Moving Forward toward Mastery at Kuna School District

This is the third post in a series on Mastery Education in Idaho. Links to the other articles in the series can be found below.

During my visit to Synergy at Kuna Middle School, the conversation with Kelly Brady, Idaho Department of Education;….. Read More

Comment (0)

Locations: Idaho

Still Learning from Delivering on the Promise

It continues to be a pleasure to read the story of Chugach School District’s journey of transformation described in Delivering on the Promise: The Education Revolution (DeLorenzo, Battino, Schreiber, and Carrio, 2009). Even though the term competency-based education is not mentioned once in the book,….. Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

16 Quality Principles to Guide Implementation to Competency-Based Education

If you are just starting out or are midway in your process of making the transition to personalized, mastery learning, it might help you to read Quality Principles for Competency-Based Education. If you are in planning stages, be sure to read the first section, which is a primer on competency-based education including the flaws in the traditional system…… Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

Ten Flaws in the Traditional System

The traditional system is simply not designed to produce the goals we have set for it, or that our children, communities and nation so desperately need and deserve. There are 10 primary flaws in the traditional system that perpetuate inequity and low achievement. They can be corrected by redesigning the system for success in which all students achieve mastery…… Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

Ten Distinguishing Features of Competency-Based Education

Across the country, schools, districts and states are replacing the traditional, time-based structure with one that is designed to help each student reach proficiency. Competency-based education is a system designed for equitable student achievement to ensure all learners master academic knowledge, develop the expertise to apply it to real-world problems and build the skills to be lifelong learners for future success…… Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

Quality Design Principle #1: Purpose-Driven

“Our community told us they wanted their children to be lifelong learners. We had to ask ourselves, what are we doing in our classrooms to help them be lifelong learners? What structures and supports do our teachers need to help develop lifelong learners? It came down to needing to have an active learning environment…… Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

Quality Design Principle #2: Commit to Equity

“We aren’t just trying to close the achievement gap. That’s using a deficit model. When we started designing the school, we wanted to have a place where students discover the things that make them special. In this way, we are recognizing students as assets and affirming their creativity and intelligence…something that a lot of schools fail to do.”

–….. Read More

Comment (0)

Locations:

Quality Design Principle #3: Nurture a Culture of Learning and Inclusivity

“Kids don’t say, ‘I’m so stoked to make this standard today.’ They come to school because people care, there is meaningful and relevant curriculum and clear learning targets. We need to offer great teachers and engaging curriculum. For students below grade level, we have to get to know them really,….. Read More

Comment (0)

Locations: