Personalized Proficiency Based Learning

In a personalized learning environment, education is tailored to each child's strengths, interests, and needs. By focusing on proficiency, allowing flexible pacing, and incorporating meaningful progress tracking, children can explore topics they enjoy and receive support where needed. Real-world learning connections further enhance their understanding, making education both relevant and engaging. As schools and districts grow in their personalized and proficiency-based model journey, over time, learners experience the following.

• Personalized Learning Experiences: Lessons and activities are co-designed with children to match their strengths, interests, and needs. They can explore topics they enjoy and get support in areas where they need help.
• Focus on Proficiency: Children will only move forward in a learning goal or a subject when they’ve shown they fully understand it. This ensures they’re not left behind or pushed ahead without a firm grasp of the learning.
• Flexible Pace: If children learn quickly, they can move on to new challenges. If they need more time, they can take it without feeling rushed or pressured.
• Meaningful Progress Tracking: Teaching children to track their progress along a learning path and creating opportunities for quality feedback are essential. This helps them understand what they’ve mastered and what they need to work on, ensuring they always know where they stand.
• Real-world Learning: Many lessons are connected to real-life situations, helping children see why what they’re learning matters.

How Personalized and Proficiency-based Learning Helps Your Child:

• Builds confidence by allowing them to succeed at a personalized pace
• Encourages them to take ownership of their learning
• Ensures they truly understand important ideas before moving forward
• Prepares them with skills and knowledge they’ll use in the real world

How is Personalized and Proficiency-based Learning Different?

Take a look at this comparison of a traditional education system vs a personalized, competency-based learning system (proficiency-based and competency-based have the same meaning).

Traditional vs Personalized, Competency-Based Learning

Why Is Personalized and Proficiency-Based Learning Important for Montana Children?

Personalized and proficiency-based learning are transformational approaches that fulfill the goal of developing each child's full educational potential. "Proficiency" refers to a measure of competence demonstrated through application of learning. In a personalized and proficiency-based learning model, student progress is determined by their demonstration of competence, rather than seat time, age, or grade level. This ensures that each child advances based on their individual mastery or proficiency of the subject matter, promoting a more tailored and effective educational experience.

Additional Family Resources

• The Essentials of Personalized, Competency-Based Education
• Illustrating Proficiency-Based Grading Levels
• Competency Education and Personalized Learning
   

As an educator, you may have already started to explore personalized and proficiency-based learning. Many educators find they are already doing many things that contribute to the creation of a learning environment that is conducive to a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Expand on what you already know with these in-depth resources, expert perspectives and practical, classroom-level tools.

What does Personalized and Proficiency-Based Mean for Teachers?

In a personalized and proficiency-based learning environment, teachers play a pivotal role in fostering student success. They move beyond traditional teaching methods to create a dynamic, student-centered classroom where learning is tailored to each student's strengths, needs, and interests. Teachers facilitate learning experiences, help students set and achieve goals, and provide targeted support through small group instruction or one-on-one interactions. They also encourage students to take ownership of their learning, making decisions about how and where they learn. This approach not only enhances academic skills but also empowers students with critical life skills such as decision-making and problem-solving. By building strong relationships and creating a supportive learning culture, teachers ensure that every student progresses based on mastery, ultimately preparing them for future success. 

One Teacher Makes the Case for Personalized Learning
The Role of the Teacher in a Personalized Classroom

Agency

Agency is an essential element of personalized and proficiency-based learning models. 

Learner agency is about having the power combined with choices to take meaningful action and see the results of those decisions  (Wenmoth, Jones, and DiMartino, Agency by Design)

In what ways do learners in your classroom exercise agency?
In what ways do you exercise agency in your role as a teacher?

Learn more about exercising agency here:

• Promoting Student Agency
• Shifting the Thinking to Learners with Authentic Voice and Choice
• Student Voice
• Personalized, Professional Development

Additional Educator Resources

• Illustrating Proficiency-Based Grading Levels
• Educator Competencies for Personalized Learner-Centered Environments
• Changing the Way You Talk About Education Can Transform Your Practice
• Traditional vs Competency-Based Education

Leaders create the conditions for a successful shift to a system or personalized and proficiency-based learning by fostering a shared vision, building capacity and supporting educators in their shift to student-centered practices.

By creating a culture of trust, innovation and continuous learning, leaders can empower educators to:

• Embrace student-centered practices
• Create more personalized and engaging learning experiences for students and educators
• Collaborate and learn from one another
• Experiment with new approaches

Does Everyone Understand the Vision?

A shared vision aligns stakeholders towards a common goal, ensuring that everyone is working together in support of the successful implementation of personalized and proficiency-based learning. This video explores how creating a shared vision is a critical first step.

What Mindset Shifts Do Leaders Need for Sustainable Change?

Embracing a growth mindset and redistributing power can remove barriers to innovation and drive the shift towards personalized and proficiency-based learning. In these resources, discover the leadership skills that are essential for creating a successful, student-centered learning environment:

For Leaders, From Leaders: Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Change
Embracing the Shift: A Journey Toward Personalized Learning

How Are You Using Data to Support Your System Transformation?

This growing library of data points showcases the impacts and outcomes of student-centered and competency-based learning - another way of referring to personalized and proficiency-based learning. Gathered from research studies and real-world evidence from educational leaders, this data provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness of these innovative approaches. 

Make the Case: Compelling Data

Additional Leader Resources

• Finding Your Path: A Navigation Tool for Scaling Personalized, Competency-Based Learning
• Leadership Competencies for Learner-Centered, Personalized Education 
• How Conversations Create Learning Communities
• How Leaders Can Create Real, Lasting Change at the Systems Level
• Portrait of a Graduate and the Promise Behind a Diploma