Relax the time base of instruction: let students progress at their own pace toward mastery benchmarks¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief proposes letting students progress at their own pace toward established benchmarks, so high achievers finish sooner and free resources that can be reallocated to raising the pace of below-average students — "an increase in both effectiveness and efficiency." It specifies four system redesign requirements: detailed benchmark definitions, mastery-based assessments, more individualized instructional plans supported by learning management systems, and universal records of student mastery.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Define in greater detail what the benchmarks cover
• Assessments must become mastery based, centered on explicit demonstrations of content knowledge and advanced cognitive and non-cognitive abilities
• Instructional plans must become more individualized
• Universal records of student mastery are needed that create common maps of knowledge and skills

Constraints¶

• The brief notes this option is not without its challenges and requires significant system redesign

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students across the pace-of-learning distribution

Target Learning Goals¶

• Meeting graduation benchmarks at individually varying rates

Affordances¶

• Pace Of Learning Pol Construct

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Margaret “Macke” Raymond, Ph.D. (2022). The Pace of Recovery after COVID. Center for Research on Education Outcomes, Hoover Institution. https://www.eduref.org/