Plugged In | 12.6.19 – The State of the Field

December 6, 2019

iNACOL Plugged In Newsletter
Aurora Institute -formerly iNACOL
Plugged In
Dec. 6, 2019
INACOL IS NOW AURORA INSTITUTE
The State of the Field, 2019
 

On October 28, 2019, Aurora Institute President and CEO Susan Patrick delivered a State of the Field address at the 2019 Symposium in Palm Springs, California. In the address, Susan shares global trends in education, key features of new innovative school models, updates to the definition of competency-based education (CBE), and the growth of CBE policymaking in the United States. Competency-based education fixes fundamental flaws in the traditional model of K-12 schooling, and she offers guideposts for high-quality CBE systems. She closes with a set of 10 focus areas for successful practice. You are encouraged to watch, learn, and share.

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Reminders

Our Social Media Handles Are Changing

As we fully transition to the new Aurora Institute brand, we want to be sure you are engaged in our social media conversations. Our Twitter and Facebook handles have changed. Please update your bookmarks to https://twitter.com/Aurora_Inst and https://www.facebook.com/AuroraInst.

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CompetencyWorks Released Updated Defintion of Competency-Based Education
Updated Definition of Competency-Based Education

Eight years after releasing the field’s working definition of competency-based education, CompetencyWorks has expanded the definition to reflect deepened understanding and address the challenges of implementing student-centered learning models in K-12 education.

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New from Education Domain Blog
 
Special Update to a Snapshot of K-12 Competency-Based Education State Policy Across the United States

We have reached a tipping point in recognizing the potential of competency-based education (CBE) to transform K-12 education and providing policy to support these changes. As of today, all 50 states have some form of supportive policy or flexibility to allow competency-based learning.

CompetencyWorks, a project of the Aurora Institute, released the special update to the map, a Snapshot of K-12 Competency-based Education State Policy Across the United States. The map, which depicts the level of CBE policymaking in each state, was last updated in May 2019.

View and download the updated map.

VIEW
 
 
Learning Outside the Classroom: Launching, Improving and Sustaining High School Internship Programs
 
Featured Webinar

Learning Outside the Classroom: Launching, Improving and Sustaining High School Internship Programs

 


Internships are a powerful tool to provide students with authentic learning experiences, connected to their communities and the real world, and aligned to their interests and passions. Aurora Institute partnered with Big Picture Learning to help educators understand why authentic, real-world learning is vital for future success. View this archived webinar to hear ways to develop, improve and sustain an internship program in your school or district from practitioners who launched internship programs in their schools, and learn their challenges and key takeaways.

 
View
 
BONUS:
Supporting Deeper Learning Through High-Quality Internship Projects
 
Plugged In Headlines: News about Education Transformation

Planning for Equity
Joshua P. Starr, Phi Delta Kappan

Uprooting Systemic Bias in Schools
Emily Boudreau, Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Healthy Schools Toolkit
Washington University in St. Louis

Key Insights for State Action on Educational Attainment, Workforce Development
Brian A. Sponsler, Ed Note

Does the Bell Toll for Annual Assessments?
Dale Chu, Assessment HQ

It’s Not Just Teachers: How Counselor Diversity Matters for Students of Color
Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat

Everybody Supports 'Equity,' But How Do They Define It?
Daarel Burnette II, EdWeek

How Collaboration Can Address Both Education And Economic Inequality
Scott Sargrad, Forbes

Goodbye Grade Levels, and Hello Personalized Learning! Northern Cass's New Plan to Help Students
Veronica Marshall, Valley News Live

Assessment is Evolving — But is Change Coming Fast Enough?
Education Dive

How to Create a Classroom That’s a Safe Space for Failure
Michael Bycraft, EdSurge

Proficiency-Based Grading Progress: Officials Weigh In
Kate Barcellos, Rutland Herald


Aurora Institute in the News

A New Definition for Competency-Based Education
This past week, the CompetencyWorks initiative of the Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) released an updated definition of competency-based education (CBE)...Read More.

Staff Attends Personalized Learning Conference
A group of teachers and administrators recently returned from a conference where the main topic was personalized learning…Read More.

Del Lago Academy Earns Top Honors at the Aurora Institute Symposium
The Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) last week recognized Carissa Dunn, a teacher from Del Lago Academy Campus of Applied Science...Read More.

One Big Barrier to Personalized Learning: Time
Nothing governs the school day quite as strictly as time. This is especially true in middle and high schools, where subject-specific blocks break up the day...Read More.

Aurora Institute Symposium -formerly iNACOL
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Policy
The Center for Policy Advocacy leads the multi-stage evolution of policy necessary for the growth of effective personalized learning models toward the goals of high quality, equity, access and dramatically improving student learning to close the achievement gap and ensure every student has access to high-quality, world-class learning opportunities.
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CompetencyWorks
CompetencyWorks is an online resource dedicated to competency education in K-12 education. CompetencyWorks shares original research, knowledge and a variety of perspectives through an informative blog with practitioner knowledge, policy advancements, papers on emerging issues and a wiki with resources curated from across the field. Bookmark this resource and check often for frequent updates.
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Resources
Working collaboratively with diverse experts in the field, the Aurora Institute produces reports, books, policy briefs, blog posts, webinars and related resources on key topics and tough issues that equip and empower educators and leaders to catalyze and scale personalized, next generation learning models. Use our web-based library to freely access and share materials.
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