Mission & Vision Section
Our Commitment to Authentic Assessment
At the Assessment and Competency Collaborative, we envision a future where learning is measured by what students know and can do not by arbitrary points or percentages. Our work promotes clarity, equity, and accuracy in grading through thoughtful certification of schools committed to Standards-Based practices.
We believe it is not enough to simply call your school “Standards-Based.” We provide a rigorous verification process to ensure that best practices are being implemented with fidelity.
We created this organization to fill three gaps in assessment reform.
Lack of
Standards
While there are plenty of thinkers, writers, and speakers we didn’t find a clear set of best practices that everyone could agree on.
Erratic
Implementation
Schools are all over the place in how they have interpreted SBG or CBE. A lot of this is due to how it was implemented.
Pushback from Stakeholders
Parents & students are upset when they think their school is “experimenting.” We can show these practices are widely accepted.
A 2020 paper, “The Impact of Standards Based Learning,” by Thomas R. Guskey, Matt Townsley, and Thomas M. Buckmiller, revealed a critical gap in implementation.
Finding: “The high schools from which these students graduated were not implementing SBL with high fidelity… Most high schools represented in this study were classified as ‘moderate’ or ‘low’ fidelity.”
This is the gap we exist to fill.
Our Mission
To promote and support transformative grading practices by certifying schools and districts that align curriculum, assessment, feedback, and reporting with clear, measurable standards of learning.
Our Vision
A world where grading reflects mastery, empowers students, and fosters meaningful learning for every learner regardless of background or zip code.
We partner with schools to accredit their assessment reform efforts, providing validation, a roadmap for future reforms, and confidence that the work was done in line with established best practices.
About Our Organization
Our History of Impact
Since 2010, our leadership has pioneered shifts in classroom and school-wide assessment, shaping standards-based learning in schools and sharing insights via prominent publications and professional development.
Our Founders
Meet the experts shaping our industry
James Mattiace
Executive Director
James Mattiace is a veteran educator, having worked as a teacher, principal, and coach for 25 years. His journey into assessment reform began back in 2010 in his own classroom and then progressed to lead two schools through the shift to Standards Based Grading.
He has been a frequent publisher and appears in Ken O’Connors’ “Repair Kit for Grading, 3rd Edition” as a spotlighted educator.
His work in both standards-based and competency-based education is well known and he is the author of the upcoming book “So You Have Adopted Standards Based Grading, Now What?” and the Ed3 DAO playbook “The Art and Science of Competency Development”.
Vickie Swann
President
Vickie Swann has worked at all levels of education ranging from middle school science teacher to Deputy Head of School.
As a former Middle School Principal and as a Director of Teaching and Learning she led two schools towards the adoption of a full Standards Based Grading and Reporting system.
Much of her work focuses on guiding teachers in their practice and helping middle leaders to thrive. Her published work focuses more on the coaching side of things and she appears regularly in The International Educator journal (TIE Online).
Ready to Begin Your Journey?
Take the next step in demonstrating your school’s commitment to meaningful assessment. Contact us to learn more or begin the application process.