Scroll down for resources organized by dates.

CompetencyWorks Issue Briefs

• Quality Principles for Competency-Based Education (2018)
• Moving Toward Mastery: Growing, Developing and Sustaining Educators for Competency-Based Education (2018)
• Levers and Logic Models: A Framework to Guide Research and Design of High-Quality Competency-Based Education Systems (2018)
• Meeting Students Where They Are (2018) 
• Designing for Equity: Leveraging Competency-Based Education to Ensure All Students Succeed (2018) 
• Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education (2018)
• Quality and Equity by Design: Charting the Course for the Next Phase of Competency-Based Education (2017)
• Reaching the Tipping Point: Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England (2016)
• Chugach School District: A Personalized, Performance-Based System (2016)
• Implementing Competency Education in K-12 Systems: Insights from Local Leaders (2015)
• Maximizing Competency Education and Blended Learning: Insights from Experts (2015)
• An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad (2014)
• A K-12 Federal Policy Framework for Competency Education: Building Capacity for Systems Change (2014) Find Resources Here 
  
• Progress and Proficiency: Redesigning Grading for Competency Education (2014) Find Resources Here 
  
• Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills: A Guide for State Policymakers (2013) Find Resources Here
  
• Re-Engineering Information Technology Design Considerations for Competency Education (2013) Find Resources Here
  
• The Learning Edge: Supporting Student Success in a Competency-Based Learning Environment (2012)   Find Resources Here
  
• The Art and Science of Designing Competencies (2012) Find Resources Here
  
• Cracking the Code: Synchronizing Policy and Practice for Performance-Based Learning (2011) Find Resources Here
  

• It’s Not a Matter of Time: Highlights from the 2011 Competency-Based Summit (2011)

• Clearing the Path: Creating Innovation Space for Serving Over-Age, Under-Credited Students in Competency-Based Pathways (January 2011)
• Success is the Only Option: Designing Competency Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning (November 2010)

Resources Including Issue Briefs, Books, Videos, Reports, and Case Studies

2018

• About Competency Education
• Teaching, Technology, Transformation — 5 Ways to Talk (and Think) About Personalized Learning by The 74 Million 
• How Learning Happens: Supporting Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development by The Aspen Institute 
• The Role of Networks in Advancing Personalized Learning at FSG 
• Beliefs and Practices of Proficiency-Based Learning by Great Schools Partnership 
• Framework for Proficiency-Based Learning by Great Schools Partnership 
• Learning and Assessment Pathways by Great Schools Partnership 
• Elements of Effective Instruction by Great Schools Partnership 
• From Vision to Reality: Personalized, Competency-Based Learning for All Kids at KnowledgeWorks 
• A National Landscape Scan of Personalized Learning in K-12 Education in the United States by iNACOL 
• Traditional Education vs Competency-Based Learning (Visual) by KnowledgeWorks 
• How To Resources
• The New School Rules 
• Institute for Personalized Learning YouTube Channel 
• 10 Principles for Building a High-Quality System of Assessments by Deeper Learning 
• Beyond Standardized Tests: A New Vision for Assessing Student Learning and School Quality by CCE and MCIEA  
• Personalized Learning: Instructional Look Fors, Site Level Conditions, and Educator and Leadership Mindsets by Summit Public Schools, Lindsay Unified, and Transcend 
• Building Proficiency Systems by Great Schools Partnership  
• State and Federal Policy
• Rethinking State Accountability to Support Personalized, Competency-Based Learning in K-12 Education by iNACOL 
• Redesigning Systems of Assessments for Student-Centered Learning by iNACOL 
• Current to Future State: Issues and Action Steps for State Policy to Support Personalized, Competency-Based Learning by iNACOL 
• State Strategies to Develop Teacher Capacity for Personalized, Competency-Based Learning by iNACOL 
• Personalized Learning and the Every Student Succeeds Act at KnowledgeWorks  
• Research and Evaluation
• Multicultural awareness boosts teaching competency, but is an uneven resource among future teachers at Science Daily
• Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development at Applied Developmental Science 
• Data Dialogue Series by NESSC 
• Learning with Others: A Study Exploring the Relationship Between Collaboration, Personalization, and Equity by Students at the Center 
• The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development by The Aspen Institute 
• Supporting Social, Emotional, & Academic Development: Research Implications for Educators by University of Chicago 
• Other Related Topics
• Case Studies
• The path to personalized learning is not straight by The Hechinger Report 
• Charting New Frontiers in Student-Centered Learning (Connecticut)
• Students as Innovators and Co-Creators at Del Lago Academy at NGLC 
• Learning From Great Practice: Schools to Visit in 2018 by Springpoint 
• Understanding implementation of proficiency-based education in Maine by Students at the Center
• Lindsay Live Podcast (Lindsay Unified)  
• Community Engagement
• Communicating Personalized Learning to Families and Stakeholders: Terminology, Tools and Tips for Success by ExcelinEd and Education Elements 
• Funding
• Seven Approaches to Fund the Transition to Personalized, Competency-Based Education by KnowledgeWorks
• Graduation/Higher Education 
• What Gets Tested Gets Taught: Cautions for Using College Admissions Tests in State Accountability Systems by Achieve 
• How ESSA and IDEA Can Support College and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities by the American Institutes for Research 
• Redefining Student Success: Profile of a Graduate by iNACOL 
• Answering Questions About Competency-Based Education Transcripts by KnowledgeWorks 
• Leadership
• In Defense of Personalized Learning: Leading by Example at Education Week 
• Innovative Staffing to Personalize Learning by Public Impact  
• The Role of Teacher Leadership in How Principals Influence Classroom Instruction and Student Learning by the University of Chicago 
• Social and Emotional Learning
• The Practice for How We Learn: Supporting Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development by The Aspen Institute 
• Three Core Social-Emotional Skills by KnowledgeWorks 
• SEL Trends: Integrating with Academics by CASEL 
• Designing for Learning: A primer on the science of learning and development, and cards and activities to support teams by Transcend 
• Choosing and Using SEL Competency Assessments: What Schools and Districts Need to Know by CASEL  
• Students and Student Agency
• Agents of Their Own Success: Self-Advocacy Skills and Self-Determination for Students with Disabilities in the Era of Personalized Learning by NCLD 
• Maximizing Student Agency: Implementation of Student-Centered Learning Approaches by Students at the Center
• Teachers and Teaching
• 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning: Teaching for Success by John Hattie and Klaus Zierer 
• Supporting the Whole Teacher by The Aspen Institute 
• Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation in Students at Edutopia 
• Earning Micro-credentials: Reflecting on authentic assessment at Center for Collaborative Education 
• A Movement Towards Personalized Professional Learning: An Exploration of Six Educator Micro-credential Programs by Center for Collaborative Education 
• Assessment for Learning: Micro-credentials in Rhode Island (CCE video) 
• Learning Commons
• High Quality Project Based Learning (HQPBL) Framework 
• The Role of the Teacher in a Personalized, Competency-Based Classroom by KnowledgeWorks 
• Centerview: Learning Cycles - A Powerful Tool for Teacher-to-Teacher Professional Learning by Center for the Future of Teaching & Learning at WestEd 

2017

• About Competency Education 
• KnowledgeWorks Dispelling the Myths: Frequently Asked Questions About Competency-Based Education
  
• Podcast on the "what” and “why” of competency education, and the “how” of implementation" by Courtney Belolan and Matt Shea 
• The difference between individualization, differentiation and personalization by Bray and McClaskey
• How Students Thrive: Positive Youth Development in Practice by Springpoint 
• How To Resources
• Beyond Reform: Systemic Shifts Toward Personalized Learning by Lindsay Unified School District 
• A nine-step guide to blended, personalized learning design by the Christensen Institute
• Blended Learning Universe Personalized Learning Forum, a gathering place for practitioners to ask questions, get answers, and learn from blended and personalized learning leaders around the world
• Personalized Learning: A Journey Through Year One by Denver Public Schools Imagination Lab 
• Six tips for making personalized learning work by ASCD
• Personalization and UDL: A Perfect Match by Kathleen McClaskey
• State and Federal Policy
• The Impact of the 2016 Elections on State Boards of Education by the National Association of State Boards of Education
• Report of recommendations to use competency-based education as a strategy to tailor learning by the Tennessee Department of Education 
• ESSA and Personalized Learning: State by State by KnowledgeWorks
• Statewide Personalized Learning Initiative from Rhode Island's Office of Innovation 
• Advancing Innovative Policy Solutions by Excel in Ed 
• 21st Century Education Commission Report (Michigan)
• Proficiency-Based High School Diploma Systems in Maine: Implications for Special Education and Career and Technical Education Programming and Student Populations, by Erika Stump, Amy Johnson and Cathy Jacobs 
• Research and Evaluation
• Other Related Topics
• General
• Ed Tech Specialists in Michigan have made their webinar series on competency-based learning and blended learning available to the general public. You can hear discussions with Rose Colby, Michael Burde, Brian Stack and Jonathan Vander Els, Ephraim Weisstein and Michael Horn here.
• Equity
• Blog series on #AdvanceEquity by New Profit 
• Equity Snapshot: The Intersection of Mastery & Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) by New York City's Mastery Collaborative  
• Funding
• Low-Stakes Completion-Based Funding: A New Approach to Financing Competency-Based Education by the National Center for Innovation in Education
• Information Management
• Innovation in Accountability: Designing Systems to Support School Quality and Student Success by the Center for American Progress
• Leadership
• Leadership for Learning: What is Leadership’s Role in Supporting Success for Every Student? by The National Center for Innovation in Education
• 10 Roles of Effective Leaders by Tom Vander Ark
• How do we ensure personalized learning is a true equity initiative by Ace Parsi and Maria Moser 
• “Leadership In Action” series: How Do Colleges View Proficiency-Based Transcripts?” by the New England Secondary School Consortium 
• Student Perspectives
• A video showing the real-life experiences of students reaching success by the Barr Foundation
• A video of six Vermont high school students demonstrating what multiple pathways toward graduation look like, including community-based learning, dual enrollment, early college, and more 
• Why the Freedom to Choose Transformed My Future by Bryce Bragdon 
• How one Amazing Day Re-Defined my Comfort Zone by Hannah Bertram 
• Teachers and Teaching 
• EdNext podcast to discuss micro-credentials for teachers by Michael Horn and Marty West 

2016

• About Competency Education
• The Lindsay Story (video by Lindsay Unified)
• Competency Education and Personalized Learning (video by KnowledgeWorks)
• Chugach School District: A Personalized, Performance-Based System (CompetencyWorks)
• How To Resources
• Designing New School Models, A Practical Guide (Springpoint Schools)
• Tapping the Power of Personalized Learning by James Rickabaugh
• Over-Tested and Under-Prepared: Using Competency Based Learning to Transform Our Schools by Robert Sornson
• Visioning Toolkit for Better Assessments (KnowledgeWorks)
• State and Federal Policy
• Promising State Policies for Personalized Learning by iNACOL
• Pathways to New Accountability Through the Every Student Succeeds Act by the Learning Policy Institute
• Innovation Zones: Creating Policy Flexibility for Personalized Learning ( iNACOL)
• Recommendations for Advancing Personalized Learning Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) ( KnowledgeWorks)
• Expanding the Definition of Student Success Under ESSA: Opportunities to Advance Social-Emotional Mindsets, Skills, and Habits for Today’s Students (Transforming Education)
• Meeting The Every Student Succeeds Act’s Promise: State Policy to Support Personalized Learning (iNACOL)
• Competency-Based Policies and Pathways: Lessons from Colorado and Illinois (Achieve)
• Policy, Pilots and the Path to Competency-Based Education: A Tale of Three States (Foundation for Excellence in Education)
• Creating Innovation Zones to Advance the Promise of Competency-Based Pathways (Achieve)
• Research and Evaluation
• Looking Under the Hood of Competency-Based Education: The Relationship Between Competency-Based Education Practices and Students’ Learning Skills, Behaviors, and Dispositions (AIR)
• Results From a Two-Year Study of the Effects of Extended Learning Opportunities on Student Outcomes in New Hampshire (Nellie Mae Education Foundation)
• Reaching the Tipping Point: Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England (CompetencyWorks)
• Other Related Topics
• Information Management
• Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning ( iNACOL)
• Leadership
• Leadership for Learning (Center for Innovation in Education)
• Leading Change: The Emerging Human Capital Landscape in Personalized Learning Initiatives (District Reform Support Network)
• Afterschool and Expanded Learning
• The Intersection of Afterschool and Competency-Based Learning: Emerging Trends, Policy Considerations, and Questions for the Future ( AYPF )

2015

• About Competency Education
• Inside Mastery Based High Schools: Profiles and Conversations (Springpoint)
• Video collection on Mastery-Based Learning (NYC Department of Education Mastery Collaborative)
• Competency-Based Education: An Overview for Michigan’s Superintendents
• Maximizing Competency Education and Blended Learning: Insights from Experts (CompetencyWorks)
• How To Resources
• Understanding Maine's Guiding Principles by Maine DOE
• The Role of Learning Progression in Competency-Based Pathways (Achieve)
• Competency-Based Education: State Policy Communications Toolkit ( Foundation for Excellence in Education)
• Implementing Competency Education in K-12 Systems: Insights from Local Leaders (CompetencyWorks)
• State and Federal Policy
• Building Consensus and Momentum: A Policy and Political Landscape for K-12 Competency Education by KnowledgeWorks
• iNACOL State Policy Frameworks: 5 Critical Issues to Transform K-12 Education
• A Look to the Future: Personalized Learning in Connecticut ( CAPSS, CABE, and CAS)
• State Approaches to Competency-Based Education to Support College and Career Readiness for All Students (CCRS Center) 
• Research and Evaluation
• Proficiency-Based Diploma System in Maine: Implementing District-Level High School Graduation Policies by Stump and Silvernail
• Competency-Based Learning: Definitions,Policies, and Implementation (NEL-REI 2015)
• Other Related Topics
• Educator Competencies for Personalized, Learner-Centered Teaching (JFF and CCSSO

2014   

• About Competency Education
• New Hampshire: Our Story of Transformation
• How To Resources
• A Handbook for High Reliability Schools: The Next Step in School Reform by Marzano, Warrick, and Simms
• Progress and Proficiency: Redesigning Grading for Competency Education (CompetencyWorks) Find Resources Here 
• State and Federal Policy
• Laying the Foundation for Competency Education: A Policy Guide for Next Generation Educator Workforce (iNACOL and KnowledgeWorks)
• Accountability for College and Career Readiness:Developing a New Paradigm by Linda Darling-Hammond
  Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education & Gene Wilhoit and Linda Pittenger National Center for Innovation in Education
• A K-12 Federal Policy Framework for Competency Education: Building Capacity for Systems Change (iNACOL) Find Resources Here 
• Research and Evaluation
• The Past and the Promise: Today's Competency Education Movement (JFF) Includes summary of the research base
• Blending toward competency: Early patterns of blended learning and competency-based education in New Hampshire by Clayton Christensen Institute
• From Policy to Practice (Christensen Institute)
• Other Related Topics
• Equity in Competency Education: Realizing the Potential, Overcoming the Obstacles (JFF and Rand)
• Postsecondary Support for Competency-Based High School Transcripts (Achieve)
• An International Study in Competency Education: Postcards from Abroad (CompetencyWorks)

2013

• About Competency Education
• Mean What You Say: Defining and Integrating Personalized, Blended and Competency Education (iNACOL)
• Strengthening High School Teaching and Learning in New Hampshire's Competency-Based System (Alliance for Excellence Education) i
• The Shift from Cohorts to Competency (Digital Learning Now! and Getting Smart) t
• Maine's Center for Best Practices has case studies,  videos, and complementary resources at the Center for Best Practices.

• Aligning Competencies to Rigorous Standards for Off-track Youth: A Case Study of Boston Day and Evening Academy (JFF)

• State and Federal Policy
•  Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills: A Guide for State Policymakers (CompetencyWorks) Find Resources Here
• Federal Innovation Competitions: A Catalyst for Competency Education by KnowledgeWorks
• An Emerging Federal Role for Competency Education by KnowledgeWorks
• Advancing Competency-based Pathways to College and Career Readiness by Achieve

• Iowa, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania just released reports on the opportunities in their states.

• Competency Education Series: Policy Brief One: An Emerging Federal Role for Competency Education by Knowledgeworks

•  Competency Education Series: Policy Brief Two: Federal Innovation Competitions: A Catalyst for Competency Education (Knowledgeworks)

• Other Related Topics

• Anytime, Anywhere: Student-Centered Learning for Schools and Teachers by Wolfe

• Re-Engineering Information Technology Design Considerations for Competency Education (CompetencyWorks) Find Resources Here

•  

2012

• About Competency Education
• Making Mastery Work: A Close-Up View of Competency Education published by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation looks at 10 schools all with very different approaches (Nellie Mae Education Foundation). For more information and links to webinars.
• Off the Clock: Moving Education from Time to Competency by Fred Bramante and Rose Colby
• How To Resources
• It's About Time (Oregon's Business Education Compact)
• The Learning Edge: Supporting Student Success in a Competency-Based Learning Environment (CompetencyWorks)   Find Resources Here
  
• The Art and Science of Designing Competencies (CompetencyWorks) Find Resources Here
• Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning: Learning in the Age of Empowerment by Charles Schwahn and Beatrice McGarvey  
  

Resources 2011 and Before

• About Competency Education

• Delivering on the Promise by DeLorenzo, R., W. Battino, R. Schreiber, and B. Carrio. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press (2009)

• It’s Not a Matter of Time: Highlights from the 2011 Competency-Based Summit (CompetencyWorks)

• Clearing the Path: Creating Innovation Space for Serving Over-Age, Under-Credited Students in Competency-Based Pathways (CompetencyWroks)
• Success is the Only Option: Designing Competency Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning (CompetencyWorks)
• A New Model of Student Assessment for the 21st Century by Farrington and Small is found at American Youth Policy Forum 
  
• State and Federal Plicy
• Cracking the Code: Synchronizing Policy and Practice for Performance-Based Learning (CompetencyWorks) Find Resources Here
  
• State Strategies for Awarding Credit to Support Student Learning
• Other Related Topics 
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (2007)
• The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner (2010)     
• Total Leaders by Chuck Schwahn and William Spady (1998)
• A Comprehensive Guide to Designing Standards-based Districts, Schools, and Classrooms by Robert Marzano & John Kendall (1996)
• Building A New Structure for School Leadership by Richard F. Elmore (2000)
• Classroom Instruction that Works by Robert Marzano (2001)
• Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson, Jay McTighe (2006)
• Tool Time for Education, by Langford Publishing