Competency Based Learning: The Latest Edu-Scam?

Updated on 8/20/2017

Apparently, a discussion started on Facebook when Principal of Sanborn NH's High School Brian Stack posted a picture of himself in Washington D.C. with US Senator Hassan (D-NH). Students tried to comment about the problems they are experiencing in that district, but those comments were deleted. (See samples at the end of article)

I can say from experience that teachers hate Competency Based Ed and other federal reforms because they usually advocate recycled, renamed fads. But too often teachers cannot speak publicly because they will be marked as uncooperative.

A colleague who researches educational issues, wrote about it here: http://www.girardatlarge.com/2...

What is the law regarding federal programs and mandates when it comes to education? It's pretty simple — they are not legal under the US Constitution. It is against federal law for the U.S. government to either create, fund, or mandate a national curriculum of any kind. Local school boards could therefore just say NO to Common Core, for example. No school should obey mandates especially if they see them as promoting harmful fads and failed methods, regardless of federal funds received.

Lately I have noticed local teachers setting up campaigns on donation websites in order to raise money for classrooms supplies. As a teacher I would spend between $400-$600 of my own money each September to set up my classroom. Seems to me that if the school system wants certain materials to be used, especially those required for the numerous federal programs and fads that have been recycled into the mix over the past 35 years, they should provide these items for the teachers.

One method that is being promoted is "Project Based Learning". It would take far too long for me to outline the problems with PBL here, except to say that it is costly, time consuming, chaotic, and leaves the teacher with little means to assess and grade students individually and properly. My (late) Dad, a super-teacher himself, and well respected by both administration and students, used to refer to these kinds of programs as "junk learning".

The school district hires expensive consultants to manage and oversee the teachers to make sure they implement the programs. My personal experience has been that once under the spell of these "consultants", schools sometimes go so far as outlawing the academic freedom to teach, making decrees against conventional methods such as correcting spelling, teaching handwriting, teaching the structure of composition, shunning practical pencil-and-paper exercises and assigning of basic homework, etc. Teachers are monitored and those who dare use tried-and-true methods that actually work for them, as oppose to those prescribed by the latest trend, are often punished. Teachers, and surprisingly their unions, have little to say about what methods are approved for the classrooms despite the requirement that teachers attend endless meetings and workshops for "re-training". Teachers should be free to try and use what works for them, not what someone in an office in DC has conjured up in their minds, bureaucrats who have likely never set foot in a classroom. Teacher "input" is meaningless when no one listens.

Teachers should not be forced to spend out-of-pocket while highly paid consultants run around preaching and enforcing educational dogma that hasn't even necessarily proven to be successful.

But worse yet, no person working for the school district should personally be making money from pushing something that has become a federal mandate.

Case in point, "Competency Based Ed" and "Personalized Learning" is now a product to sell, despite being recognized as old outdated fads, used before and abandoned, having been repackaged with new names.

This brings us back to Sanborn's Principal, Brian Stack. Stack wrote a book to sell, and works with consultants who "sell", CBE in New Hampshire.

Stack co-authored the book with Jonathan VanderEls who is the Executive Director of New Hampshire Learning Initiative. He also has a financial interest in Competency Based Education. Their mission is: "to accelerate innovation in K-12 education to move schools forward in helping our students become competent and confident adults, able to pursue the futures they seek in college, career, and beyond." And meanwhile, Sanborn is censoring students and teachers who are trying to say, it's not working.

Who is serving on the Board of Directors for New Hampshire Learning? Some of the same people who've ignored parents across New Hampshire who have made it clear that they do not want Common Core:

Bill Duncan (State Board of Education)

New Hampshire Learning Initiative, Inc., which supports New Hampshire’s comprehensive system of assessment for learning and accountability is granting $700,000 to NH Board of Education member Bill Duncan. Duncan, the "grantee," is receiving $700,000 to promote Competency Based Education. How is a state board member able to be open-minded and fair when voting on this new grading system after receiving $700,000 to PROMOTE Competency Based Education?

Virginia Barry (Former Commissioner of Education)

Dr. Marc Joyce (Former Lobbyist for the Superintendents Assoc.)

This consultancy business is one of the ways people are taking advantage of the system at the expense of our students who, in the process, fail to get the solid academic foundation they need to succeed.

Quotes:

"...they (Sanborn) do all these meetings and what not and make a huge deal about said meetings but nothing changes in that school"

"They don't prep kids for college what so ever. If I had went to college after I graduated, I'd have been screwed...policies that make it so you cannot fail even if you try".

"... the reply letter to my transcript from Missouri saying "We don't understand your transcript or grading system".

"It's true, which is why so many (teachers) left, it's crazy."

"I swear to god nothing was taught correctly at that school and the poor teachers were just forced to go with it."

"... it was a nightmare that completely discouraged hard work because of their 'everyone gets a medal' mindset." (a transferred student)

"As for the average teenager.. they are suffering. And it's not fair."

"They didn't hold people to the same expectations."

"ONLY 28%of 11th graders at SRHS are proficient in math!"