{"id":3421,"date":"2015-08-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/how-competent-are-we-at-competency-education\/"},"modified":"2020-02-05T12:55:39","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T17:55:39","slug":"how-competent-are-we-at-competency-education","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/how-competent-are-we-at-competency-education\/","title":{"rendered":"How Competent Are We at Competency Education?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Below is the presentation I prepared for the New Hampshire Education Summit<\/a> on the topic <\/em>How Competent Are We at Competency Education? (here is link to video<\/a>)<\/p>\n What a pleasure it is to be here in New Hampshire \u2013 the well-spring of competency education. When Susan Patrick, my partner in co-founding CompetencyWorks, and I did the scan of competency education in 2010, we found that there were pockets of competency education across the country. However, there was only one state \u2013 and that state was New Hampshire \u2013 that had the foresight, courage, and leadership to set a new course for their schools and for their children. Now look at you,\u00a0<\/em>setting the course for federal policy by having the courage to imagine a new way for the state and districts to co-design a system of quality assurance \u2013 what we used to call state accountability.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Competency education is spreading across the country. As soon as CompetencyWorks updates this map, we hear of another state taking a step forward. For example, in June, Idaho and Ohio both decided to invest in pilots. However, the thing that convinces me we are going in the right direction is that districts, without the help of any enabling state policy, are converting to competency education \u2013 Lindsay in California, Warren and Springdale in Arkansas, Charleston in South Carolina, Henry and Fulton in Georgia, Freeport in Illinois, and Lake County in Florida.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With so many states and districts becoming competency-based, it\u2019s definitely time for us to begin to reflect on how we are doing in converting our time-based system to a competency-based one. It\u2019s time to learn from others so we can make implementation easier with fewer wrong turns. Right now, we don\u2019t have evaluation data to guide us, so we must use the data we do have and, \u00a0more importantly, be as honest as we can be with each other. We must ask ourselves:\u00a0How Competent Are We At Competency Education<\/em>? And what do we need to do better on behalf of our students?<\/p>\n There are so many examples of innovative schools and districts creating personalized, competency-based systems….many of them right here in New Hampshire. However, there are also concerns that we aren\u2019t always getting it right.<\/p>\n Based on what I\u2019ve heard as concerns across the country, from people in New Hampshire and from what I\u2019ve learned from site visits, I\u2019ve identified three areas to focus our attention:<\/p>\n For our discussion today, I\u2019ve organized four steps:<\/p>\n Step 1<\/strong>: We will take a moment to focus on our destination \u2013\u00a0<\/em>what we want to accomplish and what we need to get there.<\/p>\n Step 2<\/strong>: We will use the five habits of competency education to guide our reflection.<\/p>\n Step 3<\/strong>: We need to be able to identify and diagnose when there are problems and do corrective action. I call these the Red Flags.<\/em><\/p>\n Step 4: <\/strong>Our reflection can\u2019t be on just where we need mid-course corrections. We also need to push ourselves to think beyond all the routines, practices, and policies that have shaped what we have known as schools to figure out what we can do better for students. We need to work together to imagine the possible<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first thing we need to have is a common understanding of our destination. What do we want to achieve, why is a competency-based system going to help us, and what are its core elements?<\/p>\n What we want is for our students to love learning<\/em>, to know how they themselves learn, and to be able to navigate<\/em> and create learning environments<\/em> that work for them. They need to have the habits of learning<\/em> to be successful when encountering any new challenge, know how to apply skills and knowledge<\/em> to new problems in new contexts, and have the skills and knowledge to be successful in college and the workplace<\/em>. Each community may express this differently, but in the end, what we want is for our students to be prepared for lifelong learning<\/em>.<\/p>\n We also want to design a system that is personalized enough to ensure students are successful \u2013 especially those who have been historically underserved, such as low income students, Native Americans, African-Americans, Latinos, English language learners, and our students with disabilities. We are designing a system in which failure is not an option.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The way we are going to reach our destination is through greater personalization \u2013 being able to ensure that students receive the learning opportunities, instruction, and support they need to be successful. I use the phrase personalized system<\/em> in contrast to describing the traditional system as a factory model<\/em>. Right now, our best thinking to date is that to create a personalized system, we need to have a competency-based structure, a student-centered approach (sometimes referred as personalized learning) that engages and motivates students to have greater ownership over their education, and then the technology to offer more flexibility in pace, place, and path<\/em>.<\/p>\n The traditional, time-based system was never designed to ensure equity. In fact, it depended on similar curriculum and amounts of instruction to be able to sort students. In comparison, we are re-engineering to create a personalized, competency-based system to make sure every student is learning every step of the way so they are prepared for the next level of study and the next stage of their life. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2011, 100 innovators in competency education gathered together to create a working definition of competency education. It has five components and ALL FIVE ELEMENTS are NECESSARY. <\/em><\/p>\n When I\u2019ve visited schools where all five of these elements are in place, I have found motivated students, incredibly engaged educators collaborating on how to improve instruction and their skills, and this phenomenal culture of innovation. Ty Cesene of Bronx Arena said it best:\u00a0We aren\u2019t going to stop innovating until 100% of our students are graduating. <\/em><\/p>\n Now let me take a minute to clear up two common misunderstandings.<\/p>\n The first misconception is that competency education is only about pace. The phrase \u201clearning is a constant and time is a variable\u201d has led many to believe that competency-based education is synonymous with online learning. That is wrong. Competency-based education is much more than pace and time \u2013 it a structure to ensure that students succeed. Online learning can be incredibly helpful in a competency-based school, but progressing through software or an online curriculum does not necessarily provide transparency, extra support, and opportunities for deeper learning.<\/p>\n Second, some believe that being intentional about what we want students to know and be able to do means that we want all students to end up at the same finishing line. In fact, the opposite is true<\/em>. Competency education is designed to unleash the potential of every student \u2013 a student can be doing eighth\u00a0grade math and sixth\u00a0grade reading…and be on a trajectory to take college level math while in high school. They have opportunities to create projects and expanded learning that reflect their interests or allow them to integrate skills they have learned outside of school. We want students to thrive\u00a0and\u00a0be all they can be.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After visiting competency-based schools all over the country, I\u2019ve tried to figure out what makes the difference between those that are able to put competency education in place (where the policies and practices are highly aligned and where students and educators are excited about it)\u00a0and a\u00a0really bumpy implementation that continues to hold onto many of the rituals and beliefs of the traditional system, creating a gnawing frustration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Based on visits to over thirty schools \u2013 some more personalized than others, some using technology more than others, some much more innovative in school design than others, and some having real difficulties \u2013 I\u2019ve come to think about the five fundamental habits of competency education.<\/p>\n They are: Empowerment, A Sparkling Culture of Learning, Constant Attention to the Cycle of Learning, Agility, and Embedded Accountability. These habits are what we must hold dear, constantly nurturing them. They are the values upon which the system rests.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s explore the first two in detail, as they are essential to effective implementation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What does it mean to have an empowering system<\/em>? <\/strong>Moving from the traditional compliance-oriented, top-down system to one that is empowering is an enormous change. To make this change, we need:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Honestly, I couldn\u2019t figure out the right word to describe the learning culture I see in well-developed competency-based schools. It does sparkle. Students and educators take pride and find joy in learning<\/em>, including being comfortable talking about mistakes and failures.<\/p>\n One of the hardest things we all have to come to terms with is that the traditional system wasn\u2019t designed around learning \u2013 for students or for adults. It really assumes a fixed mindset. We think that some kids are just going to do better than others, whether because of aptitude or because of income.<\/p>\n A competency-based system has to first <\/em>start with the growth mindset and the understanding of how environment shapes our mindset and our learning. We have to allow ourselves to be challenged by the concept that \u201call kids can learn.” We all encounter situations where it is hard to imagine how the student is going to learn, and those are exactly<\/em> the times we have to go ask for help ourselves.<\/p>\n Second, a sparkling culture of learning requires designing so students love learning \u2013 by being inquiry-based, motivating, engaging, and doing projects. Learning is fun \u2013 it may be really challenging \u2013\u00a0<\/em>but it is fun.<\/p>\n Third, the adults all have to commit to continuous learning, both as an organization and in their professional development. Systems will need to be designed so that adults feel supported, recognized, and valued for their learning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n CompetencyWorks released a paper last month on the implementation of competency education. Based on discussion with district and school leaders, we identified four phases. The first phase, Ramping Up for Transformation<\/em>, is absolutely critically important. It is the stage in which the new capacities are developed to create empowering organizations that can produce sparkling cultures of learning. It is through developing shared leadership in a shared journey of inquiry that we develop the spirit of competency education \u2013 empowerment and a love of learning.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve come to believe that if a district or school skimps on the ramping up process, they won\u2019t be able to sweep away the underlying values of the traditional system or build the new habits that will drive the competency-based system. Or as Bob Crumley from Chugach School Districts says…it will come back to bite you.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a quick look at the three other habits of competency education.<\/p>\n Nurturing a Cycle of Learning <\/strong>means that educators focus their energy on constantly strengthening their ability for building relationships with students, instruction, and assessment. In the first few years of competency education, teachers start to have much deeper conversations with colleagues about student work, instructional approaches, how they are assessing, and how to assess higher order skills. In some ways, I think we are on the path to the Finnish educational approach in which teachers are the ultimate professionals, taking responsibility for helping students to succeed, but in a uniquely American way.<\/p>\n Agility <\/strong>means significantly increasing the capacity of districts and schools to respond to the changing needs of students. We have been organized to respond to students primarily after they fail. Now we are designing to ensure they are successful. You can call it organizational agility, nimbleness, or responsiveness \u2013 it is the heart and soul of designing for equity.<\/p>\n Embedded Accountability <\/strong>(often\u00a0described as mutual accountability or high reliability) is the capacity to produce success year in and year out. It starts with districts and schools believing that they can and will make sure students are successful. It is creating consistency, such as ensuring that teachers have the same understanding of proficiency so that grading is consistent. It is supported by information management systems that help teachers, principals, and district leaders to move resources around quickly, such as schedules and just-in-time professional development. Bottom line: it is about constantly asking how are our kids doing and what do we need to do to make sure they are successful.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Implementing competency education isn\u2019t the same as introducing a program. There is some complexity in understanding how the five elements and the five habits all form a virtuous system…one designed to consistently help students learn and apply their learning. I\u2019d like to highlight three practices I often see in schools in the first year or two of implementation that are little red flags to me that the five elements and habits aren\u2019t firmly in place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are a few more examples of red flags.Why do you think they might be red flags? What elements or habits might need to be strengthened?<\/em><\/p>\n 1. When extra support is only provided at lunchtime and after school.<\/p>\n 2. When instruction is dominated by worksheets.<\/p>\n 3. When academic competencies and standards are not balanced with the habits of learning. There may a sign on the wall about the habits of learning, but there is no intentional strategy about how the school will help students develop the habits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m in awe of how difficult it is to think beyond the traditional school year, day, and courses. I am reminded of this constantly as I see information management vendors continually structure their architecture around courses and not students. There are so many aspects of the traditional system, and we all grew up in them, so we have to push ourselves to imagine what is possible \u2013 both big and small.<\/p>\n Here are a few examples of practices I\u2019ve seen in schools that help me to push my own thinking. They are small, and they are powerful. Then let\u2019s break again for you to have a few minutes to imagine together.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I hope this discussion was helpful. We are all learning and learning from each other. Many of you here in New Hampshire have helped me to better understand competency education, and\u00a0I am so grateful<\/em>.<\/p>\n There is always a bit of discomfort when we are learning, but once things get sorted, there is such a warm glowing confidence to be reminded that we can learn and do better by our kids. I feel confident that a school is on the right path whenever I see the question What\u2019s Best for Kids<\/em> guiding their decision-making.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People ask me why I work on competency education rather than the broader next generation learning with all the col technology. There are two reasons. First, without competency education, personalized learning and blended learning are at risk as much as any other reform of not challenging the inequity in our communities and in our system. I think competency education is the best approach for creating an equitable system. Second, the structural changes are hard \u2013 they are one half technical and one half values. In my mind, it is the respect, the empowerment, and the belief that we can all grow that inspires me.<\/p>\n And you inspire me. The people of New Hampshire rock. Truly. You are wholeheartedly jumping in to do what\u2019s best for our kids \u2013 creating new policies, imagining how to create entire new systems of assessment, and redesigning schools. And you do it with a spirit of collaboration, empowerment, and the love of learning. I thank you…and educators all across the country….thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","mapsvg_location":""},"legacy_category":[],"issue":[396,377,368,379],"location":[91],"class_list":["post-3421","cw_post","type-cw_post","status-publish","hentry","issue-how-to-get-started","issue-state-policy","issue-issues-in-practice","issue-create-enabling-conditions-for-competency-based-education","location-new-hampshire"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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