The idea couldn't be simpler: Instead of awarding college degrees based on the accumulation of credit hours — essentially "seat time" in the classroom — make the foundation of a degree a set of ...

The shift towards competency-based education emphasizes critical thinking and real-world application. However, traditional ...

What would the testing experience be like if schools allowed students to show what they know whenever they’re ready, in a variety of ways that suit them, and in ways that are instructionally useful?

After spending last week in Washington, D.C., I was struck by how nervous folks in education circles are about whether states will stick with the Common Core state standards once the Common Core ...

Windsor Locks Public Schools began by giving competency-based grades in kindergarten through fifth grade. “When this class hit sixth grade, it continued,” said Windsor Locks Principal Steve Swensen.

Underlying the shift to blended and student-centered environments is the transition from marking seat time to tracking learning. In competency-based environments, students show what they know and they ...

The traditional approach to formal education ties students to classrooms. Degrees are earned based on accumulated credits, a system developed in 1906 as an attempt to measure how much time a student ...

A new initiative aims at giving Nevada students more flexibility to move through classes at their own pace. The “Nevada Future of Learning Network” focuses on competency-based learning. The goal is to ...

Twenty-year-old Asmaa is an example of how constant change and upheaval were hallmarks of the previous school year. A student of mine in an accelerated program for new arrivals to the U.S., in just ...

Melrose, a cozy suburb north of Boston, is home to an idyllic New England downtown and schools good enough to draw young families in droves. Students perform well above the U.S. average and do better ...

Coined in the 1970s, competency-based learning is gaining converts and building enthusiasm in our K-12 education system, taking the focus off grades and seat time—and replacing it with an emphasis on ...