Life on the LearningEdge

The blog, Life on the LearningEdge, shares insights about how schools and districts are using learning science to create lasting improvements.

Our schools juggle competing goals, a million rules, fast-changing leadership, and a chorus of voices. It’s messy, and that’s exactly why we need to talk—and learn—together.

Much of my focus is on those schools that are seeking systemic changes with competency-based education. I aim to include multiple perspectives from educators, policymakers, students, and families—the deepest understandings come when many voices work together.

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Columbia High School: How a Comprehensive High School Becomes Mastery-Based

Chris Sturgis February 3, 2020 No Comments

This is the sixth post in a series on Mastery Education in Idaho. Links to the other articles in the series can be found below. Columbia High School in the…

Increasing Credits Earned at Initial Point High School

Chris Sturgis February 2, 2020 No Comments

This is the fourth post in a series on Mastery Education in Idaho. Links to the other articles in the series can be found below. Kuna School District in Idaho…

Moving Forward toward Mastery at Kuna School District

Chris Sturgis February 2, 2020 No Comments

This is the third post in a series on Mastery Education in Idaho. Links to the other articles in the series can be found below. During my visit to Synergy…

The Sharp Ones: A Few Takeaways from Idaho

Chris Sturgis February 1, 2020 No Comments

This is the tenth article in the series on Mastery Education in Idaho. Links to the other articles can be found below. Oh, there is so much to learn in…

Still Learning from Delivering on the Promise

Chris Sturgis January 6, 2020 No Comments

It continues to be a pleasure to read the story of Chugach School District’s journey of transformation described in Delivering on the Promise: The Education Revolution (DeLorenzo, Battino, Schreiber, and…

16 Quality Principles to Guide Implementation to Competency-Based Education

Chris Sturgis September 24, 2019 No Comments

If you are just starting out or are midway in your process of making the transition to personalized, mastery learning, it might help you to read Quality Principles for Competency-Based…

Ten Flaws in the Traditional System

Chris Sturgis June 27, 2019 No Comments

The traditional system is simply not designed to produce the goals we have set for it, or that our children, communities and nation so desperately need and deserve. There are…

Ten Distinguishing Features of Competency-Based Education

Chris Sturgis June 26, 2019 No Comments

Across the country, schools, districts and states are replacing the traditional, time-based structure with one that is designed to help each student reach proficiency. Competency-based education is a system designed…

Quality Design Principle #1: Purpose-Driven

Chris Sturgis June 25, 2019 No Comments

“Our community told us they wanted their children to be lifelong learners. We had to ask ourselves, what are we doing in our classrooms to help them be lifelong learners?…

Quality Design Principle #2: Commit to Equity

Chris Sturgis June 24, 2019 No Comments

“We aren’t just trying to close the achievement gap. That’s using a deficit model. When we started designing the school, we wanted to have a place where students discover the…

Quality Design Principle #3: Nurture a Culture of Learning and Inclusivity

Chris Sturgis June 23, 2019 No Comments

“Kids don’t say, ‘I’m so stoked to make this standard today.’ They come to school because people care, there is meaningful and relevant curriculum and clear learning targets. We need…

Quality Design Principle #4: Foster the Development of a Growth Mindset

Chris Sturgis June 22, 2019 No Comments

“It starts with a growth mindset that values all of us as works in progress. It’s the joy of learning that motivates all of us to do our best. We…

Quality Design Principle #5: Cultivate Empowering and Distributed Leadership

Chris Sturgis June 21, 2019 No Comments

“I’m asking teachers to allow students to drive their learning. That means I need to allow teachers to drive the policy, the culture, and the decision-making.” – Juan Carlos Ocón,…

Quality Design Principle #6: Base School Design and Pedagogy on Learning Sciences

Chris Sturgis June 20, 2019 No Comments

“One of the biggest changes is from assuming that the stand and deliver approach to learning in which teachers deliver curriculum and students are expected to just give it back on…

Quality Design Principle #7: Activate Student Agency and Ownership

Chris Sturgis June 19, 2019 No Comments

“In the beginning it was hard. There were projects rather than textbooks. But then I realized I was learning a lot of things. I learned to manage my time and resources.…

Quality Design Principle #8: Design for the Development of Rigorous Higher-Level Skills

Chris Sturgis June 18, 2019 No Comments

“What is honors? We realized that it wasn’t more work, or faster. It was deeper learning, something all students should have access to.” – Jennifer Gay, Personalized Learning Project Manager,…

Quality Design Principle #9: Ensure Responsiveness

Chris Sturgis June 17, 2019 No Comments

“We don’t blink if you are at the second grade level when you are in the fourth grade. If teachers really understand the standards and the progressions that are needed…

Quality Design Principle #10: Seek Intentionality and Alignment

Chris Sturgis June 16, 2019 No Comments

“One of the biggest benefits of mastery-based learning is the clarity for teachers. We have had so many good conversations with teachers about what they are teaching, what they want students…

Quality Design Principle #11: Establish Mechanisms to Ensure Consistency and Reliability

Chris Sturgis June 15, 2019 No Comments

“In the traditional system, it can mistakenly feel more precise because we use mathematics to determine the grade. In the mastery-based system, we have to make sure we are as…

Quality Design Principle #12: Maximize Transparency

Chris Sturgis June 14, 2019 No Comments

“We started along the path toward mastery-based learning when we began to ask ourselves: Why do we assess? Why do we grade? We realized that every teacher did it differently.…