Lindsay teacher Brandy Quintero explains how the district uses a “capacity matrix” to help students understand what they need to learn and the pace they need to learn it.
Transcript: Brandy Quintero: When we started out with the capacity nature, just it was more like a checklist like, “Do this, do this, do this,” and there weren’t maybe like dates on there; it was just kind of like one to the next. And so we’re actually going to change it next year, because some of our students, especially at the high school and they started it like, “Oh, go at your own pace.” And realize like, okay, a high schooler takes that and says, “I’ll just chill all year long, and in June I’ll do my work.” So we’re having to fix some things. And so we’re going to call it a pacing matrix, and those are already – those have been changed. […] And so the pacing guide has the dates, and what I have done as the teacher is I’ll say, “Okay, I’m the expert in what needs to be taught. I know about how long it should take for each of us,” and so I’ve given the students those dates and they know, “Hey, from 1/25 to 2/3 this is what should be done in this period of time.” Now if they can go faster, great, go faster. And so that’s what the capacity matrix pacing guide – and, again, we’re just going to call it a pacing matrix next year, kind of blend them all together. It lets them know kind of the assignments that have to go along with it. And then we also put the – and different grades do it a little bit different. But we’ve put the standard, you know, so how the kid knows, “Hey, these are like assignments right here and this is the assignment that’s going to go in to Educate, and this is the standard it’s going to go underneath.” […] That’s what the capacity matrix is meant to do is to let them see the whole semester at a glance.
