Tilton School Introduces the Mastery Approach
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dec 2019 mastery.org THE BIG WHY: Tilton School Introduces the Mastery Approach chris sturgis, LearningEdge Grades. With one word, Mike Landroche, academic dean of Tilton School, cut to the chase in response to my question, “Why introduce the mastery approach?” “Grades are debilitating,” Landroche said. “They get in the way of learning. We want to stay focused on growth.” The hope at Tilton School is that the mastery approach, often simply referred to as mastery, will open a door that can lead to a better model of education. Landroche explained, “Once we introduced a standards-based approach to our academic courses, we could see that grades weren’t helpful. The pursuit of grades superseded learning. Grades caused trouble all through the school.” Tilton shifted to standards-based instruction and assessment 12 years ago. Specific learning targets based on content standards are consistently used in all academic courses. But with the emphasis on the GPA in athletics, college admissions, and scholarships, traditional grading had remained a constant. Landroche shared his hope, “If the mastery approach and the Mastery Transcript catch on, they will validate non-graded approaches. Then we can focus on what is important: learning and growth.” 1 Member School Journeys • Mastery Transcript Consortium Escaping from the debilitating effects of need to create a model of education that can grades isn’t the only reason Tilton School is offer both excellence and equity. embracing what they refer to as the ‘mastery The important thing to remember in reading approach.’ Another reason is that traditional this series on Tilton School is that their academic courses emphasize content even mastery approach is in the early stages though there is high agreement that skills are of implementation. As Parker repeatedly equally or even more important in success reminded me, “Mastery is not in the students’ beyond high school. Tilton’s commitment is to vernacular…yet. Over time, faculty will be fully develop and prepare students for success. talking about it more frequently and the And that means they need to find ways to help ideas will start to be absorbed. It will all students master the wide range of essential make more sense when they start having skills necessary for adulthood. actual experiences.” In fact, Parker doesn’t expect students to be fully understanding and Shannon Parker, director of innovation embracing the mastery approach until the and teaching, added a third reason for the snow starts to melt. Six months to introduce a mastery approach. “The traditional school set of educational experiences? Most schools I isn’t working for anyone. The middle kids are visit, all of them publicly-funded, have long and getting lost. The overzealous students are detailed implementation plans, deadlines, and driving themselves hard within a very narrow formal strategies to introduce new practices. framework without developing their full Tilton was letting the idea of mastery sink in, potential. And we know that traditional models be absorbed, make sense experientially. don’t work for students who are struggling This was my first visit to an independent academically. We want to develop a model of school, and I could tell I would have to check education that will work for everyone.” This is a some of my assumptions about how change common theme in conversations with schools happens in schools. moving to some form of mastery learning: the 1 Member School Journeys • Mastery Transcript Consortium The Mastery Approach Tilton Style Tucked away a block from Main Street in Tilton, New Hampshire, Tilton School serves approximately 250 students, of whom 75% live on campus during the school year. As I entered the circular driveway and parked under a tree that was starting to dance with the early golds and reds of a New Hampshire fall, students were rushing, running, and sprinting to the first class of the day. With most kids in shorts and some in sandals, clothing entirely ill-suited for the chilly autumn wind, I was reminded that Tilton, an independent, residential school, had the responsibility and 24/7 opportunity for guiding students into adulthood. Including appropriate clothing. Shannon Parker, director of innovation and teaching, was hired to guide Tilton School to the next stage of development of its program. She has had a wide variety of opportunities in her life and knows learning isn’t a straight line. It’s clear she is leveraging all of her experiences and degrees to create and, when needed, encourage change at Tilton. Tilton isn’t transforming their school to a standards-based approach as they have been practitioners of this for over a decade, but they are seeing their mastery approach as adding another layer to a robust learning model. It’s important to understand this foundation to academics and adolescent development in understanding why and what the mastery approach is at Tilton. 2 Member School Journeys • Mastery Transcript Consortium The Foundation: Tilton School Learning Model A Culture of Respect and Trust Cycle of Learning: Grade Level Programming The first thing to understand is Tilton’s culture. It is not a competitive one. They don’t rank Tilton School expects their teachers to or compare students. Parker explained, “Our tap into their own creativity, interests, and kids do not think there is a finite amount of backgrounds when shaping the learning success. They do not think that their success experiences for students. However, they all comes at the cost of someone’s else’s turn to Understanding by Design to make sure failure. If I get recognized for Most Valuable that the curriculum is taking into account the Player, it doesn’t mean you can’t get one too. needs of diverse students. Everyone is going to make different types of contributions.” Students who come from Tilton also has an explicit four-part learning schools with highly competitive cultures cycle to help students understand and learn quickly understand that they aren’t going to to manage their own learning process. be able to have an identity based on being Students learn about all four stages of the better than other people. Respect comes from cycle — Forge, Ignite, Dive, and Launch — discovering and developing their potential. while also spending a full year intensively focusing on each of the stages. For example, The second thing is that the nature of being an freshmen spend their year on Forge, looking independent, residential school provides much at the essential questions of Who am I? and more opportunity for trust to develop than in Who do I want to become? Parker explained the overcrowded, underfunded public schools. that freshmen learn to make connections by Every student has an advisory of between asking, “What does this have to do with me?” two to eight students. They keep their eyes on They are coached in developing empathy to what is happening with students emotionally be able to connect more deeply with others. and academically. The student:teacher ratio of They also learn how to validate conversations 6:1 allows for more one-on-one attention and with others. They receive coaching in the opportunity for relationships to be formed. habits of mind and study habits that will help them become independent learners. The With more than 75% of students in the goal is for the cycle of learning to become residential program, adults have many other embedded in how students see and engage in opportunities that are not defined by the the world. (See their website on Grade Level student-teacher relationship to invest in the development of students. Staff coach and do dorm duty. Even day students have rooms in the dorm. Parker explained, “Our job is to build trust. We want our students to understand that these adults care about them unconditionally... and that they can start trusting them. Our job is to love them and give them the discipline they need until they develop their own.” 3 Member School Journeys • Mastery Transcript Consortium Programming to learn about the other three Content Knowledge, Unit-Driven Understanding, stages of the cycle of learning.) Oral and Written Communication Skills, Critical Thinking and Flexibility, and Creative Tilton School’s responsibility for adolescent Engagement and Problem Solving. Habits development, not just academics, permeates of mind grades are traits that contribute their program. They seek to create to success in the classroom: Intellectual personalized programming for students. They Curiosity, Openness and Engagement, Time and want to make sure students are developing Resource Management, Persistence, Resilience a positive self-identity, interests in the world, and Patience, Risk-Taking and Self-Advocacy, and habits that will contribute to wellness. For and Dependability and Punctuality. example, one year is dedicated to engaging students in developing interests. Seven At Tilton, student learning is always in times during that year they have three-hour progress. Gradebooks at Tilton stay open explorations based upon teacher interests. the entire academic year, with final grades Teachers organize some type of experience given at the end of the year with a focus on based upon their own interests or expertise, mode and trend. Students receive plenty of and students sign up for what sounds feedback and opportunities for revision and interesting to them. One teacher brought retries. Teachers monitor progress on meeting students in to paint while listening to music. or exceeding academic standards and the Another teacher organized a writing group. habits of mind. Students can move “not yet” Another taught students how to tape their to meet or exceeds any time of the year. It’s up lacrosse sticks. From gardening and board to teachers to keep track of where students games to playing the guitar, teachers are are in their learning, as at this time there is no sharing their passions.