Making the Case: Compelling Data
This growing library features data points describing the impacts and outcomes of student-centered and competency-based teaching and learning. The data are sourced from research studies, evaluation reports and journal articles, as well as evidence collected directly by classroom, school, district and state leaders.
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Public Opinion Supports Mastery-Based Assessment over Standardized Testing
In a nationally representative public opinion study of k-12 education, respondents ranked “students should advance once they have demonstrated mastery of a subject” as their 7th priority, compared to "student success evaluated based on standardized tests" which ranked 49th.
More Ways to Measure Subtle Indicators of Engagement Are Needed
In a survey, teachers ranked asking meaningful questions and contributing to discussions as the most important indicators of student engagement. Less visible indicators such as persisting through challenges, reflecting silently or exploring ideas independently were ranked low, showing a need for more ways to measure these types of engagement.
Mastery-based Approach Leads to More Authentic Learning and Assessment in WA
In a survey of 47 schools in year three of the Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative in Washington, just under half of educators and two thirds of leaders agreed learning and assessment had become more engaging, authentic and culturally responsive due to the shift toward mastery-based learning and culturally relevant and sustaining education.
Charters Using Performance Assessments See Greater Student Growth
Students attending Envision Schools, a network of California charter schools committed to performance assessment, college readiness and project-based learning, gained the equivalent of 66 additional days of learning in reading and 20 days of learning in math, compared to a matched group of students at traditional public schools.
California Charters Decrease Disparities in Academic Growth
A study of charter schools identified Envision Schools, a network of three CA schools committed to performance assessment, as “busting the gap.” Average student achievement exceeds state averages overall. Black, Hispanic, English language learners and students in poverty show yearly growth the same or stronger than peers at the same school.
Students Report Better Self-Regulate When Teachers Use Formative Assessment
Students in 3rd-12th grades whose teachers participated in formative assessment training reported higher use of self-regulated learning strategies on surveys in 3 Arizona districts. There was also a small but statistically significant association between more frequent use of formative assessment practices and more use of self-regulated learning str
Teachers Not Using Most Impactful Assessment Strategies
Based on a survey study of 3 Arizona districts, the formative assessment practices that were most strongly associated with reported positive self-regulation by students – self-assessment and peer feedback – were among the assessments teachers used least.
Peer and Self-Assessment Boosts Learning
This meta-analysis of 175 independent studies involving 19,383 participants found that self-assessment (SA) and/or peer-assessment (PA) interventions had a significant positive overall effect on academic performance, as measured by grades and test-scores. There was no significant difference in effect between SA and PA.
Educators Report More Use of Formative Assessments
Results of a 2022 national survey of educators showed, though summative assessments increased from 2021, teachers are adopting a more balanced approach to assessment. 81% of surveyed teachers used formative assessments in 2022, a 5% increase from 2021, and 78% used benchmark/interim assessments, a 20% increase.
Project-Based Learning Promises Gains in Social Studies and Science
Looking at 20 studies on project-based learning, researchers found a positive effect on student learning in Social Studies and Science, and to a smaller degree, math and literacy.
Project-Based Learning Increases Knowledge Transference
In a study investigating the student-level impacts of high quality project-based activities 62% of students performed proficient or higher on a performance assessment requiring them to transfer knowledge to a new situation.
Accountability Systems Focused on Growth Promote Academic Performance
Performance in schools with accountability systems that focused on state grade-level proficiency grew 7 percentile points, while those that operated under accountability systems that rewarded student growth (and prioritized individual student needs) grew 38 percentile points.