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Please direct all questions to:
- Alissa Muller, Director of Policy
- Seema Bahl, Associate Director of the Mastery-based Learning Collaborative
Mastery-based Learning (MBL) is an instructional approach designed to help students learn deeply and effectively. It is sometimes referred to as “competency-based education.” Learning environments using MBL have these in common:
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Students advance upon demonstrated mastery of content;
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Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;
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Assessments are meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;
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Students receive rapid, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and
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Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions.
At its core, MBL is personalized learning. MBL honors students’ assets and cultural backgrounds and has been shown to help close opportunity and achievement gaps.
Learn More About Mastery-based Learning
2022 Mastery-based Learning two-page description
(en español)
2021 Mastery-based Learning Report (full version)
2021 Mastery-based Learning Report (summarized graphic report)
Supporting Mastery-based Learning in Washington Schools
In 2021, the state launched the Washington State Mastery-based Learning Collaborative (MBLC), led by the State Board of Education with executive sponsorship from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Professional Educator Standards Board.
The goal of this project is to:
- Highlight best practices for implementing culturally responsive-sustaining Mastery-based Learning.
- Identify, create, and share sample tools and resources for educators using an MBL approach.
- Offer professional learning to in-service educators, including teachers, principals, and counselors.
The project’s overarching goal is to inform future policy by helping decision makers better understand what quality MBL looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary.
At the local level, this project is helping participating schools jump start a longer-term shift to MBL to transform education into a more relevant and equitable learning experience for each and every student.
Right now, 47 schools in 28 districts are part of the collaborative.
MBL Resources
Reports
- MBLC Evaluation Report (Year 3)
- Mastery-based Learning Work Group report (2020) Graphic summary
- 2019 Mastery-based Learning Interim Report
Implementation Resources
- Mastery-based Crediting Handbook 2.0
- Mastery-based Crediting Rule (Procedure for awarding students mastery-based credit) and Model Policies
- Washington’s Public Four-Year Universities and Colleges - Washington High School Mastery Transcript Statement (Council of Presidents - May 2022)
- Profile of a Graduate Presentation
- Examples of MBL in Washington
- Washington Student Achievement Council MBL webinar
- Western Governors University MBL webinar
- Aurora Institute: Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) is a nonprofit organization that originated as advocate for
online learning, that now has a broader mission to support transformative personalized and student-centered learning. - CompetencyWorks Resources: CompetencyWorks is a collaborative initiative lead by iNACOL to support competency-based education.
- See Previous Mastery-based Learning Newsletters
Mastery-based Learning Workgroup
The Legislature passed House Bill 1599 in 2019. This bill established multiple graduation pathway options and tasked the State Board of Education (SBE) with creating a work group to learn more about MBL. During this time, the work group explored barriers to MBL and provided recommendations to state leaders. The work group was extended by Senate Bill 5249, which produced a second set of recommendations and a Washington State Profile of a Graduate on December 10, 2021.
State Board of Education's Convening Role for the Mastery-based Learning Work Group
The State Board of Education shall:
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Provide staff support to the work group;
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Coordinate work group membership to ensure member diversity, including racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, community size, and expertise diversity; and
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Submit an interim report outlining preliminary findings and potential recommendations to the governor and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate by December 1, 2019, and a final report, provided to the same recipients, detailing all findings and recommendations related to the work group’s purpose and tasks by December 1, 2020.
Statutory Charge of the Work Group
The State Board of Education shall convene a work group to inform the governor, the legislature, and the public about barriers to mastery-based learning in Washington state whereby:
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Students advance upon demonstrated mastery of content;
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Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;
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Assessments are meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;
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Students receive rapid, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and
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Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions.
The work group shall examine opportunities to increase student access to relevant and robust mastery-based academic pathways aligned to personal career goals and postsecondary education. The work group shall also review the role of the high school and beyond plan in supporting mastery-based learning. The work group shall consider:
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Improvements in the high school and beyond plan as an essential tool for mastery-based learning;
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Development of mastery-based pathways to the earning of a high school diploma;
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The results of the competency-based pathways previously approved by the state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090 as a learning resource; and
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Expansion of mastery-based credits to meet graduation requirements.
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Work Group Meeting Dates
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Workgroup Membership
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Member Selected By Name of Member Democratic Senator Senate President Lisa Wellman Republican Senator Senate President Ann Rivers Democratic Representative Speaker of the House Sharon Tomiko Santos Republican Representative Speaker of the House Alex Ybarra Student Association of Washington Student Leaders Ashley Lin, Union High School, Camas Student Association of Washington Student Leaders Samiksha Matis EOGOAC Representative Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee (EOGOAC) Frieda Takamura High School Principal Association of Washington State Principals Dr. Kory Kalahar, Principal of WestSide High School, Wenatchee
High School Certificated Teacher Washington Education Association Miguel A. Saldaña, Teacher, Pasco
High School Counselor Washington Education Association Jenny Morgan, Counselor, Olympia District Board Member or Superintendent Washington State School Directors' Association
Washington Association of School Adminstrators
Aurora Flores, Manson School Board, WSSDA President
Krestin Bahr, Superintendent of Peninsula, WASA President
OSPI Representative Superintendent of Public Instruction Rhett Nelson SBE Representative Chair of the State Board of Education Dr. Paul Pitre PESB Representative Professional Educator Standards Board Alexandra Manuel WSAC Representative Washington Student Achievement Council Amelia Moore WACTE Representative Washington Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Dr. Donita Torres, Assistant Professor, Eastern Washington University Online Learning Community Representative Online Learning Advisory Committee of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Ron Mayberry, Director of Career & College Readiness, Bethel School District