habits of Mind<\/a> from Deborah Meier<\/a> informed our instruction,\u201d Baldwin recounted. \u201cWe have gone through an evolution in how the habits inform courses, teaching, and assessments \u2013 we now think of the Habits of Mind as cross-curricular standards that are becoming the language of mastery.\u201d<\/p>\n

NHA\u2019s thinking about exhibitions has also developed. Baldwin continued, \u201cWe used to have big projects in the middle of the year that became exhibitions in every course. Our experience in developing rubrics developed at that time, as well. Then we began to have tenth graders create a portfolio of their work for an end-of-year exhibition. There was so much value in that process that we have expanded to have an exhibition for every grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2009-2010, NHA started to contemplate how to have more authentic education<\/a> and did more backward planning about how to integrate it, including redesigning rubrics. However, they were butting up against traditional grading because it wasn\u2019t consistent with their values, pedagogy, or how they wanted to engage and motivate students. \u201cThere was a huge disconnect between four quarters, 0-100 points, and an F,\u201d Baldwin said. \u201cYou could predict on September 15th<\/sup> what grades students would receive. It was time to take on the battle. The question was, how do we make grading more meaningful and a tool for learning and growth?\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, they put together a team of teachers, all of whom had been with the school for over six years, to begin to think through some proposals. They looked at several models and then created a grading policy that \u201cput us in the right direction and then we jumped in.\u201d When NHA made the shift to be mastery-based, two other important components were added: practice assessments (formative assessments) and core assessments. Completing a course and earning a passing grade is based on the core assessments. They separated academics from behaviors, removed Ds and Fs as an option, and organized core assessments around standards. Departments began to dive deep into instruction and assessment in the academic domains. NHA continues to make changes in the grading policy because, as Baldwin observed, \u201cStudents are always going to find ways to game the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launched in 2003, New Haven Academy is a 9-12 magnet school serving 300 students from New Haven and thirty surrounding towns, of which 70 percent are FRL. NHA has a strong focus on project-based learning and exhibitions. Social action is a theme throughout the school, with students earning ten hours of community service every year and completing a social action project in twelfth grade. NHA partners with Facing History and Ourselves. It also has a very strong focus on college prep, with a College Bound program in partnership with Quinnipiac University and an Early College with Gateway Community College.<\/div>\n

Before we jump into a deeper conversation about NHA\u2019s insights into mastery-based grading policy, here are short summaries of their pedagogy and assessment structure.<\/p>\n

Core Beliefs and Overall Pedagogy<\/h3>\n

New Haven values critical thinking \u2013 their goal is to \u201cteach students to analyze information and ideas in depth, to consider multiple perspectives, and to become informed decision-makers.\u201d Their pedagogical philosophy is that students need to be involved with inquiry-based learning, engaged in solving problems, able to reflect on their learning, and able to demonstrate their learning through performance assessments.<\/p>\n

NHA helps build critical thinking skills through six Habits of Mind:<\/p>\n