This article was written by Wilder Gluck, a senior in the Journalism class at U-32. At 1:36 on Tuesday, March 8th, 18 students took a math test. This test was a cumulation of math skills learned before Algebra Two:…

This article was written by Wilder Gluck, a senior in the Journalism class at U-32. At 1:36 on Tuesday, March 8th, 18 students took a math test. This test was a cumulation of math skills learned before Algebra Two:…
U-32 students who want to check their progress toward graduation can log on to Infinite Campus, where with a series of only 2 clicks students and parents to see a student’s “posted graduation standard proficiencies.” One-click on the “more” tab…
Note: This piece uses reporting from journalism class by Sage Winner, Anna Knauss, Mary Lorden, Emily Hunt, Cameron Edson, Jasmine Toro, Anna Farber, Maya Elliott, Ella Lyford, and Celia Teachout Part 1 regarding the Class of 2020 can be found…
Senior Jesse Wild rolls out of bed at around 8:30. His first class begins in an hour, and with a TA Zoom call in the afternoon and some homework to complete, his nights are usually free to play games…
Six seniors with their GPA changes. Clockwise from Upper Left: JP McGinley, Jenna Mekkelsen, Gary Arleth, Ella Lyford, Shannon McGinley, and Amanda Reed. Their GPA’s rose as much as .5. U-32’s GPA Bailout On December 19th at 8:55, Owen…
Students at U-32 are required to demonstrate proficiency in Engaged Citizenship. In the school’s most recent description, a few examples were given for how one might complete that task: “One student might take a summer job with VPIRG (Vermont Public…
“Can you be patriotic if you avoid the draft?” Students are circled around the edge of the room for a graded discussion in U.S. History, a required course for juniors. Patrick Towne sits listening, waiting for a gap to…
Christiana Martin, the AP US History teacher, leads a group of students through a review session. Her students achieve proficiency in economics without ever directly being assessed on the standard. The AP curriculum covers the topic enough times, that she…
Editor’s Note: This piece includes reporting from Jacob Miller Arsenault. As each month passes, Drew Junkins, a Pre-Calculus and Geometry teacher at U-32, puts another big X on the calendar hanging in the front of his room. Students and teachers alike…
The cafeteria was packed with juniors giving blank stares or holding side conversations as Steven Dellinger-Pate explained the final steps the Class of 2020 has to take in order to graduate. Given the weight of the situation, few students seemed…
Kaisy Wheeler, a senior at U-32, was shocked by the outcome of her first quarter pre-calculus grade after it was converted from the proficiency system to the old carnegie letter grading system. “When you get a lot of twos, for…
Every Thursday afternoon, U-32’s principal, Steven Dellinger Pate, has an open callback for students to discuss the school’s ongoing progress to define what proficiency means at U-32. Conversations are based on issues that the student body has identified, and a…
Editor’s Note: This article is based in research, but takes the view of an editorial on U-32’s proficiency-based grading system. Vermont is not alone in its struggles with proficiency-based learning. In 2012, one year before Vermont signed Act 77 into…
Sylvie Williams walks into pre-calculus class at 8:10 am on a Friday morning. Her teacher hands her an entrance ticket. She pulls out a pencil and sets to work. As she works to solve the domain of a function, her…
This past summer, the U-32 administration hired a third party designer to produce glossy pamphlets that attempt to explain the Proficiency-Based Learning system, the major overhaul of the public education system mandated by Vermont state law under Act 77. The…