OWL's Position: Competency Based Educaiton

Owner: Director of Orgazational Strategy & Learning (DOSL) – with input from all Directors Audience: All OWL staff, partners, and stakeholders

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

At Open Way Learning, we believe the “main thing” in education should always be authentic teaching and learning—not compliance, sorting, or grade chasing. Competency-Based Education (CBE) brings us back to that main thing by redefining success through mastery, equity, and student agency rather than seat time or age-based progression.

We see CBE not as a program or add-on, but as a transformative shift in mindset and structure—one that better aligns with the purpose of school in a world defined by complexity, disruption, and possibility.

What is CBE?

While definitions vary, OWL aligns with the Aurora Institute’s widely accepted framework. A CBE system includes:

• Clear, measurable, and transferable competencies that describe what students should know and be able to do.

• Student-centered pathways where progress is based on demonstrated mastery, not time spent in a classroom.

• Embedded student agency with learners empowered to make decisions about how they learn and how they demonstrate what they know.

• Timely, meaningful, and actionable feedback that supports growth.

• Flexible structures—including scheduling, assessment, and reporting—that respond to each learner’s pace and needs.

Why CBE? Why Now?

The traditional system—based on seat time, A–F grades, and age-based cohorts—was never designed to meet the needs of all learners. It disproportionately disadvantaged students historically furthest from opportunity. CBE offers a path forward that centers learning, not compliance.

COVID-19 revealed just how fragile our time-bound, one-size-fits-all structures really are. Schools with CBE foundations pivoted more successfully to remote learning, thanks to systems that already prioritized student agency, self-pacing, and formative feedback.

This isn’t just a moment for reform—it’s a moment for redesign.

How CBE Advances OWL’s Core Beliefs

CBE isn’t a silver bullet—but when implemented thoughtfully, it acts as a connective tissue for deeper learner-centered innovation:

• Equity: CBE allows students the time and support they need to truly learn, especially those who need more time or different pathways.

• Agency: By giving students voice and choice in how they learn and demonstrate mastery, CBE nurtures ownership, resilience, and real-world readiness.

• Collaboration & Culture: Implementation requires collective leadership, shared vision, and a culture of trust—cornerstones of OWL’s open-source philosophy.

• Innovation by Design: CBE thrives when schools use design thinking to iterate, adapt, and reflect based on their local contexts.

What CBE Looks Like in Practice

CBE is not about tossing out structure—it’s about redefining it with intention and flexibility. High-functioning CBE systems often include:

• Competency-aligned assessments that go beyond memory recall to performance tasks and exhibitions of learning.

• Rubrics as roadmaps, co-created with students, to demystify expectations and support goal setting.

• Portfolios and process documentation that reflect growth, not just final products.

• Reassessment opportunities that affirm learning is iterative, not one-and-done.

• Metacognition and reflection as daily practices.

• Badging and mastery transcripts to more accurately communicate what students know and can do.

What Makes CBE Hard…but Worth It

Transitioning to CBE isn’t easy. It requires:

• Shifting mental models from all stakeholders.

• Investing in professional learning and collaborative planning time.

• Rethinking reporting systems and transcript models.

• Navigating policy and funding structures still tied to seat time.

But the return is enormous: students who are more engaged, more prepared, and more capable of charting their own paths.

OWL's Commitment

OWL supports schools and districts ready to explore or deepen their CBE practices. We help:

• Develop and pilot domain-specific competencies.

• Train facilitators in formative assessment and feedback.

• Design competency-aligned projects and exhibitions.

• Co-create systems of documentation and reflection.

• Engage community partners in the design and validation of authentic learning.

We do this work because we believe learning should be a process of becoming—not just complying. CBE allows learners to be seen, supported, and stretched in ways that reflect both their potential and their humanity.

Learning from the Field: Insights from Schools and Experts Around the Globe

Open Way Learning’s perspective on Competency-Based Education (CBE) is not only grounded in research and implementation science—it’s shaped by firsthand observation, global interviews, and collaboration with schools exploring or transitioning to mastery-based models.

As part of OWL’s commitment to open-source learning and continuous inquiry, members of our team have engaged with schools across the U.S. and internationally, including those affiliated with the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the Deeper Learning Network, and others piloting standards-based or proficiency-based systems as a precursor to full CBE adoption.

Schools of Note

• High Tech High (San Diego), Nueva School (Hillsborough), and New Roads School (Santa Monica) are California schools that are deeply committed to personalized, student-centered learning. While each has varying degrees of CBE culture, these schools have structures in place to break free from traditional grading practices to better support holistic student growth.

• East Palo Alto Academy, which serves a high-needs student population, stood out for its deliberate transition to CBE. Their efforts highlight both the promise and the challenge of implementing such a model in schools seeking to close opportunity gaps.

• Liger Leadership Academy (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) offered a compelling international example of what’s possible when schools deeply commit to personalized, purpose-driven learning. While not formally operating within a CBE framework, Liger's emphasis on student-led, competency-rich experiences mirrors many of the design principles foundational to mastery-based education. Their approach provides important global insight into how CBE-aligned practices can thrive even in non-Western educational contexts.

• Several schools were actively using Standards-Based Grading (SBG) as an entry point—helping both staff and stakeholders reframe how learning is assessed. The California Collaborative for District Reform was cited by multiple educators as a key support network in this work.

🌐 Global Perspectives: CBE in International Contexts

OWL has also engaged in dialogue with global education thought leaders like the late David Price, OBE, an internationally respected author, consultant, and advisor to the Mastery Transcript Initiative. Price offered insight into the global landscape of CBE, describing it as “sketchy” in adoption but gaining traction in places like Finland and New Zealand. He emphasized the untapped potential of mastery-based approaches to surface skills and habits of mind that traditional transcripts overlook.

“In a world where students are doing extraordinary things in their free time,” Price noted, “competency/mastery models make sense. There’s no limit.”

He also pointed out that many of the world’s most forward-thinking educators and employers are seeking alternatives to GPA-driven, standardized models in favor of systems that value creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving. Yet, he warned, “We only value what we measure”—a challenge CBE seeks to overcome through more meaningful, transparent documentation of learning.

📚 Additional Readings and Reflections

• The Glossary of Education Reform offers a well-rounded, objective definition of Proficiency-Based Learning, a common synonym or stepping stone to CBE.

• The medical field, where CBE has long-standing roots, continues to wrestle with clarity and consistency in practice, as reflected in academic overviews like this review in Medical Teacher.

These conversations, site visits, and collaborative investigations affirm that while CBE implementation looks different across contexts, the global desire to rehumanize education, to break away from rigid seat-time models, and to elevate deeper, more authentic learning is universal.

Final Thoughts

As Sal Khan said: “Let’s teach for mastery—not test scores.” CBE gives us a path to do exactly that.

If education is to prepare students not just for a job, but for a lifetime of learning, we must embrace approaches that reflect the real world—where advancement is based on what you can do, not how long you’ve sat in a seat.

We believe CBE is not only possible—it is essential.

References & Resources

Core Definitions and Frameworks

• Aurora Institute. (2020). What is Competency-Based Education? https://aurora-institute.org

• CompetencyWorks. (2019). Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education. https://www.inacol.org/resource/fit-purpose-taking-long-view-systems-change/

• Global Online Academy. (n.d.). Competency-Based Learning Toolkit. https://globalonlineacademy.org/what-we-do/cbl-toolkit

Rationale: Why Now?

• EdWeek. (2020). The Mastery vs. Seat-Time Debate Takes Center Stage Under Remote Learning. https://www.edweek.org/technology/the-mastery-vs-seat-time-debate-takes-center-stage-under-remote-learning/2020/11

• Education Evolving. (2020). Competency-Based Education: A Policy and Practice Overview. https://www.educationevolving.org/initiatives/competency-based-education

• Patrick, S. (2020). COVID-19 as a Watershed Moment for CBE. Aurora Institute. https://aurora-institute.org/blog

Learning Science and Equity

• Rose, T. (2016). The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness. HarperOne.

• Khan, S. (2015). Let’s Teach for Mastery – Not Test Scores [TED Talk]. https://www.ted.com/talks/sal_khan_let_s_teach_for_mastery_not_test_scores

• iNACOL. (2018). Quality Principles for Competency-Based Education. https://www.inacol.org/resource/quality-principles-for-competency-based-education/

• CompetencyWorks. (2018). Introducing an Equity Framework for Competency Education. https://www.competencyworks.org

Practice-Based Examples and Case Studies

• Edutopia. (2020). Assessing Learning Without Tests. https://www.edutopia.org/article/assessing-learning-without-test

• Getting Smart. (2020). Show What You Know: A Landscape Report on CBE. XQ Institute. https://xqsuperschool.org/competency-based-education-cbe/part1

• GOA. (2020). How to Write a Competency: Six Steps for Educators. https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/how-to-write-a-competency-six-steps-for-educators

• Mastery Transcript Consortium. (n.d.). https://mastery.org

Systemic Challenges & Policy Levers

• Education Commission of the States. (2020). Seat Time vs. Mastery: Policy Flexibilities and Barriers. https://www.ecs.org

• Minnesota Statute 126C.05. Educational Revenue and Attendance Reporting. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/126C.05

• FutureEd. (2020). Testing Blueprints: Reimagining Assessment Systems. https://www.future-ed.org

Cultural Shifts and Design Implications

• OECD. (2015). Schooling Redesigned: Towards Innovative Learning Systems. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/schooling-redesigned_9789264245914-en

• IDEO. (n.d.). Design Thinking for Educators Toolkit. https://designthinkingforeducators.com

• EL Education. (n.d.). Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment. https://eleducation.org/resources/leaders-of-their-own-learning

Real-World Alignment

• Udacity. (n.d.). Nanodegree Programs. https://www.udacity.com/nanodegree

• Coursera. (n.d.). Top Specializations & Certificates. https://www.coursera.org/featured/top_specializations_locale_en_os_web