Blogpost 8- C. Marcellus Griffin-  Competency- Based Education

 

Competency-based learning is based on the idea that students learn at their own pace and should earn credits and advance after they master the material- not just because they have spent a year in a certain class.

Certainly here in the U.S., public education is undergoing drastic changes, especially in states that have adopted the Common  Core State Standards, which aims to boost graduation rates while preparing students for either college or the work force.  In an effort to meet the challenges of Common Core State Standards and competency-based learning ideals, some states have gotten remarkably creative:

Sturgis (2014) Louisiana gives credit for classes that are offered by local business; Rhode Island allows students to earn “digital badges”  outside the classroom for creating business plans; and, Students in Florida and Oregon take massively open online courses, or MOOCS for high school credit. 

The Obama administration gave grants to districts to experiment with the model; the Lindsay district received $10 million from the “Race To the Top” funding. 

Critics of competency-based education system feel that it is too focused on work skill, such as collaboration and not enough on academic excellence and that lower socio economic demographics and minorities may fall farther behind, thereby increasing the academic achievement gap.  However, there are many proponents of moving students through the curriculum as they are ready.  Proponents resent the notion of promoting students “socially” when they fail tests repeatedly.  They feel these students should not be allowed to move forward until they have mastered the standard. 

To learn more about competency-based learning, visit the attached link.  

Competencybased Learning

(hit Control and Click) to follow the link.   

-C. Marcellus Griffin