Achieve Webinar: Advancing Competency-Based Pathways to College and Career Readiness

In an effort to share approaches states are taking to advance competency- or proficiency-based pathways to college and career readiness, Achieve hosted a webinar to elevate state and district leaders in Colorado and Rhode Island working to develop and implement policies and practices designed to further competency- or proficiency-based pathways to college and career readiness in their states.  Sharon Lee, Director of Multiple Pathways, and Paula Barney, Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Specialist with the Rhode Island Department of Education, provided an overview of how Rhode Island is working with the state’s proficiency-based pathways advisory group to develop a vision and framework to advance proficiency-based education in Rhode Island.  Oliver Grenham, Chief Education Officer with Adams County School District 50 in Colorado, provided an overview of why the district decided to move towards competency-based learning as well as early successes, challenges and lessons learned in the areas of assessment, accountability and graduation requirements.  We were also joined on the webinar by Elliott Asp, Special Assistant to the Commissioner at the Colorado Department of Education, who gave an overview of the state department of education’s role in Colorado to advance this work, with an eye toward state policy and implementation support.   There was also an opportunity to discuss lessons learned, early success and challenges as states across the country take steps to advance competency-or proficiency-based pathways to college and career readiness. March 19, 2014.

For more information on Adams County School District 50’s efforts to advance competency-based learning, be sure to check the District’s competency-based education wiki.