CompetencyWorks | February 2023

March 31, 2023

Is it really almost March? The CompetencyWorks team has been busy, and the promise of spring is already on the horizon. Program Director Laurie Gagnon has spent the new year on her first travel opportunities since joining the Aurora Institute, attending the Utah Magellan Summit, Future Focused Education’s EdUprising in New Mexico, and the Assessment for Learning Tucson convening to both teach and learn more about innovation in competency-based education. In case you missed the reads this month, check them out below.

Four Keys to Building Deeper Critical and Creative Thinking in Your Classroom
In this post by competency-based author and leader Karin Hess, learn four critical points to improve deeper learning and creativity. Find ideas for systematic changes, such as shifting the roles and responsibilities of educators and students, that are sure to change classroom culture to build agency.

Learn More

Top Ten CompetencyWorks Blog Posts of 2022
The new year has come and gone, but the posts of 2022 remain! Read up on the most-read authors of last year in this summary. Posts cover topics that examine innovations in CBE, practical applications of the CBE definition, and more!

Learn More

Culture is the Foundation: Building Relationships and Community at ACE

Join Program Director Laurie Gagnon as she recounts her experience from visiting the Alternative Choices in Education (ACE) program at Brookline High School in Massachusetts. The new program is small but mighty in its rigorous commitment to a school culture that promotes community, individual development, and connection.

Learn More

Educator Support in Competency-Based Learning Schools
Brian Stack and Jonathan G. Vander Els are no strangers to competency-based education. They’ve written two books on the topic! Lean on their expertise as you read about their top five strategies for supporting CBE educators in a post-pandemic world.

Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

Learn More

CBE Starter Pack 7: Establish Rigorous, Common Expectations with Meaningful Competencies
The final post of the “CBE Starter Pack Series” focuses on ways to establish rigorous common expectations with meaningful competencies. Unpack examples of the competency frameworks that guide the purpose of all of our efforts to support learners.

Learn More

For more news and updates in K-12 competency-based education, sign up for our monthly newsletters and follow the Aurora Institute on Twitter: @Aurora_Inst

About CompetencyWorks

CompetencyWorks is an initiative that provides information and knowledge about competency-based education in the K-12 education system. Drawing on lessons learned by innovators and early adopters, CompetencyWorks is an online resource for sharing knowledge, original research and policy advances, and a variety of field perspectives. CompetencyWorks provides an informative blog with practitioner knowledge on key topics and papers on emerging issues, with resources curated from across the field of K-12 competency-based education.

Contact: Laurie Gagnon
[email protected]

CompetencyWorks | Aurora Institute