How the coronavirus could change the way Kansas students are taught for decades

When Kansas K-12 students head back to school in the fall, they may face an altered academic landscape as educators prepare districts for the possibility that the coronavirus will make in-person class time impossible for weeks on end.

But a draft of statewide reopening guidance to schools, obtained by The Star, shows that educators preparing districts to navigate the pandemic see their work as an opportunity to advance changes that will affect how students are taught for decades.

The document — under development by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) — gives districts the framework to adopt a competency-based approach, which has made inroads in some districts nationwide over the past decade.

Under this model, teachers are less focused on class time and students move at their own pace, only progressing after they’ve mastered sets of “competencies.” Students may still get letter grades, but their performance is measured in different ways.

“This work has the potential to change the way we meet students’ needs for the next 30 years and beyond by allowing students to demonstrate mastery of their learning in a variety of ways,” the executive summary says.

The competency model is receiving increased attention as the pandemic forces teachers to rethink how they provide instruction.

Grade-level classrooms, where a group of students are taught at the same time by a single teacher, have long been the near-universal method of instruction in America. This fall, teachers will head back to class uncertain whether that approach can hold up for an entire school year. Cases of the virus could shutter classes or entire school buildings at a moment’s notice.

After Gov. Laura Kelly canceled in-person schooling in March, KSDE scrambled to assemble a stopgap plan for instruction from afar for the remainder of the school year. In turning to a competency model, the agency is now attempting to help districts plan for a future where the coronavirus threat — or the public health emergency of the future — lasts months or years.

Joan Brewer, dean of the Teachers College at Emporia State University, said the transition to remote learning “magnified inequalities in our school system.” Some students could not engage in classes because they were working during school hours to support their families. Some older students cared for their younger siblings while their parents worked. Many families did not have the technology or reliable Wi-Fi to even access classes.

Some educators hope that out of the pandemic, a new model for education will arise — one that is more transparent, that addresses the deep inequities in schools and that meets students where they are.

“We will likely see a greater degree of flexibility and empathy in our instructional practices,” Brewer said.

Amy Hillman, a teacher at Santa Fe Trail Middle School in Olathe, described the current crisis as a way to rethink education and how to reach students who were “maybe unreachable within the brick-and-mortar buildings.”

“It’s almost like a reimagined way to learn,” Hillman said. “It’s the perfect time for students to be heard and find their voice. Can you imagine the impact we could have on education in the matter of a few years?”

Go at your own pace

In a competency approach, less emphasis is placed on the amount of time a student receives instruction. Success is measured by the ability of students to demonstrate “competency” in performing various actions.

For example, a successful pre-K through second grade student can “recognize characteristics of caring relationships and hurtful relationships and identify trusting adults” and “identify personal strengths and weaknesses.”

“Competency based education is more than just an initiative. It really is a full systems change,” said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the Virginia-based Aurora Institute, which promotes competency-based education.

Patrick estimated that about 8 percent of districts nationally are shifting toward competency-based models.

Some Kansas districts are already dabbling in competency-based education as part of KSDE’s efforts to redesign schooling. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said the pandemic will speed up adoption of competency-based models, though he emphasized the guidance to districts won’t be mandatory.

“Because now everyone’s kind of been forced to take a look at different models to make sure we can keep families and students safe and give options,” Watson said in an interview.

“We like to say we’re trying to personalize the experience for kids and families,” Watson said. “And to do that, you’ve got to start allowing students not only some choice, but to have some control over the pace of that education, too.”

Watson said that in a competency model, students would still likely receive traditional letter grades, such as A, B, C and so on. KSDE’s draft guidance outlines which competencies are considered priorities, which he suggested provides teachers a way to translate competencies into letter grades.

In a traditional classroom, students typically advance to the next grade level once a year and holding a student back a year is an extraordinary decision. But KSDE’s draft guidance groups competencies into grade “bands” designed to give students more freedom to move more quickly or slowly, depending on their pace.

The bands that are listed include pre-K-2nd grade, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 (middle school), and grades 9-12 (high school).

The Star received the draft guidance through an open records request. KSDE provided the document after Watson warned members of the state board of education against distributing the draft publicly because it was constantly changing.

Under Kansas law, agencies must disclose draft documents if they’re identified in a public meeting.

Some educators expect the pandemic to force more schools to move toward a competency model — although some districts are not ready to fully commit to such a system.

“Competency-based learning being developed by KSDE will help guide our plan, but we won’t be shifting to all competency-based learning,” said Brent Yeager, assistant superintendent for Learning Services in the Olathe district.

Still, others expect Kansas schools to start moving in that direction. That could mean offering greater flexibility for each student — allowing them to work at their own pace to master a skill or subject, rather than requiring a certain amount of time sitting in a classroom.

Rick Ginsberg, dean of the School of Education at the University of Kansas, said if done well, “competency-based education has a lot of promise for a lot of people on all ends of the spectrum.”

“There’s no simple answer to this,” Ginsberg said. “Times of crisis open up opportunities for significant change. If we handle it well, it may in the long run, turn out to be something that works to students’ advantage.”