Becky Hallowell is the 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year.

As 2025 drew to a close, I reflected on the many opportunities that I’ve had to look closely at education across our state. One of the bright lights that I’ve encountered in this journey is the Measure What Matters report, published by the Maine Department of Education earlier this year.

This report challenges us to rethink how we define student success. After my initial read of this document, I did what I always do when I need time to think and reflect: I went to the woods.

On a trail in Whitefield, I noticed fresh blazes carefully painted on the trees by volunteers, serving as markers to help hikers find their way. In education, our students also need guideposts. But just as a single blaze on a tree cannot define an entire trail, students’ learning journeys cannot be fully captured by a single, narrow measure — for instance, a test score.

The Measure What Matters report asks us to expand our view of what a successful education looks like. Yes, academic achievement matters. But so do well-being, resilience, collaboration, creativity and lifelong learning. These are not “extras;” they are the roots and branches of a healthy education system.

I have lived this experience firsthand. In third grade, my teacher, Mrs. Johnson Marsano, encouraged me to sing in front of the class. That single moment defined the direction of my life, leading to a lifetime love of music, the courage to perform and, ultimately, a career in teaching. Mrs. Johnson Marsano taught me then that I could be a leader. No standardized assessment could have captured that spark.

The same is true for my own students now. A test score does not tell the story of the child who once arrived at school each morning with a hood over his head, refusing to work — but who came alive after just a month in an outdoor classroom, making friends and begging for extra time to write in his nature journal. That is growth.

A test score also does not tell the story of the student who started the school year crippled by anxiety but, with the support of a dedicated team, began attending classes regularly and
rediscovering joy in learning at school again. That is also growth.

These are not isolated incidents. They are daily realities in Maine’s classrooms. While
standardized assessments provide a snapshot of student achievement, they cannot capture the whole, rich picture of student learning. They do not measure the problem-solving skills that students develop when building a bridge over a muddy part of a trail.

They do not measure the entrepreneurial thinking of fourth-graders selling bookmarks
made from recycled paper to purchase seating for their outdoor classroom. They do not
measure compassion, collaboration or creativity — the very skills our students will
require in a future none of us can yet predict.

This is not an argument against accountability; it is an argument for balance. Standardized assessments can help us identify where support is needed. But if we allow a single number to define a child, an educator or a school, we fail to honor the complexity of learning.

The truth is evident: A successful education must be measured by more than just one
test score. It is imperative to consider the work that happens daily in classrooms to
create safe spaces, ignite passions, support families, build resilience and prepare
students for the real-world challenges they will one day face.

The Measure What Matters framework provides us with a vision rooted in that broader, more accurate definition of student success. As Maine looks to the future, we must resist the temptation to reduce education to the easy shorthand of a score. Instead, let us measure what truly matters: the sparks, growth, resilience, connections and joy of learning. Our students deserve nothing less.