Five Things That Changed At My School When We Adopted A Competency-Based Model
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
This ancient Chinese proverb sums up my view on why just three years ago it was time for my school, Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, NH, to stop “talking” about making the change to a competency-based grading and reporting model and why it was time to start “doing it.” With a leap of faith in support of the latest educational research from authors Colby, Marzano, O’Connor, Reeves, Stiggins, and Wormeli, our school community “jumped into the deep end of the pool” of high school redesign. Looking back on this now, I firmly believe it was the best thing we could have done. While we haven’t solved all of our issues yet, I think we are well on our way toward realizing our vision of “learning for all, whatever it takes.”As you might expect, our leap of faith into the deep end of the pool didn’t happen without some advanced strategic planning and groundwork. In the years leading up to our jump, teachers in my school spent a great deal of time developing common course-based competencies and making sure they were aligned to the New
Purposeful leadership demands civility
“With malice toward none, with charity for all” are the sentiments President Abraham Lincoln shared in his second inaugural address.Lincoln’s leadership, steadfast in his beliefs while compassionate in his approach, reunited a country ravaged by civil war. Lincoln’s desire “to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle” is apropos to today’s cultural environment.
I feel it is essential to model and display kindness, humility, and patience as Lincoln said, “…with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right.” Some in our society today have chosen vitriolic attacks on those who do not share their particular views. Social media and electronic communications tools have provided the opportunity to use venomous pros and caustic attacks when disagreements surface. Passionate attacks have replaced civil discussions, acceptance of differing opinions is met with personal
I feel it is essential to model and display kindness, humility, and patience as Lincoln said, “…with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right.” Some in our society today have chosen vitriolic attacks on those who do not share their particular views. Social media and electronic communications tools have provided the opportunity to use venomous pros and caustic attacks when disagreements surface. Passionate attacks have replaced civil discussions, acceptance of differing opinions is met with personal 
