Competency-Based Education and Its Application in Rhode Island

February 13, 2014

Conference dial-in number: (712) 432-0075Participant access code: 343808

New Hampshire

Northeast Networks Group

Statewide afterschool networks foster partnerships and policies to develop, support and sustain high-quality afterschool and expanded learning opportunities for children and youth.

Working with a broad range of stakeholder groups, including state policymakers and local leaders in education, youth development, juvenile justice, childcare, health and workforce development, statewide afterschool networks develop systems to support academic, social, emotional and physical outcomes for youth.

Statewide Afterschool Networks

Webinar Agenda

• Kim Carter Competency-Based Education

• Karen Barbosa ELO Woonsocket: How it Works for Us

• Q&A

Competency Based Learning

Kim Carter, Q.E.D. Foundationkcarter@QEDfoundation.org

What is a

Master?

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What is Mastery?Mastery is the consistently successful application of a set of knowledge (facts), skills (processes), and behaviors (actions) to complex problems and novel situations.

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In order to achieve Mastery, students must be able to demonstrate Proficiency through a preponderance of evidence of attainment of the required competencies in and/or across content areas.

Competencies are the knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors students must master in a specific content or performance area.

Competency Education• Students advance upon accomplishing proficiency.

• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students.

• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning experience for students.

• Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.

• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills and dispositions

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Rele

vanc

e

providing rich experiences Engage students by

through meaningfulcontexts that

develop students’competence and confidence

as measured byobservation and feedback

Address competencies throughguiding essential questions explored inauthentic context supported by

content and skill developmentevaluated through learning assessments

Community BasedGroup Experiences

School BasedGroup Experiences

Relationships Rigor

Apply

• Graduation standards are the levels of mastery necessary for transition to adult life

• Developed and practiced within contexts

• Applied in personally meaningful ways

Local Farmers/Food Pantry

Biology

Greenhouse

The local need for help with a community garden inspired this E.L.O., where students explored ecosystems, cellular structures, nutritional, energy, water and nitrogen cycles. After designing their plots, students also decided where to donate a portion of their produce, following up on the life of local food.

Where does food come from?

Where does it go?

Community Garden

Glass Artist

Geometry

Origami

This E.L.O. leveraged a relationship with a stained-glass artist who helped the students create “mathematically correct artwork.” The final project was in glass, with design work done in origami, exploring trigonometric functions, polygons and polyhedra .

Can Math BEArt?

Geogami

Cultural Museum

English + History

Curate an exhibitStudents act as historians and museum curators as they learn from and eventually contribute to a local cultural museum. They do primary research in the larger community, conducting interviews, and gathering artifacts in order to design exhibits that represent various immigrant populations.

How does immigration impact the community?

Museum Studies

Document• Meaning making

• Impact

• Challenges and triumphs (successes)

• Feedback loops – iterations (met/not yet)

http://mc2school.wikispaces.com/Habits

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Habits

Habit

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Habits

Defend

• Portfolios

• Presentations of learning

• Authentic audiences

What does it take to get really good at something?

Kim CarterQ.E.D. Foundation

kcarter@QEDfoundation.org

ELO

WOONSOCKET

HOW I T W

ORK S FOR U

S

THE BASICS

Who: 1 - Student(s); any grade, any ability2 – Industry Mentor3 – Teacher of RecordELO OfficeAll volunteer; no stipends

What: Student Centered Project

Where: On Campus or Off Site

When: After school or on weekendsTakes, on average, 3-4 weeks to get projects working at full modeProjects are completed, based on backward planning - students have as long as the project requires

How: Proficiency Based, not Time Based; Project Planning 101

Why: Credit Recovery, Portfolio Pieces, Demonstration of Proficiency, Life & Work Experience, Recommendations

JUST SOME OF OUR

MENTORS

Learning Goals are determined by Student and Industry Mentor• As aligned to Industry Standards• Educational Standards are applied whenever possibleLearning Activities are determined by Student and Industry Mentor• With input from Teacher of RecordStudents are evaluated based on 4 rubrics:• Reflection• Research• Product• PresentationStudent(s) present in front of panel; “defend” learning• Panel includes: Industry Mentor, Teacher of Record, ELO Office, Guidance,

Administration, and other key participants• Teacher of Record includes feedback from all panelists to inform final grade

ASSESSMENT

Individual Self-Seeking or Recommended

Group Student Driven or Mentor/Teacher Driven

Hybrid

PROJECT TYPES

PROJECTS : INDIVIDUAL EXAMPLESLanguage Instruction – Jacob; student taught in a Spanish Class

Conservation Biology – Nick; data collection & field work on geese mitigation

Technology – Abby; assisting district in developing a blogging policy

Engineering – Kathryn; designing and building tools to use in OT

Health Careers – Autumn; radiology

Music – Patrick ; techno music, writing and producing

Physical Education– Krystina; training for and running a 5K/documentary

Art – Bethania; using Art as a means for social change

PROJECTS : GROUP EXAMPLESStudent GeneratedLaw Enforcement – 5 students; in partnership with the WPD Help 4 Animals – 2 students; creating an instructional video on how to properly

care for and interact with animalsGreen Team – 2 students; improving recycling and energy efficiency at the HS

Teacher GeneratedGlobal Citizens – 8 students; ethnography study w/ a 3 week trip to Rwanda

We reached outURI Pharmacy – 8 students; narcotics study

They Reached OutRISD – 12 students; Project Open Door

PROJECTS : HYBRID EXAMPLE

ESL Classes – students earned portfolio pieces not otherwise available in their class; while helping the teacher to meet her SLO goals

Period 3 – Advanced ClassVarious theater groups in RI will take turns instructing students, weekly, on basics of play writing and stage performance. Students will take this knowledge and apply to their version of a Shakespeare play they are reading. Each section will then be performed and filmed, creating their own “movie” of the play.

Period 5 – Beginner ClassWorking with a local performance group, students will flesh out their own cultural story which they will then turn into a children’s book. A digital version of the story will be created with voice recordings; stories will be presented to ELLs at the elementary school.

Q&A

• Kim Carter Executive Director, Q.E.D. Foundation

• Karen Barbosa Director, ELO Woonsocket

Closing Information

• Northeast Networks Group Webinar Series Thursday, March 20, 11:30-12:30pm “Linking After

School and Summer Programs”

• Questions or for more information Visit our website: www.afterschoolri.org Email

• Michelle Un michelle.un@afterschoolri.org • Karen Barbosa kbarbosa@woonsocketschools.com • Kim Carter kcarter@qedfoundation.org