What’s New in K-12 Competency Education?

Furthering the Field

• Brian Stack analyzes the CFAT report, discussing how competency education can provide the structure to replace the need for the Carnegie Unit.
• Chris Sturgis explains how student agency is at the core of GenDIY, and she provides snapshots of practices in schools such as Chugach, MC2, and VLACS.
• San Francisco’s Design Tech High School allows students to decide for themselves how to spend segments of their school days, resulting in mindful and disciplined students.

Movement in the States

• Maine is making advances in competency education, as all schools must transition to proficiency-based diplomas by 2018.
• A new report from the Education Commission of the States in Denver found that states are giving districts more flexibility in allowing students to demonstrate mastery using multiple measures to gauge college readiness.
• Early in February, Julia Freeland talked about New Hampshire lifting barriers to innovation, allowing districts and charters to personalize learning. However, New Hampshire was not without pushback.
• Most recently, the U.S. Department of Education is allowing four New Hampshire districts to pilot a new accountability system, a first-of-its-kind policy, as explained by Julia Freeland.

Resources

• KnowledgeWorks released a new report by Lilian Pace, Jesse Moyer, and Matt Williams, titled Building Consensus and Momentum: A Policy and Political Landscape for K-12 Competency Education.
• Monica Martinez created The Planning Guide for Deeper Learning, an interactive website that provides practical guidance, including exercises and resources, to demonstrate how schools can create the conditions for deeper learning.