District policies are critical supports for proficiency-based education and successful locally-led implementation may require the revision of existing district policies.
Many school districts around the state are currently engaged in discussions to revise policies to reflect their proficiency-based systems. These revisions include policies for student graduation, retention, recognition and participation in sports to name only a few.
Recently, the Maine School Management Association (MSMA) developed a graduation policy for proficiency-based education. This policy can be adopted or adapted by districts. MSMA has kindly made this policy available to school districts on the “Policy” section of the Maine DOE Getting to Proficiency online resource. Also available there are the guiding questions for policy development to inform action steps for policy development and implementation.
The Department looks forward to showcasing additional policies on the Getting to Proficiency site and encourages school districts to make their policies available so others can benefit from this sharing and collaboration. Please contact Maine DOE Standards-Based Specialist Diana Doiron at diana.doiron@maine.gov to share district-developed policies or for technical assistance as your district makes the transition to graduating students with a proficiency-based diploma by 2018.