In her opinion piece on proficiency-based education, Leslie Zamer raised several valid points, but ultimately paints with too broad of a brush in criticizing its implementation in Falmouth.

To be sure, the failure of the Department of Education to properly support PBE’s original rollout is well-documented; it essentially ensured that adoption throughout the state would be marked by confusion and misunderstanding, including in Falmouth, where implementation certainly has been uneven. Having spent most of my career in education, including many years as a teacher at Falmouth High School, I can attest first-hand to the substantial shortcomings of the traditional (1-100) approach to grading, which emphasizes time in class, not skills gained.

PBE represents the inverse approach, and the middle school should actually be lauded as an exemplar of the benefits of PBE when properly implemented. A greater challenge lies in the high school, where efforts to accommodate both approaches have led to confusion for teachers, students, and parents. With the talented faculty and supportive community we have here in Falmouth, what’s needed is not a blanket dismissal of PBE, but more constructive dialogue among all stakeholders aimed at a solution that balances pedagogical benefits with practical hurdles.

Ogden Morse
Falmouth