1. Making the Move to Mastery
Lessons Learned at Windsor Locks Middle School
Windsor Locks Middle School Windsor Locks, CT

2. Who we are Erick Knickerbocker 6th Grade Social Studies
Doug Knowe th Grade ELA
David Prinstein Principal
Names, roles, and brief introductions. Feel free to get deeply personal.

3. Session Targets
I can prioritize my school or district’s needs, based on the realities of our stakeholders.
I can begin to set a course for school or district change to mastery-based learning.

4. Agenda Contextualizing the Change Compartmentalizing the Student
Defining Mastery
Translating Student Progress
Communicating the Plan
Reflecting on the Present
Make sure audience understands that all of this work is still very much in the present tense. Even things that we have already done are still works in progress.

5. Contextualizing the Change
“What is the impetus for change in your school or district?”
Turn to a neighbor, or discuss at your table. Why are you in this session? What draws you to the necessity of MBL?

6. Contextualizing the Change
Rationale
Change process
Problems & Solutions
District vision and cause for that vision. Starting at WLMS, and slowly expanding. Problem- & solution-driven. Teacher-centered. Teachers problem solving with teachers. Fitting to logistics, OR fitting logistics to our system.

7. Compartmentalizing the Student
“How would you best define
an ‘A’ student?”
Picture a name, a face, or characteristics.

8. Compartmentalizing the Student
Why?
How?
Habits of Scholarship (HOS)
Reporting
Eligibility
Pitfalls
What is the necessity of doing this, based on the old way of assessing students? How do we draw a line between the two sides of a student? Demonstrations of academic standards: what a student can demonstrate; Habits of Scholarship: behaviors that are predictive of academic success. HOS process evolved out of a need for heightened student accountability and the need for students to receive feedback on their performance “as a student or worker”. Pitfalls: rubric application; runric interpretation; teacher accounting of scores; DECIMALS! Also, students who don’t “fit” into the larger HOS system.

9. Defining Mastery
”What does it take for someone to be considered a MASTER at something? Consider real-world examples.”
Question should be self-explanatory. Also, it should be interesting to see how folks interpret it.

10. Defining Mastery “Meeting” versus “Mastering” Evidence of Mastery
Quantifying Mastery
Presentation versus Substance
The struggle of teachers to wrap heads around this. “Consistent and independent demonstration.” Students shifting mindset: those who require support, and those who are ready to attempt independently.

11. Translating Student Progress
“In a perfect world, how does a student know exactly where s/he is performing?”
“What are the student performance implications of knowing (or not knowing) this?”
Feel free to apply these questions to life, and not just to a school. Consider PROGRESS and PERFORMANCE.

12. Translating Student Progress
Academic Reporting
Performance Levels
Grading
Reporting
Teacher Learning Curve & Time
Philosophy versus Practice
ES,MS,PS,LP,(NE). Much more student performance data than we’ve had in the past. What do we do with it? How do we communicate it. Evolution of learning standards and the report card. The balance of useful feedback VS. overloading students and families. Teachers shifting holistic (numerical?) grading practices toward isolating specific standards that make up a demonstration. Very much a work in progress.

13. Communicating the Plan
“What’s the proper balance between stakeholder input and district communication?”
“OR, how much of a voice should stakeholder groups actually have?”
Conventional wisdom dictates everyone should have an equal voice, throughout the process. When is this true, and when is this not true?

14. Communicating the Plan
Teacher to Teacher
Teacher to Students
School to School
District to Families
District to Community
Families to District
Students to Teachers
The importance of two-way communication. The importance of big-picture communication to families and community. The importance of status updates as the change process moves on. Be proactive, so as to not have to be reactive.

15. Reflecting on the Present
“Why can’t you make these changes tomorrow?”
What is holding you back?

16. Reflecting on the Present
Classroom Teaching
Communication
Grading & Reporting
Student Feedback
What does this look like today? What are our priority areas of work, based on what we now know? Four Hallmarks of WLMS learning? Visible Learning Visits? What advice would we give our 4-years-ago selves?

17. Unanswered questions?