Noble High School: Creating Timely, Differentiated Supports

If we gave out awards at CompetencyWorks, I’d give Noble High School an award for the fourth element of the CompetencyWorks definition of competency education: Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.

In fact, the school is designed around providing multiple support strategies,….. Read More

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Locations: Maine

Steps Toward Maturity: Introducing the Concept of Student Autonomy (Part 2)

In the first part of this series, I call for us to be strategic in how we communicate the concepts related to student agency to the general public while also building a more precise understanding of what it means and how to help students develop the mindsets,….. Read More

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Waukesha STEM Academy: Personalizing Instruction and Learning Experiences (Part 2)

This article, originally posted at CompetencyWorks is based on site visits in 2017 on personalized, proficiency-based education in Wisconsin.

Many people describe WSA as a STEM school or as a project-based learning school. Murray quickly pointed out, “I couldn’t really make a blanket statement that we are a project-based school or not…… Read More

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Locations: Wisconsin

Waukesha STEM Academy: Rethinking Space, Time, and Reporting (Part 3)

This article, originally posted at CompetencyWorks is based on site visits in 2017 on personalized, proficiency-based education in Wisconsin.

“Once you get a new iPhone, you can’t go back to a flip phone…it just doesn’t feel right,” remarked Waukesha STEM Academy principal James Murray…… Read More

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Locations: Wisconsin

Steps Toward Maturity: Making Meaning of the Mindsets and Skills for Student Agency (Part 1)

Student agency is a phrase that is nearly impossible to use in everyday language and is certainly not a phrase that parents use to describe their children. “Look at the agency my darling Marla has climbing that tree.” “My Martin is doing so well, he is demonstrating such agency these days.”….. Read More

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How the Research on Learning Can Drive Change

The closure of schools and colleges across the nation in response to the CORAVID-19 pandemic has shed a spotlight on one of America’s dirty secrets: many institutions of education and those that teach at them are not using the research on learning to guide instruction. The result is that instructional practices that were disengaging and/or unresponsive when used in a classroom are now downright dreadful when placed online…… Read More

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Casco Bay High School: We Will Shape our School by our Learning

This post is part of the series Road Trip to Maine. This is the fourth of a four-part look at Casco Bay High School. Read Tips and Takeaways (Part 1), Learning as Exploration (Part 2), The What and HOW of Learning, and We Will Shape our School by our Learning (Part 4). ….. Read More

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Locations: Maine

Quality Design Principle #7: Activate Student Agency and Ownership

“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. I set goals now and plan my day. I’ve learned to self-regulate myself. I even plan to give myself free time every day.”

–….. Read More

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Creating a Learner-Driven System in Waukesha (Part 1)

This article, originally posted at CompetencyWorks is based on site visits in 2017 on personalized, proficiency-based education in Wisconsin.

I arrived early at Waukesha’s STEM Academy – Saratoga Campus (WSA). Entering the front door, one immediately steps into a relatively open space carved into smaller areas by bookshelves,….. Read More

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Locations: Wisconsin

EPIC Schools: Putting Young Men of Color in the Center of the Design (Part 1)

This series on Epic North High School, originally published at CompetencyWorks, was based on site visits in 2014 and 2016. See also South Bronx Community High School for another school using the EPIC model.

I’ve visited a lot of schools. I’ve seen confident students before…… Read More

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Locations: New York