{"id":1302,"date":"2016-04-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/moving-from-seat-time-to-competency-based-credits-in-state-policy-ensuring-all-students-develop-mastery\/"},"modified":"2023-01-04T09:51:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T14:51:47","slug":"moving-from-seat-time-to-competency-based-credits-in-state-policy-ensuring-all-students-develop-mastery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/moving-from-seat-time-to-competency-based-credits-in-state-policy-ensuring-all-students-develop-mastery\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving from Seat-Time to Competency-Based Credits in State Policy: Ensuring All Students Develop Mastery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Personalized<\/a>School leaders find once they begin to optimize their instructional models using anytime, anywhere learning, state policies that reinforce seat time become a barrier to innovative approaches delivering highly-personalized learning experiences for all students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personalized learning<\/span><\/a> is important because it holds the promise to create student agency, preparing all students for college, career and life. In these learning environments, students tailor their education based on their own interests and passions. Students co-design their learning plans, engage in meaningful learning experiences to accomplishing college- and career-ready goals, and take ownership of their education. <\/span><\/p>\n

Educators offer tailored instruction targeted to each student\u2019s needs and empower students to learn standards, skills, and competencies by exploring topics relevant to them. For example, a student interested in biotechnology could develop an interdisciplinary approach that covers both biology and chemistry standards and work in a biotechnology internship part-time.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to challenge seat-time as the only way to earn credit toward graduation. \u00a0Education systems should focus on learning (what a student knows and can do) and enable students to earn credits based on demonstrated mastery.<\/span><\/p>\n

When students only earn credits based on the number of minutes in a course for a specific subject, it limits the ability for learning after school, in the community, through internships, and through online learning. <\/span><\/p>\n

State policymakers can enable personalized, competency-based education that provides \u201copen-walled\u201d learning opportunities–inside and outside of school buildings–by allowing students to accumulate credits toward graduation by demonstrating competencies across disciplines. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moving from \u201ctime-based\u201d policies toward \u201ccompetency-based\u201d structures of earning credits based on demonstrated mastery is a major shift and is fundamental to personalizing learning at scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

How States Can Rethink Seat Time with Credit Flexibility Policies<\/b><\/h3>\n