{"id":16697,"date":"2023-02-28T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/?post_type=cw_post&p=16697"},"modified":"2023-04-03T17:53:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T21:53:11","slug":"cbe-starter-pack-7-establish-rigorous-common-expectations-with-meaningful-competencies","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/cbe-starter-pack-7-establish-rigorous-common-expectations-with-meaningful-competencies\/","title":{"rendered":"CBE Starter Pack 7: Establish Rigorous, Common Expectations with Meaningful Competencies"},"content":{"rendered":"

When educators begin to explore competency-based education (CBE), the <\/span><\/i>CompetencyWorks Initiative<\/span><\/i><\/a> is a key place to start, but it can be overwhelming to take it all in. This post on meaningful competencies is the final of a series of \u201c<\/span><\/i>CBE Starter Packs<\/span><\/i><\/a>” focused on each of the seven elements of the Aurora Institute\u2019s <\/span><\/i>2019 CBE Definition<\/span><\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Meaningful competencies, CBE Definition Element 7, guide the purpose of all of our efforts to support learners. This post begins by articulating the role of competencies in a CBE system and the way competencies can connect to a vision for student learning. Next, I outline key design decisions for creating competencies and provide examples that illustrate these decision choices. Like all of the Starter Pack posts, this post suggests indicators for the student experience and system structures and policies. Finally, I close with resources for learning more and getting started. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"CBE<\/p>\n

Meaningful Competencies Form the Foundation in CBE<\/span><\/h2>\n

Meaningful competencies form the foundation \u2013 and set the ultimate destination \u2013 in a CBE system. In the definition we talk about meaningful competencies to establish rigorous, common expectations. In practice, the language to name competencies varies from place to place. Some examples of other terms include shared learning goals, deeper learning goals, attainments, critical skills, and habits of success. What is important is that the competencies are known to learners. \"CBE<\/span><\/p>\n

Competency-based education systems raise the bar in two ways. First, they expand the definition of student success to include the higher-order skills and dispositions needed to transfer and apply knowledge to novel situations. Second, they expect that all students will meet this bar. CBE Definition Elements 1-6 support designing a learning environment that can ensure all students can demonstrate the competencies at an expected high level. Element 7 focuses on how CBE expands the definition of student success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CBE Quality Principles<\/span><\/a> 10 (Seek Intentionality and Alignment) and 12 (Maximize Transparency) highlight the idea of a \u201ccommon learning framework\u201d that clarifies what is expected for students to know and do at each performance level or grade level. The common learning framework is transparent to all. Students (and their families) know where they are on their learner continuum, their progress and growth. Teachers build a shared understanding of what student proficiency looks like, align instruction and assessment to the appropriate level of cognitive rigor, and share knowledge of instructional strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The competencies or common learning framework are the structure to which all other aspects of competency-based systems align. That system aims to balance flexibility for students with different strengths, interests, and aspirations to learn along multiple pathways. The system maintains a rigorous commitment to ensuring all pathways and all demonstrations of student mastery reflect the competencies that define success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing from a Shared Vision of Learner Success<\/span><\/h3>\n

CBE emphasizes a shift to higher-level competencies that include transferable skills and dispositions in addition to academic knowledge and skills. As such, the potential value of beginning from a shared vision is two-fold: 1) competencies demand rigorous, deeper learning instruction and assessment, and 2) competencies can reinforce a sense of purpose and make connections for students about why it is important to reach proficiency on standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developing a profile of the graduate (also known as portrait of a graduate, vision of the graduate, learner profile, etc.) through an inclusive process offers a promising entry point for defining a shared vision of learner success. A shared vision can build understanding and transparency about the purpose and value of CBE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through community dialogues about what stakeholders want for their learners, states, districts, or schools can define well-rounded competencies that all students will demonstrate by graduation. The following considerations support creating an effective process to develop a shared vision of what students need to know and be able to do for future success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n