RUNING HEAD: IRP PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

Independent Research Project: Part 1: Research

Proficiency Based Education
Lora C. Hanley
University of New England

IRP: PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

This research paper will be focused on the shift to proficiency based education
systems across the country. In Maine there has been legislation dictating that
students will receive a standards based diploma. As schools adjust to that mandate I
am interested in the effect it will have on the students. The following are questions I
will consider while conducting this research:

1) Has the implementation of standards-based or standardsreferenced grading system been shown to be better for students
and in line with best practice?
2) What really is the definition of proficient? Is it acceptable that
the definition is different across school districts?
3) Does a self-paced proficiency based education system show
higher student achievement than the traditional Carnegie
system?
4) What is the impact on students habits of work in a standardsbased grading system?
In the University of New England Library website, I selected the
Education subject guide for research articles. I first used the
ERIC/EBSCO database on February 2, 2016 to search proficiency
based education. I came up with two relevant articles, and then
tried the same search topic in the ProQuest database, and turned up
more relevant articles. I also used those same two databases to
search standards-based education. Lastly, I found one article via a
Google search for the Carnegie school system.

IRP: PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

Implementation of a Proficiency-Based Diploma System: Phase IEarly

Experiences in Maine Abstract
Following the passage of No Child Left Behind, there has been increased attention among researchers,
policymakers, and practitioners on the emergence and implementation of standards-basededucation.
Existing literature documents both the promise of standards-based education and the various potential
obstacles to achieving success that teachers, administrators, and policymakers confront. The present study
examines the early implementation process of proficiency-based education standards in the state of
Maine, per Maine law "LD 1422: An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy." Under LD 1422,
all schools are expected to establish a proficiency-based diploma system by 2018. Using a two-phase,
qualitative approach, our findings suggest that benefits include improved student engagement, greater
attention to development of robust interventions systems and more deliberate collective and collaborative
professional work. In addition, practitioners and leaders indicated the need for continued work and resources
to address challenges of implementation, including common working definitions, public support, time for
professional collaboration, development of effective learning management system and addressing the needs
of students at various developmental stages. The following are appended: (1) LD 1422; (2) Case Study
Schools & School Districts; and (3) Implementation Survey. [For "Implementation of a ProficiencyBased Diploma System in Maine: Phase II--District Level Analysis," see ED561263. This study was funded
by the Maine State Legislature, and the University of Maine System.]

Multilevel Linkages between State Standards, Teacher Standards, and

Student Achievement: Testing External versus Internal StandardsBased Education Models Abstract
Drawing on national and state assessment datasets in reading and math, this study tested
"external" versus "internal" standards-based education models. The goal was to understand whether
and how student performance standards work in multilayered school systems under No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (NCLB). Under the "external" model, states' common standards shape teachers'
standards which, in turn, affect student achievement. Under the "internal" model, teacher standards are
insulated from state standards but instead influenced by prior student achievement and background
characteristics in classrooms. The study employed multilevel analysis and instrumental variable analysis
with fixed effects. Findings provided support for the internal as opposed to the external model. The
linkage between state standards and teacher standards was tenuous, whereas the
linkage between teacher standards and student achievement was solid and reciprocal. Further, students'
gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) had direct and/or indirect influences
on teacher standards through achievement gaps. Implications for research and policy were discussed.

Standards-Based Grading and Reporting Will Improve Education

Abstract

IRP: PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

Grading and reporting are foundational elements in nearly every educational system. Grading represents
teachers' evaluations, formative or summative, of students' performance. Reporting is how the results of
those evaluations are communicated to students, parents, or others. Because of their fundamental nature,
educators must ensure that grading and reporting always meet the criteria for validity and reliability. And
because of their primary communication purpose, educators must also ensure that grading and reporting
are meaningful, accurate, and fair.

Proficiency-Based Education Abstract

Proficiency-Based Education is a contemporary instructional model that grew out of the competencybased education movement of the 1980's and 90's. It is based on the premise that TIME is flexible and that
students work at their own pace until they have mastered necessary content and skills. As students
demonstrate proficiency, then move on to more challenging content or higher levels of skill performance.
This model is seen as replacing the old Carnegie Unit plan where students earned high school credits for
"seat time," the amount of time they spent studying specific content, rather than their mastery of it. Widely
supported by business and legislative interests, this model is seen as more efficient, more equitable, and,
ultimately, more economical since it eliminates the need for expensive remedial programs in
higher education settings. (Contains 11 online resources.)

The Proficiency Illusion Abstract

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading
and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its
own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are
various states' expectations for proficiency in reading and mathematics? In other words, is it harder to pass
some states' tests than others? (2) Is there evidence that states' expectations for proficiency have changed
since NCLB's enactment? If so, have they become more or less difficult to meet? In other words, is it getting
easier or harder to pass state tests? (3) How closely are proficiency standards calibrated across grades?
Are the standards for earlier grades equivalent in difficulty to those for later grades (taking into account
obvious grade-linked differences in subject content and children's development)? In other words, is a state's
bar for achievement set straight, sloping, or uneven? This study used data from schools whose pupils
participated both in state testing and in assessment by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) to
estimate proficiency cut scores (the level students need to reach in order to pass the test for NCLB
purposes) for assessments in twenty-six states. Among the findings: (1) State tests vary greatly in their
difficulty; (2) Most state tests have not changed in difficulty in recent years; (3) Improvements in passing
rates on state tests can largely be explained by declines in the difficulty of those tests; (4) Mathematics tests
are consistently more difficult to pass than reading tests; and (5) Eighth-grade tests are consistently and
dramatically more difficult to pass than those in earlier grades (even after taking into account obvious
differences in subject-matter complexity and children's academic development). As a result, students may be
performing worse in reading, and worse in elementary school, than is readily apparent by looking at passing
rates on state tests. The report presents both national and state findings. The following are appended: (1)
Methodology; (2) Summary of Concurrent Validity Studies; (3) Tables A3.1-mathematics and A3.2-reading
summarize key information about each of the state alignment studies, showing the year and school term in
which the study was conducted, the grades evaluated, and the average number of students in each grade
included; (4) Estimated State-Test Proficiency Cut Scores in Reading using MAP (in Percentile Ranks); (5)

IRP: PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

Estimated State-Test Proficiency Cut Scores in Mathematics using MAP (in Percentile Ranks); (6) Changes
in Proficiency Cut Score Estimates and Reported Proficiency Rates on State Assessments--Reading; (7)
Changes in Proficiency Cut Score Estimates and Reported Proficiency Rates on State Assessments-Mathematics; and (8) How Consistent Are the Results from This Study and the NCES Mapping 2005
State ProficiencyStandards Study? [A foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli is also
included. This report represents a collaboration of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Northwest
Evaluation Association.]

IRP: PART 1: PROFICIENCY BASED EDUCATION

References
Cronin, J., Dahlin, M., Adkins, D., Kingsbury, G. G., & Northwest
Evaluation Association, O. (2007). The Proficiency
Illusion. Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Johnston, H., & Education Partnerships, I. (. (2011). Proficiency-Based
Education. Research Brief. Education Partnerships, Inc.
Lee, J., Liu, X., Amo, L. C., & Wang, W. L. (2014). Multilevel Linkages
between State Standards, Teacher Standards, and Student
Achievement: Testing External versus Internal Standards-Based
Education Models. Educational Policy, 28(6), 780-811.
Muoz, M. A., & Guskey, T. R. (2015). Standards-Based Grading and
Reporting Will Improve Education. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(7), 6468.
Stump, E. K., Silvernail, D. L., & University of Southern Maine, C. E.
(2014). Implementation of a Proficiency-Based Diploma System:
Phase I--Early Experiences in Maine. Center For Education Policy,
Applied Research, And Evaluation.