Students ascend Tumalo Mountain during Backcountry Skills, a new Winter Sports Program option. Mastery Transcript competencies are learned and assessed during on- and off-campus programming.
We find ourselves in a time defined by rapid technological advancements and shifting social paradigms. And yet, educational models — particularly those that articulate student achievement and progress — have gone largely unchanged for more than a century. A “factory approach” to education, born in the industrial era, has students in a transactional relationship with academic content as they move through fractured silos of disciplines, ranked relative to one another, and get their “card stamped” by gathering a list of courses earned by seat time. We must disrupt this antiquated model if our schools are to truly prepare our children for what awaits.
At Cascades Academy, we know that authentic learning is marked by connection: collaboratively among students, meaningfully with teachers, relevantly with community, and personally with the unique individual at hand. Schools can evolve from transactional spaces to transformative environments if we are brave enough to challenge traditional notions of what education should be.
This is why Cascades Academy’s Upper School proudly joined the Mastery Transcript movement in 2017. At that time, leaders at some of the country’s most prestigious independent schools asked us to reconsider how we design learning outcomes, measure student growth, and showcase achievements to colleges and universities. We did just that and this year we were the first school in Oregon to launch the Mastery Transcript.
What is the Mastery Transcript?
Sophomore Owen Bollinger meets with Director of Future and College Counseling Jeff Wenger.
A traditional high school transcript articulates a list of courses and the numeric/letter grade earned in that course. It brings little visibility to the student’s unique approach to learning, passions, role in the community, accomplishments, and character. The Mastery Transcript, instead, presents a student portfolio that communicates the array of skills a student has mastered through their high school journey, substantiated with evidence in the form of student work, and enriched by student reflections and personal statements.
Every Mastery Transcript school identifies a set of competencies (credits) that a student must master to graduate and then offers an array of advanced competencies (credits) that a student may pursue to further demonstrate their unique talents, gifts, passions, and achievements. Cascades Academy’s seven credit areas are:
- Character & Well-Being
- Global Citizenship
- Evidence-Based Critical Thinking
- Communication
- Social & Cultural Fluency
- Scientific, Quantitative & Technical Fluency
- Creative Expression
Graduates earn a total of 32 credits within these seven areas, with the opportunity for 29 advanced credits. Visit our Mastery Transcript page for more details. Our students are embarking on a journey of self-discovery and growth, guided by the principles of personalized learning and ownership of their educational path. A competency-based approach validates and engages the learning across a student's life, from academic subjects to extracurricular pursuits and real-world experiences.
Our students are embarking on a journey of self-discovery and growth, guided by the principles of personalized learning and ownership of their educational path. A competency-based approach validates and engages the learning across a student's life, from academic subjects to extracurricular pursuits and real-world experiences.
A Unique Educational Experience
Senior Frankie Massine roots plants during the Horticulture elective.
The Mastery Transcript is more than an artifact produced at graduation and used to apply to colleges. By adopting it, we commit to programming that cultivates meaningful, relevant, and interdisciplinary skills. Additionally, it includes a system to provide complex and meaningful feedback to students in their journey to develop such competencies. The difference? A teacher returns an essay to a student with specific feedback on the extent to which the writer: builds a cohesive argument, engages with textual evidence, adapts style to audience, and produces polished, professional work. The traditional alternative? The student receives a B+ with a few margin comments.
Some Mastery Transcript competencies are familiar academic essentials: research skills, presentational speaking, evidence-based critical thinking, persuasive argumentation, and scientific observation. But to fulfill this transcript, Cascades Academy graduates must also build skills in collaboration, civics, problem-solving, self-knowledge, and active listening. Such “durable skills” are at the core of a well-rounded, multi-dimensional human, one equipped to face the dynamic and often complex, uncertain 21st century.
As with the above hypothetical essay, students receive faceted feedback as they lead workshops with peers, engage with community partners, intern with professionals, serve as “leader of the day” on a backpacking trip, and mentor young students. We know that authentic, valid, and relevant learning happens in these moments, too. Given that, we provide students the chance to receive feedback and grow in all facets of their educational journey, not simply those that fall into the categories of math, science, and the humanities.
Redefining Rigor
Central to the Mastery Transcript is redefining rigor, moving beyond rote memorization and standardized testing to foster deep learning and meaningful engagement. By regularly reflecting on how their skills are developing and where to focus energy, students are constantly invited to their own frontiers, seeking the next opportunity for growth. In this way, the Mastery Transcript fosters a culture of lifelong learning, proactive inquiry, and self-knowledge. Programmatically, Cascades Academy’s Upper School is designed to increase autonomy and independence. Students simply cannot be passive receivers of content. Instead, they are empowered — in partnership with and support from their advisor and teachers — to chart their path based on who they are as learners, what challenges them, and what excites them.
A Desired Shift: Evidence from Employers & Colleges
Modern employers and colleges are reframing what learning and “real-world preparedness” look like. More than GPAs, SAT scores, or particular course background, employers are looking for the skills required to thrive in the 21st-century workforce. Why? Increasingly, educational scholars and researchers are discovering that the world no longer cares about “what you know. [It] care[s] about what you can do with what you know,” says Tony Wagner, who spent more than 20 years innovating at Harvard University. Comparably, Daniel Goldman’s research that shaped his book, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, revealed that students at the University of Pennsylvania who earned the highest grades weren't necessarily the ones with the highest IQs, but rather those who kept trying despite setbacks and failures. They were set apart by enduring skills like “self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social effectiveness.” Such findings indicate that students need more than just relevant content from their schooling, they need a program that ensures the development of the skills that equip them to navigate a rapidly changing world.
From the Class of 2027
Freshman Ezra Oncken builds a rocket during Physics.
You can feel the difference in the class of 2027. These students chose us because they wanted to lean into learning and leave undue stress behind. They want to know themselves as learners rather than as a rank in a class. They approach their teachers as partners and collaborators and wish for their education to matter, for it be both relevant to their personal passions and to the world they care about. They understand that learning happens out in the world as well as in a classroom. They own the depth and breadth of their understanding, recognizing that they are the only ones who can determine when they are truly being challenged and how to dig in and go further.
I asked them to share a few thoughts about the impact of learning in a Mastery Transcript environment:
- The Mastery Transcript allows me to focus on actually learning and not just the assessment. With the Mastery Transcript, I am empowered to learn and driven to do my best. ~Asa
- This grading format has allowed me to show up to school not with the intention of raising a percentage or getting an A, but instead to focus on learning from my mistakes, expanding my knowledge, and thinking critically about how what we learn connects to the world. ~Parker
- I've found that my relationships with my teachers have deepened because the feedback that I receive on assignments is thorough and personal. ~Field
- The Mastery Transcript creates a non-competitive environment, perfectly suited to learning the most about myself and the world. ~Ezra
These are the words of empowered, engaged learners. We can’t wait to see who they become after four years in this transformational environment.
Who Cascades Academy Has Always Been
While the shift to competency-based learning and correlating transcripts is a national movement, this is not a radical change for Cascades Academy. In 2003, we were a school founded on the understanding that transformative education requires whole-child engagement. We have always been committed to graduating students who are more than just informed scholars. They are critical thinkers, ethical leaders, creative visionaries, and engaged citizens. We are proud that these competencies are now explicitly woven into the outcomes of our curriculum and the foundation of our new Mastery Transcript. We know this movement holds the promise of unlocking the full potential of every student, shaping a generation of lifelong learners and changemakers who will lead us toward a brighter future.