Giving Compass' Take:

• Some school districts are eliminating grade levels in schools,  meaning that students are working on goals for achievement at their own pace with the help of teachers and advisors who offer seminar sessions and personalized learning online. 

• Some of the challenges of this model is that it is difficult to make comparisons since it is a fairly new concept, and schools are building their own unique framework instead of testing it against something other models. These challenges emphasize the barriers to creating new pilot programs and innovation in education. 

• Read about the five ideas for the future of education. 

The small Northern Cass School District located near Fargo, N.D., is in the second year of a three-year transition plan to fully embrace competency-based education by eliminating grade levels for students in traditional grades 8 and above and instead working with students through progressions of competencies until they reach their goal, according to the Hechinger Report.

The advisors and other teachers provide “seminars” on topics to supplement personalized on-line instruction and offer support to struggling students. Students are with same-age peers only for activities such as gym class, field trips and state-mandated testing.

The notion of abolishing grade levels may seem strange in an educational framework that has been centered on the concept for many years. However, the idea of studying at different levels based on goals rather than age works well with adults and in college settings where students expect to follow their own path to achieve specific goals in life.

Other school districts have also tried this approach. And while early results have not indicated much improvement in testing in early phases, improvement in discipline does seem to be a common theme. There are advantages to the idea because students all learn at different rates and are stronger in some subjects than in others.

However, there are other challenges to the approach of abolishing grades. Abandoning grade levels makes comparisons more difficult. And since the idea is fairly new, there are not as many educational supports in place, and schools often need to do a lot of investigation to develop their own framework. Without a lot of research yet, testing itself may change as the idea of competency-based learning gains momentum.

Read the full article about abolishing grade levels by Amelia Harper at Education Dive