PRESQUE ISLE and CARIBOU, Maine — Although the state of Maine is no longer requiring high school students to graduate with proficiency-based education diplomas in 2021, local school officials have used the change as an opportunity to better analyze what PBE means for their individual districts.
In July 2018, former Maine governor Paul LePage signed into law a bipartisan bill that repealed a statewide mandate that would have required this year’s freshman class to demonstrate proficiency in eight “content areas” in order to earn a high school diploma in 2021. The bill came six years after school districts across Maine began the process of transitioning to proficiency-based education systems.
“I think at first there was a mixture of frustration and relief because on one hand we had put all this energy into PBE,” said Jennifer Bourassa, curriculum director for SAD 1, which serves students from Presque Isle, Mapleton, Westfield, Chapman and Castle Hill. “But on the other hand, no longer having that requirement for diplomas has given us a chance to move at a slower pace and figure out what ‘proficiency’ means for us.”
PBE has received a mixed reception across state school districts due to the common use of a 1-4 grading system, as opposed to the letter grades of A-F or the numerical system of 0-100, which does not correspond directly with A-F grades. There is also a focus on students achieving certain proficiencies, or specific skills within subject areas, before moving on to the next level of learning.
But Bourassa said that PBE is essentially more focused on helping individual students succeed as opposed to summarizing their skill sets into one specific grade for assignments and report cards.
“A student can receive a grade of 86 on their report card for math but what does that 86 really mean? In the traditional grading system it was harder to track where exactly students were struggling,” Bourassa said. “But if a student receives a 2 on their multiplication tables but higher scores on everything else, then we know they need extra work on their multiplication tables.”
At SAD 1 Bourassa has worked with teachers and administrators to maintain a “dual system” that incorporates traditional courses for credit with PBE aspects. When students receive quarterly report cards, for instance, one side includes a traditional letter grade but the other side lists specific standards, or proficiencies, that they must achieve and an evaluation of where they are and how they can improve proficiency.
Bourassa noted that students, teachers and parents have been “comfortable” with the dual system of traditional academics and PBE and have expressed few concerns over gradings and evaluations.
“When we first began this system we had a meeting to inform parents of the changes with PBE and the overall response was really positive. Some parents had questions but they were all reasonable questions,” she said. “I think doing the dual system has allowed everyone to ease into PBE and not having that extra push from the state has made things easier.”
At RSU 39 schools, which are located in Caribou and serve students in Caribou and Stockholm, district officials have begun using a grading system in which students in kindergarten through grade 5 are evaluated not with letters or numerals but with phrases such as “does not meet” “partially meets” “meets” “exceeds” or “satisfactory” “needs improvement.” While the K-2 students have always been evaluated this way, the district recently expanded this method to grades 3 to 5 to better align grading across the elementary school curriculum.
Jane McCall, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said that teachers for grades 6 to 12 use a dual system that is similar to the combination of traditional grades and proficiency evaluations that SAD 1 utilizes. One notable difference, she said, is that they avoid the 1-4 scoring system completely for those grades.
“If a student receives a 93 score on reading they also see what standards they have to meet for that subject. Instead of 1-4 we use language like ‘not proficient,’ ‘approaching proficiency’ and ‘beyond proficiency,’” McCall said.
Like at SAD 1, McCall has noted the strong support from parents, teachers and students regarding PBE, especially in regards to allowing students “voice and choice” in how they learn. Instead of a teacher assigning all students the same project or having them complete written tests for a unit, they might give students various options on how they prove their proficiency in each standard for any given subject. While one student might prefer writing an essay another might create a video or PowerPoint presentation.
The PBE systems have also helped teachers to separate students’ academic grades from their behavior, according to McCall.
“With traditional grades students might actually do well on certain skills but they receive zeroes on assignments or tests because of poor time management skills, which would bring down their overall grade,” McCall said. “With PBE we can now help students improve study habits, which can help them maintain proficiency.”
Both school districts have also benefited from hiring young teachers who are graduates of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s education program. In 2014 UMPI became the first university in Maine to begin its own academic transition to a PBE curriculum. Since then the education program has begun teaching specific courses on teaching and learning in PBE school settings. Students learn how to develop rubrics and scoring criteria and instructional techniques in PBE.
Alana Margeson, assistant professor of education and director of UMPI’s education program, who previously taught high school English at Caribou High School, said that many students up end employed as teachers in area schools, which helps local districts find teachers who have expertise in PBE. Through a partnership with SAD 1, students might also gain field experience as substitute teachers years before they even begin their student teaching experience.
“We continue to use 1-4 scoring with our own education students’ coursework while also giving them the opportunities to work with local students, teachers and administrators within actual PBE systems,” Margeson said.
Though a new state governor and education commissioner could potentially lead to changes within PBE-related mandates and laws, both SAD 1 and RSU 39 plan to still move forward with their curricula and continue to improve upon PBE standards for every student.
“When you focus on student learning instead of diploma requirements, you tend to see everyone be more engaged overall in the process,” McCall said. “Students, teachers and parents like that with PBE they have a clear path on what they need to do to learn best. That’s what will prepare them for college and the workforce.”
