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Belief 1—Learning Environment: All students can and will learn when they feel included, respected, and valued by their learning community.
Belief 2—Outcomes: All students must be challenged, believed in, and supported to reach common, high expectations.
Belief 3—Assessment and Feedback: Student learning is enhanced by clear cycles of practice, feedback, assessment, and reflection.
Belief 4—Learning Pathways: Students are empowered and engaged by choice in their learning experiences.
Beliefs and Practices of PBL from Great Schools Partnership
As knowledge of teaching and learning has evolved, we know that students learn at different rates and in different ways; one size does not fit all. Therefore, educators need to provide multiple opportunities and pathways for all students to gain knowledge and develop critical and creative thinking skills that will prepare them for their futures.
Proficiency Based Learning (PBL) is a system of teaching, learning and assessment that:
seeks student proficiency of clearly defined knowledge and skills.
provides multiple opportunities and pathways for students to learn and to demonstrate proficiency.
provides interventions, extensions and opportunities to revise and reassess.
separates the assessment of Habits of Work (HOW) from academic knowledge and skills.
Graduation Standards - The graduation standards are the final goal at the end of a student’s PK-12 experience. Competencies at every grade span are connected to a graduation standard.
Competencies - PBL establishes guideposts called competencies which clearly state what students need to know and be able to do in each subject at each grade level. To progress, students must demonstrate proficiency in the competencies for all academic areas. These expectations guide instruction and empower students by helping them understand what they are working toward. This is what is reflected on student report cards.
Learning Targets - Learning targets guide instruction towards the competencies. These are the skills that are needed for students to show proficiency.
Learner Variability - We know that students learn at different rates and in different ways. Not all students will show proficiency the first time, and some students will progress faster than others. PBL enables students to progress at their own speed and gives them multiple opportunities to improve their work in order to meet the competencies. The Kittery School District is committed to helping ALL students reach their proficiency in the grade level competencies for all academic areas.