State board and partner schools describe early gains, hurdles of mastery-based learning

A work session of the Washington State House Education Committee on March 13 focused on mastery-based learning, a competency-based approach that lets students advance when they demonstrate mastery of state standards rather than by seat time. Alyssa Muller, director of policy at the State Board of Education, told the committee the state defines mastery as “meeting state standards at a student's grade level and subject area.”

The State Board oversees a mastery-based learning collaborative of 47 schools intended to help buildings implement culturally responsive competency systems, give them dedicated coaching and professional learning, and surface policies that would allow the model to scale. Muller said the program’s independent evaluator, the Aurora Institute, is identifying both promising practices and structural barriers, particularly around reporting and funding.

“Mastery-based learning ensures students fully understand key concepts before moving forward,” Muller said. She told members the collaborative’s goal is to increase student agency and deeper learning by making standards and success indicators more transparent to students, families and teachers.

District and school leaders described how…