Policy strategies to personalize learning: competency-based progressions, phased implementation, networks, and interoperability¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The paper's policy section recommends that districts support personalized learning plans, equitable technology access, personalized professional learning, phased implementation, and networks; that states promote competency-based progressions, broader definitions of success, and innovation investments; and that national organizations address data interoperability. It notes that districts can "organize work in phases, and leverage networks," and highlights Project Unicorn's goal of a seamless, secure, and controlled exchange of data between applications.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teacher leadership development; flexible federal, state, and local policies; waivers from seat-time and other regulations; sustained local leadership

Constraints¶

• Competency-based learning at scale challenges the basic architecture and organization of schools; barriers may arise as programs mature; mountains of rules and traditions still inhibit work at scale; some measures of school quality are still in early development

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students across district, state, and federal policy contexts

Target Learning Goals¶

• Mastery of critical knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for success in college and career

Related Strategies¶

• Personalized Learning Plans that stay dynamic to enhance student agency
• Every state should convene a CBL workgroup to develop multi-year plans for scaling competency-based learning
• Four ecosystem recommendations: experiment with currency forms, protect time for inquiry, include everyone in team learning, and invest in adaptive platforms
• Plan long-term quantitative data collection and interoperable systems to evaluate micro-credentials' social mobility impact

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Barbara Pape and Tom Vander Ark. (2020). Policies and Practices That Meet Learners Where They Are. Digital Promise Global. https://global.digitalpromise.org