Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education (DRAFT June 2017)

The purpose of this paper is to explore and reflect on the ideas that state policy needs to address in the long term to support a transformation to competency-based education systems designed to ensure equity so all students can be truly ready for success. We explore threshold concepts (“core concepts, that once understood, are needed to transform a given subject”) of certifying learning; assessment literacy; pedagogical innovations based on learning sciences; and meeting kids where they are, as part of a long game strategy.

This draft paper was prepared in advance of the National Summit on K-12 Competency-Based Education and will be revised based on attendees’ input. CompetencyWorks is hosting the Summit in Denver, Colorado on June 21-23, 2017. The Summit is invitation-only and will convene 100 leading innovators to move the field of competency-based education through the next generation of ideas and actionable outcomes, with a specific focus on equity and diversity. The Summit will tackle 6 issues: equity, policy, quality, meeting kids where they are, identifying emerging issues and revising the working definition of competency education.

Review the other draft Summit papers that explore key issues:

• An Introduction to the National Summit on K-12 Competency-Based Education
• In Pursuit of Equality: A Framework for Equity Strategies in Personalized, Competency-Based Education
• Meeting Students Where They Are
• In Search of Efficacy: Defining the Elements of Quality in a Competency-Based Education System