Integrated Learning Pathways defined by four principles: competency-based, complementary, cumulative, and consistent¶

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 2 studies (2 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Learning pathways are system-wide learning progressions that "function according to four principles: They are competency-based, complementary to disciplinary learning, consistent across classrooms, and cumulative from year to year." Competency-based means Portrait Skill Sets are broken into actionable Practices learners demonstrate; complementary means pathways supplement rather than replace existing structures; cumulative means developmentally appropriate progressions articulated as "I can" statements across grade bands; and consistent means practice opportunities are designed into every classroom so attributes are "realistically attainable by each of their students." The design process is intended to be adapted to each district's Portrait.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

Teachers, leaders, and experts work together to identify and map integration opportunities; a designated team of district, school, and teacher leaders guides development

Constraints¶

Each competency-based Practice should not be integrated universally or indiscriminately across grade bands and disciplines; consistency does not mean pathways are blind to context

Target Learners¶

K-12 students across all classrooms and grade bands

Learning Goals¶

Portrait Skill Sets and Practices developed dispositionally across disciplines and grades

Claims¶

Fewer than one fifth of districts with Portraits have taken the step of identifying actionable Practices within their Skill Sets [~M] — the gap the competency-based principle addresses
An analysis of 69 district Portraits of a Graduate finds six Skill Sets that capture 90 percent of the attributes districts articulate [+M]

Patterns Used¶

Competency-Based Learning: Portrait Skill Sets are broken into actionable Practices that learners demonstrate, progressing cumulatively as "I can" statements across grade bands

Plan-Build-Implement co-design process for Integrated Learning Pathways — how the pathways are developed
Three-component framework for Portrait of a Graduate assessment systems

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

Mills, K., Weisgrau, J., Burke, Q., Lee, K., Solorzano, T. and Coenraad, M. (2024, March). Shifting Education with Learning Pathways: Becoming Your Portrait of a Graduate. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/205

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`design`
`id`	`integrated-learning-pathways-four-principles`
`title`	`Integrated Learning Pathways defined by four principles: competency-based, complementary, cumulative, and consistent`
`description`	`Learning pathways are system-wide learning progressions that "function according to four principles: They are competency-based, complementary to disciplinary learning, consistent across classrooms, and cumulative from...`
`status`	`review`
`generated`	by `process:settle-candidates` on `2026-10-10`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `mills-k-weisgrau-j-burke`

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