Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements

Big Picture South Burlington is on of a few schools in state that uses Proficiency-based Graduation Requirements (PBGRs). You can view our own PBGR Transcript here.

In order for our community to grow and prosper, we need schools that graduate students with skills that will enable them to succeed in this rapidly changing world.  Too many youth are getting by in school without acquiring the skills they need for college, careers, and citizenship.  Our answer to this is graduating through a proficiency-based system. We set the standards high, and all students will show they can meet those standards, though the time and path may vary.  For example, there are many different ways to learn how to cook a good meal, whether that be working with a master chef, reading cookbooks, experimenting with food in your own kitchen, or having an internship in a restaurant.  All those paths can lead to a delicious dinner, even though each chef had a different method of training that worked best for her, but everyone met that high standard we expect for a scrumptious meal.  Setting proficiencies for graduation is like setting the standard for a good meal; students really need to show they have the skills to get credit.

At Big Picture South Burlington we us Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements to determine if students are ready to graduate based on their ability to demonstrate what they know, what they understand, and what they are able to do.

Many schools are implementing PBGRs as an option for students, and some are planning a transition to all students graduating by means of proficiencies instead of “Carnegie Units,” which simply measures the amount of “seat time” a student has spent in a class. (Typically, a 45-minute class that meets 5 times a week for 36-40 weeks each year, for a total of 120 hours, will earn a student one credit towards high school graduation.) This system of measuring student work dates back to 1906, when industrialist Andrew Carnegie invented the system in order to standardize teaching in the US.

In 1993, Ernest L. Boyer, the president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, said the following, however, about the Carnegie Unit: “I am convinced the time has come to bury, once and for all, the old Carnegie Unit. Further, since the Foundation I now head created this academic measurement nearly a century ago, I feel authorized… to officially declare [it] obsolete… I find it disturbing that students can complete the required courses, receive a high school diploma, and still fail to gain a more coherent view of knowledge and a more integrated, more authentic view of life.” 

Boyer’s strong opinion on the matter hasn’t swayed many schools or educators to make sweeping changes in the way we track progress toward graduation. Most likely, it is because this is a system deeply entrenched in the minds of students, parents, teachers, and the whole community. If we don’t give credit hours and letter grades, what else are we to do? A proficiency-based diploma is one option option.

What is a Proficiency-based Diploma? (Excerpted from New England Secondary Schools Consortium “I Want to Know More”)

Simply put, a proficiency-based diploma is a graduation decision based on students demonstrating what they have learned. In practice, it means that every student must show—by writing a paper, delivering a presentation, or completing a challenging project, for example—that they have acquired a minimum level of  proficiency and competence when it comes to mastering the essential knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college, work, and life.

For more than a century, American high school students have earned “credits” for passing courses. When they accumulate enough credits, they receive a diploma. The problem with this approach is that credits do not always equal competency. Every year, students across the country graduate knowing calculus, while others struggle with basic arithmetic. Some leave with strong writing and research skills, while others are only  minimally literate. Clearly, a high school diploma means very different things for different students.

You can view our own PBGR Transcript here.

Continue to the subpages to learn more about how Big Picture South Burlington developed these graduation requirements and for more resources and background information on proficiency-based graduation around the country: