Competence Over Conformity!
Competency Over Conformity
How Competency-Based Learning Improves Career Pathway Outcomes
Competency-based learning (CBL) is a personalized approach that focuses on students' mastery of skills and knowledge in and out of the classroom.
In Career and Technical Education (CTE), this means students progress based on demonstrated mastery—ensuring they can apply what they’ve learned before moving forward, leading to stronger pathway completion and credential attainment.
Most systems think competency-based learning is about grading reform.
That’s not the shift here.
This is about building a system where:
- Learning is driven by mastery, not seat time
- Teams use real evidence to adjust instruction
- Programs continuously improve outcomes for students
Join TCC’s Competency-Based Learning Cadre.
We partner with districts to improve CTE pathway outcomes by placing students at the center of their learning—nurturing curiosity, fostering resilience, advancing agency, and building a lifelong love of learning.
This work also helps teams translate CTE data into instructional decisions that improve completion, credential attainment, and equity across pathways.
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Contact us to learn more about our programs and how Competency-Based Learning can transform your educational experience.
Embrace the power of personalized learning and unlock your potential with Competency-Based Learning at your school/system.
How Does Competency-Based Learning Work?
How Does Competency-Based Learning Work?
Clear Competencies and Outcomes: Defined learning goals and outcomes provide transparency and clarity for students, parents, and educators.
Clear Competencies and Outcomes: Defined learning goals and outcomes provide transparency and clarity for students, parents, and educators.
Ongoing Assessment and Feedback: Continuous assessment and constructive feedback help students stay on track and make informed decisions about their learning.
Ongoing Assessment and Feedback: Continuous assessment and constructive feedback help students stay on track and make informed decisions about their learning.
Competency-Based Grading: Competency-based reporting-grading focuses on assessing students' mastery of specific skills and knowledge, ensuring that each learner achieves mastery before progressing to the next competency.
Competency-Based Grading: Competency-based reporting-grading focuses on assessing students' mastery of specific skills and knowledge, ensuring that each learner achieves mastery before progressing to the next competency.
Dispositional Learning: Essential mindsets like curiosity, patience, perseverance, empathy, and self-motivation are crucial for learning transfer.
Dispositional Learning: Essential mindsets like curiosity, patience, perseverance, empathy, and self-motivation are crucial for learning transfer.
Culturally Responsive-Sustaining: Competency-based learning is culturally responsive because it recognizes and values diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in ways that are meaningful and relevant to their own lives.
Real World Learning: Competency-based learning bridges the gap between education and real-world application by emphasizing the development of practical skills and knowledge that students can directly apply in real-life scenarios, enhancing their readiness for college, career, and everyday challenges.
Technology Integration: Innovative tools and resources enhance the learning experience, providing interactive and engaging ways to demonstrate competence through deliberate practice.
Culturally Responsive-Sustaining: Competency-based learning is culturally responsive because it recognizes and values diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in ways that are meaningful and relevant to their own lives.
Real World Learning: Competency-based learning bridges the gap between education and real-world application by emphasizing the development of practical skills and knowledge that students can directly apply in real-life scenarios, enhancing their readiness for college, career, and everyday challenges.
Technology Integration: Innovative tools and resources enhance the learning experience, providing interactive and engaging ways to demonstrate competence through deliberate practice.
4 Tenets of Student-Centered Learning
The 4 Tenets of Student-Centered Learning
Learning is competency-based: Students progress based on their competency.
Students take ownership over their learning: Students are given the agency to choose what they want to learn, how they want to learn it, and when and where they want to learn it.
Learning is personalized: Learning experiences are tailored to the individual needs of students.
Learning happens anytime, anywhere: Learning can take place outside of the classroom, such as in the library or on the playground.
Learning is competency-based: Students progress based on their competency.
Students take ownership over their learning: Students are given the agency to choose what they want to learn, how they want to learn it, and when and where they want to learn it.
Learning is personalized: Learning experiences are tailored to the individual needs of students.
Learning happens anytime, anywhere: Learning can take place outside of the classroom, such as in the library or on the playground.
White Paper
A Progression of Grading Reform
Moving from Traditional to Competency-Based Grading and Beyond
Joshua Kunnath
Ryan Sikkes
This paper presents a progression of grading and assessment practices leading to competency-based grading and assessment. The progression outlines multiple “points of entry” for individual teachers, schools, or districts seeking to reform their grading and assessment practices to better develop students into self-efficacious and self-empowered learners.
Competency Based Learning in Action
Leveraging Learning
Progressions at PS 5
Goal Setting at LTHS
Student Reflection at Petrides
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