Vermont teachers are trying to figure out how to meet the state’s mandate for Proficiency-Based Education in grades 7 to 12, writes Math Curmudgeon. In the four years since Act 77 passed, teachers have written “only four modules for our courses because teachers whine ‘We don’t know what you are asking us to do’ and, since the person in charge of PD doesn’t really know what the end goals should be and what PBE looks like in practice, we waste lots of time making empathy maps,

High school should be more like preschool, writes Sarah Garland in the Hechinger Report. That means more focus on relationships, play, projects and personalized learning. At City Neighbors High School in Baltimore, ninth graders discuss their favorite color and debate the merits of Cool Ranch vs. Nacho Cheese Doritos. It’s a “break” from academics and a chance to learn public speaking skills, writes Garland. Deborah Meier, the godmother of the progressive education movement,