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grade has been replaced by instantaneous gratification.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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