Both the House and Senate Education Committees took a break from reviewing rules on Wednesday to learn more about mastery-based/competency-based education.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra invited several staff members from the Council of Chief State School Officers to provide an overview of what mastery-based education is, share more about what is happening across the nation, and to discuss how Idaho can best introduce mastery-based instruction in Idaho classrooms. For a more detailed report on the presentation, check out this story posted on the Idaho Ed News website.
Lawmakers had many questions about the mastery-based education system, which is less focused on covering content and is instead focused on mastering content and concepts.
The 2013 Governor’s Task Force on Education included a recommendation that Idaho shift to a system where students advance based upon content mastery rather than on seat time requirements and that mastery be measured against high academic standards.
Supt. Ybarra is requesting $1.2 million to fund and study mastery-based pilots across the state. She will have an opportunity to share her vision regarding mastery-based education when she addresses the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Thursday, January 28th.
