{"id":17626,"date":"2023-05-26T16:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T20:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/?post_type=cw_post&p=17626"},"modified":"2023-06-06T16:59:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T20:59:11","slug":"how-being-in-a-competency-based-learning-environment-prepared-me-for-college","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/how-being-in-a-competency-based-learning-environment-prepared-me-for-college\/","title":{"rendered":"How Being in a Competency-Based Learning Environment Prepared Me for College"},"content":{"rendered":"
My senior year of high school was big for me: AP classes, two internships, leadership roles in clubs, and a spring musical. Yet, despite those things, only one stressor truly haunted my mind: where I would go to college the following year. I attended Kettle Moraine School for Arts and Performance (KM Perform), a competency-based learning environment, in Wales, WI, for high school, and I wanted a similar experience for college. So naturally, my laundry list of possible colleges included primarily small, private, liberal arts colleges with comparable learning environments. It was a shock to all (myself included) when I chose the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a large state school, to continue my education.<\/p>\n
Going to college is a big adjustment for any student in more ways than just attending (and passing) classes. The excitement of new people, places, and things can be overwhelming. As a rising junior, I am still learning new things, seeing new places, and constantly meeting new people. On a Friday afternoon during my freshman year, as I discussed football games and upcoming weekend plans with new friends, I received a 67% on my first midterm. I was devastated. I didn’t understand what happened; I did everything I was supposed to: quizlet, practice questions, and re-reading our two ginormous textbooks. I even followed my professor’s study guide with terms to know and concepts to understand. Many adults from my hometown had been skeptical about competency-based learning environments adequately preparing students for university, and it was something my family and I had considered when I enrolled in high school. Had I made the wrong choice?<\/p>\n
At KM Perform, we did not take tests. In fact, my ACT was the most recent test I had taken before my first midterm. Instead, we presented our learning through projects and hands-on experiences. Rarely did I ever fill in a circle with a number two pencil or circle \u201ctrue\u201d or \u201cfalse.\u201d I expressed my fear to my roommates and discovered I wasn’t the only person who had done poorly on my first exam. All four of us had. Upon further conversation with peers in my class, I found out many more could have done better. While I wasn’t the only one who had done poorly on the exam, I was undoubtedly the only one who attended a competency-based learning environment.\u00a0 <\/p>\n