In the end, teaching is about learning. Unless there is evidence that teaching can enhance or advance learning, there is little reason for teaching to continue. An article praising Proficiency-based Teaching and Learning in the June 2011 issue of Today’s OEA (pp. 14-19) pays tribute to Oregon schools and districts that are modeling “proficiency-based” programs and it reminds us that the standards and essential skills movements of the late 80s and early 90s provided the groundwork for where we are today. Thousands of hours and dollars were spent writing the standards that spelled out what every student must know and be able to do, designing the rubrics of expectations, and providing exemplars of proficiency, but those efforts fell short of enforcing the expectations. We got (and bought) the concept, but the ways and means were still missing. Perhaps that’s how long it takes for progress to actually work. First comes the idea – and then comes the much longer process of figuring out how to turn good ideas into actual practice.
So the “new” (current?) emphasis is “proficiency-based” – not merely standards-based – where failure is not an option and students progress at their own pace. It involves facilitated, flexible, and formative assessments. Students become more engaged, teachers have more time for one-on-one support, and grades and test scores improve.
Rather than elevating this “movement” to a paradigm shift, let’s agree that in this profession, not unlike the medical profession, the paradigm is constantly shifting as we attempt to incorporate new technologies, build on what we just developed in the last phase, and continue to improve professional approaches to teaching that result in learning gains. Pioneers are as new as they are old. The strongest professionals are always open to changes that lead to improved results, not just easier or faster ways and means.
Quality Content Teaching without Quality Content Learning is neither noble nor courageous. And passing a test, by itself, does not prove authentic learning. Holding ourselves and our students to the challenge of learning what we do not yet know and doing what we have not yet mastered will forever be noble – and difficult.
To learn more, go to our DOCUMENT ARCHIVE page and read "Praise for Proficiency" from the June 2011 issue of Today's OEA.
-Marilyn R. Olson
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