PK-16+

This paper examines how four Georgia career academies compare with a Central Education Center (CEC) exemplar in Georgia. This study focuses on three elements of the CEC model; courses and curricula development based on need, stakeholder engagement, and seamless integration of career and technical education with academics and alignment between secondary and postsecondary education. Internet searches and key informant interviews from each site were conducted to assess the results.

The Center on Innovations in Learning introduces its framework to personal competencies by differentiating between three fundamental terms: mastery, competence, and competency. To achieve a competence, or a sufficient degree of mastery in any given area, four specific competencies must be leveraged. These four competencies are: social/emotional competency, motivational competency, metacognitive competency, and cognitive competency. The remainder of this brief describes the four competencies in detail and their critical connection to student achievement.

This toolkit provides strategies, resources, and partnerships to help students transition successfully to postsecondary education and training. The strategies, resources, and partnerships included are focused around several elements that are instrumental in preparing students for college and careers, such as developing a comprehensive academic plan, developing 21st century skills, emphasizing high expectations, identifying personal learning styles, integrating career-focused courses into academic content, and more.

This issue brief advocates for the transition from a K-12 system based on seat time (i.e. the Carnegie Unit) to competency-based education. It outlines the rationale behind this change and provides four key suggestions for state policy change.

This report  describes the gap in the alignment between K-12 and higher education learning objectives and outcomes. The authors argue for the coordinated adoption and alignment of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) as a solution to this problem.

This report discusses the benefits of competency education in the context of digital technology that increases personalization and customization, enabling the management of individual learning progression in a data-driven environment. The report outlines 10 capabilities of a competency-based system including flexibility in time and resources, measuring learning gains, and setting college- and career-ready expectations; and 10 design choices that inform the necessary changes in areas such as school structure, grading, and student support.