Square Pegs In Square Holes (FINALLY!)

The 2013-2014 school year should be a dream come true for me. For the first time in my career, I will be given the freedom, and even the requirement, to actually teach students where they are in their academic development.

I know this seems a bit odd. I mean why wouldn't teachers meet kids where they are and move them forward? Well, unfortunately, teachers have been restrained from doing just that by a system that requires 7th and 8th grade students (grouped by date of birth) to master a set of academic standards that represent what every 7th and 8th grade student would ideally know and be able to do. The problem? In the real world, where human beings develop and learn at different and irregular rates, not every student is ready for 7th and 8th grade content simply because they have been alive for 12-14 years. At the other end of the developmental continuum, there are students who are ready for content far beyond the required 7th and 8th grade standards. For my entire career, I have been required to force these two types of square pegs into the round hole of grade level standards.

However, that is about to change in a big way!

Next fall, for the first time, I will be officially allowed, even encouraged, to meet students where they are in their academic development. The district approved curriculum of the Maine Cohort for Customized Learning requires that students work through the Levels of Learning Targets within Measurement Topics rather than dictating that all students will work on their designated grade level Learning Targets. This means that I will no longer be spending my time helping students survive the grade level standards, adapting the content of those standards in ways that call their rigor into question. Instead, I will be able to teach A to kids who need to learn A, B to kids who need to learn B, and C to students who need to learn C, and so on. This has been a long time coming!

This is a huge shift, and I can't wait! Actually, I'm not waiting as my planning for next year is well underway. Needless to say, with 40+ students headed my way from all over the developmental map, there's going to be a ton of frontloading on my end. The good news is that the customization tools, strategies, and resources that I have been developing and acquiring over the past few years should make the daunting task of implementing greater levels of classroom customization viable.

At long last, I get to do what I've known was right all along. I'm thrilled and eager to see each student dive into content that is specifically designed for him/her!