Managing Standards in a Proficiency-Based Math Classroom

This week, I'm sharing an article that Assistant Principal Soucy wrote in 2011.  The article was originally published in Middlelink, the Maine Association for Middle Level Education's periodical.

In the article, Mrs. Soucy reflects about her experience as a seventh grade math teacher in a proficiency-based classroom.  At the time, Mrs. Soucy was working with a team of teachers that were pioneering proficiency-based instruction at Massabesic Middle School.  She writes about the profound change that she experienced in her classroom during the transition.  Mrs. Soucy provides us with some great insights into what proficiency-based classrooms can look like.  I hope you enjoy the article.

Managing Standards in a Proficiency-Based Math Classroom

Marie Soucy

As students begin working, I take a step back for a minute to monitor the activity of the class. One student is at the board teaching a peer how to solve two-step equations. In another area a few students sit together and work on solving probability problems. Several others are using a website (ixl.com) on their laptops to practice finding the measures of unknown angles. A few others have chosen to utilize their math books to work on the same skill. Although they are not all working on the same standard, there are still some commonalities among the students; they all know what they are expected to learn, how they’re going to learn it, and what comes next.  

This year, a performance-based system of education has been implemented at Massabesic Middle School. In this system, the focus is on the learning; what we want students to know and be able to do is what drives instruction. Grades are no longer averaged together and represented by a 100-point scale. Rather, students earn a 1 to 4, which represents their progress towards meeting the standard.  

In my 7^th grade Math class, students are able to progress through the standards at a pace that matches their needs and abilities.  In order for this process to happen successfully, the learning needs to become transparent for students.  The standards are made very understandable and accessible to students.  Each of the Math standards is listed on a learning matrix with the simpler skills below it.  By looking at the matrix, students can identify what they need to know and be able to do in order to show proficiency in each of the standards.  

Many different tools and procedures are used to help students navigate their way through the standards.  One such tool is a flowchart outlining the different pathways students should take when they get stuck, where they can find resources, or what they need to do next.  Students also use a wall chart to find classmates who can assist them in learning a skill.  Students are offered multiple avenues to demonstrate their learning. The textbook is not the only reference material used.  Laptops and the Internet are valuable resources in class.  If students don’t quite understand a skill the first time through, they can keep trying until they've mastered it. When they have demonstrated proficiency in a learning target they move on to another one.

There is still teaching happening, just not the “one size fits all” that has been the norm. At times there are whole group lessons, but the majority of the lessons taught are small group and one-on-one. This type of instruction allows for more differentiation and enables me to tailor lessons to the specific needs of the students. The grouping of the students is fluid, as students move through the learning targets at their own pace.  Students also teach one another and learn from online tutorials when it’s appropriate.  

The environment in my math classroom has changed. Students are taking ownership of their education. They are collaborating, sharing ideas and strategies, and communicating effectively with one another.  The culture of the classroom is changing.  It is becoming one where students can make mistakes, which is part of the learning process.  Students are especially learning some significant skills that they can take beyond the math classroom.