The vast majority of US schools arrange students by chronological age: children usually start kindergarten by age 5 or 6 and remain with their age-mates until grade 12. “Most schools use age-based grade levels because of historical legacy. In the mid-1800s (before we knew a whole lot about human development, learning, and the brain) European thinkers assumed that separating children by age would be the most efficient way to transfer ‘age-appropriate’ knowledge. “ However, by the end of that century, some educators questioned that practice, maintaining that it “crippled the intellectual and psychological growth of children who learn at different rates. . . As John Dewey put it in 1902, the manner in which the machinery of instruction bears upon the child … really controls the whole system.” And yet, age continues as the prevailing method of grouping students. This traditional student grouping, by necessity, focuses on the students whose abilities are clustered in the middle. Neither the more capable, or less capable students are well served.
The alternative, competency based education, allows students to progress at their own rate. Once they master a concept, they move on to the next, regardless of age. This method, which has been around since the 1960’s, is tailored to meet different learning abilities and can lead to more efficient student outcomes. Mastery-based education can fill the Covid-induced gaps, by placing students regardless of age into groups that specifically target their level of comprehension. Unfortunately, the pace of change is glacial. “As of 2023, each state has at least a pilot program testing mastery-based education, and 17 have ‘advanced’ policies or ‘an active state role’ in building a competency-centered curriculum.
A birth date shouldn’t define anyone. It doesn’t determine how well a child masters schoolwork. “Mastery-based instruction is the best way to target what students need to learn and get students, no matter when their birthday is, back on track. . . . Abolish birthday-based learning!”
