What are some of the key features of competency-based education for those who are considering this approach? This powerpoint describes the approach, and details some of the elements to explore.

1. COMPETENCY-BASED
LEARNING

2. Competency
Independently:
• Think of something you are competent at.
• Now, think about how you know you are competent.
• (We will share a few aloud.)
In Groups of 3:
• Make a list of how you would know if someone is
competent at driving: what do competent drivers
understand, what can they do, what behavior is
observable?
• (We will share lists with each other, looking for trends.)

3. What is Competency?
• …your definition…

4. What is Competency?
A combination of skills, knowledge, characteristics
and traits which contribute to high performance on
a particular task…
A competency is something one can do
• often,
• in many situations, and
• with strong results

5. In a Competency-Based System…
• Students advance upon mastery.
• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable
learning objectives that empower students.
• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning
experience.
• Students receive timely, differentiated support.
• Learning outcomes emphasize application and creation
of knowledge, along with the development of important
skills and dispositions.
• --Chris Sturgis, CompetencyWorks
• --Susan Patrick, iNACOL

6. Competencies Include…
• Aptitudes: natural ability that prepares the
person to perform a task
• Attitudes: ways of thinking or behaving required
to perform a task
• Skills: acquired ability or experience needed to
perform a task
• Knowledge: Information and understanding
needed to perform a task‖

7. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE AT
THE CLASSROOM LEVEL?

8. ENRICH-
MENT
―CORRECT-
IVES‖
FORM-
ATIVE
ASSESS-
MENT
ENRICH-
MENT
―CORRECT-
IVES‖
FORM-
ATIVE
ASSESS-
MENT
WHOLE
GROUP
INSTRUCTION
i.e. achievement is not about student intelligence and
capacity, it’s about instruction, curriculum and assessment.
The Hope Foundation: All our Children Learning: Benjamin Bloom’s Mastery Learning
http://www.hopefoundation.org/all-our-children-learning-benjamin-blooms-mastery-learning/

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmjjeqN
yxMQ&feature=youtu.be
Jessica Addison, Todd County Kentucky
Bloom’s Mastery Learning in the 21st Century: Low-tech style
Before the Video
Make a list of 3 questions or
concerns you have about
organizing competency-
based learning within a
single classroom.
After the Video
Return to your concerns /
questions: are some
answered? Do you have
new ones? Revise your
questions.

10. Shane Donovan, Washington DC
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-09-25-
spotting-schools-version-of-bigfoot
Bloom’s Mastery Learning in the 21st Century: Low-tech style
Read the Blog Post
Code the Text
? = This answers question you
have, or raises a new one.
* = You’ve done or seen
something like this.
! = You like this.
 = This is not for you.
After Reading
• Return to your list of questions,
and revise one last time.
• Turn to a partner and share
thoughts about and reactions to
the video and blog post.
With the full group:
Share a new insight or question.

11. WHAT’S DIFFERENTABOUT
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION?
Many things…
One essential feature: Standards- or Performance Based
Grading

12. Examples of Competency-Based
Learning from the ―Real World‖
• A Law School Graduate who fails the Bar Exam
• 2 times before passing it.
• A Child learning to ride a bike.

13. Traditional Scoring
Mastery-Based Scoring
Jose’s Quiz #1 on Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
Feedback: What
might a teacher
say?
Feedback:
What might a teacher say?

14. Traditional Scoring
Mastery-Based Scoring
Jose’s Quiz #1 on Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
Feedback: You
don’t seem to
understand the
material very
well.
Feedback: Most of this quiz was on
standard 6NS2, and you
demonstrated a perfect
understanding of this. You need a
bit more work on 6RP1 &2. Let’s
work on G3 together.

15. The “Grades” of 4 Students using the traditional average system

16. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
What might a teacher say
here?
Here?
Here?

17. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
You have a solid
understanding of RP1 & 2.
Let’s look for patterns in
the errors you are making
to see if there is a way to
consolidate your mastery.
We haven’t been
working on G3 as long,
you need some
additional opportunities
to gain mastery here.
Your understanding here
is actually strong. The
error you made on the
test was computational,
not conceptual.

18. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
Using a traditional
averaging approach,
what would Jose now
think about his level of
math proficiency?

19. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
Using a traditional
averaging approach,
what would Jose now
think about his level of
math proficiency?
(1) an overall average
of 77%.
(2) Little idea he has a
weak understanding
of G3.
(3) Little idea of why he
got a 40% on a quiz.
(4) Little idea he has to
really work on NS2.

20. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
In a Competency-Based System, schools have to define:
(1) What Proficiency is: In Jose’s school, 75% on a standard is considered
proficient.
(2) How many times and in how many contexts a student has to achieve a
75%. At Jose’s school, the answer is 3.

21. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
In a Competency-Based System, schools have to define:
(1) What Proficiency is: In Jose’s school, 75% on a standard is considered
proficient.
(2) How many times and in how many contexts a student has to achieve a 75%.
At Jose’s school, the answer is 3.
Using a competency-
based approach, what
would Jose now think
about his level of math
proficiency?

22. Jose’s “Grades:” Ratio/Proportions, Number Sense, & Geometry
In a Competency-Based System, schools have to
define:
(1) What Proficiency Is: At Jose’s school, 75% on a
standard is considered proficient.
(2) How many times and in how many contexts a
student has to achieve a 75%. At Jose’s school, the
answer is 3.
Using a competency-based
approach, what would Jose
now think about his level of
math proficiency?
(1) I have to show
proficiency on RP1, RP2
and NS2one more time.
(2) I I should be ready to
show proficiency with
RP1 & NS2.
(3) I still have to work on
G3, but I understand
more now than I did at
first.
(4) I may be ready to show
proficiency on RP2,
since I hit proficiency on
the final test.

23. DIGGING MORE DEEPLY INTO
STANDARDS-BASED GRADING

24. Competency education isn't a
classroom practice or an add-on
program. Building upon state
standards, it is a re-engineering of our
education system around learning—a
re-engineering designed for success
in which failure is no longer an option.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPUqKp-
n_hs&list=PL9C489399B851C548
Video: Rick Wormelli
(from Marzno’s group)

25. ―In a proficiency system, failure or poor
performance may be part of the student’s learning
curve, but it is not an outcome.‖
– Proficiency-Based Instruction and Assessment,
Oregon Education Roundtable
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=JFHf7jAfJlg
Developing a culture of formative
assessment: the role of
immediate & concrete feed-back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j
duiAnm-O3w
―What’s the point of school if you
can’t learn from your mistakes?‖
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=CkFWbC91PXQ

26. WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO
CONSIDER AT THE SCHOOL
LEVEL?
The Key Features of a Competency-Based System

27. In a Competency-Based System…
• Students advance upon mastery.
• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable
learning objectives that empower students.
• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning
experience.
• Students receive timely, differentiated support.
• Learning outcomes emphasize application and creation
of knowledge, along with the development of important
skills and dispositions.
• --Chris Sturgis, CompetencyWorks
• --Susan Patrick, iNACOL

28. Key Features of a Competency-Based System

29. Key Features
Look at the Glossary of Terms:
• Mark the terms that are familiar with a *
• Mark the terms you have a question about
with a ?
• Write your questions on an index card.
• We’ll collect the index cards, and as a group
we’ll try to answer the questions together.

30. SCHOOL-BASED
THINKING

31. In your School-Based Teams
• Is Competency-based learning something you can
imagine in your school given what we’ve explored today?
• If yes, where might you begin?
• With a small pilot of a few teachers?
• What a design team working on several aspects of the system?
• With some staff meetings to explore these ideas?
• ??
• What steps would you need to take to move in this
direction?

32. CLOSING REFLECTION
3 Things I Learned
2 Things I need to think/learn more about.
1 Thing I plan to do in the coming weeks.

33. Antonia Rudenstine
antonia@redesignu.org
781.367.6457
http://www.redesignu.org