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It’s Elementary: What Mastery-Based Learning Looks Like in the Early Years

by Chris Sturgis

Much of the mastery-based approach can be found in elementary schools, especially meeting students where they are. However, there are still practices in elementary schools that are more aligned with compliance than agency. 

In one of the opening break out sessions during the Washington Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative Fall Gathering a teacher in an elementary school said they were nervous about shifting classroom management around so that students were taking more responsibility…… Read More

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How Do States Launch Efforts for Competency-Based Education

by Chris Sturgis

Over the past 15 years there have multiple efforts by states to launch initiatives to modernize schools using the research on learning. Some introduce social-emotional learning. Some focus on personalization based on self-determination theory and others introducing more technology (which may or may not consider the research on learning in how it is used)…… Read More

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What Do We Know About CBE Through Evaluations?

by Chris Sturgis

This is an updated article originally published in 2019.

Where’s the beef?

Are you old enough to remember the Wendy’s slogan? It’s now a more general question about the value of any idea. Although I am an advocate for personalized, competency-based education, I also think we should be asking Where’s the beef?….. Read More

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Beyond $$: How to Sustain Competency-Based Education

by Chris Sturgis

Please note: This article is ever-under construction as everyone I talk with has another incredible valuable insight.

When it comes to creating state policy to sustain competency-based education (CBE is also fondly known as proficiency-, performance-, or mastery-based education), there seem to be two big questions that float among the halls and zoom-rooms of state leadership:

  1. How do states initiate or support schools that want to become CBE?….. Read More

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CBE in the News

by Chris Sturgis

Competency-based education has been getting attention in the mainstream media. First the Wall Street Journal did an indepth look at the growing interest in CBE and spoke with several leading schools/districts in How Schools Are Rewriting the Rules on Class Time for Students—and Even Ditching Grade Levels.  The Washington Post also covered the topic in Emerging from the pandemic,….. Read More

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What I Missed (Or Even Got Wrong)

by Chris Sturgis

“You t hink we are smart?” blurted one of the 6th graders. Two other heads swiveled around to listen. “I’m not!” declared one. “Why do you think we are smart?” asked the other.

Seeing my chance I enthusiastically declared, “Oh yeah! You are definitely all smart. I’ve only known you for a month and I can see that each of you are really smart and each of you have curiosity about different things” I had learned by now that at most I would have five precious moments of their attention…… Read More

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Finding Your Entry Point to Mastery Learning

by Chris Sturgis

I receive a few emails every week from educators who want to find out how to get started down the path of competency-based education. The pandemic’s demand for flexibility has increased these calls for help. Most everyone has read the CompetencyWorks blogs, they’ve tackled a few of the books that have been written,….. Read More

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