Over the past decade, the movement to adopt proficiency-based approaches to teaching, learning, and graduating has gained momentum throughout New England and the country, as more educators, parents, employers, and elected officials recognize that high educational standards and strong academic preparation are essential to success in today’s world.

With some parents wondering what potential impact proficiency-based education may have on their children or the college-admissions process, the New England Secondary School Consortium reached out to institutions of higher education throughout the region. We asked them about their support of proficiency-based learning and how non-traditional grading systems and transcripts might affect the admissions process.

In response to our questions, 67 public institutions of higher education from across New England provided statements and letter articulating their support for proficiency-based learning and stating—unequivocally—that students with proficiency-based grades and transcripts will not be disadvantaged in any way.

Most recently, five highly selective institutions of higher education—Babson College, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, and Wellesley College—offered statements of support for proficiency-based transcripts.

To view these and all statements of support for proficiency-based learning, visit the New England Secondary School Consortium’s website.

Throughout this process, the Consortium has worked closely with the New England Board of Higher Education, which published a white paper in the New England Journal of Higher Education summarizing insights from a conversation on the topic with admissions leaders from highly selective colleges and universities in the region.

This affirming list of colleges and universities in support of proficiency-based learning is steadily growing—be sure to keep an eye on our website for updates.