The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) released a sweeping proposal last month to transform the state’s education system to better “place the ‘learner’ at the center of all strategy and action.” CAPSS identifies a set of complex problems, such as international and racial achievement gaps, low levels of student engagement and motivation, limited measures of assessment and accountability, inadequate teacher preparation, and the impact of disruptive innovations.
The proposal goes on to assert that the “only way to work on these problems is to redesign. The public school system must change.” CAPSS juxtaposes current and transformative practices to illustrate the types of changes needed. For example, a traditional educational goal is universal access to public education. On the other hand, a transformative goal would be to educate all students with high standards. Age-based grouping is another traditional practice, while a transformative practice would be to group students based on learning and progress. To move from traditional to transformative, CAPSS’ recommendations are:
1. Raise the Bar—Establish globally competitive, internationally benchmarked standards in all curricular areas.
2. Make it Personal—Personalize learning to give all students the opportunity to learn at high levels.
3. Start with Early Childhood—Make quality early childhood experiences available to all 3 and 4 year olds in order to get all children ready to learn as they enter kindergarten.
4. Retool Assessments and Accountability—De-emphasize standardized tests and create new methods of assessments to give students choices for how and when they demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
5. Offer More Options and Choices—Increase diversity, flexibility and autonomy in school districts to maximize resources and better address the needs and interests of all students.
6. Reform Leadership—Realign Connecticut’s education system for success by making authority and responsibility equal.
7. Boost Quality—Attract, develop, support and retain teachers and principals of the highest quality.
8. Involve Students and Parents—Engage parents, caregivers and community organizations as partners in a child’s education.
9. Leverage Technology—Use technology to transform teaching and learning.
10. Continue Transformation—Ensure that transformation is a continuous process, not a one-time event.
To read the full proposal, please visit http://www.ctnexted.org/reports
