In the most recent passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed as the Every Student Succeeds Act, provisions are included to support strategies such as proficiency-based learning and personalized learning. More than 30 states have implemented some sort of state-level policy around proficiency-based learning, with more coming on board each year. Plenty of literature is available on the success of countless schools and districts across the United States, representing everything from rural schools to large urban districts. Chugach School District in Anchorage, Alaska, has been successfully implementing proficiency-based learning since 1994. The track record for proficiency-based learning is decades long. Proficiency-based learning, also sometimes referred to as standards-based learning, competency-based education and mastery learning, is not entirely new. The reality is that proficiency-based learning is changing the educational landscape for the better, despite what some folks might tell you. Most of the persistent myths surrounding the topic of proficiency-based learning are not grounded in any sort of empirical research, but are really more associated with emotion. This has led to a wide variety of myths, misconceptions and falsehoods being spread throughout communities in Vermont.

There exists a bit of confusion regarding the intricacies of proficiency-based learning and the classroom implications of the shift. Proficiency-based learning is not a fad, nor is it some wild experiment that only Vermont schools are attempting to implement.

Rutland herald