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SPRING COMMUNITY GATHERING FOR ALL MBLC MEMBER TEAMS
TUESDAY, MAY 2. 10 am-3:30 pm at Highline College, Des Moines
All member schools: We hope to see your whole MBLC team. Puget Sound-area schools are invited to bring two youth advisors for a student panel.
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Volume 1, Issue 4 | February/March 2023
Greetings, MBLC Community:
The days are getting longer, and warm weather is peeking around the corner. We hope you and your students are doing well as spring draws near.
In this issue, we’re sharing about recent happenings, and looking ahead to spring and summer professional learning—including some in-person events!
With our appreciations and best wishes—
Your dedicated MBLC Support Team and fans,
Professional Learning Coaches: Clyde, Don, Chris, Joy, Kate, and Katie
WA SBE: Alissa, Seema, and Stephanie
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Find resources from past events at the MBLC Community Site.
You can register and get more info at the MBLC Site: bit.ly/MBLCsite or check out our Google Calendar of Events: bit.ly/MBLC_Eventcalendar.
For events open to Friends of MBLC, look for this symbol: 💟
Online events
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Tues, Feb 28 I 3:30-5 pm | PLC Session 4 | Communicating and Engaging Families/Stakeholders in Our MBLC Work (TODAY!)
- For MBLC member school teams
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Thurs, March 2 I 3:45-4:45 pm | Webinar 10 | CRSE/MBL Assessments
- 💟 For MBLC member school teams and Friends of MBLC. Member schools, please send 1+ team members to the live session: Others can watch the webinar recording asynchronously. Thanks!
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March 7, 20, 30 I Coaching Office Hours I 3-4:30 pm
- For MBLC member school teams (optional)
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Thurs, April 27, 3:45-4:45 pm | Webinar 11 | Topic coming soon
- 💟 For MBLC member school teams and Friends of MBLC. Member schools, please send 1+ team members to the live session: Others can watch the webinar recording asynchronously. Thanks!
In person events
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Spring Community Gathering | Tues May 2, 10 am-3:15 pm | Highline College, Des Moines
- 3-4 MBLC team members (let us know if you’d like to bring more)
- Puget Sound-area schools: Interested in bringing students for panel?
- For MBLC member school teams and nearby youth advisors
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Visit to Avanti HS | Thurs May 4, 11 am-3:15 pm | Olympia
- Optional but encouraged! 12 people max, 2 max per school.
- For MBLC member school teams
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Summer Institute | Mon/Tues Aug 7-8 | Green River College, Auburn
- Workshops to prep for September! Your whole MBLC team is invited.
- For MBLC member school teams
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Here’s what we’ve been up to lately! Find recordings and resources from past events at the MBLC Event Archive on the community site: bit.ly/MBLCsite.
Leaders’ Community of Practice, Session 3 - February 13
What are the conditions for success for our work? How can we design high-quality and equitable learning outcomes, rubrics, and grading/reporting systems? MBLC leaders connected in breakouts to discuss key aspects of implementation—and what’s happening in their own schools.
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Webinar 9: Virtual Visit to The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria (TYWLSA) - February 6
What does a school’s MBL journey look like? What’s the best way for one person or a department team to get started? Xenia Thomopoulos and Greg Zimdahl joined from TWYLSA, a Competency Collaborative Living Lab School that’s been doing MBL for more than 16 years in a school serving Grades 6-12. Xenia and Greg shared about their school’s journey, lessons learned along the way, and great first steps for an individual teacher who is new to this work.
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Winter Community Gathering - January 24
In “role-alike” conversations (groups of subject teachers, counselors, administrators, youth advisors, and more), we discussed: How are we putting students at the center academically? What MBLC-related successes, challenges, and opportunities do you want to share with others? What is your role in supporting equity at your school? We also learned in mini-electives—including a session on mastery-based crediting featured Sui-lan Ho’okano from Enumclaw HS and Robin Pratt from Auburn HS. Thanks to Sui-lan, Robin, and all who participated, especially our Youth Advisors!
Read on for excerpts of our Winter Gathering conversations below in "Read This, Watch That."
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Youth Advisor Session 2 - January 19
What makes for a youth leader? Youth advisors from MBLC schools gathered to talk with each other about their experience of school, and ideas for changes they’d like to see happening in their schools. Aneth Naranjo and Matt Gonzales of NYU Metro Center facilitated, as we prepared for a youth conversation at the Winter Gathering.
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Webinar 8: Youth Leadership & Culturally Responsive-Sustaining MBL Student Support Systems - January 10
What does strong and equitable partnership with students look like? What roles can young people play in our work? Aneth Naranjo and Matt Gonzales from NYU Metro Center joined us to discuss key questions, strategies, and power dynamics involved in successful youth leadership initiatives. See the recording and resources for this webinar, for a great conversation about this.
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Here are resources and videos for your use. Enjoy, and let us know your wish list for next time!
Read the MBLC Community Blog to see posts about member schools, community happenings, and discussions about aspects of our work on culturally responsive-sustaining MBL. Currently featured on the blog are our two newest profiles of member schools. As the MBLC project continues next year, we plan to update these profiles with “lessons learned.” For now, here’s a great intro to two of our founding member schools:
Short Video: How does mastery transform school for students and teachers? (Competency Collaborative, NYC Public Schools - featuring The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria) “Mastery allows me to communicate more clearly to students,” says teacher Caitlyn. “We’re working on Communicate, and the outcome target I’m looking for is that you can communicate an emotion on stage.”
Specifically how are we putting students at the center academically? MBLC students, school leaders, and staff respond.
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Student: A lot of teachers helping kids who are sad or having a hard day brightening them up to have a better day - Leadership/Advisory representatives meetings to help make choices.
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Student: I see staff organizing community and taking feedback seriously/including all student (gender neutral) listening to student voice on educational choices.
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Teacher: Students are given ownership and are allowed to co-design lessons.
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Teacher: Students can choose from multiple options for how to demonstrate their understanding.
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Counselor: Our master schedule is driven by what students’ needs are. We are also offering a project based learning class so students can do what interests them.
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School Leader: Assessments that support learning-multiple chances with various types of assessments designed to break down barriers. +1
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School Leader: Intentional role shifts with students taking a greater ownership in their learning. +1
Click the link above for more responses from students, school leaders, and a wide range of school-based educators, from conversations at the Winter Community Gathering in January, 2023.
MBLC Event archive
Have you checked out the growing event archive on the MBLC Community Site? It’s a treasure trove of recordings and resources from past events.
Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors article from Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
How could you/your school provide more windows and mirrors in texts, curriculum, and classroom experiences? How could learners benefit? Read and watch what the creator of this concept has to say about this.
90-second video interview with Dr. Sims Bishop: https://youtu.be/_AAu58SNSyc
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Dear Embee Elsie:
I’m excited about the journey our school is on with CRSE and MBL. Students and families are already noticing and appreciating changes we have begun to make—like naming clear learning outcomes, and using rubrics as tools for learning, not just for grading. But looking ahead, there is so much to think about and do. How long does it take to transition from a more traditional educational system to a CRSE/MbL model? Give me the good news. Or the real news. Or both?
Signed—Looking Ahead
Dear Looking Ahead:
Thanks for writing! I have real news and good news for you.
Keeping it real: Full implementation involves deeply rethinking classroom moves such as pacing and feedback to learners, assessments, grading/reporting practices/systems, and more. So it’s not your imagination—it does take time. But it’s all rooted in purpose: to make school more clear, fair, affirming, and meaningful for every learner . . . the best motivation for what you’re undertaking.
It’s useful to think about both technical and adaptive shifts, as you take this journey—along with the conditions for success that will sustain lasting and high-quality new practices and systems. You can look at this draft “school journey” graphic to see implementation steps and conditions for success.
The exact pace will depend primarily on your own school community: colleagues, students, families, your district. How much that’s already happening is in harmony with CRSE/MBL? Where are the challenges? How much time and energy do you and colleagues have to dedicate to this? Every school is unique. I suggest “going slow to go fast,” meaning building real shared understanding, taking time to raise and resolve confusions and reservations along the way, getting meaningful input from students and families as you try out new practices—this all takes time
Your membership in MBLC is great fuel for the journey—you will be hearing about what works and doesn’t work at many other schools, and we hope this helps you get to your own next destination quicker and more happily.
Good news: You’re already doing great, having begun the journey with clear intent and lots of good support. It’s so meaningful that you’re already seeing learners benefit as you move toward more clear, fair, affirming, and equitable practice—how could you resist keeping it up?
And finally, a little secret: Ahem. . . there is not an “end” of the journey, exactly. Even traditional schools are always trying to improve, and your school will likely be making realizations and discoveries that keep you perfecting the system over time. In my experience, it’s a really amazing journey, with lots of resting places and celebrations along the way. And don’t forget to take a selfie or two along the way.
Glad to be a partner on your journey. Happy (almost) spring!—Embie
Reader, do you have a question for our advice columnist Embie Elsie (aka M-B-L-C)? Please reach her here!
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About us
The Mastery-based Learning Collaborative is a community of Washington State schools that are using youth-centered, mastery/competency-based, culturally responsive-sustaining practices and approaches. Our program is an initiative of Washington State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Professional Educator Standards Board.
Contact
Mastery Based Learning Collaborative
State Board of Education
Olympia, Washington
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