Heather Nicholson considers her classroom a 鈥渕odern-day, one-room schoolhouse.鈥�
On a May morning last school year, it was easy to see why.
Elementary schoolers sat in one corner, learning Mandarin with a teacher from China. Across the room, 13- and 14-year-olds huddled around Chromebooks. One studied the Titanic. Another researched Ray Charles.
A diorama of King Henry VIII鈥檚 wives鈥攊nspired in part by one student鈥檚 love of the musical 鈥淪ix"鈥攕at on the windowsill at the back of the class next to a poster highlighting major events in the life of tennis great Arthur Ashe.
A whiteboard kept track of what each student worked on: 鈥淕abby 鈥� African foods. Liam 鈥� Things invented in Pennsylvania. Zayonna 鈥� K-pop.鈥�
It鈥檚 tough to discern exactly what grades and subjects are being taught here at any one time. And that鈥檚 part of the point behind the California Area school district鈥檚 3-year-old experiment with competency-based education.
The program鈥攄ubbed 鈥淢oonshot鈥濃�攊s at the heart of Superintendent Laura Jacob鈥檚 bid to bust through what she sees as outdated, artificial barriers in K-12鈥攂etween different academic subjects, between age-based grade levels, and between an A student and the kid with a solid string of C鈥檚.
Those structures鈥攚hich schools have been built around for more than a century鈥攃an stymie the kind of individualized, deep learning students need to become critical, creative thinkers in the digital age, said Jacob, who took the helm of this 900-student district in Pennsylvania鈥檚 Allegheny Mountains four years ago.
鈥淚t is suffocating for some kids when we put them in these buckets,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淲e all know that we are learning at different levels, at different paces, in different subjects. And that鈥檚 OK.鈥�
Those sentiments are at the heart of competency-based education, which prizes mastery of skills instead of time in the classroom and traditional letter grades; individualized lessons and assignments based on student goals and interests rather than teacher-directed lessons aimed at an entire class; and self-paced, multi-age classrooms over rigid, age-based grade levels. While districts around the country have tried aspects of this approach, few have embraced them all at scale.
Jacob鈥檚 strategy has been to keep participation in Moonshot strictly voluntary.
Many parents and students鈥攏ot to mention teachers鈥攚ould have rebelled, she said, if she鈥檇 suddenly decreed that 鈥渁ll kids are not going to have [letter] grades, and all kids are not going to have grade levels, and we鈥檙e just going to completely eliminate them all next year,鈥� she said.
Competency-based education, proficiency-based learning, mastery-based learning, personalized learning, student-centered education, and standards-based education are all terms that refer to the same instructional model: one in which students make choices about how they learn and demonstrate their knowledge, learn at a pace that might differ from their classmates鈥�, receive individualized support based on their needs, and progress based on their mastery of course material instead of seat time.
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By allowing students and families to opt in, 鈥淚鈥檓 not getting the pitchforks coming after me,鈥� Jacob said. Instead, Moonshot is 鈥渃reating yet another pathway for kids to demonstrate their learning.鈥�
The program is gaining in popularity. Three years ago, just 25 students enrolled. Last school year, that number had roughly tripled, to about 75, most of them elementary schoolers. For now, participation tends to drop off in later grades, with only about two dozen high school students in the program.
The switch to competency-based education asks people 鈥榯o give up sacred rituals鈥�
The initiative was named for its $70,000 one-year, startup Moonshot grant, provided by the Grable Foundation. , the Pittsburgh-based philanthropy challenged area schools to imagine what K-12 might look like in a post-pandemic world.
Students can choose the Moonshot approach鈥攊n which lessons and assignments are tailored to their individual interests as much as possible鈥攊nstead of a typical class for a range of subjects, including social studies, science, computer science, and art. For now, the option doesn鈥檛 typically extend to language arts and math, though there have been limited exceptions.
Students can opt for Moonshot in every possible subject or pick just one or two. Typically, Moonshot students spend part of their day or week in Nicholson and co-teacher Susan Bitonti鈥檚 classroom working on assignments or lessons for the class or classes they鈥檝e chosen to complete through the program. Students can stay in Moonshot for an entire school year or try it out for a quarter, then move back to conventional classes.
Importantly, all Moonshot students receive written feedback instead of grades on their assignments, even in classes they are taking outside of Moonshot.
That鈥檚 been one of the toughest components of the program for staff to adjust to.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 expect 100 percent buy-in,鈥� Jacob said. But, 鈥渋f we鈥檙e constantly waiting and using the excuse of buy-in, we鈥檒l never make change in education.鈥�
She said she hopes staff members are at least open to the idea that a competency-based approach 鈥渋s good for a group of kids鈥� who opt into it.
Having staff members question aspects of鈥攐r everything about鈥攃ompetency-based education is par for the course, said Lauren McCauley, the vice president of teaching and learning at KnowledgeWorks, a nonprofit focused on personalizing learning.
鈥淲e are asking people to give up sacred rituals,鈥� McCauley said. But those systems鈥攖raditional grades, grade levels, the length of the school year鈥攚ere created for organizational purposes, she said. 鈥淣one of those is based in the science of education and best practices.鈥�
Still, leaders that want to embrace these changes 鈥渉ave to be prepared to support those who are questioning that shift because if you think that you鈥檙e not going to face any of that, you鈥檙e sorely mistaken,鈥� she said.
Competency-based learning is designed around students鈥� interests
Jacob would like to explore moving away from traditional grade levels鈥攐ften one of the toughest parts of the model to implement because it requires such a fundamental restructuring of K-12. The concept is aspirational at this point in California schools, though the district has begun to blur grade-level divisions by, for instance, allowing certain students to take courses usually reserved for older kids.
Helping students explore personal passions is another big emphasis.
Moonshot students and their parents meet with Nicholson or Bitonti over the summer. At that meeting, they begin to create an 鈥渋ndividual learning plan,鈥� modeled in part on the Individualized Education Program, or IEP, used for students in special education.
At each plan鈥檚 core: combining a student鈥檚 interests with their academic goals.
Nicholson tells students and families: 鈥淭he world鈥檚 your oyster. What would your absolutely perfect day at school look like?鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hey give us ideas. They tell us things that they鈥檙e interested in, things that they want to learn.鈥�
Nicholson and Bitonti then design individualized lessons around grade-appropriate state standards, using topics students are drawn to. They focus on mastery of skills鈥攔esearching, writing, communicating orally, thinking scientifically and critically鈥攁s opposed to imparting content.
Students often want to explore topics they might have been exposed to in a more typical class, just in greater depth: The Civil War. Greek gods. Engineering.
But there are quirkier asks. One Moonshot student in a district program for those with significant learning differences wanted to do a deep dive into bees.
The district applied for a grant to bring in four apiaries, or bee habitats, Nicholson said. Now, the student 鈥渃an tell you anything and everything about a bee, about beehives, about beekeeping,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 up in there with his smoker and he鈥檚 smoking鈥� the hives.
The student, who had been reluctant to engage socially when Nicholson previously had him in her traditional 3rd grade class, 鈥渋s coming out of his shell. He鈥檒l talk, he鈥檒l say hello,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is vocabulary is improving.鈥�
Many students love the individualized approach.
鈥淚 find it really great to learn about what I want to learn about, and get one-on-one help,鈥� said Ben Ziolecki, 15.
Planning and keeping track of what every student is up to is a lot on Nicholson and Bitonti, a pair of high-flying veterans who have worked for decades in the district and are willing to put in the kinds of hours newbies typically log.
鈥淢y husband鈥檚 said, 鈥業t鈥檚 like you鈥檙e a first-year teacher again,鈥欌�� said Bitonti, who joined Moonshot last school year, but has taught for about 20 years.
Jacob would love additional staff, she said. But right now, two instructors are all the district budget will allow. If the program expands to include more students, she will add more teachers, she said.
The Moonshot approach has helped both students who are behind and ahead of grade level.
For instance, halfway through last school year, a 4th grade teacher realized one student was ready to tackle 5th grade math.
But it wasn鈥檛 an option to join the class midyear鈥攖he student had missed too much foundational content. Instead, Nicholson and Bitonti worked with him one-on-one getting him through about a year-and-a-half of math鈥攁 subject typically not taught in Moonshot鈥攊n just a few months. That cleared the way for this student to join the 6th graders for math when he entered 5th grade this school year.
Another Moonshot student was behind her peers in language arts, so Nicholson and Bitonti gave her individualized instruction centered in part around the Little House book series, which the student wanted to try after watching reruns of the eponymous 1970s television show.
Grading in a competency-based system has been a source of friction
Some students say getting away from traditional letter grades has been a relief.
Before joining Moonshot, 鈥淚 put too much pressure on myself to get better grades,鈥� said Tori Typovski, 13. 鈥淚 pushed myself too much, to the point where I couldn鈥檛 understand things as well.鈥�
Dylan Haschet, also 13, described himself as 鈥渁 competitive person.鈥� But he likes that he鈥檚 no longer comparing himself with his classmates. In the past, 鈥渨hen I would see my friend got an A and I got a C, I would get mad and stop trying as hard as I could be,鈥� he said.
But the switch to the Moonshot system of written feedback in place of letter grades wasn鈥檛 without speed bumps.
鈥淭he first year I joined, the feedback was not great because the teachers had never heard of stuff like this. I know I鈥檝e never seen a school do something like this,鈥� said Dylan, who was among the first students to opt into Moonshot. 鈥淪ome of the teachers didn鈥檛 know what to do, so they would just write, 鈥榞ood job.鈥� Over the past couple of years, it鈥檚 gotten a lot better.鈥�
Adults in the district have their own debate about getting rid of grades. California Area High School Principal Josh Pollock, a former math teacher, has been frank with Jacob that he thinks most teenagers are motivated by conventional A鈥檚 and B鈥檚.
鈥淚 love the idea of personalized learning. I love the idea of having that educational coach to assist students,鈥� Pollock said. 鈥淚 think the biggest fight we have with this program is the grading aspect. We respectfully disagree.鈥�
Providing extensive, high-quality feedback for Moonshot students is time-consuming, said Pollock, who graduated from the high school he now leads.
鈥淪ome of my teachers have 150 students that they鈥檙e servicing throughout the day,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very difficult task to ask of them to provide that individualized feedback.鈥�
Some high school teachers simply offer positive comments to students who are compliant鈥攖hose who complete assignments and don鈥檛 disrupt class鈥攔egardless of the academic quality of their work, Pollock said. (That鈥檚 a complaint also leveled against conventional grades.)
Plus, there are practical problems when it comes to determining class rank, choosing a valedictorian, and awarding scholarships, he said.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 pick a student for a scholarship based upon qualitative feedback,鈥� Pollock said. 鈥淭hat opens up a very ugly can of worms鈥� because those who are passed over for a high class rank or other honors might assume favoritism is at play if there aren鈥檛 hard-and-fast grade point averages to back up leaders鈥� choices, he said.
The shift to feedback for Moonshot students even in their traditional classes鈥攁nd competency-based principles in general鈥攈as gone over more smoothly at the elementary level, California鈥檚 leaders agree.
But some teachers still puzzle over how to provide meaningful feedback on certain assignments, such as a 1st grade worksheet on adding single-digit numbers, said Rachel Nagy, the principal of California Area Elementary School.
Nicholson has coached her colleagues on the ins and outs of giving substantial feedback, Jacob said. While some teachers have mastered it, it will take time for others to develop the skill, she added.
鈥淜ids deserve and need to have鈥� specific feedback on their work, Jacob said. 鈥淏ut honestly, that鈥檚 an ongoing learning process. I don鈥檛 expect people to be able to do it immediately.鈥�
Still, she remains firm that traditional grades can impede academic progress.
鈥淲e know that kids don鈥檛 learn with grades,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淭he moment they get a grade, the learning stops. They either say, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檓 a genius, I got an A.鈥� Or, 鈥楳an, that teacher doesn鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e talking about, I got an F.鈥� The learning completely stops.鈥�
Pollock and others also worry about what will happen when Moonshot students apply to jobs or colleges without recognizable grades.
So far, there鈥檚 only been one test case: A student who went through the Moonshot program last year applied to a local branch of the Pennsylvania state higher education system with a , created by a national consortium of public and private schools to demonstrate what graduates of competency-based programs know and can do.
But college officials were unfamiliar with it. They called California, confused. The district assured them that this student could handle college-level work.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the biggest struggles that we鈥檙e gonna have,鈥� Pollock said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e changing the rules that our kids are playing by. We鈥檙e changing what education looks like here. But if [others aren鈥檛] keeping up with us, what does that look like for our kids?鈥�
Jacob, though, argues that plenty of students without traditional grades鈥攖hose who were home-schooled, for instance鈥攔outinely navigate college admissions.
Students in Moonshot won鈥檛 learn all the same content as their peers
The California district鈥檚 educators readily acknowledge that not every student signs up for Moonshot because they truly want a more personalized education or relief from letter grades.
Some expect an easy ride鈥攁nd are quickly disillusioned when Nicholson and Bitonti push them.
Others seem to use the program to 鈥済et away from certain teachers,鈥� Nicholson acknowledged.
Sometimes, even Nicholson thinks students who choose the program for certain subjects are making the wrong call. One student opted for Moonshot in science over Brieann Klima鈥檚 4th grade class鈥攅ven though Nicholson told the student she鈥檇 enjoy Klima鈥檚 project-based approach.
鈥淭hat kind of rubbed me a little bit,鈥� Klima said. The student 鈥渄idn鈥檛 even give it a chance. I wish she had at least attempted my room鈥� before opting for Moonshot.
This student had an 鈥渁ha鈥� moment, though, when the Moonshot classroom was closed for the day, and she was sent to Klima鈥檚 class instead. She was unsettled when she realized she didn鈥檛 know the material presented on a quiz her classmates were taking.
That鈥檚 a trade-off of personalization, teachers said.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a project about Michael Jackson, you鈥檙e probably not going to know how to build a circuit. You鈥檙e not going to understand all the different forms of energy,鈥� Klima said. Still, she thinks the emphasis on independence in Moonshot 鈥渄efinitely benefits鈥� some students, including the girl who opted for Moonshot over her classroom.
Nicholson, for one, isn鈥檛 worried that Moonshot students aren鈥檛 necessarily getting the same content as their peers.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not ending up missing anything because we鈥檙e looking at the standards they have to meet,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e making the standards fit the kids instead of the kids trying to fit into those standards.鈥�
At this point, there鈥檚 not much national research to support鈥攐r debunk鈥擭icholson鈥檚 contention that students in competency-based programs like Moonshot are mastering the same skills as their peers, even if they are learning different content. That鈥檚 partly because competency-based education is considered relatively novel, and is rarely done at a broad scale.
Challenges aside, Moonshot and its competency-based principles are slowly shifting the district鈥檚 culture, even for students and educators who aren鈥檛 immersed in it, Nagy, the elementary school principal, said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 strong ties to traditional practices in education, and we鈥檙e a traditional kind of area,鈥� Nagy said. Having a program that breaks the mold 鈥渓iving inside of our traditional structure is the sweet spot right now. But we鈥檙e still pushing those boundaries, slowly but surely breaking molds in every classroom.鈥�
