Saturday, March 3, 2012

Preparing for a Lifetime of Underachievement

My Deep Concerns about Hillsboro’s Implementation of the Proficiency-Based Teaching & Learning Model

By Tami Miller, High School French Teacher, Hillsboro Education Association
Published in Today’s OEA Magazine, Feb. 2012, Vol. 86, Number 3

The implementation of the Proficiency-Based Teaching and Learning (PBTL) model, which eliminates behaviors and focuses solely on the demonstration of proficiency, is the current trend among school districts and state education departments. The model is intended to “close the achievement gap” and reduce the number of high school dropouts, based on the assumption that students are capable of achieving proficiency in the absence of consequences.

What child would automatically produce these behaviors in the absence of direct consequences?  Would yours?  Would you?

The education system is a microcosm of society in that it reflects the values of its people. It grooms our children to become citizens who disseminate these values. There was a time when the American dream embodied the quintessential hard-working individual who never quit, who continued to work against all odds. The sense of accomplishment was all the greater for the level of work that was required to attain it. We bragged about the difficulty, and the volume of work required to surpass the target. Doing more than what was believed to be necessary was a habit, and produced greater than imagined outcomes.

As a result of proficiency-based teaching and learning, students in the Hillsboro school district will be robbed of this part of the American dream. Even if they assiduously apply themselves, yet miss the mark, they will receive no compensation (i.e. grade) for their work. It’s presumptuous to assume that a child will automatically produce a Herculean or even consistent effort in the absence of any immediate and measurable reward. The Olympic spirit of great effort, dedicated to perfecting a skill over an extended period of time, to be tested in a singular moment with no opportunity for retakes has no place in the Proficiency model.

In contrast, proficiency reflects the values of the generation raised on American Idol and the lottery. The idea of earning one’s grade has been replaced by instantaneous gratification.  Proficiency grading and the No Zero Policy for assignments never attempted, fit nicely with the value of “something for nothing.” Why earn it, when it can be given, free of work, responsibility, and the effort that reflects learning? Proficiency fits nicely with the belief that the easiest path composed of the least effort is the one of choice.

What value have we conveyed to our children by telling them that their only task throughout the course of their formal education is to “meet the standard?” 

The Oregon Governor’s 40-40-20 plan reflects the ongoing concern of eliminating the dropout rate and guaranteeing a diploma of some kind to all Oregonians because of its association with economic success and employment. The Proficiency model adopted by our district panders to this proposal by bestowing more diplomas through the elimination of the kinds of dropouts derived from daily accountability. 

Those who believe in the efficacy of this model forget that those who drop out, do so for the same reasons that will make it difficult to remain employed. We have only exacerbated their potential for post-high school failure by giving up on the hope that we can instill the behaviors that make for a good employee in their K-12 education.

Proficiency as a single element in the learning process is useful, but should not be the scaffolding from which all else is derived. The scaffolding should be built on the values that form the whole child, and that produce the strategies used to accomplish a task or to learn a skill.  If we reward these behaviors, they will be reproduced until they’ve become habits.  Once inculcated, these behaviors and habits will produce outcomes that are not limited by a standard, but will surpass it, given the growth orientation that is being instilled. 

We have an opportunity to question the efficacy of this model in light of what we believe a school district’s responsibility is to the children and families who reside therein.  We have an opportunity to be integral in creating the kind of citizen that will one day run this country.  Meeting the prevailing standard is not worth the cost of instilling the values required by every university and employer, and on which this nation was built.  Where we stand in this process will impact the future of our students.




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