The way teachers teach and students learn is changing. As more learning communities embrace personalized, competency-based learning – learning that centers each students’ strengths, needs, and interests and provides differentiated supports and ways to demonstrate what they know and know how to do – educators and leaders are also working Read more
As COVID-19 caused unimaginable disruptions to public education, some schools and districts doubled down on innovation and commitment to supporting high school student success. CRPE is working with a diverse group consisting of researchers from the Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL), SRI International, The Christensen Institute, and the Read more
Covid-19 exacerbated and brought attention to inequities long present in public education. Facing inconsistent access to learning across distances, students will leave this period with months of what’s been called “lost learning.” Short of repeating a full year, addressing these gaps presents a grave challenge for traditionally structured schools. Competency-based Read more
For many state education leaders looking to recoup learning losses caused by interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, a competency-based approach is attractive. It provides the flexibility and autonomy for students to earn credits and satisfy diploma requirements by demonstrating mastery of competencies, rather than fulfilling seat time requirements. However, a Read more
As school districts deliberate over reopening schools with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, the Aurora Institute has developed a report with strategic guidance on how to harness our current opportunity to transform K-12 education. Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Read more
Recently The 74 reported on a new initiative in Cleveland designed to confront Coronavirus learning loss by focusing on mastery learning. Excerpts of the piece appear below: A bold proposal in Cleveland could set the tone for how schools around the country could restart in the fall, one that takes Read more
It sounds simple—award credit based on student learning. But as schools grapple with how to determine what students have learned during this period of social distancing and how to award credit for this learning, questions have arisen about the best way to go about implementing competency-based approaches. Complexities related to Read more
The Aurora Institute (previously iNACOL) released the updated CompetencyWorks map, a snapshot of K-12 competency education state policy across the United States. Since 2012, iNACOL’s CompetencyWorks initiative has published an annual snapshot map of the United States, categorizing states into levels at which their policy environments and state activities support Read more
If state leaders want more student-driven learning in classrooms, creating policies that support teachers is critical. That’s according to a new report from iNACOL, a nonprofit that supports competency-based education. The report outlines five recommendations for state policy leaders on how to help develop teachers so they’re prepared for competency-based Read more
iNACOL has released a new report, Moving Toward Mastery: Growing, Developing and Sustaining Educators for Competency-Based Education. The publication re-envisions professional practice, learning and development for educators in competency-based education. As school districts transition to new, more powerful student-centered learning models, it is critical that educators leading the transformative practice Read more
Every student deserves access to powerful learning experiences – experiences that help them develop agency, grow their skills and expand their curiosities. Many schools are shifting their practices to be more student-centered in hopes of ultimately developing these qualities in students. We know in transformative environments that the learning and Read more
A new white paper from America Achieves focuses on the role cross-sector competencies play in career readiness. Getting Real about Career Readiness: A Focus on Cross-Sector Competencies is the first in a series of multi-media white papers from America Achieves Educator Networks on promising education practices for preparing students for Read more
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development has released a report from leading educators describing the practices and principles that can make a new vision of learning part of the fabric of schools and classrooms across the nation. The Practice Base for How We Learn outlines Read more
How do you know if your school is on track for implementing high-quality competency-based education (CBE) strategies in the classroom? States, districts, and schools that want to realize the college- and career-readiness potential of CBE must look beyond the CBE label to ensure that core CBE features are happening in Read more
An iNACOL Issue Brief by Dale Frost and Maria Worthen provides an overview of competency-based education and offers state policy recommendations and resources for policymakers who are ready to enable and support competency-based education. Competency-based education is a next generation learning model that focuses on all students achieving mastery, preparing Read more
The Education Commission of the States is out with a new policy snapshot that explores competency-based education and provides an overview of current and previous legislation related to this approach. The main goal of competency-based education serves to award credit/degrees to students for meeting specific skill competencies agreed upon by Read more