This article explores the successes of a pilot group of New Hampshire districts, as they move from standardized testing to a more performance-based assessment system. New Hampshire is at the forefront of moving schools to a competency-based model, and the article highlights the advantages for students and educators. The author shares classroom examples of project-based assessments that have increased student engagement, understanding, and academic outcomes, in addition to teacher collaboration. She also reports on what will be needed to scale up this change statewide.
The on-the-ground examples in this article may be of interest to policymakers and education leaders in other states. By highlighting the value of competency education from the perspective of real schools, this article helps make the case for a shift to state assessment systems that put more control in teacher’s hands and better align with a mastery-based approach.
Source Organization: The Christian Science Monitor