the art and science of designing competencies

The Art and Science of Designing Competencies

Kim Carter, Q.E.D. FoundationChris Sturgies, MetisNet

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Q.E.D.’s Mission is to build, inspire, cultivate and sustain cultures of transformational learning where• We are all learners with aspirations and passions which

deserve to be supported in every way possible.• Learning changes lives by helping us develop the will,

knowledge, skill, and capacity to achieve our aspirations.• Learning needs to happen in different ways, so we use various

strengths and resources to engage with the world around us.• Learning empowers us to co-create our public world and to

shape the decisions that impact our lives.

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Competency Education• Students advance upon mastery.

• 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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What is a

Master?

What does it take to get really good at something?

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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.

Students demonstrate Proficiency through a preponderance of evidence of attainment of the required competencies in and/or across a content area.

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

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What Makes a Good Competency?• Describes knowledge and skills that can be applied to novel,

complex situations. • Skills will be valuable ten years from now even if the content

knowledge has changed. • Learning objectives have clear performance criteria so

students can identify their performance level(s) and what they need to do to improve.

• Learning objectives are accompanied by effective rubrics that help students understand themselves as learners.

• The competency and the learning objectives allow for personalization and opportunities for deeper learning.

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Competency DevelopmentList characteristics of graduates (what do they need to know and be able to do?) - e.g. effective communicator

Identify how each discipline contributes to those characteristics. - e.g. English: speaking skills, organizational methods, grammar and mechanics, etc.

Map the progression of knowledge and skills that get students there. - e.g. Learning progression through skill levels

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Examples

Students will make informative presentations.

Students will understand that different audiences require different communication styles and strategies.

Students [I can] use a wide range of strategies to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences to convey a variety of purposes.

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Quality CompetencyCCSS: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communication tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

MC2: Students [I can] use a wide range of strategies to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences to convey a variety of purposes.

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Knowledge frameworks

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Habits

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HabitHabits

Kim CarterQ.E.D. Foundation

kcarter@QEDfoundation.org

Chris SturgisMetisNet

chris@metisnet.net