Competency-Based Education

Utah State Board of Education

Sarah Young

Legislative Action to Support Competency-based Education in Utah

Utah Policy for Competency-based Learning

• The Competency-based Learning Amendments (2016/2018)

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• USBE R277- 712 Competency-based Grant Programs

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• Competency-based Education Funding (2017)

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• USBE R277-419 Pupil Accounting

The Competency-based Learning Amendments (2016/2018)

Competency-Based Education Grants Program consisting of grants to improve educational outcomes in public schools by advancing student mastery of concepts and skills through the following core principles:

• student advancement upon mastery of a concept or skill;
• competencies that include explicit, measurable, and transferable learning objectives that empower a student;
• assessment that is meaningful and provides a positive learning experience for a student;
• timely, differentiated support based on a student's individual learning needs; and
• learning outcomes that emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge along with the development of important skills and dispositions.

Utah Code: 53F-5-501

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Utah State Board of Education Rule R277- 712

Establishes the Competency-based Learning Advisory committee to complete tasks, including:

• establish metrics to analyze the quality of a grant application;
• review an LEA's planning grant application to determine whether the planning grant application:
• make a recommendation to the Superintendent and the Board on which grant applications should be selected by the Board; and
• perform other duties

Utah Board Rule: R277-712

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Competency-based Education Funding (2017)

• A funding mechanism for reimbursement related to competency-based learning.
• The reimbursement will allow LEAs to seek financial reimbursement for high school students who graduate from the system early.
• This seeks to reduce the hurdle for LEAs by removing the financial loss associated with early graduation for students.

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Utah Code: 53F-2-511

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Utah State Board of Education R277-419

… (b) For a student enrolled in a nontraditional program, an LEA shall:

(i) adopt a written policy that designates a continuing enrollment measurement to document the continuing membership or enrollment status for each student enrolled in the nontraditional program consistent with Subsection (3)(c);

(5) The continuing enrollment measurement described in Subsection (4)(b) may include some or all of the following components, in addition to other components, as determined by an LEA:

(a) a minimum student login or teacher contact requirement;

(b) required periodic contact with a licensed educator;

(c) a minimum hourly requirement, per day or week, when students are engaged in course work; or

(d) required timelines for a student to provide or demonstrate completed assignments, coursework or progress toward academic goals.

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(7)(a) An LEA desiring to generate membership for student enrollment in courses outlined in Subsection (3)(f)(iii), or to seek a waiver from a requirement(s) in Subsection (3)(f)(iii), shall submit an application for course approval by April 1 of the year prior to which the membership will be counted.

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Utah Board Rule: R277-419

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Implementation of Competency-based Policies in Utah

Let’s go to MARS!

Exciting, innovative, trailblazing...

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… scary, disruptive, and challenging.

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Community Survey: “Who is interested in CBE?”

• We surveyed the state curriculum directors
• 80% of the respondents said they were interested in CBE.
• 70% responded their LEAs would be interested in piloting
• The majority identified as “beginners” in regards to their knowledge of CBE.
• “What questions do you have?”

Utah Competency-based Learning:�A two stage approach

• Phase One: Exploratory Pilot
• Building a framework for Competency-based Learning in Utah
• Defining Roles
• Establishing shared vocabulary
• Providing “guard rails”
• Building community knowledge, early foundations, initial experiences

• Phase Two: Planning Grants
• Application will build on the framework from the Exploratory Pilot
• Will establish outcomes expected for planning grant such as communication tools and shifts in strategies
• Build opportunities for strategy inventory to inform implementation outcomes

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Utah Competency-based Learning

Exploratory Pilot

2017-2018

We are all crew.

There are no passengers.

• The goal of the exploratory pilot is for the community to answer the question: “What does competency-based learning look like for Utah K-12 communities?”
• LEAs visited existing CBE implementation sites.
• LEAs are helping design the framework.
• LEAs are sharing their expertise to shape the vision.
• LEAs have the opportunity to start implementing aspects of CBE in their community.
• LEAs will be the voice for CBE for the state of Utah winter 2018 when we launch the framework and planning grant application.

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Utah selects 14 LEAs to join in the exploratory pilot process in Summer 2017.

“CBE 101”

Workshop

Fall 2017

Utah Exploratory Pilot Site Visits 2017-18

Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin

Lindsay Unified School District, California

Sanborn,

New Hampshire

Boston Day and Evening, Massachusetts

New York Mastery Collaborative, New York

Summit Public Schools, California

Innovations High School Model, Utah

Exploratory Pilot Outcomes

• Key strategy lenses for competency:
• Time, Place, Pace, Voice, and Choice
• Exemplars, solutions, and resource sets to support the early implementation efforts in exploratory pilot LEAs
• Shared investigation between Utah LEAs to start foundation for a Competency-based Learning network.
• Draft Framework for Utah’s Competency-based Education

Draft Framework: Coherence

Learner Focused:

Tailored learning experiences empower learners to understand their needs, strengths, interests and approaches to learning.

Learner Demonstrated:

Competency-based progressions enable learners to progress at their own pace based on demonstrated competencies.

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Learner Led:

Learning agency entrusts learners to take ownership of their learning.

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LEARNER CONNECTED: Anytime, anywhere, and socially embedded learning transcends location in relevant and valued ways, connected to families, educators, communities and networks

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Utah Effective Teaching Standards and Indicators

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Each section addressing strategies in Time, Place, Pace, Voice and Choice

Projected Timeline for 2018-2019

Utah Competency-based Learning

Utah Competency-based Learning Next Steps:

Projected Timeline 2018-19

THANK YOU

Questions?

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Sarah Young

Utah State Board of Education

Successes

Challenges

• Exploratory pilot LEAs are diverse, allowing for multiple perspectives to inform development
• We are using innovative best practices from national community
• Taking time to build a foundation of shared experiences and understanding.

• Portrait of a Graduate - Developing competencies for LEAs
• More LEAs engaged in CBE effort could mean less or no funding for some due to competitive grant
• Personnel capacity
• Addressing multiple aspects of the education system in parallel to progress CBE