CompetencyWorks | November 2022

November 30, 2022

Welcome to the November recap from the CompetencyWorks Initiative and the Aurora Institute. As we’ve been reflecting on #Aurora22, we continue to revisit and discover moments of insight and inspiration. We hope you are finding similar moments as we approach the last month of 2022 and near the midpoint of the school year.

CBE Starter Pack 4: Progress Based on Mastery
The fourth post in a series of “CBE Starter Packs” for the seven elements of the Aurora Institute’s 2019 CBE Definition is here! Whether you are new to CBE or delving deeper into what it means to design for students to progress based on mastery, find background information and curated resources to get started and keep going.

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Dangerous Conversations: The Importance of Empathy, Grace, and Skill
Gary Chapin guides us on an exploration of why conversations about changing school practices and policies can feel dangerous to educators – not because they fear change – but because we all fear loss. Discussing what we value as humans is a very vulnerable thing that can help us develop the relationships, mindsets, and skills we need to navigate change.

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Amplifying Authentic Whole-School Student-Led Learning – Lessons from an Australian School
The Aurora Institute had the pleasure of hosting a webinar featuring students from Prospect North Primary School (PNPS) in Adelaide, Australia. The students – Nina, Alisha, and Eadie – were joined by their principal, Marg Clark, and nonprofit partners from Social Ventures Australia’s The Connection. From student parliament to their “Secret Powers” framework, PNPS offered us many examples of how student agency can be integrated into every aspect of teaching and learning, school culture, and operations.

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Personalized, Competency-Based Learning (PCBL) Can and Should Replace Tracking – Here’s Why

In this cross-post from KnowledgeWorks, Eric Toshalis and Virgel Hammonds examine the practices and systems of tracking through an equity lens and explore CBE/PCBL as a replacement. The analysis and practical ideas in this post can support having important conversations about learning new practices, redesigning systems, and cultivating the mindsets and culture to center students and equity through PCBL.

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Mark your calendar for the Aurora Symposium 2023 in Palm Springs, CA on October 15-17, 2023! Stay tuned for more details on registration!

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