Now that the staff has had a year to work with PBL are there plans to support better self-paced learning so that students can move at an appropriately challenging pace?

This is a great question and it relates to one of our overarching goals for school improvement - differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all our students.  It is important to note that our transition to "PBL" did not somehow make it more difficult to differentiate.  In fact, the transition work will actually help to facilitate differentiation because we will have a much better sense of where students are in their learning and what they need to continue to grow.

One fundamental shift that teachers must make to challenge students at an appropriate level is to use assessments differently than they had in the past.  A good assessment should provide the teacher and the student with important data about where the student is in relation to a learning target or standard.  The teacher must then provide the student with actionable feedback that the student can use to continue to grow.

The work teachers assign should be challenging enough so that students struggle, receive descriptive feedback, and then revise and improve their work.  When we have evidence (gathered through assessments that may come before or during an instructional unit) that a student has met a learning target or mastered a concept, we must help students to exceed those learning targets (when appropriate) and/or introduce additional learning targets so that students continue to be challenged and progress in their learning.

Although I appreciate the philosophy behind PBL, I am concerned that my son will not be motivated to meet or exceed standards the first time because he knows that he will have the opportunity to redo assignments.

This is a great question and a very common one.  The concern is that if students are allowed to redo assignments they will simply "blow off" the work because they know they can "just" take the test again.  This is a concern that is also common with teachers who are beginning to make this change in their practice.

One of the major shifts in mindset that needs to happen in order to really understand the value of retakes is to be clear about the purpose of the assessment itself.  Teachers give assessments in order to gather evidence of student learning.  In order for an assessment (worksheet, quiz, project, test) to be viable it must provide the teacher and the student with useful information about what the student has learned and where he or she may have fallen short.  THIS INFORMATION MUST BE ACTIONABLE.  This is in contrast to a traditional system in which a teacher may give an assessment  after two weeks of instruction, assign a grade, and then move on to another topic.

Rather than thinking about assessments as marking the end of a block of learning, they should be viewed as an integral component of the learning process itself.  Students should have the opportunity to reflect on their performance while receiving quality descriptive feedback from the teacher.  At that point, students should be required to re-attempt the assignment (or a small portion of it) in order to demonstrate mastery of the material.  This cycle of struggle, reflection, and perseverance is really where the meaningful learning will take place.

In addition, students quickly learn that they will not be "off the hook" if they don't turn something in or if they do not put forth their best effort.  We expect that our students will turn in quality work and perform at high levels - even if it takes multiple attempts.  Not only does this foster a strong work ethic, it also helps to ensure a deeper level of understanding and promotes long term retention.

Another key component is having sound Redo and Retake policies.  I have included a blog post that I wrote on the topic back in September.  Anyone interested in the concept of redos and retakes should find it extremely helpful.

Redos and Retakes at YMS

At York Middle School, we believe it's important for students to make mistakes, to reflect on their failures, and to persevere to meet their goals (learning targets!).  Perseverance, in fact, is one of our school's core values.  We are striving to create a student culture that values hard-work and recognizes when students learn the most: When they make mistakes and when they persevere to do better.
Teachers have historically placed a high value on work-ethic and with good reason.  Intuitively, we have always known that learning improves when students persevere when faced with a challenge.

Now, we actually have the science to back up our intuitions.  The neuroscience that supports the research is fascinating.  We now know, irrefutably, that students actually get "smarter" by being allowed to fail and having the opportunity to make corrections.  The research couldn't be any more powerful.  Here is what we know to be true:

When students are given descriptive feedback on their failures, time to reflect in meaningful ways, and the opportunity to make corrections, learning WILL improve.  Period.  Having kids formally reflect on their academic setbacks is the single most powerful thing teachers can do to improve learning in their classrooms.

In order to encourage this new mindset, teachers have been working to create redo/retake policies within their teaching teams and classrooms.  Creating a formalized redo/retake policy is something new for most teachers.   A formalized policy helps students to prepare a plan of action if they do poorly on an assessment.  A good policy also helps teachers manage time and the workload that comes along with new and improved classroom practices.

Please follow the link below to read an outstanding article by Rick Wormeli called Redos and Retakes Done Right.  In this Educational Leadership article, Wormeli provides the philosophical argument for allowing redos in schools then goes on to offer practical strategies for implementation.  I'm proud to report that many of the practices he describes are now becoming increasingly common at YMS!

Redos and Retakes Done Right

Is it possible to consider using traditional grading with PBL? I believe it's important to keep traditional grading and A-F seems to work in other districts.

We are currently working very hard to improve our reporting tool so that it is more user-friendly and easy for parents to understand.  Our top priority for improving what we do will be the grade reporting system.  We recognize that our current system can be confusing and difficult to understand.

At this time we have no plans to revert back to a traditional grading system (assuming averaging on the 100-point scale).  This type of system is not compatible with a proficiency-based instructional model and would not be consistent with what we know to be sound grading and assessment practice.

I've included an article by Ken O'Connor and Rick Wormeli that provides some of the rationale for our approach to grading and assessment.  I hope you find it helpful.

Reporting Student Learning

The teachers and kids seem happy with what has worked at YMS this year surrounding PBL and Mastery Connect. With any new program there are bound to be areas that take a bit longer/more work to accomplish. What are 3 areas that are problematic and still being worked on to "meet the standard"? Thank you.

This is a great question. Thanks for asking it. We will continue to work to improve what we do.

Here some of our top priorities for improvement as we move forward.


1. The reporting tool and the report card. Top priority! MasteryConnect has not been able to meet our expectations so far. We have experienced too many technical glitches. They system is also difficult to understand and has proven confusing to parents. It's almost too much information. MasteryConnect does have some real strengths for internal use however (collaboration, teacher accountability, data tracking). We are working with the company to modify and streamline the portal so that it is more user friendly. We are also working on a more simple report card that is uncomplicated and easy to understand.

2. In terms of teaching and learning, our top priority is to improve the way in which we differentiate instruction and assessments to meet the needs of all of our students. Teachers will be working to develop more in-depth and consistent options for exceeding standards. We want to make sure that our high achieving students are challenged and pushed to excel when they demonstrate mastery of standards. For students who struggle, we will continue to improve interventions and protocols that are effective in helping them to progress in their learning. It's important to note, that this goal has absolutely nothing to do with PBL or our standards-based instructional model. In fact, the work we have done in recent years is already improving our ability to meet the needs at both ends of the spectrum. This will continue to be an important goal for school improvement and we are thrilled that this in an area in which we are already making great strides.

3. The third general area that we will be working to improve is the continued refinement of our practices and across-the-board consistency. We will be focusing on the areas of communication, the use of our scoring guides, the way we assess and provide feedback for HOWLs, and way in which we use our targeted learning time.

We greatly appreciate the thoughtful feedback and input we receive from parents. It really does help us to improve what we do everyday.

As a parent, I want PBL at YMS to be the best it can be. Are there any kinds of input from parents that might be of value to the teaching staff as they evaluate how to improve upon the pilot program?

This is a wonderful question.  It's great to hear that so many parents support our school.  Parent support and involvement is critical to a student's individual success as well as the success of any school.  Any feedback parents can provide to teachers is extremely helpful and very much appreciated.  

The more you talk with your children at home about what they are learning in school the more connected you will be as well.  Remember, try to shift the conversation from "getting work done" to what kids are learning.  That is a key shift in mindset that is critical in developing a deeper understanding of our instructional model. The key questions to ask as parents are, "what is my child expected to know and be able to do" and "what is the evidence demonstrating that they have accomplished that goal (or have not).  Teachers and students should be able to answer these questions with confidence.  

It's important to note that the only piece of what we are doing that is a "pilot" is our reporting tool, Masteryconnect. Our instructional model is based on current literature and a wide body of research in best practice.  

If students have the opportunity to keep trying until they meet a standard how can we differentiate between the ones who meet the standard right away and the ones who take multiple attempts?

Answer:

We do not, nor have we ever differentiated between students who meet standards quickly and ones who take more time.  Young adolescents simply do not develop at the same rate.  Nowhere in the K-12 landscape do we work with students with such wide ranges of development in all domains: cognitive, social, emotional, physical, the ability to think abstractly, etc... Adolescents simply do not develop at the same rate and they certainly do not learn at the same rate or in the same way.  When students have demonstrated they have met a standard or learning target, we report that they have done so based on the evidence (work samples) teachers have collected.  The criteria for meeting a standard remains the same regardless of how a student gets there or how long it takes them.  The following quote from Thomas Guskey helps to illustrate the concept:

“Is my purpose to select talent or develop it?…If your purpose as an educator is to select talent, then you must work to maximize the differences among students. In other words, on any measure of learning, you must try to achieve the greatest possible variation in students' scores …Unfortunately for students, the best means of maximizing differences in learning is poor teaching. Nothing does it better.  

If, on the other hand, your purpose as an educator is to develop talent, then you…clarify what you want students to learn and be able to do. Then you do everything possible to ensure that all students learn those things well. If you succeed, there should be little or no variation in measures of student learning. All students are likely to attain high scores on measures of achievement, and all might receive high grades".

-- Thomas R. Guskey, Education Leadership,
    ASCD, November 2011, Pages 16-21


When you look at the research on predictors of success we, find that perseverance, sometimes referred to as "grit" is a far better predictor of success than innate ability or even academic success.  It's growth mindset, tenacity and perseverance that have been shown to be the best predictors of success regardless of the field.  It is true in academia, the corporate world, sports, the military and so on.

This idea is further illustrated in this TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckwork:

The Key to Success? Grit.

With a proficiency-based diploma how will colleges be able to evaluate a student's grades?

Answer:

This is a common question and an appropriate concern for parents to have.  There is a misconception out there that colleges and universities will not know how to interpret a proficiency-based transcript.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  

We have spent a considerable amount of time consulting with admission officers at top tier schools around New England and they have been consistent in their responses to us.  Colleges and universities accept students from all over the world.  Students from public schools, private schools,  charter schools, home schoolers, international students, etc...  Admissions officers see a wide variety of transcript formats.  They see transcripts with and without class rank, GPA (weighted or unweighted), traditional letter grades and a variety of standards-based formats.  They consistently report that the transcript format is a non-issue.  The important piece is the school profile.  A well written school profile describes how admissions officers will interpret the wide variety of transcripts they review.  The following is an excerpt from an email sent to Dr. Dunn from Caroline Weaver, Admissions Officer at Harvard:

"In a nutshell, we have no preference in how schools choose to evaluate their students.  We have every single variety of evaluation possible represented in our applicant pool.  As long as your school profile is comprehensive and explains how students are evaluated, which classes they are eligible to take in what years etc... we have all the information we need.  We are far less concerned with GPA and rank than we are with rigor of the curriculum.  We simply want to see students challenging themselves and doing well in those challenging classes.  Nearly half the schools represented in our applicant pool have done away with class rank.  And with today's crazy weighting systems GPAs mean very little if we don't have the "key" (school profile).  

The bottom line is, we have 36,000+ applicants - 70-80% of whom are academically qualified to do the work at Harvard.  When we look at academics we are simply trying to decide whether or not a student will survive academically on our campus.  For the majority of students, the answers is "yes" and we move on from academic credentials very quickly.  I think you will find this sentiment repeated by many of our peer institutions." 

This is consistent with the feedback that we receive from the public and private colleges and universities that have connected with.  Although affirmations like this from top tier schools are reassuring, it's important to note that there have been no decisions made about what the transcript or diploma will look like at York High School.  This transition has far more to do with teaching and learning than it does with how we report.  There is much work to be done in regards to the instructional model before final decisions can be made about a transcript.  The school district will never adopt a transcript that puts our students at any disadvantage when applying to colleges.

Lately, my son has been coming home with a list of "goals" that he needs to work on. I like that he's bringing home more work to improve on. Is this teacher assigned homework or part of PBL?

Answer:
This is a great question.  We continue to see students more "in tune" to what they have accomplished and what they still need to work on.

The student goals are a result of the practice of "academic goal setting" that we began this year.  Every Monday, while referencing MasteryConnect, students set weekly goals based on standards or learning targets that they need to work on.  Some teams call this time "Mastery Monday".  The format varies from team to team but for the most part, students work with their advisor to set short term academic goals.  When students have a clear picture of what they need to accomplish, they reach their goals with much greater frequency and success.  Often, students plan for what they need to work on during TLT, after school, and at home.

In most cases, this is not a reflection of a teacher assigning more homework.  Rather, it's the student working together with an adult to identify what needs to be accomplished and creating a plan to get there.

 The practice of setting short-term attainable goals is something that we are working hard to instill in our students.   As students meet their goals they begin to see the value of goal setting and it turns out to be an extremely effective motivator.  Through incremental success, students begin to believe that goal setting has value and they begin to believe all their goals are achievable.  This is something that they will be able to carry with them in all areas of their lives.

Like most of what we are doing at York Middle School, our approach to academic goal setting is about doing what we know is good practice.  It really has nothing to do with any particular model of "PBL".   The practice originated in our school with a few teachers who felt that it would benefit students.  We recognized that it's an excellent practice and we've encouraged it school wide.

Why were eighth graders included in this year's PBL transition if they will go back to traditional grades at the high school?

Answer:
Our goal is to provide our students with the best educational experience possible.  The model we have adopted represents what is widely recognized as best practice in the field of education.  Our current system gives us far more accurate information about what our students have and have not learned.  This information helps us to plan for intervention or enrichment in ways that were impossible in the traditional system.  This will allow us to provide the high school with far more detailed and accurate information about what our eighth graders know and are able to do as they make the transition.

The traditional system that we had been using lacked integrity and was largely inaccurate.  Course grades were often found to be incongruous with performance on standardized tests and local placement exams.  It would have been a great disservice to our eighth graders to keep them in a system that was so inaccurate.

Regardless of the grading scales used at the high school level (in York or anywhere else), our eighth graders will be far better off having gone through YMS with this system.  Our students now have a much better sense of who they are as learners, what their individual strengths are, and areas that need improvement.  They are also building a sense of perseverance, determination, and work ethic.  These traits will only help them to be successful as they transition to high school.  

Which standards are viewable in MasteryConnect? Early in the year there were many standards and now there only appears to be a few.

Answer:

In most cases, the standards that appear in MasteryConnect represent the standards that teacher have taught and assessed.  Standards that have not been assessed do not appear.  Teachers have identified power standards for each course and it is the power standards that are reported out on in MasteryConnect.  For further explanation, please make sure you read the proficiency-based learning guide.  Class or teacher specific questions can always be addressed to the teachers directly.

What is the criteria for "meeting" a standard? Is it the same for all standards?

This is a question that has been answered in our Proficiency-Based Learning Guide for Parents.  An excerpt from that guide has been copied below:

What does it mean to “meet” a standard?
In order to meet a standard, a student must be able to demonstrate that she or he can consistently meet the criteria whenever it is assessed. Meeting a standard consistently does not mean meeting it perfectly. Some standards address skills and knowledge which may only have to be demonstrated once during a unit. Other standards may be recursive and address skills which must be assessed multiple times throughout a unit or grading period.

Standards are typically broken down into a progression of learning targets. Learning targets may gradually build on one another allowing students to demonstrate growth throughout a unit of study. In order to meet a standard, each supporting learning target should be met at some point. This may happen with a single assessment, or more commonly, with multiple smaller assessments over time.

Teachers work from detailed scoring guides that clearly define the criteria for meeting all standards.  this ensures consistency within academic disciplines and across grade levels.  We have never been more consistent with what we expect our students to learn and how we measure that learning.  

The criteria for meeting the requirements of individual assignments and/or learning targets is set by the teacher and commonly shared with students in the form of a rubric or other scoring guide. The criteria will vary from assessment to assessment.  For example, a project-based rubric will look different from the criteria set for a traditional test.  

Sharing the learning targets along with the criteria for success is central to our instructional approach. Students should always know what it means to meet a standard or to meet the learning targets on any given assignments.  Parents who have specific questions about assignments are encouraged to speak with teachers directly.  They will be more than happy to clarify.
 

I would like to know if there is an Exceed option in place for each standard?

Answer:
This is a great question and it gets to the issue of challenging all students to excel.  It's a question that has been answered in the Frequently Asked Questions section of our Proficiency-Based Learning Guide for Parents.  An excerpt from that guide is included at the end of this response.  

Several parents have expressed concern that our new system will somehow lower expectations and that the level of academic rigor will decrease.  This notion can be reinforced when students receive assignments that do not include an exceeds option.  

Teachers will continue to create rigorous and challenging assignments at both the meets and exceeds levels.  Student have the opportunity to exceed virtually all standards.  Some individual assessments however, particularly those which require recall of factual knowledge, will only be scored at the meets level.  It would be disingenuous to offer exceeds options on assessments that require simple recall of facts.  Ideally, these types of assessments, typically formative in nature, provide feedback to students that helps to prepare them for deeper learning and more complex assessments that do have options for students to exceed.   

One of the more challenging issues in this transition is that we often want to equate the exceeds option with a traditional "A".  It's somewhat instinctual and it does take time and patience to change that mindset.  

There is really no accurate or meaningful way to convert what we are doing now with the A-F grade scale. In a nutshell, teachers are clearly identifying what they want students to know and be able to do (at a high level) and they are reporting out on whether or not students can do it. Often, students are able to exceed standards, particularly with concepts that can be applied at a higher level or used in a new or novel way.

Academic rigor will always be at the forefront of what we do. We will always challenge our students at high levels regardless of our grading practices. Quite honestly, whether or not students are challenged by assignments is completely dependent on how teachers plan and deliver instruction. It has nothing to do with the grading scale.



Excerpts from the Proficiency-Based Learning Guide:

How can students “Exceed” standards?
All students should have the opportunity to excel. Providing opportunities to exceed standards is another important way to differentiate and ensure all students are challenged and continue to progress in their learning. In order to exceed a standard, students must fulfill all of the criteria at the “meets” level. Completing work at the exceeds level does not mean simply completing additional work - although it may involve more work. The nature and quality of the work must be distinct and will often be more complex. Opportunities to exceed may be embedded in an assignment or may be a separate task that is related but more challenging and/or sophisticated than what is required of all students.


Will students be given the opportunity to “exceed” on every assignment?
On some assignments, particularly on assessments of factual knowledge, students will only be able to meet the established criteria. In these cases, the nature of the standard or learning target does not allow for the exceed option. On more complex assignments a score of “exceeds” will be possible. Indicators within assignment rubrics should define the criteria students must meet to “exceed” a standard.

Can you please explain why if a student has a certain number of red or yellow grades the teachers do not contact parents? Does student centered learning mean that the parents are not included?

Answer:
The first part of this question implies that because of the new grading system, teachers have stopped contacting parents when students are struggling.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  As they have in the past, teachers regularly contact parents of students who are struggling.  Teachers, parents, and students work together to create a plan for improvement. Parents have never had more accurate or up-to-date information about student performance than they do right now.  Parents and students have real time access to the masteryconnect portal which clearly shows any standards and assignments that have "red" or "yellows".

Students also check the portal on a regular basis and do academic goal setting each week with their advisor.  They use masteryconnect to identify any standards they have not met, and they set weekly goals for what they need to accomplish.  Students who are meeting standards set goals related to standards they can exceed.  Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about their work and share in the goal setting process.

Student-Centered Learning
Student-centered learning is a broad term that is used in a variety of contexts in the world of education.  Generally, it refers to a shift in focus from the teacher to the student.  A student-centered approach is one of the central pillars of the middle school model and is widely recognized as best practice at all levels.

At YMS, student-centered learning means that students are actively engaged in their learning.  It's about instilling a sense of responsibility, work-ethic, and perseverance in our students.  It means that students are given opportunities to collaborate in meaningful ways to solve challenging problems.  It means they are often given voice and choice in how they demonstrate their learning.  In a student-centered classroom, the students are the ones who are doing most of the "heavy-lifting".  They are working through complex tasks, grappling with difficult concepts, and constructing meaning through dialog and carefully designed lessons.  Student-centered learning also means that teachers differentiate their approach to meet the needs of a wide range of learning styles and abilities.

As a school, our student-centered philosophy means that the unique needs of the early adolescent are the foundation upon which all of our decisions are made. This is in contrast to what we might consider an adult-centered school, in which the needs of adults drive the decision making.  In adult-centered classrooms, teachers often stand in front of the class and do most of the talking while students sit passively and listen.  In adult-centered classrooms, teachers often deliver lessons in ways that are easy, familiar, or personally preferred rather than working to incorporate instructional techniques known to be most effective for improving learning.

At YMS we pride ourselves on our student-centered philosophy and we will continue to base our decision making and instructional approach on what we know to be in the best interest of our students.

I understand and appreciate the fact that PBL provides opportunities for students to make up and learn material that they have not mastered yet. Are students required to go to extra sessions for this make up work or does it occur during class time?

Answer:

Ideally, students should have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery during class time. Teachers should be incorporating regular formative assessments on an ongoing basis as part of the instructional approach.  These assessments do not occur after an instructional unit. Rather, they occur within the unit as an integral piece of instruction.  These assessments provide the teacher and the student with feedback about where the student is in relation to the desired learning.  We want students to grapple with difficult concepts, receive descriptive feedback from teachers, practice, re-attempt work, and re-assess.  

An exception would be when a teacher gives a "summative assessment" at the end of a unit of study. This would be something like a traditional text or exam.  The reality is that deadlines still exist for both students and teachers, and once a teacher closes a unit of study it is up to the student to find time to re-assess for any standards they have not met.  

Often, students access teachers during targeted learning time and after-school help sessions to work on standards they have not yet met or work on exceeding standards.  Although these opportunities are embedded in class time, the reality is that students do not all learn at the same rate and some study outside of class time is necessary.  

All teams have written redo/retake policies.  It's always important to check with individual teachers about questions specific to your child.  To read more about redos and retakes at YMS please reference the post published on September 29th:  Redos and Retakes at YMS