MTC Insights
December 17, 2022
When standardized testing resumed after a two-year hiatus at Compass Community Collaborative School, the scores were higher, much higher than before the pandemic. The school’s Executive Director, Jan Harrison, and her colleagues were not all that surprised with this encouraging data. After only a few years of implementing the school’s mastery-based learning program...
August 9, 2022
Do you remember a learning experience outside of school that made a difference to you? Why did that experience matter? For me, the first thing that comes to mind is actually a person: my brother, Michael Wexler.
May 23, 2022
Though every MTC member school has forged a unique path on its journey to mastery learning, there are common threads that connect their experiences. Clark Street Community School—a charter school in Middleton, Wisconsin, and Oxford Academy—an all-boys boarding school in Westbrook, Connecticut—are at different phases of implementing new learning models.
April 5, 2022
Mastery learning assuaged my doubts about being able to fulfill my potential through school. I was born in Syria and fled to Lebanon when the war started. I arrived in Jordan from Lebanon as a refugee at the age of fifteen, unsure that any of my needs would be met. When I learned of Amala, I admit that I was unsure about their mastery learning approach, especially while still adjusting to my surroundings. A new way of learning in a new environment?
January 25, 2022
“Empowering. Motivating. Authentic. Meaningful…Don’t worry.” These were the closing sentiments of MTC parents in our last talkback of 2021. At 6pm ET on Thursday, December 2, caregivers from Wisconsin to Connecticut and the Bay Area gathered virtually to discuss their students’ journeys to mastery learning, with an eye toward college and workforce success.
October 27, 2021
The intentional collaboration among the systems from K-12 all the way to higher ed and the organizations overseeing them has been instrumental to the widespread adoption and success of PCBL in our state,” says Melanie Heath, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Initiative and Access for the Utah System of Higher Education. “Rather than having to push against the system, schools are being supported at the State level...
August 31, 2021
The Workshop at Andover is a term-long, immersive learning experience for spring term seniors. It represents a significant departure from their previous schooling: they drop all of their classes and instead work with a cohort of students on a series of interdisciplinary projects.
August 28, 2021
The college admissions process has been evolving over the past several years as education professionals seek to bridge the gap between the competency-based learning that schools […]
August 12, 2021
What do Jordan, Missouri and Washington have in common? No, they are not home teams for “His Airness”, a former Washington Wizard. These disparate locales are where our pioneering member schools, the first three spotlighted in this “Member Highlights” series, are located.
August 12, 2021
As a deeply experienced and expert writer–one who is "unconsciously competent"–Coates finds value in slowing down and reflecting on things he might otherwise take for granted. His observation is also an endorsement of reflection and meta-cognition, two principles at the core of PBL and mastery learning.
June 10, 2021
Here's a peek into the minds of member school learners from our 5/19 talkback who had used the Mastery Transcript to further their educational journeys via internship and college admissions.
June 9, 2021
I’ve been thinking about programming and community a lot as I finished my first month as CEO of MTC. For me, that journey involves talking to as many member schools as I can, and while I’m just getting started, it’s clear to me that we can evolve our programming over the coming year to make sure all members get what they need.
June 9, 2021
If assessment should be treated as feedback rather than measurement, the shift from measurement to qualitative feedback must be accompanied by ways to provide feedback in a growth-oriented manner, and communicate the level to which a evidence demonstrates the desired learning goals have been articulated.
May 13, 2021
With the sun setting on our second full college admission cycle–some seismic pandemic shifts tossed in for good measure–the Mastery Transcript has gained even more traction.
April 20, 2021
From mindset-shifting to resilience and everything in between, one on one time with member schools about their respective Journeys to Mastery and the impact of the pandemic has yielded thrilling results.
April 16, 2021
School, Racism, and Hope — Chief Education Officer Patricia Russell reflects on three common themes emerging from MTC member schools in 2021.
March 22, 2021
In this entry, Greg Curtis discusses practical ways of taking deep, summative assessment from theory to reality.
February 16, 2021
A look at the Utah State Board of Education Personalized Competency-Based Learning Initiative
December 28, 2020
Mastery Transcript Consortium Welcomes Tamika Guishard as Director of Communications and Development
Tamika Guishard, MTC's new Director of Communications and Development, brings her rich experience in media and education to amplify the work of the MTC community.
December 14, 2020
As the academic year gets into full swing, there are several key initiatives that MTC is advancing with its network of nearly 300 member schools. In particular, this is the...
November 19, 2020
Conversation with Ayana, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Verdi EcoSchool — the first K-8 urban place and project-based urban farm school in the southeastern United States.
November 3, 2020
Conversation with Edgar Montes, Director of Higher-Education Engagement: “College admissions is too often a very complex and overly transactional process. We sometimes don’t talk about the transformational process that needs to happen during the application and admissions process...”
October 6, 2020
The Mastery Transcript is now real and tested—and there are exciting plans ahead for next-generation tools. Join us to learn more during our public webinar on October 9.
October 1, 2020
On September 24, 2020 student panelists at MTC member schools shared their experiences with mastery learning and how it has prepared them for college, career, and life.