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Aurora Institute

Resources on Education Innovation

Working collaboratively with experts in the field, we publish reports 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.
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Report

ExcEL Leadership Academy Micro-credential Pathway Adoption in Rhode Island

March 2024

Jennifer Cohen Kabaker, Laurie Gagnon

Issue(s): Aurora Institute, State Policy, Support Professional Learning

Report

Clearing the Path for Assessment Innovation: The Role of Federal Policy

December 2023

Aurora Institute, The Center for Assessment, Center for Innovation in Education, Envision Learning Partners, The Great Schools Partnership, KnowledgeWorks

Issue(s): Federal Policy, State Policy

Book

Agency by Design: An Educator’s Playbook

October 2023

Derek Wenmoth and Marsha Jones with George Edwards and Annette Thompson

Issue(s): Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Develop Educator Capacity

Report

Going Beyond the Traditional: Next Gen Credentials and Flexible Learning Pathways

June 2023

Susan Patrick, Laurie Gagnon, Alyssa Weaver

Issue(s): State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications

Issue Brief

Next Generation Accountability: Creating Performance Frameworks for Student Success

January 2023

Susan Patrick

Issue(s): Federal Policy, State Policy, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement

Issue Brief

Aurora Institute’s 2022 State Policy Priorities

March 2022

Susan Patrick

Issue(s): State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones, Fund Innovation, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education

Report

Measuring Forward: Emerging Trends in K-12 Assessment Innovation

November 2021

The Aurora Institute, The Center for Assessment, C!E, the Center for Innovation in Education, Envision Learning Partners, The Great Schools Partnership, KnowledgeWorks

Issue(s): Issues in Practice, How to Get Started, Commit to Equity, Evaluate Quality, Rethink Instruction, Create Balanced Systems of Assessments, Learn Lessons from the Field, Activate Student Agency, Engage Community, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments

Issue Brief

Innovation Zones: Policy Flexibility to Reimagine and Modernize K-12 Education Post-COVID-19

June 2021

Fred Jones, Alexis Chambers

Issue(s): State Policy, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Fund Innovation, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education, Harness Opportunities in ESSA

Issue Brief

Mere Engagement: Reflections about the Connections Between Online Learning, Student Agency, and Student Engagement

January 2021

Laureen Avery, Marsha Jones, Sara Marr, Derek Wenmoth,

Issue(s): Issues in Practice, Rethink Instruction, Activate Student Agency, Engage Community, Design for Educational Equity, Develop Educator Capacity, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education

Issue Brief, CompetencyWorks

Strengthening Local Assessment Systems for Personalized, Proficiency-Based Education: Strategies and Tools for Professional Learning

October 2020

Pat Fitzsimmons

Issue(s): State Policy, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity, Issues in Practice, Support Professional Learning, Create Balanced Systems of Assessments

Book

A Promise for Equitable Futures: Enabling Systems Change to Scale Educational and Economic Mobility Pathways

October 2020

Susan Patrick, Katherine Casey

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Design for Educational Equity, State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Fund Innovation, Issues in Practice, Lead Change and Innovation, Commit to Equity, Evaluate Quality, Support Professional Learning, Rethink Instruction, Activate Student Agency, Engage Community

Report

Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Future Readiness

August 2020

Susan Patrick, Alexis Chambers

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Harness Opportunities in ESSA, Increase Access to Broadband, Design for Educational Equity, Create Space to Pilot Systems of Assessments, State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Fund Innovation, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education

Issue Brief

Future Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education

April 2020

Susan Patrick, Alexis Chambers, Natalie Truong

Issue(s): State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education

Report

How Systems of Assessments Aligned with Competency-Based Education Can Support Equity

January 2020

Carla Evans, Maria Worthen, Scott Marion

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Design for Educational Equity, Create Space to Pilot Systems of Assessments, Issues in Practice, Commit to Equity, Create Balanced Systems of Assessments, Build Balanced Systems of Assessments, Develop Educator Capacity

Issue Brief

Transforming Teaching: What University Presidents and Deans of Colleges of Education Need to Know about Modernizing the K-12 Educator Workforce

December 2019

Katherine Casey

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Modernize HEA, State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce

CompetencyWorks, Report

What Is Competency-Based Education? An Updated Definition

November 2019

Dr. Eliot Levine, Susan Patrick

Issue(s): State Policy, Base Learning on Mastery Not Seat Time, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education, Issues in Practice, Lead Change and Innovation, Commit to Equity, Rethink Instruction, Activate Student Agency

Report

Aligning Education Policy with the Science of Learning and Development

October 2019

Natalie Truong

Issue(s): Federal Policy, State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Issues in Practice, Rethink Instruction, Learn Lessons from the Field

Issue Brief

Modernizing the Teaching Workforce for Learner-Centered, Competency-Based, Equity-Oriented Education: State Policy Recommendations

July 2019

Katherine Casey, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce

Issue Brief

Developing a Modern Teacher Workforce: Federal Policy Recommendations for Professional Learning and Supporting Future-Focused, Competency-Based Education Systems

March 2019

Katherine Casey, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Design for Educational Equity, State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce, Issues in Practice, Support Professional Learning

Issue Brief

iNACOL 2019 State Policy Priorities

January 2019

Susan Patrick, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Create Meaningful Qualifications, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement

CompetencyWorks, Report

Moving Toward Mastery: Growing, Developing and Sustaining Educators for Competency-Based Education

November 2018

Katherine Casey

Issue(s): State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce, Issues in Practice, How to Get Started, Evaluate Quality, Support Professional Learning

Issue Brief

2019 State and Federal Policy Priorities

September 2018

Susan Patrick, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): Federal Policy, Harness Opportunities in ESSA, Modernize HEA, Increase Access to Broadband, Leverage Career and Technical Education, Create Space to Pilot Systems of Assessments, State Policy, Redefine Student Success, Redesign Accountability Systems for Continuous Improvement, Modernize and Diversify the Educator-Leader Workforce

Report

Executive Summary: Current to Future State-Issues and Action Steps for State Policy to Support Personalized, Competency-Based Learning

September 2018

Susan Patrick, Dale Frost, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones, Create Enabling Conditions for Competency-Based Education

Issue Brief

Innovation Zones: Creating Policy Flexibility for Competency-Based Personalized Learning (updated August 2018)

August 2018

Susan Patrick, Dale Frost, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): State Policy, Develop Educator Capacity, Create Pilots and Innovation Zones

Issue Brief

State Funding Strategies to Support Education Innovation

June 2018

Susan Patrick, Natalie Truong, Maria Worthen

Issue(s): State Policy, Fund Innovation

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Over the last two decades, the Aurora Institute has driven the transformation toward student-centered, next-generation learning for K-12 education. During that time, the Aurora Institute published more than 200 reports and webinars in support of these efforts.