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Aurora Institute

Competency Education Strand at the iNACOL Symposium

CompetencyWorks Blog

Author(s): Chris Sturgis

Issue(s): Issues in Practice, Learn Lessons from the Field


International Association for K-12 Online Learning
International Association for K-12 Online Learning

Take a peek at the strand on competency education at iNACOL’s Blended and Online Symposium coming up November 4–7. And for all of you going – let’s do a quick meet up on November 4th at the President’s Reception at 6-6:30 p.m. next to Booth 510 (it’s the “Activate Instruction” booth, the SIS/LMS developed by Summit Schools).

Here is a look at some of the highlights of the competency education strand of sessions:

November 4th

Pre-Conference Workshop Getting Started and Scaling Competency Education with Ellen Hume-Howard, Curriculum Director at Sanborn Regional School District (SRSD); Jonathon VanderEls, Principal, Memorial Elementary, SRSD; Brian Griffin, Principal, Lincoln School (K-8), Lindsay Unified School District (LUSD); and Rebecca Midles, Performance Based System Specialist, LUSD.

November 5th

The Competency Education Toolkit for Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction, and Grading led by Rose Colby, competency education consultant extraordinaire.

Kentucky’s State Policy & Districts of Innovation, with David Cook, Kentucky Department of Education.

Roadmap to Competency-Based Systems: How Well Are You Leveraging Next Gen Technologies? with Jennifer Davis Poon and Beth Colby from CCSSO and Thomas Gaffey from Building 21.

Igniting Learning: A Radical Approach to Designing A Competency Based Learning System led by Kim Carter, QED Foundation and founder of Making Community Connections Charter School and Elizabeth Cardine, QED Foundation.

Technical Assistance Providers: Findings from Convening on Blended and Competency-based Learning will be an open conversion on how we can advance schools that are designed around blended, personalized, and competency-based education. Panelists include Jane Bryson, Education Elements; Alison Hramiec, Boston Day and Evening Academy; and Julia Freeland, Christensen Institute.

Aligning Student-based Competency Outcomes, Assessment and Instruction led by Nancy Cruse, Diploma Plus.

Sanborn Regional School District: How to Support a K-12 Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System with Brian Stack, Principal, Sanborn Regional High School; Jonathon VanderEls, Principal, Memorial Elementary, SRSD; and Rose Colby.

Building Competency to Scale the Design of Breakthrough Learning Models with Todd Kern, 2 Revolutions and Margaret Angell, CityBridge Foundation.

Building Competency-Based Instructional Components as Part of an Online Professional Learning Community with Esther Lee and Anushka Paul, Northeast Comprehensive Center.

Making Assessment a Positive Learning Experience for Students with Nancy Cruse, Diploma Plus.

Building a Culture for Competency Based Schools led by Kevin Erickson, Kettle Moraine School District.

November 6th

Reflections on Designing New Competency-Based High Schools with JoEllen Lynch and Anna Hall, Springpoint Schools; and Grace Cannon, School District of Philadelphia.

Linking Blended Learning with Competency Education is a discussion led by Joe DiMartino and Jay Midwood, Center for Secondary School Redesign; Rose Colby; and Dana Borrelli-Murray, Highlander Institute.

Personalizing on the Prairie with Jason Ellingson, Collins-Maxwell CSD.

History, Definitions, and Implications for Today’s Competency Education Movement with Aubrey Scheopner Torre, Education Development Center; Rebecca E. Wolfe, Jobs for the Future; and Tori Cirks, College and Career Readiness and Success Center/American Institutes for Research.

November 7th

Professional Development for Personalized Learning with Jason Ellingson, Collins-Maxwell CSD.

Exploring the Promise of Competency-based Digital Badges with Bernard Bull, Concordia University Wisconsin.