HODGDON, Maine — The SAD 70 School Board held a special workshop last Wednesday to learn about Proficiency-Based Education (PBE) and related topics. Staff, parents, students and public were encouraged to attend the presentation in the Hodgdon High School Commons and about 40 people attended in addition to the 11 school board members.
The evening began with a presentation by Linda Schott, University of Maine at Presque Isle president, who talked about their transition to PBE at the college level. UMPI decided that this approach to education might be in their best interest when the state of Maine mandated proficiency-based diplomas for all graduates.
They have received a grant from the Davis Family Foundation to assist with the professional development of the professors at the college. Because the standards for general education courses such as English, math, science are clearly stated, many students can show proficiency without going through the entire course and the learning is set up in project based units that allow students to pursue areas of study that they find interesting. Schott emphasized student choice, different paces of learning, and the ability to not repeat mastered material. The latest research on the Neuroscience of Learning including brain scans supports these approaches to learning. One major goal of their program is to make sure that all college graduates have higher outcomes that are essential to make them valuable in their communities and in the workforce.
The second part of the evening led by the Superintendent of Schools, Scott Richardson, was an update on the current status of SAD 70 in implementing the state mandate. The school district has asked for a proficiency-based diploma extension which allows the district to work on the requirements for the mandate over the next three years, the first class to earn a PBE Diploma will be the Class of 2021, which is this year’s grade six.
The content standards required are defined in the Maine Learning Results for English Language Arts, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, visual and performing arts, health and physical education, career development education and world languages. The graduates must also meet the Guiding Principles of the Maine Learning Results, which include a clear and effective communicator, a self-directed and lifelong learner, a creative and practical problem solver, a responsible and involved citizen, a collaborative and quality worker and an integrative and informed thinker. The administrators and teachers have been attending regular workshops in these areas sponsored by the Northern Maine Educational Collaborative (NMEC) which is comprised of all the public school systems in Aroostook County who pool their resources to organize professional development opportunities.
The curriculum model that is being developed emphasizes the use of Critical Thinking Skills to learn the Content Knowledge so that they can practice getting better at their Lifelong Habits of Mind and effective communicator. In order to better keep track of progress in all these areas, SAD 70 has invested in a progress reporting system called Empower, which has all the standards in all these areas for K-12. The system allows teachers, students and parents to see where they are achieving in each content area and the guiding principles so they can target their learning and ensure completion of proficiency at their preferred pace.
Currently, all Grade 9 students are working on a proficiency-based system so that teachers and students become more comfortable with this change in their educational program. Progress Reports at Grade 9 show score from 1 to 4 based on proficiency rather than the old A to F ranking system. The goal for all standards is a 3 and a 4 indicates that the student has exceeded proficiency.
This system is similar to the report cards for Grades K to 2 where teachers tell parents what skills their children have in reading, writing and math. Lura Griffin and Shawna Lyons, Grade 9 teachers reviewed several lessons they use to teach standards and how they assess the standards separately so they know exactly what the students know and do not know. They are very pleased with the new system of progress reporting and finds that it helps them be better teachers as they focus on the areas that students need to be given extra instruction.
The last part of the presentation focused on Common Core. This section attempted to dispel some of the myths about Common Core. The beginnings of Common Core were promoted by the National Governors Association who wanted to provide consistent standards across the nation and ensure that students who graduated from high school were ready for college and the workforce. Common Core is not a mandate but a choice made by each individual state. The state has adopted the English Language Arts and Mathematics common Core Standards as well as the Next Generation Science Standards for the students at our public schools.
The audience listened to a video that criticized the Math Common Core for making the problem longer and more tedious for the student. A second video showed why the problem was done in different and sometimes longer processes. The presenter emphasized that the key to learning Mathematics is understanding the process behind the answers and showed how this can be done in various methods.
The audience was given opportunities to ask questions and make comments during the evening and lots of ideas were shared by school board members and the public. Questions will continue to arise as the schools work through the implementation of this new system.
Those with questions can contact the administrators at the schools or the superintendent of schools. The central office can be reached at 532-3015.
