I had the opportunity of

completing 42 practicum hours at

Hillcrest Elementary in Brookings,
SD. I was placed in Mrs. Leite’s 2nd
grade MCL classroom. A Mass
Customized Learning classroom
focuses on students working at their
own pace to become proficient and
master all grade level standards. This
experience was very informational for
me to compare a traditional classroom
to this standards-based grading system.
For practicum, I had the
opportunity to complete 8 reading
hours and teach a small group lesson, and 35 other hours to observe and work directly with
students. For majority of the time, I was able to see how students learned Math through an online
application called Zearn. This was unlike other math classes I have had or seen in the past. The
students worked on their own computer to complete Missions, taking notes and then passing exit
tickets to show mastery. This was a new experience to me because when I was in grade school,
often times the focus was put so heavily on receiving good grades. The MCL classroom taught
me that the focus should not be on getting a good letter grade, but rather practicing and proving
that students know the material through assessments. The end goal was student learning, vs. high
grade points. I observed how the students took responsibility for their own learning and worked
to reach proficiency in all 2nd grade standards. In this program, there is no limit on education;
students are able to move on to higher grade levels after reaching mastery in all content for their
grade level. The MCL K-3 teachers have built their own Personal Network by working together
through this program to allow students to meet their learning needs.
I thought this MCL program was effective for allowing Mrs. Leite to be more engaged
with the learners. This classroom is a 1-1 technology room, so while the students worked at their
own pace using an online app, Mrs. Leite was able to have small group guided readings, work
one-on-one with students, and to monitor all students progress throughout the day. Like a
traditional classroom, Mrs. Leite still taught whole group lessons that had objectives that all
learners needed to know. The idea just shifted from more teaching, to more individualized work
time. I am very grateful for having this opportunity to observe and work with the students this
semester. This real classroom experience helped to answer many questions I had about teaching
and gave me a look at what is to come in my near future. I really enjoyed learning from Mrs.
Leite and getting to know more about Hillcrest Elementary School.