Proficiency Based Teaching and Learning (PBTL) in Arts Education

Proficiency Based Teaching and Learning (PBTL) in Arts Education

International

·  Mastery-based programs occur in nations throughout the world and at all levels of education. When compared to traditionally taught classes, students in mastery learning classes consistently have been shown to learn better, reach higher levels of achievement, and develop greater confidence in their ability to learn and in themselves as learners (Guskey, 1997, 2001).

·  Extensive research from Asia (Kim et al., 1969, 1970; Wu, 1994), Australia (Chan, 1981), Europe (Dyke, 1988; Langeheine, 1992; Mevarech, 1985, 1986; Postlethwaite & Haggarty, 1998; Reezigt & Weide, 1990, 1992; Yildiran, 2006), South America (Cabezon, 1984), and the United States (Anderson, 1994; Block, Efthim, & Burns, 1989; Guskey & Pigott, 1988; Walberg, 1984, 1988), shows the careful and systematic application of mastery learning principles can lead to significant improvements in student learning.

National

·  The National Standards for Arts Education (1994) describe the cumulative knowledge and skills expected of students, defined through proficient and advanced achievement levels for grades 9-12, in each arts discipline. Standards provide rigorous, sequential guidelines for quality arts education for all students with students expected to achieve the proficient level in at least one arts discipline by the time they graduate.

·  Many states, such as Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and North Carolina include proficiency levels as part of their state arts standards.

·  The Council of Chief State School Officers includes Performance Based Learning (Proficiency Based Teaching and Learning), as one of the six attributes of Next Generation Learning. (CCSSO, 2011)

·  Many of the state-wide movements towards proficiency are in response to the business community and to College and Career Readiness initiatives. PBTL addresses business community concerns by focusing classroom instruction on mastery of clearly defined outcomes as opposed to reflexively equating seat time with competency.

North Carolina

·  The beginning high school proficiency level addresses the needs of multiple entry points for students who have had limited or no K-8 education in the arts. The proficiency-based standards continue through intermediate, proficient, and advanced levels, which are aligned with the National Standards. Students receive weighted, honors credit for inherently advanced coursework at the proficient and advanced levels (State Board of Education policy HSP-L-004, 2012).

·  The North Carolina high school proficiency standards provide multiple options for students to study the arts as an area of interest or to specialize in studies to prepare them for further education and/or a career in the arts. As reflected in other states, such as Delaware, the spiraling nature of the North Carolina standards allow students to develop proficiency from beginning through advanced levels.

·  Proficiency Based Teaching and Learning exists in North Carolina in Guidance, World Languages, and Arts Education. North Carolina’s arts education proficiency levels represent a hierarchy of objectives that describe artistic and cognitive student learning expectations which scaffolds artistic behaviors from the simplest to the most complex.

·  Development and implementation of the proficiency-based Arts Education Essential Standards has involved input from stakeholders, including LEAs, IHE members, professional associations, and others. In creating the Arts Education Essential Standards, over 100 academic and research-based sources were investigated.

COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL AND
PROFICIENCY-BASED SECONDARY EDUCATION
Traditional / Proficiency-Based
View of Learners / Some will excel, some will do average work, a portion will fail. / All students can achieve at high standards; failure is not an option.
Learning Program / Time based; learning is a variable. It’s effective for a portion of students / Learning based; time is a variable. It’s effective for all students.
Grades / Based on various, and sometimes subjective, points rather than proficiencies; may reflect quantity over quality (such as extra credit work); may be used in part to punish, reward, or control student behavior; subject to inflation. Grades are sometimes locked in before a course ends. / Indicate only what student has learned (knows and can do) by demonstration of proficiency; quality of work is based on agreements about evidence of proficiency. End-of-course grades reflect student proficiency at end of course.
Assessment / Relies heavily on summative assessment, including standardized testing. / Includes summative assessment, but heavily favors formative assessment as a feedback mechanism to continuously measure and guide student learning, and to drive and improve instruction.
Nature and Structure of Schools / Often adult centered in practice, reflecting self-contained education in a management hierarchy modeled on 20th Century industry. / Student centered in practice. Home base for flexible learning experiences where students can assume more initiative, work in teams, and learn in community settings, online venues, and other education institutions as well as in their school of record.
Curriculum / Disciplines are independent of one another and content is independent of standards for postsecondary success. / Based on recognized standards. Rigor and relevance are driving criteria. Disciplines are often integrated. Content is keyed to what students need for postsecondary studies and job success.
Student Credentialing / Students accumulate graded units of instruction to graduate through “seat time,” regardless of skill levels acquired or grades assigned, and a standard diploma is regarded as the end point of the high school experience. For students capable of doing more and advancing while still in high school, the senior year is often spent coasting to the finish line. / Students are assessed to assure that they have acquired high standards of knowledge and skills defined by minimum state diploma requirements matched to state standards. Students with an interest in advanced certification and credits (AP, IB, college credits) are supported in going beyond minimum diploma requirements.
Teachers / They dispense knowledge about subject matter; lead class discussion, make assignments, motivate students, assign grades. / Assume many of the traditional pedagogical roles but are also content experts, mentors, resources, partners in school management, partners with community resource providers, skilled assessment practitioners, members of teaching teams, and members of professional learning communities.
Students / They receive or absorb information passively, recite when asked, achieve on tests. Often don’t know at the beginning of a course what constitutes successful learning. / They envision and help plan their education path, partner in their own progress, learn by observation and application as well as by reading and taking class notes, and they develop both individual and group skills. From the very beginning of a course, they know precisely what proficiencies demonstrate desired attainment of knowledge and skills, and they work to achieve those proficiencies.

Adapted from “Proficiency Based Instruction and Assessment: A Promising Path to Higher Achievement in Oregon Education” from the Oregon Education Roundtable (2009).

Arts Education Support for Implementing the Proficiency-Based Standards

and Honors Policy at the High School Level

Building local capacity through professional development, documents, webinars, web-based resources, and the Arts Education Think Tank allows stakeholders to continue the sharing and development of resources and models to support PBTL.

NCDPI Arts Education Wikispace

http://ances.ncdpi.wikispaces.net

Includes links to professional development, materials and resources, standards and instructional tools, and resources for building local capacity

Course Coding and Honors Policy Resources

http://ances.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Course+Coding+Structure

Course Coding and Honors Overview (Highlights)

Course Coding Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Arts Education Course Overview

Graduation Requirements

Concentrations

Honors Policy

Guidance for School Counselors (Webinar and FAQ)

Local Resource Sharing

Student Placement Practices for High School Proficiency Levels

http://ances.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Placement+Practices

Includes examples and resources related to development and documentation of proficiency in arts education and provides a place to share resources regarding documenting evidence of proficiency in arts education, especially in relation to student placement at the high school level

Training

http://ances.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Professional+Development

·  RttT Quarterly Webinars, RESA Training, and Summer Institutes

·  Focused virtual sharing webinars

·  Arts Education Coordinators Meetings

·  IHE Trainings

·  Workshops for Arts Education Professional Associations

·  Other Trainings

Arts Education Think Tank

·  Representation from all 8 regions and all disciplines of arts education

·  Focus on proficiency, student placement practices, evidence of student learning

·  Ongoing Virtual and Face to Face Meetings (September 2012, January 2013, April 2013)