Recently, I have been asked about the District’s new approach in assessing student learning. This Fall all of the District’s middle schools as well as two classes at Sunset (10th grade Language Arts and Algebra/Geometry) implemented a “proficiency” assessment model that has caused some confusion, particularly around grades and report cards. Up front, I will state that traditional grade reporting is here to stay. Report cards will continue to use letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F. With that stated, proficiency assessment attempts to provide a greater level of detail on each student’s performance.
As I consider an explanation for this change in assessment, I can’t help but consider the experience of my own children. Some may be aware that I am the proud father of fraternal twins: Kobe and Kortnie. And as their father, of course, I believe that they are absolutely brilliant! Nevertheless, as adolescents, they are learning through trial and error. Their experience last year is illustrative of why proficiency assessment is a much needed approach.
Last year, they entered middle school and were placed into an advanced math course. Kobe qualified for the class based on his state test scores; Kortnie was placed in the class based on a teacher’s recommendation. Completion of the three-year sequence advance math program with a “B” average would provide them with high school credit for Algebra and place them on track to take Geometry as freshmen.
While my children share many things in common, including a birthday, they have starkly different strengths and abilities. Kobe is a talented math student, but he currently struggles with time management and homework. Kortnie, on the other hand, is a stronger reader, and she loves school. Homework has never been a problem for her. Obviously, this sets up an interesting dynamic as Kobe struggled throughout the year staying current with his homework. Consequently, on more than one occasion, he was cautioned that his grade needed to remain above a “B” in order to stay in the class.
My struggle with this situation is that Kobe knew the material well as measured by test scores and classroom work. In fact, he knew the material so well that he would help his sister on her homework. Ironically, Kortnie maintained an “A” average for the year while Kobe struggled to keep the required “B” average. The obvious determining factor for them was homework; Kortnie never missed an assignment, and Kobe’s behavior, as much as I hate to admit it, was less than stellar. I had to monitor him throughout the year. I, however, really struggled as a father and as an educator when Kobe would ask me why he needed to do the homework when he already knew the material.
Proficiency, I believe, will address the fundamental needs for both Kobe and Kortnie. Proficiency will allow both children to progress at their own rate and provide them with necessary support. In many ways, Kobe was bored with the material, and he needed to accelerate faster through the course work. Kortnie, on the other hand, had some deficiencies in her understanding that are masked by her ability to play the homework game – turn in your homework and receive good grades. Proficiency will allow us to address her deficiencies earlier in her learning before the curriculum has outpaced her.
Proficiency is an approach to instruction that begins with clearly defined outcomes for student learning. To reach these outcomes, teachers carefully craft a handful of learning targets that progressively guide the student to achieve the outcome. Students are provided with multiple and varied assessments to gauge their progress and identify deficiencies in this progression. Teachers work in collaboration with their colleagues to develop these assessments and standardize their results. Once students have mastered a target or identified a deficiency, interventions may be applied to extend a student’s learning in new ways or fill in the gaps in a student’s understanding. The fundamental difference in this approach is that it more readily focuses on developing an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. This is an approach that I believe will benefit all students, high achieving, struggling and everyone in between.
Todd McKee, Ed.D.
