ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
From Policy to Practice: How Competency-Based Education Is Evolving in New Hampshire
Author: Freeland, Julia
Date: 2014-05-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Competency Based Education,Elementary Schools,High Schools,Charter Schools,Educational Change,Case Studies,Flexible Progression,Student Empowerment,Student Evaluation,Individualized Instruction

In 2005, New Hampshire abolished the Carnegie unit--the core unit around which schools typically measure credit hours. In its place, the state mandated that all high schools measure credit according to students' mastery of material, rather than time spent in class. This policy shift created the first-ever state-wide effort to create a competency-based education system. Under the new 2005 regulations, New Hampshire districts were required to create competencies and begin measuring credit in these terms by the start of the 2008-09 school year. Because local control rules the day in the &quot;live free or die&quot; state, New Hampshire's districts and charter schools were free to interpret and implement this mandate as they saw fit. The 13 schools profiled in this paper each demonstrate a distinct approach to competency-based education in their local context. Some schools invested deeply in building competency-based models by creating opportunities for students to move at a flexible, personalized pace; providing supplemental content for students who had fallen behind or wanted to move ahead; and making assessment more frequent and formative, with a focus on demonstrating mastery in real-world examples and settings. Other schools, however, have remained tethered to time-based practices, such as bell schedules, end-of-unit assessments, and fixed whole-class pacing. Although teachers and administrators at these schools have articulated school-wide competencies, these competencies may not guide curriculum and instruction across all subjects. Students still move through material as a class and therefore still stand to accumulate the gaps in their learning that competency-based models are designed to prevent. New Hampshire's example demonstrates both the power and limitations of statewide competency-based education policy, particularly in a setting with a strong tradition of local control. The lessons from 13 schools across the state suggest that adopting competency-based approaches is not a quick or easy process, and that it requires new infrastructure, new approaches to teaching and learning, and new tools to deliver content and assess work to allow each student to progress upon mastery. Appended are: (1) Notable reports and books on New Hampshire's competency-based policymaking as well as on various implementation models in New Hampshire and beyond; and (2) Timeline of key New Hampshire policy initiatives.
Transforming K-12 Rural Education through Blended Learning: Barriers and Promising Practices
Author: Werth, Eric
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Rural Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Change,Barriers,Educational Benefits,Educational Practices,Blended Learning,Pacing,Mastery Learning,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Surveys,State Surveys,Electronic Learning,Experienced Teachers,Feedback (Response),Use Studies

This report describes the implementation of blended learning programs in Idaho, and three key takeaways are apparent: (1) Blended learning has a positive impact on teachers; (2) Self-pacing enables students to take ownership and achieve mastery; and (3) Teachers must prepare with comprehensive teacher training. The authors emphasize the need for the field to conduct studies to challenge, adapt, and strengthen innovation. Review this report to explore potential barriers and promising practices of K-12 blended learning. An appendix is included: (1) Blended Models from Idaho Digital Learning Academy. [Researchers with Northwest Nazarene University's Doceo Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) partnered with Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) on this work.]
Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution
Author: Weise, Michelle R.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Books
Subjects: Educational Technology,Higher Education,Educational Finance,College Students,Online Courses,Educational Innovation,Outcomes of Education,Competency Based Education,Public Policy,Virtual Universities,Education Work Relationship,Labor Market

The economic urgency around higher education is undeniable: the price of tuition has soared; student loan debt now exceeds $1 trillion and is greater than credit card debt; the dollars available from government sources for colleges are expected to shrink in the years to come; and the costs for traditional institutions to stay competitive continue to rise. At the same time, more education does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Employers are demanding more academic credentials for every kind of job yet are at the same time increasingly vocal about their dissatisfaction with the variance in quality of degree holders. The signaling effect of a college degree appears to be an imprecise encapsulation of one's skills for the knowledge economy of the times. Students themselves are demanding more direct connections with employers: 87.9 percent of college freshmen cited getting a better job as a vital reason for pursuing a college degree. &quot;Learning and work are becoming inseparable,&quot; argued the authors of a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, &quot;indeed one could argue that this is precisely what it means to have a knowledge economy or a learning society. It follows that if work is becoming learning, then learning needs to become work--and universities need to become alive to the possibilities.&quot; Despite these trends, few universities or colleges see the need to adapt to the surge in demand of skill sets in the workforce. Distancing themselves from the notion of vocational training, institutions remain wary of aligning their programs and majors to the needs of today's rapidly evolving labor market. Who will attend to the skills gap and create stronger linkages to the workforce? This book illuminates the great disruptive potential of online competency-based education. An examination of online competency-based education unveils the tectonic shifts to come in higher education. The following chapters are contained: (1) Disruptive Innovation and Academic Inertia; (2) Jobs To Be Done: The Shifting Value Proposition of College; (3) The Core of Competency-Based Education; (4) Online Competency-Based Education: Mastery and Modularization; (5) A New Value Network: Industry-Validated Learning Experiences; and (6) College Disrupted. Appended are: (1) Shifts in Public Policy: Major Developments; and (2) Descriptions of Innovators.
Solving the Nation's Teacher Shortage: How Online Learning Can Fix the Broken Teacher Labor Market
Author: Dwinal, Mallory
Date: 2015-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Teacher Shortage,Electronic Learning,Women Faculty,Civil Rights,Supply and Demand,Teacher Salaries,Technological Advancement,Career Choice,Social Influences,Family Influence,Labor Market,Educational Innovation,Educational Policy,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Change,Competency Based Education

As the link between teacher quality and student performance becomes increasingly apparent, education leaders have invested significant time and energy into recruiting high-quality educators. Unfortunately, chronic teacher shortages have undercut these efforts, and many school leaders continue to struggle with staffing each year. A closer examination reveals the causes and characteristics of these teacher shortages, as well as the promise online learning holds in resolving the most challenging teacher vacancies. Policymakers' attempts to address these disaggregated teacher shortages have been relatively unsuccessful, largely because they fail to account for the three systemic issues driving these outcomes: (1) The rise of women's rights has lowered the quantity and quality of the teacher labor supply at the same time that it has increased demand; (2) Technological improvements in other industries have increased non-teaching wages relative to teaching wages, thus incentivizing many professionals--male or female--to forego a career in education; and (3) The family structures and social behaviors typical of those who teach are such that teacher labor tends to be highly localized and difficult to distribute to places in need of additional teachers. A considerable body of research has already documented the ways in which online learning is disrupting the traditional K-12 model of learning. There is additional evidence that online learning is also disrupting the systems that place teachers within this traditional model. More specifically, online learning provides a new, more flexible and more productive way to match teachers with students, and this alternative approach already exhibits some of the same indicators as other disruptive innovations. This article assumes the position that policymakers should welcome this disruption, as online learning could hold the key to addressing the nation's most entrenched teacher vacancies; three recommendations are offered that could assist in fostering this trajectory. They are: (1) Officials should establish &quot;Course Access&quot; laws that give students and schools the freedom they need to use online learning productively; (2) Policymakers should move from seat-time requirements to a competency-based method for awarding online class credit; and (3) In addition to making these policy changes, officials should support school and district leaders by providing them resources to evaluate and select the appropriate technology. Taken together, these actions would enable online learning to transform the teacher labor supply into the flexible and productive resource that 21st-century schools so desperately need.
Core Principles for Transforming Remediation within a Comprehensive Student Success Strategy: A Joint Statement
Author: Achieving the Dream, Inc.
Date: 2015-11-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Remedial Programs,Postsecondary Education,Higher Education,Educational Principles,At Risk Students,College Readiness,Educational Change,Curriculum Development,Developmental Programs,Student Needs,Student Placement,Academic Support Services,Student Personnel Services,Career Development,Alignment (Education),Graduation,Admission (School)

Colleges and postsecondary systems across the nation have demonstrated remarkable progress since &quot;Core Principles for Transforming Remediation&quot; was published in 2012. States and institutions are phasing out stand alone or multi-course remediation sequences, resulting in tens of thousands of students more quickly enrolling in and completing college level courses. Building on this progress, the principles have been updated to focus even greater attention on scaling practices that can provide all students--especially those who are low income or from historically underserved communities--with the guidance, support and skills they need to enter a coherent program of study and move toward their academic goals. These revised principles for transforming remediation are presented in the context of a broader set of student success strategies that growing evidence suggests will enable institutions to significantly increase their students' timely completion of certificates, licenses and degrees with labor market value. The principles set forth in this joint statement represent best judgment, grounded in evidence, about how to redesign developmental education to be more effective. As promising practices evolve on the ground and additional research on such practices is conducted and released, the principles will almost certainly require further revision. A glossary of terms is provided.
An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad. CompetencyWorks Issue Brief
Author: Bristow, Sara Frank
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Comparative Education,Competency Based Education,Definitions,Global Approach,Educational Trends,Trend Analysis,Academic Standards,Curriculum Development,Student Centered Curriculum,Individualized Instruction,Formative Evaluation

&quot;An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad&quot; seeks to highlight components of competency education in international practice, to inform US policymakers and decision makers seeking to implement high-quality competency pathways at the state or local level. Other countries are studying our innovations, and we are studying theirs. This report first reviews the definition of competency-based learning. A brief lesson in the international vocabulary of competency education is followed by a review of global trends that complement our own efforts to improve performance and increase equitable outcomes. Next, we share an overview of competency education against a backdrop of global education trends (as seen in the international PISA exams), before embarking on an abbreviated world tour. We pause in Finland, British Columbia (Canada), New Zealand and Scotland, with interludes in Sweden, England, Singapore and Shanghai, all of which have embraced practices that can inform the further development of competency education in the United States.
Partnering for Success: A 21st Century Model for Teacher Preparation
Author: Kennedy, Kathryn, Ed.
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Collected Works - General
Subjects: Teacher Education,Electronic Learning,Online Courses,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Technology,Virtual Classrooms,Blended Learning,Field Experience Programs,Preservice Teachers

This report studies the best practices necessary to rethink the skills, methods, and pedagogical evolution that teacher education must address. If we are to ensure great teachers are trained, mentored, and retained for our students--the programs themselves must emulate 21st century skills. The examples found in this report have unique elements and frameworks that others may learn from and replicate. The partnerships highlighted in this report provide guideposts to rethinking and modernizing educator preparation programs for today's schools. Following a foreword by Susan Patrick, President and CEO of International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), and an introduction by Kathryn Kennedy, Director of Research of iNACOL, this report contains the following contributions: (1) Boise State University and Idaho Digital Learning Academy (Kerry Rice and Dazhi Yang); (2) Florida State University and Florida Virtual School (Dina Vyortkina); (3) Wayne State University (Michael Barbour); (4) Arizona State University and Florence Virtual Academy (Leanna Archambault); (5) Mount Vernon Nazarene University and TRECA Digital Academy (Dean Goon); (6) University of Central Florida and Florida Virtual School (Michael Hynes, Bryan Zugelder, and Janet Zajac); (7) Utah State University and Utah Virtual Academy (Robin Parent); and (8) Conclusion (Leanna Archambault). Individual sections contain references.
Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills--A State Policymakers Guide to Competency Education. CompetencyWorks Issue Brief
Author: Patrick, Susan
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Competency Based Education,State Policy,Guidelines,Success,Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Change,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Strategic Planning,Alignment (Education),Educational Facilities,Organizational Culture,State Agencies,Common Core State Standards

After two decades of major education reforms without seeing major gains for low-income students, state leadership is coming to the conclusion that there is something inherently wrong with America's K-12 system. States have called into question the time-based system built around the Carnegie unit and are now rapidly advancing an alternative. By establishing proficiency-based diplomas, credit flexibility, or seat-time waivers, 36 states are moving toward competency education. In some cases comprehensive policy is being implemented, in others investments in pilots are used to engage districts, and in all of them innovation space is being created by lifting time-based policies. It is firmly in the hands of state leadership to redesign policies for a student-centered system, rather than a time-based system. This paper offers an opportunity for state leadership to reflect upon their efforts and share their insights into re-engineering the policy and practices of our K-12 systems that were built over hundreds of years. &quot;Necessary for Success&quot; introduces the concept of competency education, explains why the traditional time-based system is holding back our children and our nation, and discusses the important initial steps taken by states in introducing competency education. Interviews with state leadership about their strategies, lessons learned, and the emerging policy infrastructure that is needed for full alignment with competency education are included. The paper contains recommendations for creating a culture of competency within state education agencies.
State Strategies for Sustaining and Scaling Grades 9-14 Career Pathways: Toward a Policy Set for Pathways to Prosperity
Author: Cahill, Charlotte
Date: 2014-10-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: State Policy,Educational Policy,Dual Enrollment,Vocational Education,School Counseling,Career Counseling,School Business Relationship,High School Students,Two Year College Students,Leadership,Administrative Organization,Labor Force Development,Financial Support,Educational Finance,Career Readiness,Employers,Work Experience Programs

This brief begins with a discussion of the composition of state leadership teams and organizing structures for supporting a Pathways to Prosperity Network initiative, and then describes effective strategies currently at play in the network states for jumpstarting work in the regions. It goes on to review state policies that support 9-14 collaborations, including dual enrollment, career and technical education policy, and funding. The 9-14 career pathways policy lever is well developed as a result of extensive work by several organizations, including Jobs for the Future (JFF), which has a decade of experience in high school-to-post-secondary transitions that incorporate dual enrollment. JFF has also developed a specific 9-14 policy set to support Early College Designs. The organization has led the Early College High School Initiative nationally since 2002. The paper then becomes more speculative. In the sections on career advising, employer engagement, and intermediaries, the paper lists and briefly describes policies that could be deployed in the service of 9-14 career pathways development, but are not currently widespread or designed specifically to support 9-14 career pathways. These sections are shorter, and while they do include some examples, they also point in new directions that might be explored and raise questions about where state-level policies are needed and where regional and local decision making are more effective. [This paper was produced with the Pathways to Prosperity Network, a collaboration of states, Jobs for the Future, and the Pathways to Prosperity Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education.]
Fidelity of Implementation Report
Author: Powers, Stephen
Date: 2015-09-10
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: STEM Education,Educational Innovation,Program Implementation,Fidelity,Curriculum,Instruction,Faculty Development,School Administration,Rating Scales

In 2014, the US Department of Education awarded the Maricopa County Education Service Agency an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant to fund the Engineering STEM Identity (ESI) project. The purpose of i3 is to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative educational practices. Accordingly, the goal of ESI is to address one of the most important challenges facing education: developing student interest and proficiency in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This grant was funded by Department of Education No. U411C30116-i3. As part of the evaluation of i3 funded projects, grantees must study and report on the degree to which a project is carried out as planned. This type of study provides researchers and practitioners a better understanding of how and why an intervention works, and the extent to which outcomes can be improved. Importantly, if it is found that the project was not implemented properly then it is not possible to clearly conclude that the project had an effect on the students' performance. The Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) document presents a conceptual and analytic framework for assessing the quality of the implementation of the ESI project. The conceptualization of the present FOI was completed October 1, 2014 after reviewing the ESI grant activities and selected quantitative ratings to be employed. The approved FOI approach assesses the implementation of three constructs: Construct 1: Curriculum and Instruction. Construct 2: Teacher Professional Development. Construct 3: Administrative Support of the principal or other administrative personnel. This present method of analyzing the Fidelity of Implementation of a major educational project was completed with the Maricopa County Education Service Agency (Arizona) Engineering STEM Identity Project. The reports provide evidence of meeting fidelity of implementation of their federal grant. An appendix displays the rating scales for the constructs of the Fidelity of Implementation Report.