Why competency based education

Click on any of the images below to learn about how some of our students have made competency-based education work for them. What are the benefits of competency-based education? Get Guide. Select one Registered Nurse Associate degree in nursing None of the above. Degree Courses. Teachers get time to observe their Melrose peers; some travel to classrooms in other states. In a profession plagued by a revolving door of ideas to improve schools, competency-based education seems to be striking a chord in Melrose.

For their part, students broadly appreciate the changes. Some like getting to talk more in class as teachers prioritize collaboration; others like getting to choose which elements of an assignment to tackle first.

Olivia Mone, a senior, likes that teachers offer support while giving students greater responsibility. Olivia transferred to Melrose High School after spending her freshman and sophomore years at a private school. There are many educators, though, who started out skeptical. Melanie Acevedo was a teacher during the school year when Taymore tapped her for an exploratory committee to research the model and its results. Acevedo read more about competency-based education and saw it in action in other schools in New Hampshire and Maine.

Eventually she became one of the first Melrose teachers to experiment with it. She created menus so kids could choose their own learning activities and ceded control to students. But her first attempts fell flat. They were more about giving kids fun options. She learned from her early mistakes and now works as an instructional specialist to help other elementary school teachers clear those hurdles.

Acevedo sees teacher buy-in as evidence that competency-based learning is working in Melrose. Adams is keeping an eye on standardized test scores.

Prior to beginning its transition to competency-based learning, Melrose was outperforming the state on every single standardized test, in some cases by double digits, and, in most subjects, scores were going up. But eighth-grade science scores were frustratingly stagnant — until the reforms gained steam. After years with only a stubborn half of students meeting or exceeding expectations, 54 percent met that benchmark in , and 60 percent did so in Adams ties these gains to competency-based education.

As markers of the shift, Taymore is also monitoring how many more students take upper level courses, how many pursue independent studies and how many take advantage of nontraditional learning opportunities. After four years, she has made a solid case for why Melrose should adopt competency-based learning, and she has a burgeoning evidence base for its positive impact on students.

Adams has made sure all teachers can get the professional supports they need to implement it. She started a recent English class with goal-setting. The Benefits of Competency Based Education could ultimately be the reason why higher education institutions are turning to it. We have picked out the top 10 ultimate reasons for you. The strength of competency-based training lies in the fact that it puts the ownership of learning into the students and let them meet a certain big-picture understanding.

Rather they work at their own pace until they prove their mastery. They are assessed right exactly when they are confident to demonstrate their competencies, exactly in a way that fits them, and in a way that captures who they really are. To students who have been a drop-out, but would still wish to move forward, but without a gap, CBE is a boon! With competency-based education, students really do not have to waste time by sitting in the classroom on things that they have already mastered.

CBE lets them move-on on demonstrating their mastery level. Rather students control and steer their learning through hands-on projects and assessments. The goal of higher education is to groom up students from becoming effective leaders in their chosen field. Beyond accomplishing grades, what is more in demand now is gaining real-life skills.

This is applicable to students of all faculty including Nursing, Dental, Medical, Healthcare, etc. Students get tangible experience here that is not found in traditional learning!

Amidst schools that failed to address students' critical learning gaps, knowledge, and skill, competency-based schools proactively challenge the age-old practices and bring alternative systems in place to promote success for all. CBE portrays student learning in a transparent, authentic manner with enough room for personalized training.

Teachers in CBE develop meaningful, engaging projects for students and work together giving feedback, revise their work to hit the mastery of standards. There is one-to-one personalized care and support based on students' individual learning needs. Additional link here. Adams County School District 50 — This rural Colorado district has implemented the RISC model and created a system of learner-centered classrooms by replacing grade levels with 10 learning levels that students work through at their own pace.

This approach is designed to give students the time and help they need to reach the standards at one level before advancing to the next.

Big Picture Learning School — This model seeks to provide a personalized learning experience that challenges and supports students, engages families in the learning process, and encourages students to take ownership over their own education.

Each student works with an academic advisor and their parents to develop an individual learning plan that addresses their needs, skills, and interests. Students earn credit for classes in which they demonstrate proficiency on at least 70 percent of academic course outcomes.

The goal of this school is to graduate students ready for college or career by enhancing student engagement and college and career preparation, and creating positive learning experiences for students. Diploma Plus works in partnership with school districts and communities in seven states.