Sunday, February 2, 2014

Transparency Is Just One Key To A Successful PBE System

Our Mission/Vision says that:  "Our Proficiency-based system makes clear what students must demonstrate to show mastery.  Learning targets are clear, easily accessible and diversely assessed." (you can see the whole mission/vision by going to our website at:  www.rsu3.org)

One of the key components of our PBE system then, is transparency or the ability to make learning targets and overall learning expectations clear to all stakeholders.  To RSU 3 - Transparency means that we think of our learners as partners in their own education.  Our system is created to make sure students know exactly what is expected of them and why.  We believe that by including our learners in the process of developing and understanding their own learning, they are naturally more engaged in the process, more engaged in their learning tasks and more successful as learners.

In the traditional model of education (the one you and I participated in) learners were thought of as "empty vessels" that needed to be "filled" by the knowledge of the adults in charge.  In the past, this system served the purpose of creating knowledgeable individuals who followed orders and looked to their leaders for answers to the "big problems".  Our industrial, manufacturing based society didn't need a lot of creative thinkers and problem solvers.  It needed a few, but it needed more "skilled workers" who were highly skilled at one thing, listened to the directions of their bosses, and followed them.  This wasn't "bad" or "good" - it was what was needed at the time.

Today's needed 21st Century skills are the opposite.  In today's workforce we need many more creative and innovative thinkers who work together to solve complex problems.  Today's workforce must have solid "soft skills" such as an effective communicators, creative problem solvers, and abilities to collaborate with other members of their team (sound familiar - it should - its the Guiding Principles of Maine's Learning Results).  In a world where you can "google" anything. .. having factual knowledge stored in your head isn't as important as it once was.  Instead, being able to filter through massive amounts of information, identify problems, and work collaboratively with others to solve them are the skills that our students need in order to be successful.

Understanding this new reality then, we must re-think our educational paradigms.  Where students once were "empty vessels" to be filled with factual knowledge and sent on their way - now students must learn how to learn, how to change, how to identify problems and how to work with others to solve them.  They must learn to identify the resources at their disposal quickly and then figure out ways to use those resources to meet their needs.  The 21st Century is no longer the world for the complacent learner, who sits quietly in their seats, does their homework, and never questions their teachers.  The 21st Century is a place where our students must learn to learn quickly, to adapt, and to change.  They must be a part of the conversation about their own learning vs. the object of it.

RSU 3's PBE system is built in such a way as to involve the learner in their learning.  It is built to be transparent and clear to the students and to their parents.  We aren't keeping any secrets.  There is no longer just "one answer" to any problem and it is no longer "found in the back of the book."  As we all know from experience, life just doesn't work that way, especially now.  Students need to understand how their learning progresses building upon foundational skills to more complex skills.  Students need to understand how these skills can translate from one content area to another and how they are related to developing problem solving skills, communication skills, and collaboration skills.  Students must be brought into the secret that learning doesn't occur in isolation, one content area never interacting with another.  Math is no longer to be learned only during "math class".  It can be learned during English, or during Music, or while at home helping one's parents with their food shopping budget!

Our EDUCATE software system is currently in its infancy of use here in RSU 3.  We have just begun to unlock its potential, but the ultimate goal is that this software system will become one tool for transparency.  Students will be able to log in and see their learning progressions and to work with their teachers to map out their own best learning pathways.  Teachers will be able to log in and see each student's learning progressions and use that information to coach, advise, and challenge them to meet their maximum learning potential.  Parents will be able to log in and see exactly what their students are learning in real time and communicate with their children's teachers with questions they might have.  All stakeholders will know what was learned, what is being learned, and what comes next all while understanding why they are learning it!

Transparency in RSU 3 is making clear that students are not the blueberries to be processed in our system, or the peg to be sanded and moved on.  Students in RSU 3 are to be real partners in their learning, supported by caring adults who embrace and encourage students and work to ensure each student is learning to their fullest potential and able to ultimately meet whatever goals they make for themselves moving forward.  In RSU 3, Transparency is partnership - at least that's the vision we are moving towards!

27 comments:

  1. Your 'poke and prod' is metaphorical, I know, but it is not a great choice of words, imho. Is there another way to put it? I can think of several. How about embrace and encourage...

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  2. How true! I changed it just for you Dick! :)

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  3. Barbie Mattingly (had to use my daughter's google acct):

    Here's my thoughts on the "transparency" blog. I understand and acknowledge that our children need to be creative thinkers. Absolutely. That being said, in order to thrive in the world, they need to know the basics. They need to be able to read, and they need to know math. When it comes to to those two things, there should be a set standard, across the board. For example, by the time a child completes the 4th grade, they should know their multiplication facts. They should be able to have neat penmenship and they should be able to spell. If they are struggling, they need extra help from teachers, or teachers aide's. Because every child learns differently, they need extra attention so that the teacher/aide can find a way that will click with that child. And by the end of the school year, every child in that classroom should be on the same page. If they are not, the school system is failing our children. There is room to teach our children creative thinking, and problem solving. But the basics must be met first. This work at your own pace is giving the children who struggle with something the option to back away from it. We don't want that. We want our children to learn it. My question is this: What if a child never meets the "teacher's standards"? What then? It seems that then they have to do summer school. Is that fair to our children? My daughter has had to stay after school for extra help in order to get a test done. Why? Why is she not able to be taught during class? She's already been threatened that if her grades don't come up in certain classes she won't be able to continue with sports. I don't think the teachers in the class have the time to teach at 20 different levels in one period. Come the end of the school year, I can almost guarantee that they will decide that my daughter needs summer school. I refuse. I will not allow it. The school will have had all school year to get her on the right page, and if she is not, then the school district has failed her. The school board, the principal, and the superintendent can sugar coat this proficiency program all they want. It's not working, and it will not work, and our children are the ones who are suffering for it.

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  4. This response is to Rhi's questions above. First, let me say that I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU EXPRESSING YOUR CONCERNS! It is great to be able to engage parents in meaningful conversations about their children's learning. I can see you care a great deal about your daughter and her success as an individual learner. Please know we share the same goal on that front - making sure your daughter is learning at her own "maximum" pace.

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  5. You had several questions within your comments and I'd like to make sure to explicitly answer these questions. The first question I saw was "What if a child never meets the "teacher's standards?" Great question! First some clarifying information. The standards that we are asking students to demonstrate proficiency in are not "teacher standards". They are standards outlined in Maine's Learning Results (including the Guiding Principles) and in the Common Core (in the areas of Reading and Math). These standards have been approved by our State legislature and laws have been passed that require public schools to "certify" that any student receiving a diploma has demonstrated having met these standards. This is not a local choice to do or not to do. Now, how we create a system that allows for this to take place IS a local choice, and our local school board has chosen to create a system that honors the fact that students learn at different rates and in different ways. Now, here's where I get to the specific answer to your question. .. what happens if students do not meet these standards. . . First, let me be clear - creating a system that honors the fact taht students learn at different rates DOES NOT mean that teachers will now just throw their hands up in the air and say: "learn whatever you'd like whenever you'd like!" NO WAY. Teachers are still teachers in this system and teachers still work with students to ensure that students are met where they need to be met in their learning levels and then moved along at their "maximum" learning pace. I keep putting "maximum" in quotes here because this comes directly from our mission/vision work. Teachers, students, parents, and community members alike were very concerned (and rightly so) at making sure that students who need a little "nudge" to move forward are allowed to be nudged. In our PBE system, students will not be left to their own devices to say they just don't want to learn today because they don't feel like it. That isn't allowed in our current system, and it won't be allowed in our PBE system. Structures will be put in place that ensure that every student is working at their MAXIMUM learning pace, whether that means they are "moved up" to work at higher levels, or that means they are given a period of intensive assistance is up to the teacher.

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  6. Overall, our PBE system will be much more rigorous than in the past traditional model. Remember, in the past traditional model students were allowed to fail entire chapter tests as long as they worked hard in their homework and other things to make up for that failure in their averages. Working hard is a good thing, don't get me wrong, but if a student fails a summative assessment on, let's say "Sentence structure" and then is never required to go back and learn the skills that they missed - how then can we ask that same student to later on write entire paragraphs? We can't, but our old system allowed this because it was time based, and not skills based. A PBE system is more rigorous because it says that every student needs to know these essential skills. They can work with teachers to determine how best to learn these skills, and how best to demonstrate their learning of these skills, but they must - at the end of the day - learn these skills. As a parent myself, it makes me feel good to know that my child, when moved on in their learning progression will do so because they are READY to move on not because the teacher decides the larger part of 30 students is ready while 10 students aren't and moves them on anyway.

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  7. By having a clear set of standards that are transparent and accessible to everyone - we are making sure that the "basics" are absolutely in place before we rush students along in their learning. A PBE system does not say that learning your multiplication tables is no longer important - its actually the opposite! A PBE system makes it clear that a Measurement Topic around "numbers and number sense" must be met and that students must DEMONSTRATE an understanding of the essential learning targets within that Measurement Topic before being moved on in their learning. If anything a PBE system is more rigorous and ensures that students actually understand key skills before being rushed forward to create increasingly larger gaps in their understandings.

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  8. The other questions you have listed, I would argue are good questions REGARDLESS of the system we are working within (Traditional model vs. PBE). A PBE system doesn't change the good teaching practices of teachers. A PBE system is intended to reduce barriers for students and teachers that often get in the way of doing what is right for students. I would argue that what we are currently doing now in our traditional grades-based system with Elementary classrooms at MVES that have 24 students in a classroom with skills ranging from non-readers to students who can read at Middle School levels is not realistic to meet the needs of your daughter as an individual learner either. A PBE system is built to honor the learning needs of each student and in doing so is a much more rigorous system that ensures all students that ultimately graduate from MVHS are prepared to be successful in their futures.

    Again, THANK YOU for expressing your concerns regarding your daughter's learning. Please know that we here in RSU 3, when thinking about the development and implementation plans for our PBE system share these same concerns and goals. We want EVERY CHILD that leaves our system to be prepared to be successful in whatever they choose to do in their futures.

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  9. The overall picture sounds great, however it is not consistent in every classroom. I'm only speaking from my children's experiences, not other children. Here is my concern: My youngest daughter is in 7th grade and my oldest in 8th. When it comes to English, reading, literature, writing; they get it. It has always come easy to them. Math, no. They have had to learn how to do the math in their own way in order for it to click. Up until this year, my youngest could not do her multiplication tables. It finally clicked for her this year. It should not have taken her 3 years and many nights of her crying, and me pulling me hair out and going to bed with a headache in order for her to get it. Not literally pulling my hair out of course :). However, because she was so far behind, she can't get to where she needs to be. It has followed her into her other courses, because for one, she doesn't have the confidence in herself to push herself. Now she seems to be doing okay in math, at least at the "pace" she is currently at, which is not where she needs to be standards-wise. Language arts, fine. But science and social studies, nope. Not even close. It's almost like she has fought so hard to get the math, that she doesn't seem to have it in her to fight any harder in the other subjects. Do you understand what I mean? She feels frustrated with her teacher because his idea of helping her is to make her stay after school. She does sports, and has been threatened she will not be able to play if she doesn't get her grades up, her tests done, so I see her fighting every step of the way to be able to continue her passion; sports. My older daughter feels as though she doesn't need to go to school, and continuous fights me on going, because certain teachers don't help her anyway. She has two that she adores, and they help her, but there are others who are stretched too thin to even begin to help her. She has taught herself stuff she wants to know. She told me today that she didn't know what a semi colon was used for and had to figure it out on her own. I know that is what you, as an educator, is trying to accomplish with this PBE system, but you have to also face the fact that our children are going into this new system way behind where they need to be. This could be great for the children who are starting kindergarten this year, but not so much for our middle schoolers, and definitely not for our high schoolers. I feel that my children need to be in classes with other children who are at their same level. They will not participate or ask questions because they don't want to feel "stupid". How is that helping them learn and put themselves out there and be creative thinkers? My oldest wants to be home schooled, but my youngest doesn't because her sports are important to her, as well as her friends, and honestly I don't think I have the ability to home school then. I don't have the patience, nor enough education to fulfill their needs in order to graduate. I feel like its a losing battle that parents won't win, and many children other than mine are going to suffer for it.

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  10. Rhi - first let me share that I absolutely love being able to talk with you and engage you in this conversation. .. I wish I could get more parents to have this conversation with me either via this medium or others of their choosing. It is so great to see parents that are so concerned with their children's education asking the right questions for the right reasons! THANK YOU!

    I wish I could type directly into your post so I don't lose my place and am sure to address your specific questions. I will try to do so here below, but before I do - please understand that the PBE system that we speak of is part of our FUTURE FOCUSED MISSION/VISION here in RSU 3. .. Although we have taken some steps to move forward in creating this system - we aren't "there" yet. So please understand that when I reply I am talking about what the system will look like, not what it looks like in its current transition state.

    Multiplication tables. Great piece to start with. Can I share with you that my own daughter never knew even the most basic of her multiplication tables until she was in HS. Even now, as a senior in HS she struggles with "mental math" because she often needs a calculator to help her with her basic facts. Luckily, in today's world her cell phone with a calculator or a basic calculator isn't too far from her grasp so she gets by. .. but please know I empathize greatly with your story about multiplication facts which is part of the reason why I am so passionate about a PBE system that attempts to ensure students are well grounded in these skills before pushing them ahead and allowing gaps to grow and grow. I remember those "hair pulling" sessions myself. I remember arguing with her, pleading with her to practice - but she just wouldn't do it. She didn't see the connections, she found it painful and so she just didn't do it, and her teachers let her get away with it. They didn't find a way to engage her in understanding WHY she needed to learn her multiplication tables, they didn't try to find out what would motivate her to do so - they just kept handing her her "mad minutes" every morning and every morning she's refuse to do them and not even staying in from recess could convince her to learn them!

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  11. I understand thoroughly what you mean regarding Science and Social studies as well. I understand everything you are sharing with me - and what I am saying is that I think PBE is the way to change how children experience their learning in public schools. You talk about passion, and your daughters being driven to learn what they wanted to. .. you talk about your daughters struggling and not having being able to get the teacher's attention long enough to help. These are the things that a PBE system can help to address. When you talk about your daughter being in a room with other students learning the same things - that's what PBE would allow. Our current system doesn't allow that. .. it allows the "illusion" of that. .. but it doesn't allow the reality. The reality of our traditional models are that a student in 8th grade science (for example) is in a classroom full of about 26 students, some of which enjoy science, and some of which don't. Some of the students in that classroom can only read at a 4th grade level while others are ready to do HS chemistry and there is just one teacher in that room trying to manage all of that variance. . .

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  12. In a PBE system (remember my future focused one) students are grouped according to where they are on their learning progressions. Now, we'll put intensive supports in place to make sure we don't have 16 year olds in 1st grade, and we'll make sure to put those same types of structures in place ot ensure we don't have 5 year olds in 8th grade. .. but for the most part students will be in front of that science teacher because of the learning progession they are working on and it will be at the same level of understanding that 3-4 or so other students are at, and structured in such a way as that a teacher with 20 students or so in their room may only have to be working with students across 2-3 learning levels vs. the way it is structured now (when it could be across 8 or more).

    By organizing students in this type of a manner, we ensure that students are not "stuck" in situations where they don't feel like they belong. We provide teachers an ability to be able to facilitate true learning and engage the passions of their students by creating individualized programs and allowing students to choose what they learn (within adult boundaries), how they learn (again with adult boundaries) and how they demonstrate their understandings of that learning with those same adult boundaries.

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  13. I realize that isn't what the current reality is. I realize we have a lot of work to do to get there. .. and I hope that you can continue to advocate for your daughter's learning needs so that our system makes sure to meet them. I agree, I think our public schools have not been meeting the needs of our children for years now. It is time to change. It is time to create a system that is built upon meeting EVERY student's needs. Will we get there overnight? No. .. there will be some struggles ahead. But I believe we can overcome those as long as we remain focused on meeting the needs of every learner. That is our goal. I would absolutely LOVE your continued help in getting there by your continued participation in these types of discussions! Again, THANK YOU! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

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  14. This is exactly what I was hoping to hear! When will these types of classrooms be available to our children? When I was in junior high/high school, that is how we were grouped. I was in a class with other kids in my same level of learning. When did this change?

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  15. Dear Superintendent Perry, I left RSU2 after a single year there in large part because of my dismay with the Educate suite of software and the decisions handed down by the "Cohort" regarding what and when I was to teach various parts of my subjects.

    Though I loathe the idea that I could undermine any of your students' professed successes, your enthusiasm for PBE and a software program developed by oil executives worries me. How carefully have you or your agents vetted this program and its salespeople?

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  16. Rhi . . . we are slowly beginning to create these types of classrooms now. At all Elementary Schools we are creating teacher "teams" that are working to group and regroup students across grade levels according to the learning topics and levels of learning students are on. At the Middle School we have what is called a "vertical team" and we are working to expand that for next year. High School gets a little harder, but we're working there too, first on common grading practices, and then on reporting practices. They are a little further behind, but they're working hard to "catch up" because state law is going to require students to graduate based on a PBE diploma by 2018 (this year's 8th graders). We're moving forward. .. stay tuned and please feel free to jump in and help with the conversations to guide this work any chance you get!

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  17. Leola, Please know we are aware with the issues that RSU 2 had with implementation of PBE, not only with grading practices and reporting, but also with EDUCATE and curriculum understandings. The good part about being about "two years behind" in the work is that we are able to learn from their mistakes. Please know we have paid very close attention to their work and are trying hard to learn lessons on how best to move forward here in RSU 3. That doesn't mean we won't make mistakes in moving forward. .. just hopefully not the same ones.

    In direct answer to your question regarding EDUCATE, not sure what you mean? The creator of EDUCATE is a person by the name of Scott Bacon. He is a programmer from Alaska. No oil connections that I am aware of???

    Staff here in RSU 3 have taken their time in utilizing EDUCATE. Right now, we are three years into our work, and this is just the FIRST YEAR our teachers in grades K-5 have used it, with the intent of our 6-8 moving to use it next year. Our high school isn't yet ready to use any reporting software just yet, other than Infinite Campus so they will take a little longer. We are doing our best to pace our changes so that we ensure we don't put the proverbial "cart" before the "horse". I hope that helps answer your questions! THANK YOU for engaging in the conversation!

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  18. As a longtime reporter, can tell you without a qualm that the creators of EDUCATE have histories far afield from education. If you do not know about the developers' connections to BP and their goals in writing this program, you do not know enough about them. Bacon is one of three founders, though he apparently is the only one left.

    My experience at RSU2 has convinced me that school administrators and teachers need far more help than they get in these making these major technological purchases that have unintended pedagogical consequences for students.

    You are smart to move slowly to implement this program and I predict, if you have enough help in your research, you may decide against using it at all.

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    1. edit: ...need far more help than they get in making these major technological purchases...

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  19. Thanks Leola. I will keep this in mind moving forward.

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    2. This is from Whitney Aitken who is having trouble posting here....

      "Ms. Perry, have you had the chance to read the Facebook page regarding PBE in RSU3? I as well as many other parents have tirelessly expressed concerns and questions regarding it and its implementation. As a parent of a junior in HS in the top of his class, I worry about how this will affect his transcripts for college admissions and GPA, which as we know, at least for now, colleges and universities still depend on. I am really having a hard time even understanding the grading system to be perfectly honest. He has consistently worked on level 4 work (?) which I understand to be more challenging than level 3, yet he recieves the same grade as his peers working on level 3. How is he to be recognized (for lack of a better word) as a high achieving student? Especially when it comes to the admissions process in college. It iS competitive and one major item they look at is grades at this point. Can you provide some insight into how the grading system works? Also, will there be concessions made to account for the lack of consistency between teachers and a general lack of understanding of HOW to grade during the implementation process? It seems to be a lot like a learning curve / experiment some what with our kids as the guinea pigs. Those in the final stages of HS do not have the time (or grades) to lose while kinks are worked out. Any insight would be much appreciated! Regards - Whitney Aitken"

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  20. Lisa, thank you for forwarding this question from Whitney on. .. Whitney. .. I am creating a new post entitled: "Grading Practices in a PBE System and RSU 3's Plans regarding Transition" . .. I am using your questions as the basis of this new post so I hope to answer all of them that way. Check it out and let me know if you have more questions! THANK YOU!

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