What is Competency-Based Learning?

What is Competency-Based Learning? (CBE):

Students advance upon demonstrated mastery;
Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students;
Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning experience for students;
Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs; and
Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills and dispositions
Build upon communication learning intentions and collating levels of understanding

The education model must match the demands of today’s society and job market.
By assessing knowledge, skills, and dispositions for learners, schools can reframe their curriculum to meet relevant expectations. First and foremost, taking the time to evaluate prior understandings and learning preferences, teachers can gauge their content delivery methods, acting as facilitators in the classroom to prioritize authentic learning and connection.

By coming alongside parents and families, teachers can collaborate with teachers to document demonstrations of learning. This is important to keep parents appraised of their child’s learning milestones and developmental benchmarks. When appropriate, students can then become more involved in the learning process, growing in their metacognition and processing their discovery and inquiry.
An effective feedback model prioritizes objectives that are more explicit. This not only puts students in the driver seat of their own learning, but equips parents with the know-how to ask specific questions to depend understanding. In doing so, students develop greater agency and autonomy in their own discovery process. By demonstrating mastery in a particular content area, the teacher can then personalize the next phase of learning to meet the needs of each learner.

CBE is empowering to students. This is due to the shift between teacher performance to collective class understanding. By championing student agency, learners develop “buy in” into their understanding and learning.
Learner-center education fortifies that connection between strength-based learning and genuine understanding.