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Dear Colleagues,
On October 28, 2019, we announced the lead organization that is home to the CompetencyWorks initiative, iNACOL, is now the Aurora Institute. Initially our work focused on how delivery models can expand access to education. Over time our work has shifted to an expanded view of the deep systemic changes needed to modernize our education systems and ensure all students are prepared for success in our rapidly changing world. CompetencyWorkshas been an essential part of this shift and will continue as an initiative of the Aurora Institute. You can read more about the transition here.
The publication of What Is Competency-Based Education? An Updated Definition was an important milestone. The report updates the 2011 definition of competency-based education, which has been used to build the field across the nation by schools, districts, states, and national organizations. The revised definition reflects a deeper understanding of key issues and developments in the field and adds two elements to the definition in two important areas: 1) equity and 2) student agency. The report also provides belief statements, FAQs, common misconceptions, and resources for deeper learning and implementation.
Learn more about the annual strategic reflection on the field of competency-based education by CompetencyWorks in two blog posts and a webinar (archived). The first post,Where We Started and Where We Are Now, discusses the field’s development and current state, including infographics that clearly illustrate that history. The second post, New Resources and Future Directions in Competency-Based Education, points readers to new school models, new publications, and key priorities and questions to guide CBE policy, practice, and research in the coming years.
There were more than 36 sessions and workshops on key aspects of deepening implementation of competency-based education at the Symposium, our annual conference, which took place in Palm Springs, California in late October. The CompetencyWorks blog highlights two of these sessions:
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Building a District Innovation Ecosystem Accelerates School Transformation presents a session from the Henry County Public Schools and its partners. They share lessons learned from six years of redesigning district functions to facilitate transformation to deeper personalized learning.
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Student Thinking Made Visible presents a session from Two Rivers Public Charter School about assessing transferable skills, such as problem-solving and effective reasoning, with brief performance tasks. They provided valuable rubrics, a sample activity, a calibration task, and key insights for schools trying to assess these essential student learning outcomes.
There were hundreds of sessions on personalized learning and competency-based education, expanded definitions of student success, social-emotional learning, school redesign, pedagogical innovations, diversity, equity, inclusion, culturally-responsive teaching, and other important topics focused on modernizing our K-12 education system. We hope to see you at the Symposium next year in San Antonio, Texas – save the date for October 25-28, 2020.
Wishing you well for the Thanksgiving holiday,
Eliot Levine, Susan Patrick, and Ashley Jones
Aurora Institute, CompetencyWorks |
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