The quest to discover superior teaching strategies is a continuous journey for educators and school leaders alike. A significant amount of time is often dedicated to contemplating how to enhance the learning experiences of students, ensuring they are well-prepared for the future.
Ultimately, the knowledge and skills students acquire, and the methods through which they learn, shape their development into successful adults. This is the core objective of competency-based education: to provide every student with an equitable opportunity to master essential skills and flourish in adulthood.
If you’re seeking effective educational approaches, continue reading. By the conclusion of this article, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to implement a competency-based education system in your institution, focusing on how competency based learning works well to develop competency for essential life skills.
Understanding Competency Based Education
In essence, competency-based education shifts the educational focus from traditional grades and rigid yearly curriculums to the actual competence of each student in a given subject. The defining characteristic of this approach is that students progress only upon demonstrating mastery of the material.
Competency-based education aligns strongly with personalized learning. By tailoring the learning journey to each student’s unique needs, educators ensure every student achieves thorough mastery before advancing to more complex concepts. This personalized approach promotes equity, allowing students to learn at their own pace while ensuring everyone in the class reaches the same high standards of competency.
Competency-based education is explicitly designed to equip students for their future endeavors, be it higher education or professional careers. It prioritizes the development of practical skills and deep understanding over rote memorization, ensuring learners are truly prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Key Differences: Competency Based Education vs. Traditional Education
Let’s explore the fundamental distinctions between these two educational models across three key areas: structure, learning outcomes, and grading.
Structure
Traditional education typically adheres to a fixed academic calendar and curriculum for all students within a grade level. Progression is time-based, meaning students advance to the next grade or unit at the end of a predetermined period, regardless of their individual level of understanding or skill mastery. Age is the primary determinant of classroom grouping.
Credit: CompetencyWorks
Conversely, competency-based education is inherently flexible and student-centered. It adapts to the individual learning pace and progress of each student. Students receive customized support tailored to their specific needs, enabling them to achieve mastery at their own rhythm. Advancement is based on demonstrated competency rather than age or seat time. This flexible structure ensures that competency based learning works well to develop competency for diverse learners with varied learning styles and paces.
Learning Outcomes
Traditional education often emphasizes memorization and basic comprehension, with the primary goal being success in standardized tests and exams. Learning is often measured by the ability to recall and recognize information.
In contrast, competency-based learning prioritizes deep, applied understanding. Learning outcomes are centered on the practical application of knowledge and skills in real-world contexts. This approach focuses on cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, and other essential competencies that students will need to thrive as lifelong learners and contributing members of society. The focus shifts from passive knowledge reception to active skill development, ensuring competency based learning works well to develop competency for practical application of knowledge.
Grading
Traditional grading systems typically incorporate a mix of test scores, assignment grades, and even behavioral assessments to determine a student’s overall grade. These grades can sometimes be subjective and may not accurately reflect true competency.
Competency-based education employs assessment methods that focus solely on a student’s demonstrated performance against pre-defined competency levels. Grading is designed to be objective, transparent, and directly linked to mastery. Personalized and varied assessments provide rich data on student progress, enabling educators to provide meaningful feedback and scores that clearly communicate a student’s actual competency to both students and parents. This transparent approach makes it clear how competency based learning works well to develop competency for specific skills and knowledge areas.
Credit: Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
Advantages and Disadvantages of Competency Based Education
While competency-based education offers numerous benefits, it’s important to acknowledge both its advantages and potential challenges.
Pros
- Enhanced Flexibility and Equity: Accommodates diverse learners, regardless of prior knowledge or learning differences. By focusing on individual needs, competency based learning works well to develop competency for all students, fostering a more equitable learning environment.
- Reduced Bias and Increased Equity: Objective assessment criteria minimize subjective bias in evaluation, promoting fairer outcomes for all students.
- Improved Preparation for Adulthood: Focuses on developing essential skills needed for success in college, careers, and life, ensuring competency based learning works well to develop competency for future success.
- Cultivates Lifelong Learning Skills: Empowers students to become self-directed learners who take ownership of their education, a crucial competency for continuous growth and adaptation.
Cons
- Complexity in Defining Competencies: Identifying and clearly defining key competencies for each subject and grade level can be a demanding task.
- Need for Innovative Assessments: Requires the development and implementation of more meaningful, creative, and authentic assessment methods beyond traditional tests.
- Increased Teacher Responsibilities: Demands continuous monitoring of student progress and proactive intervention to support students who are struggling or falling behind. This requires teachers to be highly attuned to individual student needs to ensure competency based learning works well to develop competency for everyone.
However, these challenges are not insurmountable. With careful planning, research-backed strategies, and collaborative effort, schools can successfully implement competency-based education and reap its significant rewards. While it may require a shift in mindset and practice for school leadership and educators, the ultimate outcome is a more effective and equitable education system that truly prepares students for the future.
So, how can you establish a competency-based education system in your school? Let’s explore the core principles that underpin this transformative approach.
6 Core Principles of Competency Based Education
1. Equity as the Foundational Principle
In competency-based education, equity transcends simply providing equal resources. It’s about ensuring each student receives what they need to achieve the same learning outcomes. This principle is paramount as it directly addresses and mitigates biases within the educational system. Instruction and support are tailored to individual student strengths and weaknesses, guaranteeing every student an equal opportunity to succeed. This approach dismantles the predictability of achievement based on socioeconomic factors like culture, social class, income, or language, demonstrating how competency based learning works well to develop competency for all students regardless of background.
Furthermore, competency-based education cultivates an inclusive and supportive school culture where all students feel safe and respected, further enhancing equity and belonging.
2. Emphasis on Measurable Competencies for Lifelong Skills
Competencies, in this model, are not vague aspirations but clearly defined, measurable learning objectives for each student. These competencies move beyond rote memorization, focusing on a student’s practical understanding and application of knowledge. They are designed to build skills that are relevant and valuable throughout life.
These competencies are typically based on:
- Deep Understanding of Core Concepts: Going beyond surface-level knowledge to grasp the underlying principles and ideas.
- Application of Knowledge to Real-World Problems: Demonstrating the ability to use learned concepts to solve practical problems and address meaningful challenges. This is a key area where competency based learning works well to develop competency for problem-solving.
- Mastery of Essential Skills: Developing proficiency in skills that are crucial for academic, professional, and personal success, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
Credit: My Riverside
Defining these competencies requires a collaborative effort. School leaders should engage the entire teaching staff to gather diverse perspectives on the essential knowledge and skills that signify mastery in each subject area. This collaborative approach ensures that the defined competencies are comprehensive, relevant, and effectively measure the skills that competency based learning works well to develop competency for.
3. Transparency Fosters Student Ownership
In competency-based education, learning goals are not kept secret. The intended learning outcomes for each class, and for the school as a whole, are transparently communicated to students and parents alike. This transparency is crucial for empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey.
In a competency-based system, students clearly understand:
- What they are expected to learn: The specific knowledge and skills they need to acquire.
- How mastery is defined: The criteria and benchmarks used to determine competency.
- How they will be assessed: The methods and tools used to evaluate their progress and mastery.
When students have a clear understanding of the destination, they are more likely to take responsibility for the journey. For instance, if a student understands that the goal is to apply math concepts to design a garden, they can actively engage in the project, knowing how their math skills are being used. This clarity promotes self-direction and motivation, demonstrating how competency based learning works well to develop competency for self-regulated learning.
When students encounter challenges or recognize gaps in their knowledge, this transparency empowers them to proactively seek help and take ownership of their learning path. This ownership, in turn, cultivates essential self-directed learning skills that extend far beyond the classroom, showing how competency based learning works well to develop competency for lifelong learning.
4. Individualized Support for Every Student
Building on the previous example, when a student encounters a problem with their garden project and recognizes the need for assistance, the competency-based model emphasizes readily available teacher support. Students should be guided to understand appropriate times to seek help and have clear channels to access teacher assistance.
Educational tools, such as curriculum-aligned math programs like Prodigy Math, play a valuable role in providing individualized instruction and making learning engaging. These tools can support differentiated learning and provide real-time feedback, enhancing the effectiveness of competency-based learning in developing skills.
Competency-based education, with its focus on equity and personalized learning, addresses biases and ensures that each student progresses toward mastery in a way that leverages their strengths and addresses their weaknesses. This personalized approach provides an equitable opportunity for every student to succeed, showing how competency based learning works well to develop competency for diverse learning needs.
To facilitate this individualized support, teachers must be accessible and proactive. They need to be aware of each student’s progress, not just waiting for students to ask for help, but actively monitoring and intervening when needed.
5. Assessment for Growth and Mastery
Assessment in competency-based education is not solely about assigning grades; it’s a continuous process of understanding student progress, guiding instruction, and verifying mastery. Various assessment types are employed to provide a holistic view of student competency.
Formative Assessments
These ongoing assessments are designed to provide real-time feedback to both teachers and students about the learning process. Formative assessments help teachers identify areas where students are excelling or struggling, allowing for timely adjustments to instruction.
Examples include video essays or digital portfolios, which enable students to demonstrate their understanding in diverse ways beyond traditional tests. These assessments provide valuable insights into student comprehension, allowing teachers to adapt subsequent lessons or provide targeted support. This iterative process ensures that competency based learning works well to develop competency for specific learning objectives.
Authentic Assessments
Authentic assessments challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world scenarios, demonstrating mastery in practical contexts. This approach not only evaluates understanding but also develops crucial skills for future success.
Credit: It’s Lit Teaching
Examples include writing a cover letter for a job application using English skills or designing and building a stable tower using physics principles. These tasks showcase how competency based learning works well to develop competency for real-world application and problem-solving.
Digital Content Assessment
Technology integration in the classroom streamlines assessment processes. Many educational software platforms incorporate built-in assessment and progress tracking features, providing teachers with real-time data on student learning.
For instance, platforms like Prodigy allow teachers to create spiral assessments and track student progress through topic coverage reports. These tools provide valuable data on student understanding and areas needing support, enhancing the effectiveness of competency-based instruction in developing skills.
6. Advancement Based on Demonstrated Mastery
The culmination of competency-based education is student progression based on demonstrated mastery. Through regular assessments and data-driven progress monitoring, teachers gain a clear picture of each student’s learning journey.
When students consistently demonstrate a deep understanding of a topic, apply their knowledge effectively, and showcase the development of essential skills, they are ready to advance. This mastery-based progression ensures that competency based learning works well to develop competency for long-term retention and application of knowledge.
How is competency-based education structured in practice? Let’s explore different models of implementation.
Models of Competency Based Education
The report “Levers and Logic Models: A Framework to Guide Research and Design of High-Quality Competency-Based Education Systems” by iNACOL and CompetencyWorks outlines four interconnected models that form the framework of a robust competency-based education system.
These models are mutually reinforcing, creating a comprehensive approach that encompasses culture, experience, and structure to optimize student learning and development.
Student Experience Model
The student experience is shaped by the design of the learning structure itself. This includes incorporating universal design for learning principles to cater to diverse learners and providing multiple pathways to achieve success.
Personalized instruction is central to this model. Teachers provide tailored feedback and support, building upon students’ prior knowledge and engaging them through varied methods like practice, dialogue, and project-based learning. This personalized approach is critical to how competency based learning works well to develop competency for individual student needs.
Assessments are designed to genuinely demonstrate mastery, ensuring all students can advance once they achieve competency.
Professional Practice Model
This model focuses on empowering teachers with the necessary resources and support. Teachers need access to relevant data and learning systems to provide transparent feedback and continually refine their teaching practices. Classroom design should foster inclusion, build positive relationships, and promote mastery-based learning.
Collaboration is also key. Effective competency-based education requires strong relationships among teachers, students, and parents. This collaborative ecosystem is essential for personalizing learning and supporting student success. Professional development and continuous improvement are also integral to this model. Educators are encouraged to engage in ongoing learning and reflection, using research and student data to enhance their practice, ensuring competency based learning works well to develop competency for educators as well.
School Systems Model
School systems, whether at the state, district, or network level, play a crucial role in establishing and sustaining competency-based education. System-level involvement ensures consistency and coherence across schools within the network.
This model provides a framework that clarifies the definition of mastery, identifies essential competencies, and guides assessment practices. While providing this overarching structure, it also allows for flexibility at the local school level to adapt to specific student populations and contexts.
School Culture Model
School culture acts as the binding force that integrates all the other models. A supportive school culture is essential for the successful adoption and implementation of competency-based education.
A thriving school culture embraces inclusiveness, equity, empowerment, and flexibility. These values are fundamental for creating an environment where competency-based learning can flourish and benefit all students, demonstrating how competency based learning works well to develop competency for a positive and supportive learning environment.
Examples of Competency Based Education in Action
Many schools are already successfully implementing competency-based education. Let’s explore a few examples to see how it translates into practice and the positive outcomes achieved.
Latin School of Chicago
The Latin School of Chicago utilizes competency-based learning in foreign language classes to create learning groups based on language proficiency levels rather than age. This means students of different ages may be grouped together if their language skills are similar, allowing for more targeted instruction. This approach highlights how competency based learning works well to develop competency for specific skills like language acquisition.
Bing Wang, a Chinese language teacher at Latin, shared an anecdote illustrating student ownership in this system. A student, recognizing her need for more practice, proactively requested additional essay assignments. This example demonstrates how competency-based learning empowers students to take responsibility for their learning and identify their own areas for growth, showing how competency based learning works well to develop competency for self-awareness and self-directed learning.
Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia
Henrico County Public Schools adopted the “Portrait of a Graduate” framework, developed by Battelle for Kids, to define the key attributes of a successful high school graduate. This framework emphasizes broader competencies beyond academic knowledge.
Their “Portrait of a Graduate” outlines six key attributes:
- Quality Character
- Global Citizen
- Communicator
- Collaborator
- Critical Thinker
- Creative Thinker
These attributes then informed the development of four pillars aligned with competency-based education:
- Learning is anytime, anywhere
- Learning is authentic and connected
- Learning is student-owned
- Learning is community supported
This comprehensive approach demonstrates how competency based learning works well to develop competency for a wide range of 21st-century skills and attributes.
Credit: Portrait Of A Graduate
Hall-Dale Middle School, Maine
Daniel, a math curriculum leader at Hall-Dale Middle School, utilizes competency-based education to personalize learning and leverage student interests. He emphasizes using student strengths and interests to enhance their learning experience.
For example, recognizing a student’s passion for Pokemon, Daniel designed a math project using Pokemon cards to engage the student and help him grasp math concepts. This personalized approach, catering to individual interests, demonstrates how competency based learning works well to develop competency for engagement and motivation in learning.
Competency-based education also provides Daniel with more class time to interact with students, offer individualized support, and implement targeted interventions for students who need extra help. This proactive support system ensures that all students have the opportunity to succeed.
Conclusion: Implementing Competency Based Education for Student Success
Competency-based education is a powerful approach that empowers students to develop and demonstrate mastery, fosters equity and inclusivity, and prepares them for a successful life beyond school. It ensures that competency based learning works well to develop competency for lifelong success in a rapidly changing world.
While implementing this system may present initial challenges for school leadership, the long-term benefits for students far outweigh the effort. By embracing competency-based education, schools can create a more effective, equitable, and future-focused learning environment.
Are you ready to implement competency-based education in your school and unlock the potential of every student?
Explore Prodigy Math Game— an adaptive, curriculum-aligned math platform that makes learning engaging and effective. Teachers can use Prodigy to:
- Align in-game adventures with classroom lessons.
- Gain insights into student progress and identify learning gaps.
- Deliver differentiated content and assessments with ease.
