Fresno Unified
School District
Why Proficiency-based
Teaching & Learning?
Tamra Busch-Johnsen
Executive Director, BEC
Rebecca Steinke
Teacher & BEC Proficiency Coach
June 5, 2015
Today’s learning targets
1. About the BEC
2. Why a shared vision is necessary for success
3. Leadership—fostering and strengthening all
stakeholder talent
4. Implementing a standards-based design system
5. Establishing practices of continuous improvement
About the BEC
A 31-year old Oregon-based non-profit dedicated to:
Transforming K-12 education to ensure that EVERY student
achieves academic success
Forging education-business partnerships and creating a strong
culture of continuous, student-centered learning
Providing impactful experiences inside and outside the
classroom to help students discover and pursue their career
dreams and interests
Making Learning Real!
About the BEC
We believe in the capacity of each student to learn, to achieve
and to succeed
We believe that students who reflect the greatest need are
our Call to Action
We believe in the power of enduring community partnerships
to break barriers and release the full potential of the future
workforce
We believe that our passion to prepare students for a vital,
fulfilling future is contagious—that our voice and leadership
can change minds and systems
About the BEC
We prepare students for their future by connecting K-12 classroom
learning to post-secondary success.
Requires strong academics AND experiential learning
ACADEMICS
Transforming the K-12 system through Proficiency-based Teaching
and Learning
Goal—EVERY student earns a diploma that is a reliable predictor of
post-secondary success
Students progress at their own pace through individualized learning
Failure is NOT an option
About the BEC
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
BEC STEM Connect ™ Initiative
Increase positive attitudes toward science & math—and interest in
pursuing STEM careers
Enduring business-neighborhood underserved school partnerships
Focus on 4th and 5th grade students where interest in science & math
begins to fall off
Paid High School and College Internships
In-depth summer and year-round opportunities
Host-site mentoring supports student learning objectives
Pilot for homeless, unaccompanied high school minors
About the BEC
Teaching & Learning Initiative
Providing quality professional development that improves teaching and
learning
Consulting, training, coaching, auditing in research-based, best teaching
practices
Recognized experts in proficiency-based teaching and learning
Wrote and published a one-of-a-kind proficiency workbook:
BEC Proficiency Education Across Oregon
Number of Districts by County
2. Why a shared vision is necessary for success
Education’s leaky pipeline
Too few students
make it all the
way through the
education pipeline
Understanding the problem
Schools are time-based (teacher- and systemfocused)
Schools are credit-driven (system focused)
Schools are industrial-age organizations
existing in an Information Age
No longer does grading on the curve, failing
students and accepting dropouts make sense
Knowledge is not
sufficient; it is
what students
can do with their
knowledge
Common beliefs
Proficiency-based schools commonly believe:
ALL students can learn
Students learn in different ways and different timeframes
Successful learning promotes continued success which
influences esteem, attitude and motivation
Learning requires meaningful, real-life experiences
requiring complex thinking
Teachers are the single most important factor in student
learning
Fresno USD’s Core Beliefs
Student Learning
Every student can and must learn at grade level and beyond
High Quality Instruction
Teachers must demonstrate the ability and desire to educate each child at
a high level
Leadership
Leaders must perform courageously and ethically to accomplish stated goals
Safety
A safe learning and working environment is crucial to student learning
Culture—Fresno USD is a place where:




Diversity is valued  Educational excellence and equity are expected
Individual responsibility and participation by all is required
Collaborative adult relationships are essential
Parents, students and the community as a whole are vital partners
Proficiency defined
It is not a program
It is a combination of research-based best practices in instruction
and assessment
 Clearly defined learning targets (in standards)
 Specified levels of achievement that are measureable and
contain higher order thinking skills
 Assessments are meaningful, positive and measure what was
taught
 Students receive rapid interventions that support their unique
learning needs
 Grades/ reports reflect what the student knows and can do in
the standards
Definition
Sufficient evidence of student demonstrated
knowledge and skills that meet or exceed defined
levels of performance
It’s about the learning not the teaching
No “fluff” in evaluating student knowledge and skill
Identified interventions to help each student succeed
Clear expectations for “success”
Better communication with students and parents
Traditional classroom
It’s about EQUALITY
All students advance based upon time in a seat
Covers a wide array of skills and topics
Lessons are determined by teacher judgment
Homework, class participation and behavior count heavily
toward a grade
High scores offset weak scores; extra credit can boost a low
grade
No re-learning if you fail a test
Proficiency classroom
It’s about EQUITY
Covers select skills and content based on state, national and/or
industry standards
Students have as much time needed to learn the standards
Students who reach mastery are challenged to extend their learning
Each lesson is tied to a core skill; teacher stays on each standard
until most students demonstrate proficiency
Grade is based almost entirely on assessments and assignments that
measure understanding of skills
Students can relearn and retake assessments until each standard is
met
What’s the difference?
Johnny’s story
Group exercise
3. Leadership—fostering and strengthening
all stakeholder talent
Who are the stakeholders?
•
•
•
•
Students
Teachers
Parents
School
administrators
• District
administrators
•
•
•
•
District School Board
Classified staff
Businesses
Community
organizations
• Who else?
Teachers as stakeholders
Key participation from leader groups
Teacher union, department chairs, teacher leaders, instructional
specialist, PLUS teachers, IPD coordinators, etc.
Regular job-embedded professional development and support
Celebrate student success
Strategic leadership
Beliefs are not enough—actions are essential
Core vision + intentional decisions create a learner-centered
culture
Administrators—stay strong and back your teachers when the
going gets tough
Teachers—trust your students
Give up your spot at the front of the class
Personalize the learning for each student
All—growth mindset
Intelligence and interest are malleable
Culture of positivity, inclusion and risk-taking
Change
Definition—the process of letting go of something and moving
toward something else
Make data-driven decisions that put student needs first
Operate from strong belief statements
Know that this is an important journey—not a sprint to the
finish and then you’re done
Tolerate ambiguity and dissent
Create small steps
Celebrate successes
Students as stakeholders
Students are placed in developmentally appropriate contentarea levels
Students receive instruction along a continuum of experience
Direct skills-based instruction
Real-life application of skills and knowledge
Progress is based on demonstration of mastery on internal
assessments—not on time or age
Evaluation and reporting of student achievement reflects
progress towards proficiency and/or mastery of individual
standards and content-area levels
4. Implementing a standards-based design system
Basic elements of proficiency
5. Establishing practices of
continuous improvement
Proficiency—the Fresno fit
Create processes to appraise current practice and results
that reveal improvements in data, attitude and efficacy
Continue Fresno’s great work with collaboration and
common professional readings
Align proficiency work with high school redesign work
Move with intention to a K-12 model
Design for what you think is the “impossible,” and work to
deliver it to your students—they deserve it
Proficiency—it works
Bethel School District
Proficiency—it works
Bethel School District
Proficiency—it works
Scappoose High School
Oregon State Testing
10th/11th graders who meet or exceed
Math
Science
Reading & Lit
Proficiency resources
Proficiency resources
BEC Proficiency Resources webpage
http://becpdx.org/proficiency/default.aspx
BEC Proficiency Portal
http://becpdx.org/proficiency/portal.aspx
Experts
Chappuis, S., Chappuis, J., & Stiggins, R. The Quest for Quality. Multiple Measures.
(November 2009). 14-19.
Guskey, T.R. (2007). Closing achievement gaps: Revisiting Benjamin S. Bloom’s “Learning for
Mastery.” Journal of Advanced Academics, 10(1), 8-31.
Guskey, T.R. (2004)). Implementing Mastery Learning. Cengage Learning: Independence, KY.
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based
strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development
Stiggins, R., Arter, J., Chappuis, J. & Chappuis, S. (2006). Classroom assessment for student learning:
Doing it right—using it well. Educational Testing Service.
Today’s learning targets
1. About the BEC
2. Why a shared vision is necessary for success
3. Leadership—support of stakeholders
4. Implementing a standards-based design system
5. Establishing practices of continuous improvement
Contact Information
Tamra Busch-Johnsen
Diane Smith
Executive Director
Director Teaching & Learning
503-646-0242 ext. 24
tbuschjo@becpdx.org
503-646-0242 ext. 28
dsmith@becpdx.org
Business Education Compact
12655 SW Center St. Suite 430
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
www.becpdx.org