By: Joy Nolan, Professional Learning Coach, co-founder and longtime Director of Competency Collaborative (CC)

We’re writing to introduce the Mastery-based Learning Collaborative (MBLC), a newly formed network of visionary public schools across Washington State who have come together to make learning and school more clear, meaningful, rigorous, joyful, welcoming, and equitable for the students, families, and communities they serve. Yes, we used rigorous and joyful in the same sentence about school. Please read on!

MBLC Founding Member Schools

“Students can demonstrate excellence in unlimited ways if we allow them . . .

Mastery-based learning offers that while keeping the learning grounded in standards.”

—Principal Julie Crawford, East Grays Harbor HS, Elma

Here is a map and list of founding MBLC member schools from around Washington State.

These elementary, middle, and high schools share a passion for student-centered innovation, and a vision for educational equity as a guiding value. As a network across the state, they are working to develop high-quality, rigorous, responsive, and research-based mastery-based learning (MBL) and culturally responsive-sustaining education (CRSE) principles, practices, and systems. They are building on what works well, and finding ways, classroom by classroom, student by student, teacher by teacher, and across building-wide systems, to make school a powerful place of belonging, academic success, mutual respect, and possibility.

Member schools are learning with and from each other, sharing ideas, models, resources, and visits over the two-plus years of the project. Each school has created goals for Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Continue Reading...

What is Mastery-based Learning (MBL)?

Einstein once said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Mastery-based learning is an instructional approach designed to help students learn deeply and effectively. Classrooms using mastery-based learning emphasize student agency, relevance, differentiation, inclusion, and innovative assessment tools.

The state defined mastery-based learning (MBL) in E2SHB 1599 Sec. 301:

• Students advance upon demonstrated mastery of content;
• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;
• Assessments are meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;
• Students receive rapid, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and
• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions.

Mastery-based Learning Work Group

House Bill 1599 also established a work group to explore the barriers to MBL and provide recommendations around how to increase capacity for MBL, including the development of a MBL pathway to a high school diploma. The work group’s final recommendations are due to the Legislature on December 1, 2020. Some of the topics and ideas the work group has begun to coalesce around include:

• Learning Standards. Whether students earn a high school diploma through the meeting the 24-credit graduation requirements or through the MBL framework, the student will meet the same learning standards.
• Profile of a Graduate. The work group plans to recommend that Washington State create a Profile of a Graduate, as a way of helping stakeholders understand the multidisciplinary skills students should acquire by the time they graduate high school.
• High School and Beyond Plan. To use the High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) as an essential tool for MBL, there is a need to engage the entire education community—students, parents, former students, and the community, as well as educators—about the HSBP so that the entire community can help individual students with their plan.

Why do we need Mastery-based Learning?

• A focus on meeting the needs of each individual student.
• Student enjoy relevancy, engagement, and choice in their learning.
• Actively embraces inclusivity--compassion and belonging for students. 
• Freedom for both students and educators to develop and try different ways of doing things and embraces innovation and learning that comes from both successes and failures.
• Values knowledge and skills that students already have.
• Each student's learning progresses at their own pace.
• A way to get rid of labels and create a system that closes the opportunity gap, and recognizes that each student's learning happens differently for each subject.

Free Grief Support Programs for Families & Teens

Wild Grief, is a small nonprofit located in Olympia, WA. Wild Grief provides free grief support programs for families and teens through backpacking, camping, and hiking. All  programs are free for participants, and provide gear, food, and work to make them as accessible as possible in other ways such as providing gas cards.

An info session will be provided about the upcoming Spring Break Backpacking Trip on Thursday, March 2nd via-Zoom from 6:30-7:30.

School Social Work Week: March 5 - March 11

We are excited to recognize and support School Social Workers during School Social Work Week! Did you know that School Social Workers are trained mental health professionals who serve as the link between home, school, and community? School Social Workers can help design and implement programs that promote a positive school climate, serve as the primary mental health providers for students, and direct students and families to services that support academic and social difficulties.  They are a resource for principals, counselors, and other school staff and work to create a bridge between the school and community to support student success. 

National Women's History Month

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States. 2023's theme is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, to celebrate the lives of iconic women throughout history. 

Ramadan: March 22 - April 21

Ramadan is a month-long spiritual period of fasting and prayer. It is a period of time when Muslims strive for spiritual purification through fasting, self-sacrifice, and increased prayer. This year it starts the evening of Wed, Mar 22, 2023 - evening of Fri, Apr 21, 2023.

Please consider cultural awareness and how you can support students during fasting. Fasting is an important part of Ramadan, students may be experiencing low blood sugar, weakness, and other symptoms. Many Muslim students will ask to modify their exercise or to be excused from PE. Others will choose to participate fully in these activities. Either way, it’s important to talk to your principal about the school’s policy and have alternative ideas for students who may need them.