#33: Mastery Transcripts to Replace Grades?

Scott Looney talks to us about grades

We are thinking outside the box today about the foundational elements of grades and high school transcripts in the US educational system. Scott Looney is the Headmaster at the Hawken School in Cleveland, Ohio, and the founder of the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC). He discusses his attempt to get schools together and on board with a totally different way of assessing what kids do in school and how they achieve. He uses a transcript that has no numbers, but is all about competency-based achievements.

Mastery Transcript Consortium Goal

Scott explains what MTC is all about and how it came to be. The goal is the mastery of real-world problem-solving skills and the development of assessments based on competency and proficiency, all driven by the interests, abilities, and individual strengths of each student. Scott calls the traditional high school transcript model “a broken instrument that’s only grown more corrupt.” Colleges are realizing the inherent flaws in their system and standards of student selection, as evidenced by the quality of students they are enrolling. Scott is facing this problem head-on, and has created a transcript prototype that is opening the eyes of college admissions personnel, and there are now 160 schools in 15 countries that are part of MTC, using this new model. I think you’ll find Scott to be knowledgeable and passionate about this topic of our grading system and the need for change!

Resources:

The Future of Education: Why Hawken has to Lead

www.mastery.org

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