Designing for Equity: Technical Advisory Group for National Summit on K-12 Competency-Based Education
This June, CompetencyWorks is hosting a National Summit on K-12 Competency-Based Education which will convene 100 leading innovators to move the field of competency-based education through the next generation of ideas and actionable outcomes. The summit will focus on equity and diversity and tackle 6 issues: equity, policy, quality, meeting kids where they are, identifying emerging issues,… Read More ›
Ensuring Rhode Island Teachers and Students Thrive
We know from research that investing in the development of teacher leadership results in gains in student learning, increases in their own capacity, and bolsters the culture of their school systems. We also know that teachers have unique insights on what is most effective in their classrooms, schools, and districts but this expertise isn’t always… Read More ›
What’s the Deal with Proficiency Based Learning?
This whiteboard presentation gives an excellent overview of proficiency-based learning for students, narrated by students. It outlines key reasons students should be excited about proficiency-based learning. The student narrators describe the benefits of a more accurate assessment system which recognizes failure as a step in the learning process, a personalized approach, and the ability to… Read More ›
Defining Student-Centered Learning
This two-page overview of student-centered learning was developed by Meriden Public Schools based on the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s, Putting Students at the Center: A Reference Guide. It provides short descriptions of the main tenets of student-centered learning: student-owned, personalized, occurs anytime, anywhere, and is mastery-based. It also details what students and teachers should look… Read More ›
A Close-Up Look at How a Workshop Framework Can Enhance Personalized Learning
Originally posted on CompetencyWorks, January 19, 2017. When I started teaching first grade over twenty-five years ago, I quickly realized that I was going to need additional strategies and support in order to help each of my students become independent readers and writers. The research and work of Donald Graves had a profound impact on… Read More ›
Designing New School Models: A Practical Guide
This school design guide, written by Springpoint, a group of school design experts, outlines a student-centered approach to designing innovative school models where students can be active agents in their own development. The guide was compiled from best practices gathered over four years while working with districts, networks, and charter management organizations around the country… Read More ›
Breaking Down Silos with the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative
Here’s an alarming thought: What if our educational research questions, policies, and practices sometimes arise as much from ignorance as they do from evidence? I’m wondering this because I have a confession: When I was a middle school teacher, I never read educational research. Mostly this was because I had little time to do so… Read More ›
The Role of Performance Monitoring in Competency-Based Education
This blog post is the seventh in a blog series by Getting Smart on strategies to encourage students to reflect on their performance. The post discusses performance monitoring in the context of competency-based education (CBE) in which students progress based on demonstrated mastery while increasing voice, choice, and agency in their work. The post explores the… Read More ›
Our Top 16 from 2016
As the excitement of the ball dropping and the year’s end fades into a cold and dreary January (at least here in Boston), we’re taking a moment to reflect and share our most-visited resources from 2016. We’re pleased to see that so many of the most accessed resources touch on important hopes and goals for… Read More ›
Encouraging and Sustaining Competency-Based Learning Environments: Lessons from New Hampshire
Did you miss our February episode on competency-based learning? A recording of “Encouraging and Sustaining Competency-Based Learning Environments: Lessons from New Hampshire” with featured presenter Paul Leather is now available. The Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative online seminar series provide a space for attendees to learn about pressing issues and new developments in student-centered learning and discuss… Read More ›
Five Things You Need to Know About New Hampshire’s Completion-Based Funding Model
This article describes five key findings from a Center for Innovation in Education report on a New Hampshire completion-based funding (CBF) school finance model. New Hampshire embraces a competency-based education system, and this funding approach provides student funding based on assignments completed rather than enrollment numbers. The article details how the funding model works and… Read More ›
Redesigning for Student Success: Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase
This student-centered professional development showcase brings together 20 of the nation’s most innovative and successful secondary schools from across the country, including schools in New England, to share their high school redesign programs and strategies. These schools have achieved success with diverse populations through the implementation of innovative, student-centered practices. The showcase will provide administrators,… Read More ›