Competency-Based Education
Competency-Based Education implies leaving behind the A-F grading scale and designing instruction that includes explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives to empower students with specificity in their learning and at its best, enables them to move at their own pace (often coupled with personalized learning). It also emphasizes the same departure of other modern pedagogy in that students create knowledge and the ability to use that knowledge going forward. This topic impacts credentialing, mastery and assessment.
A Proposal to End Standardized Testing
Standardized testing and its lack of integration with formative measures, continues to receive backlash as we continue the shift to digital learning. Tom Vander Ark shares an approach on how states can develop better systems and the power of diploma networks to accurately capture whole student growth and achievement.
How Blockchain is Helping Dallas Students Tell Their Story
With growing interest in demonstrated competence over seat time and pedigree, how can schools help learners present a more complete picture of their capabilities? This new service is using distributed ledger technology to deliver value for students, schools, and employers.
How Formative Assessment Transforms the Classroom, From Culture to Lesson Plans
By: Brea Lewis and Michelle Berkeley. The How I Know project has assisted 60 teachers in integrating formative assessment practice into their classrooms. In this post, Dallas teacher Brea Lewis shares how formative assessment practice has positively impacted her students' learning.
Getting Students to Take Control
Getting students to “buy-in” and take control of their learning starts with seeing them as individuals and understanding each of them has different motives, beliefs and goals. Here are a few ideas to consider to help them start.
How Career and Technical Education Can Inform Competency-Based Learning
This spring, Putnam County Schools will evaluate the impact of our Competency-Based Education pilot and the ways in which it has allowed their middle school general education teachers to implement the types of hands-on learning and authentic assessment opportunities that are commonplace in our CTE programs.
Top 20 Posts from 2018
2018 is coming to a close. We're reviewing everything we've learned and experienced this last year in preparation for 2019.
Diploma Networks: A New Way to Help Schools Adopt Broader Outcomes and Next-Gen Learning Models
Diploma networks can offer schools a promising approach to adopting new outcome frameworks and learning models to help better prepare students for the future.
The Case For Competency-Based Education
The global shift to competency is underway. It will better enable us to meet students where they are, ensure that they get what they need, and help them tell their unique story. Everyone involved in education has opportunities to help make the transition faster, better and more equitably.
Moving to Mastery in Idaho
Schools in Idaho are moving towards competency-based education in order to provide more personalized learning for all students. Read more from Tom's recent visit.
The Case for Competency as a New Equity Agenda
By: Tom Vander Ark and Mary Ryerse. What if our education system was designed with a commitment to equity at the forefront, and was set up to help all students achieve at high levels? This post makes the case for competency-based education as a valuable tool for achieving this goal.