I was listening to Dr. Brad Gustafson and Ben Gilpin's Unearthed Podcast featuring Rick Wormeli. The title of the Podcast was Proficiency Versus Growth: Why the Difference Really Matters. Rick's statement really got me thinking. "The question is how we use the data...diagnostically, supportively or punitively." NumbersI had the privilege of playing college football. Numbers were a big part of the game. This held just as true for my punting career. Our proficiency was 40 yards, with a hang time of 4.5 seconds and a snap-to-punt time of 2.2 seconds. To break that down more, that is 1.3 seconds from the time I touched the ball to the time the ball met my foot. Not to mention, you have to catch the ball (regardless of location it was snapped), get the laces facing the sky, take steps, drop the ball with a slight downward tilt and angled towards around 10 o'clock. This doesn't factor in gusting winds that can easily move an oblong ball weighing a little less than a pound, which instantly changes the angle your leg must track to ensure your foot compresses squarely on the sweet spot of the football. Lastly, field position dictates your strategy. If the snapper is inside the five yard line, the punter's heels are flirting with the end zone. One false step and a heel dusting the end zone line results in a safety. Or flip the script and put the punter well within the opponents territory and a 40 yard punt puts the ball into the end zone resulting in a touchback. Now the punt has to be throttled down to hopefully land within the 20 yard line or even better the 10 yard line. Proficiency versus GrowthLet's reflect a bit on the punting lesson. I mentioned what the proficiency was for me as a punter. This proficiency didn't care about any of the other variables such as wind, snap location or field position. Plain and simple, you better get the ball 40 yards down field with 4.5 seconds of hang time and leaving your foot within 2.2 seconds of it being snapped. So what in the world does this have to do with students?
It seems and feels like our current education reality is hyper focused on students as numbers. What number of kids are proficient? We break it apart by boys vs. girls, ethnicity, and whether they are designated as free and reduced for lunch. Once again we are magnifying numbers over students as human beings. Take for example the third grade retention law in Iowa. Kids must be proficient in reading by third grade or face potentially getting retained. We essentially dehumanize our students to the likeness of a number. Let's disregard all their unique characteristics, values, and ebbs/flows they have experienced. You didn't get breakfast this morning? Your parents got in a fight last night? Someone made fun of you at recess? You don't feel well today? You didn't get invited to eat with some friends at lunch? You have moved to three different schools this year? You are scared of what your peers will think of your new haircut? WHO CARES! You should still be proficient. This was the same M-O for my college football experience. We had defined proficiency for a punter. However, this "label" was not the driver nor limiter. We focused on growth. How could we get better each week? Each season? Growth was the driver. Proficiency was nice to have, but growth was the driver. It was understood that it might be messy and not a linear process. The conversations weren't about lack of proficiency. Instead, they focused on how much growth each player made, whether giant leaps or small steps. As Rick mentioned in the podcast, its about "how we use the data." I am not saying proficiency doesn't have a place. However, I wonder if it is the limiter and catalyst for mediocrity. If we define kids as being proficient or not, are we limiting their growth? If I reach proficiency and that is all that is valued, then what is going to drive me to grow? This seems to make proficiency punitive compared to diagnostic or supportive. I think it is time we stop labeling kids as numbers and start valuing them as human beings. Let their stories shine. There were so many variables that impacted my punting at a proficient level. The same is true for kids. We need to embrace their diverse journeys to and through education. Standardizing proficiency without any consideration to students as human beings is a disservice. It's time to empower kids through a growth mindset and strive to push growth over proficiency. They are more than just a number!
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Andrew FenstermakerInstructional Technology Coordinator | Innovation Coach | Google Certified Innovator | Presenter | Blogger | Adjunct @UiowaEducation | Owner @kids_f_i_r_s_t |