Mastery-based Learning Work Group
Staff Contacts
Resources | Meeting Dates & Materials | Background
The State Board of Education has convened a mastery-based learning work group. This group identifies barriers to mastery-based learning and explores ways to increase student access to relevant and robust mastery-based academic pathways aligned to personal career and postsecondary goals.
This page will host all materials and agendas for the meetings of the mastery-based learning work group established in HB 1599. You can also review further background information, work group membership, or the statutory charge of the work group. 
Resources
- MBL FAQ page
- 2019 Mastery-based Learning Interim Report
- Mastery-Based Learning One Pager
- Mastery-based Crediting Rule (Procedure for awarding students mastery-based credit) and Model Policies
- Competency/Mastery Crediting Guidance
- Washington Student Achievement Council MBL webinar
- Western Governors University MBL webinar
- Competency-Based Crediting Handbook: Summary of current Washington state laws that may influence mastery-based learning.
- 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.
Work Group Meeting Dates*
| Date | Meeting Place | Room Location |
|---|---|---|
| June 20, 2019 | John A. Cherberg Building, State Capitol | Conference Room ABC |
| September 23, 2019 | John L. O'Brien Building, State Capitol | House Hearing Room A |
| November 14, 2019 | Avanti High School, Olympia | Multipurpose Room |
| February 27, 2020 | South Puget Sound Community College - Lacey Campus | Room 188 |
| April 16, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| June 23, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| July 15-16, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| September 29, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| October 22, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| November 19, 2020 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
| April 29, 2021 | Virtual Meeting (Zoom) | N/A |
*Sign up to be notified about upcoming work group meetings by subscribing to "Mastery-based Learning" updates.
April 29, 2021
November 19, 2020 Meeting Materials
October 22, 2020 Meeting Materials
September 29, 2020 Meeting Materials
July 15-16, 2020 Meeting Materials
June 23, 2020 Meeting Materials
April 16, 2020 Meeting Materials
February 27, 2020 Meeting Materials
November 14, 2019 Meeting Materials
September 23, 2019 Meeting Materials
June 20, 2019 Meeting Materials
Background Information, Membership, and Statutory Charge of the Mastery-based Learning Work Group
State Board of Education's Convening Role for the Mastery-based Learning Work Group
The State Board of Education shall:
- Provide staff support to the work group;
- Coordinate work group membership to ensure member diversity, including racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, community size, and expertise diversity; and
- 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.
Workgroup Membership
| 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 | Chris Corry |
| Student | Association of Washington Student Leaders | Ashley Lin, Union High School, Camas |
| Student | Association of Washington Student Leaders | Alexis Mburu, Foster High School, Tukwila |
| 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 Eatonville, WASA President |
| OSPI Representative | Superintendent of Public Instruction | Dr. Kathe Taylor |
| 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 |
| Online Learning Community Representative | Online Learning Advisory Committee of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction | TBD |
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:
- (a) Students advance upon demonstrated mastery of content;
- (b) Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;
- (c) Assessments are meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;
- (d) Students receive rapid, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and
- (e) 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:
- (a) Improvements in the high school and beyond plan as an essential tool for mastery-based learning;
- (b) Development of mastery-based pathways to the earning of a high school diploma;
- (c) 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
- (d) Expansion of mastery-based credits to meet graduation requirements.
