Meaningful Assessments for Kindergartners in a Standards-Based Model
My own memories of kindergarten primarily consist of playing with blocks, putting on costumes in the dramatic play area, being home in...
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Thoughts and updates from our staff and community.
Ali Cushing
- Jan 10, 2017
- 4 min
Standards-Based Grading: How One Physical Education Teacher Made the Transition
Prior to 2015, I had a very rough idea what standards-based grading was all about. My experiences were based solely on what I had heard...
Jana Diket
- Dec 9, 2016
- 4 min
Understanding the Standards
Why has the move to grade reporting using standards caused us so much anxiety? I mean, we all have standards when we are grading a...
Sarah Caban
- Nov 15, 2016
- 4 min
Calibration Through Collaboration
At the heart of effective standards based work is calibrating our understanding of what our students should know and be able to do. True...
Molly Brewer
- Oct 20, 2016
- 4 min
Changing My Thinking 101
In working in three schools across the six years I’ve been in education, one thing I have learned is that proficiency-based education...
Sara Needleman
- Sep 21, 2016
- 4 min
Standards, Not Standardization: Authentic Teaching and Proficiency-Based Diplomas
Diane Ravitch’s July New York Times essay, The Common Core Costs Billions and Hurts Students, lacks the nuance educators need to lead...
Sara Needleman
- Aug 9, 2016
- 3 min
Building a Better Standards Bank
Happy high summer everyone! This is the time of year when some of us take on projects we don’t have time to tackle during the busy school...
Sara Needleman
- Jun 23, 2016
- 3 min
College Admissions, Proficiency and JumpRope
As Maine moves closer to graduating students with proficiency-based diplomas, and as Vermont continues to be guided by the Flexible...
Sara Needleman
- May 31, 2016
- 2 min
One Maine School District’s Shift to Proficiency, Part Two
Earlier this month I wrote about the transition to proficiency for one of our Maine school districts, RSU 12. I closed that post with the...
Jesse Olsen
- May 26, 2016
- 1 min
Standards-based Calculation Methods
One of the trickiest aspects of mastery-based grading is the way that scores are calculated in the system. There are pros and cons to each a
Sara Needleman
- May 12, 2016
- 3 min
One Maine School District’s Shift to Proficiency, Part One
Schools and school districts find themselves on the path to proficiency-based education (PBE) for a range of reasons and once there, they...
Sara Needleman
- Apr 14, 2016
- 4 min
Beyond Outside the Box: A Different Look at Proficiency Based Diplomas
Teachers, schools and school districts approaching proficiency with profound dedication are forced to examine a range of questions the...
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