What’s New in K-12 Competency Education?

Brian Stack and Jonathan Vander Els are publishing a book on September 27, 2017 titled: Breaking with Tradition: The Shift to Competency-Based Learning in PLCs at Work. Learn more and preorder here.

California’s Lindsay Unified School District

• Lindsey Unified released a new video on their “learning communities” and how they are transforming public education to support a healthy, empowered and sustainable community.
• Lindsay released a new podcast, Lindsay Live, which will provide insights into what it takes to succeed in the performance based system.

News

• New Hampshire’s Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) program is showing early improvements in the Smarter Balanced assessments over the past two years, with significant improvements for students with disabilities, when compared with non-PACE districts. Read more about this early evidence of student achievement gains in this blog and in this article.
• In competency-based systems, athletic directors are rethinking what eligibility for sports looks like.
• The New York Times covered competency-based education in New York City.

On Race and Equity

• A new study finds that believing society is fair can lead disadvantaged students to act out and engage in risky behavior. Read more here.
• Here are 6 steps toward Equity from Edutopia.
• Here is a blog from a teacher: I Was a Racist Teacher and I Didn’t Even Know It.

Colorado’s District 51

• Colorado’s District 51 held a training for 550+ teachers and administrators to learn about implementing competency education, fostering voice and choice, and giving students personalized opportunities.
• Here is another article on how District 51 is improving their performance-based system.

Policy Updates

• Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is going on a multi-state tour highlighting innovative approaches to learning.
• Idaho’s Higher Education Task Force included recommendations for a competency-based or mastery-based K-12 system.

New School Models

• This Forbes article highlights International High School at Langley Park as a shining example of a school that meets the individual needs of English Language Learners and pushes them to aim higher.
• Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas is testing a new competency-based program, called ‘Xperience.’
• At SC Whitmore School, students are exceeding expectations.
• Crosstown High, a charter school in Memphis, has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the XQ Super School Challenge to reinvent high school.
• Philadelphia Public School District’s Innovation Network is using a problem-based approach to transform teaching and learning.
• Superintendents in Durango express interest in continuing the shift toward competency-based systems.

Mastery Week

• Springpoint, Mastery Collaborative, Great Schools Partnership, KnowledgeWorks, NGLC, iNACOL and CompetencyWorks held the first-ever Mastery Week, focusing on communications to improve mastery- or competency-based learning. Learn more here.
• Getting Smart released a podcast highlighting Chris Sturgis on Demonstrating Mastery for Future Success.

Updates in Maine

• This KnowledgeWorks blog highlights how Maine’s RSU2 has transformed to a learner-centered, competency-based system.
• Proficiency-based grading takes effect in Maine, with eighth-graders being the first students in the state to be held to proficiency-based academic standards.
• Maine held a hearing to gather input on proposed regulations aimed at giving schools flexibility for developing consistent graduation standards. Some believe the new rules could make it harder for students with disabilities to earn diplomas.

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