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You can find more information on the MBLC website or check out our Google Calendar of Events.
Impact Fellows Meeting (note that Fellows have already been selected)
Tuesday, January 13th, 2026
Tuesday, February 10th, 2026
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST
The MBLC Impact Fellows are a group of educators from across the Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative who work to achieve educational equity in schools through leading and facilitating learning in their own schools and districts, and through the facilitation of sharing and learning among MBLC schools.
MBLC Spring Virtual Meeting
Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST
An important forum for our shared learning and collaboration will be our MBLC Virtual Meetings, which will occur once in the fall and once in the spring. Each online meeting will begin with a webinar presentation, which will be followed by opportunities for discussion and connection in breakout rooms with educators from across the MBLC.
Our growing event archive on the MBLC Community Site is a treasure trove of recordings and resources from past events.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
We’re excited to share new Mastery-based Learning Collaborative evaluation reports from FullScale that reveal how our nearly 50 schools in Washington are advancing mastery-based, culturally responsive and sustaining education.
October 7th MBLC Fall Gathering
We had a fantastic Fall Gathering at the SeaTac Conference Center on October 7th! Thank you to all who attended and participated, and HUGE THANKS to our incredible Living Lab Schools (Innovation Heights Academy, Avanti High School, and Edgemont Junior High) and our Impact Fellows for presenting and facilitating rich and impactful conversations!
Check out these photos of our Living Lab presentations!
Avanti High School
 Innovation Heights Academy
 Edgemont Junior High School
Here are some MBLC highlights from our coaches. Enjoy, and let us know your wish list for next time!
Spotlight on Living Lab Schools
Three schools from the MBLC Cohort 1 have been selected to serve as Living Lab schools this year: Avanti High School in Olympia, Edgemont Junior High School in Edgewood, and Innovation Heights Academy in Burien. For this newsletter, we’ve asked them each to share a bit about how their MBLC work has changed their schools, the achievements they are most proud of, and the challenges that they are working on. Here are their responses to our questions:
If you were leading a tour for visitors at your school, what aspect of your CRS MBL work would you MOST want them to notice?
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Avanti High School: We would want folks to notice how we are integrating Culturally Responsive-Sustaining approaches into much of what we are doing in classes and especially our Advisory curriculum. We are currently reading and discussing Tiffany Jewell's "This Book Is Anti Racist" in our Advisory period that happens once a week on Thursdays (40 minutes). The curriculum for the discussions are being co-developed by students and staff in our "Change Making" class, offered each quarter this year.
Outside of the Advisory period, we offer JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) workshops for all students. Our next one happens on December 3rd where all students will attend a 3 hour workshop on masculinity. Students will view the movie, The Mask You Live In, followed by a facilitated conversation with Vincent Perez, director of the Equity Institute.
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Edgemont Junior High School: I would want them to see our PBL work in action, which showcases authentic student learning tied directly to CRS/MBL components. They would also notice our intentional alignment across the building which includes our common belief about learning and how we plan to measure success through the Portrait of an Eagle. Both of these areas are tied directly to CRS/MBL.
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Innovation Heights: We would want visitors to notice how our teachers work in teams to craft project-based learning units, how we use our Competencies in those units, our coteaching approach, our inclusive practices throughout our program, and our unique schedule which prioritizes student wellness, makes space for re-engagement, and supports students in participating in internships and other experiences.
What's the biggest change you have seen in your school over the past few years as a result of your MBLC work?
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Avanti High School: The biggest changes we have made is a much higher degree of collaboration we have among teachers, outside of the most obvious or natural partnerships like complementary disciplines (English and Social Studies for example). Since our work with the MBLC we have had increased collaborations among all teachers. An example of that would be the work they did creating a new 4 pt. grading system that they all now use.
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Edgemont Junior High School: The development of a common language and direction across the school. We have been able to identify our core beliefs about learning, how we plan to organize content and teach key concepts, and measure what is important.
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Innovation Heights: Across our classes we now offer relevant learning related to students' lives, many chances for skill development, and systems designed to help students connect their learning to their future goals.
What is a challenge or puzzle your school will be working on this year?
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Avanti High School: We are implementing a new weekly Advisory system that will serve as a vehicle for a school-wide effort to read and discuss Tiffany Jewell's graphic novel, "This Book Is Anti Racist.” The challenges include the impact of systemic change (a new Advisory schedule everyone has to adapt to) along with launching a school-wide Culturally Responsive-Sustaining teaching effort in the midst of a war on DEI (Nationally).
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Edgemont Junior High School: We are working on a cycle of improvement so that we are constantly reflecting on our classroom practices. We want to make sure that we are implementing the CRS/MBL practices with fidelity. We are also continuing to work and refine our success criteria across disciplines so that we are speaking a common language to students.
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Innovation Heights: Continued sense-making of competency mapping in relation to learning standards. Exploring how our school Competencies connect to the subject -area standards, and refining our scope and sequence which reflects a progression of learning in both subject area standards and competencies.
What's the best thing you have heard from a teacher or student in relation to the MBLC work?
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Avanti High School: Staff have shared that the work we have done together has brought us closer as a staff and provided insights into each other's worlds. Students have shared their appreciation of the CRS components that are offered that were not before, especially providing them a place to have conversations that matter during a weekly advisory and the Change Making Class that provides students with an opportunity to co-develop the curriculum for that Advisory. Neither would exist without our participation in the MBLC collaborative.
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Edgemont Junior High School: From a teacher – “I hate to admit it, but you are right.” Funny conversation with a math teacher who made the effort to give up tight control over the classroom organization in order to create a more student centered classroom setting. The fear was that students would miss critical content. Instead, he realized that there was a lot more learning happening with the intentional changes.
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Innovation Heights Academy: Both students and teachers report that the relevance and meaningful learning within our teaching/learning approach allows students to see the connection to their lives, communities, and future goals. Engagement is higher, and the work students do is much more meaningful.
READ THIS, WATCH THAT!
Washington State EdTech Leads + Modern Classroom Project = More Students Learning in Competency-Based Learning Environments
Did you know that there is an individual in your region dedicated to supporting educators, schools, and districts with educational technology? Each of Washington’s nine Educational Service Districts (ESDs) has an EdTech Lead whose mission is to help expand access to devices and digital services, build capacity in support systems for students and families, and deliver professional learning and technical assistance across AI, cybersecurity, media literacy, procurement and more.
This team has also found a strong connection to mastery based learning through a partnership with the Modern Classrooms Project (MCP). The MCP approach includes three pillars of mastery-based grading, student self-pacing, and blended learning. Starting in 2023, several EdTech leads worked together to recruit classroom educators for MCP’s 5-week summer program, and then provided on-going support as teachers implemented the approach. This cohort recruited new members in 2024 and 2025, and includes classroom visits, coaching, and monthly Zoom sessions.
To learn more about how this team can support you, please reach out to the lead in your region. If you are interested in learning more about MCP, check out their website. If you are interested in joining the support cohort for MCP’s free course, fill out this form.
https://www.waesd.org/network/edtech/
Carnegie Foundation’s 2025 Research and Development agenda
Check out the Carnegie Foundation’s 2025 Research and Development agenda aimed at transforming American high school education to better prepare students for a rapidly changing economy and society.
Read the latest from Getting Smart on local intermediaries!
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