Accountability for College and Career Readiness Developing a New Paradigm
This report—due to preparation for new standards under the Common Core and states moving toward creating more aligned systems of assessment and accountability—recommends an accountability approach that focuses on meaningful learning, enabled by professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by adequate and appropriate resources, so that all students regardless of background are prepared for… Read More ›
Smart Parents Want Powerful Learning
This iNACOL presentation by Tom Vander Ark, Carri Schneider, Mary Ryerse, and Bonnie Lathram provides tips and action steps (from a variety of sources) for parents interested in understanding more about their children’s education. Source Organization: Getting Smart Visit the Resource
Measuring What Really Matters
This article proposes the improvement of state accountability systems through the use of performance assessments. They conclude that unlike multiple choice tests, performance assessments can thoroughly asses the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards which require demonstration of more complex thinking and reasoning skills. The authors also explore the technical quality, practical,… Read More ›
Making Mastery Work: A Close-Up View of Competency Education
This report focuses on the experiences of students, teachers, and administrators in a select, but varied group of schools that are ahead of the curve in implementing competency education. A team of researchers spent a year and a half examining 11 high schools in New England. The report is organized in sections that provide both… Read More ›
Supporting Students: Investing in Innovation and Quality
This report describes the approach of the College Ready group at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It outlines five key design principles necessary for successful academic student supports. These include mastery with clear progress trajectories, feedback which occurs immediately, subject immersion using the real-world language and tools of the studied discipline, multiple experiences to learn and apply… Read More ›
Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills – A State Policymakers Guide to Competency Education
This report by Susan Patrick and Chris Sturgis describes competency-based systems and reforms in districts and schools from Maine to Florida, and makes suggestions for education leaders around changing policy, fostering progressive public discourse, and supporting teachers. Source Organization: Nellie Mae Education Foundation Visit the Resource
An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad
This report by Susan Patrick and Sara Frank Bristow highlights components of competency education in international practice, to inform U.S. policymakers and decision makers seeking to implement high-quality competency pathways at the state or local level. The report includes a brief lesson in the international vocabulary of competency education and explores practices in Finland, British Columbia… Read More ›
A K-12 Federal Policy Framework for Competency Education: Building Capacity for Systems Change
This report provides federal policymakers with a comprehensive vision for supporting state and local efforts to implement student-centered learning. The authors describe barriers and opportunities within federal education policy education policy frameworks, and identifies how the federal government is in a unique position to catalyze and scale student-centered learning. Source Organization: Nellie Mae Education Foundation Visit… Read More ›
Education Indicators for Maine 2015
In this report from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Educate Maine examines 10 indicators around education access, achievement, and participation for Maine students. Beyond promoting discussion, this paper serves as a call to action for increasing engagement, positive dialogue, and support for promising strategies amongst stakeholders so all Maine’s students receive the education they deserve.… Read More ›
Keeping the Focus on Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom
This article provides concrete steps to keep learning at the center such as dressing learning goals first, scaffolding learning, and assessing content not product. In a proficiency-based classroom, technology is often used to help students demonstrate mastery of a skill or concept. However, in some cases students and educators can get caught up in the excitement… Read More ›
Searching for Clarity on Formative Assessment
This article explores the various definitions of formative assessment in the field and the impact of differing understanding of the term on practice. The author asserts that while everyone agrees on its power to provide information about what students are learning in the moment,”beyond that it gets fuzzy, fast”. The article also includes links to many… Read More ›
Students at the Center Hub Recommends: Smart Parents
The Students at the Center Hub team occasionally finds something that makes our lives much easier: a fantastic resource aligned with our framework, that we consider a go-to for a large portion of our audience. Smart Parents, a blog series on the site Getting Smart, provides people invested in their children’s education with a series… Read More ›