Competition for Students Should Make Public Schools Better

One Size Does Not Fit All  

We know these simple facts: children do not learn at the same speed or in the same way, and individuals do not learn every subject with the same speed and ease. Some children learn to read quickly and some learn mathematical skills quickly.  Some children quickly master music, some are natural athletes, and some children are artists. Most children naturally apply the scientific method to everyday challenges, which is to develop a theory and try it out to see if it works. But they do not know what the scientific method is when asked.  Most children easily learn in more than one subject, but some children struggle in seemingly every subject.  Since we know these simple facts, why do our schools continue to hold students back or push them ahead regardless of individual student strengths or needs?  This locked-in approach has been failing for many years and it is well beyond the time to change our systems.  We have to go all-in and completely redesign our K-12 school systems from pre-kindergarten through college associate degrees in order to end our failures and become competitive.

Competency-Based Learning and Promotion (CBLP) is the change we need. Our Children Are Worth the Work! 

Switching up the system and providing CBLP opportunities for all students is well worth the trouble. With such personalized learning opportunities, students will move on to the next group of standards in each subject when they understand and demonstrate mastery in their current set of standards. No more just marking time once they get it. Each course will have a clear sequence of measurable learning objectives to be met in order to master the required learning standards and move on. Students will know exactly what they’re supposed to learn and how to demonstrate that they have learned it. Then students will move to the next learning level as soon as they demonstrate their learning at the current level. No waiting around for the calendar school year to end. No being pushed to the next level (social promotion) without mastering current learning levels.

Level Up!

Consider this: our students will immediately grasp this concept if they have ever played a video game where they level up.  Think about the concentration and focus they demonstrate while analyzing and problem-solving to get to the top level in their video game of choice. As a player in the video game, they start with nothing except an empty bag to begin their quest. They explore the game, learning how to use the tools they find and the skills they learn to help them meet increasingly difficult challenges and level up at their own pace. This is CBLP!

What If Students Finish Too Fast?

One concern parents may have is that their child will finish leveling up at too young of an age to be finished with high school. Understandable, but why not allow them to move right on to college level classes for credit or even associate degrees, or  technology and trade school certification in the same school building? They will still be around their friends and appropriately aged peers. Many school districts already offer concurrent enrollment with colleges or universities and in some places, students can actually graduate from high school with an associate degree. 

Taxpayer dollars pay for public education for students through age eighteen. Many students already arrive at their senior year of high school needing to take only one or two classes.  Some of them add extra electives like band, orchestra, or choir, and some students leave campus after their two classes and get a job.  Some students are probably leaving campus after their two classes and goofing off for the rest of the day with their friends. Since taxpayer dollars are already budgeted and allocated for these students to remain in classes on a regular school campus for the whole day, why not use these funds to pay for students to earn college credits or technology and trade certifications before they leave high school? Students, along with their parents, should be able to choose whether to stay in public school and take advantage of these options or to move on. 

What About Special Needs Children?

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students who are found eligible may continue to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the special education services that come with it until high school graduation or a maximum age of 22.  CBLP will help ensure that special needs children have more opportunity to learn at their own pace. Additionally, several programs and services exist to help students with special needs make the change from student to independence. 

Life Preparatory Courses, Music, Clubs, and Sports

Well rounded, competitive schools will provide all of our children with more educational preparation for life after school including courses in economics, government systems, career choices, budgeting, banking, cooking, sewing, and living on your own. Many of these courses have disappeared but were once commonplace in schools. 

To create competitive schools with the best learning options, we could and should reinstate or add these life preparatory classes to our middle and high school elective curriculum while we’re switching to CBPL. When students are learning how to thrive as they grow up, they don’t say, “I’ll never need to know this.” Instead, they say, “I’m so glad I’m learning this!” 

What about music, athletics, art and all of the other wonderful activities that schools provide? Music teachers and sports coaches already move students up to the next level when they are ready and have demonstrated competency at the current level! Sports, clubs, band, choir, orchestra, art, and other student activities are critical to the success of schools. Students need to find their place to belong, make friends, and safely develop social skills.  Many children go to school because of that one part of the day that they love. Do they love it partly because they are allowed to progress at their own pace? Music, theater, art, robotics, athletic programs and numerous other activities and clubs provide multiple benefits for schools and students, and even the local community. Our children need these opportunities along with academics.

Sports Eligibility

Athletes may sometimes keep their grades up just so they are eligible to participate in sports. With students leveling up faster under a CBLP system, eligibility for sports should not be changed regarding the number of years a student may participate, and grades along with behavior should still count towards eligibility. A student may finish up all of the high school coursework and still have two years of eligibility to play high school soccer. With college courses or trade school certification courses available, the student will be able to continue with sports as well as begin earning credits in higher education.  Colleges allow graduate students working on masters degrees to play sports as long as they have eligibility. High schools can easily do the same. 

Students and parents should have choices in this situation, once the student has completed the required coursework for a high school diploma. In many states, regular comprehensive high schools are already offering concurrent enrollment in college courses. The idea of high schools offering free taxpayer funded college classes or trade school courses is catching on. One of my granddaughters graduated from Nevada State High School, a charter school in Henderson, Nevada, with her associate’s degree and went on to college with two years of general education courses already completed. 

The Change Will Be Worth It!

An almost entirely new public education system won’t be an easy change, but it will be worth it. According to an article from the Harvard Business Review written by Erika Anderson:  When an organizational change is first proposed, most people immediately want to know three things: what does this change mean to me, why is it happening, and what will it look like when the change has been made? People only begin to be open to accepting, embracing, and making this change when their mindset starts to shift from “this change is going to be difficult, costly, and weird” to “this change could be easy, rewarding, and normal.”

The answer to the first question, “what does this change mean to me?” will be different for each person depending upon their own unique set of circumstances, be that parent, student, teacher, school principal, district and state level education administrators, or members of the general public. I believe that all of these people are ready and wanting to fix our failing schools. Here it is: CBLP is a concrete solution and a positive change. 

The answer to the second question, “why is it happening?” is simple but critical: Our current public school system is failing our children and something has to change.

The 3rd question, “what will it look like when the change has been made?” has been discussed in a general manner, but keep in mind that public education systems operate on a state by state basis, and could decide upon different approaches. Consider the possibilities! 

What will not change? Consider what the impact of changing from our current system to CBLP will have on our educational priorities for our children. Some commonly understood goals of our American public school system include the following:

*Preparing for college and the workforce — students ready to contribute to society.

*Providing universal access to education — equal education is provided to all children of eligible age.

*Helping children fulfill their potential — society will advance and grow. 

*Producing well-rounded individuals — provides a general base of knowledge for all.

*Fostering democracy — an educated population, able to read and consider different viewpoints, and be aware of and engaged in what is happening in their community, country, and the world, creates a strong democracy.

These common goals will not change. In fact, embracing CBLP in schools will strengthen and increase the success of these goals. Our educational priorities will not change.  However, our practices and systems could and should change for the better. 

How to Begin?

States and school districts could start with Kindergarten through second grade and then roll CBLP up one level at a time, planning ahead for those students who will move more quickly through the standards. Many resources are already available. 

Parents, lawmakers, and educators must work together, putting aside political differences for the sake of our children and public schools. Making the change will be worth it.