Windsor Locks: A Competency Based School District

What is a “Competency Based School System?  Windsor Locks is developing a competency based school system where our students are expected to meet clearly defined standards in every subject area at a high level.  As our students’ progress through their classes and grades, when additional time and support is needed to ensure the students achieves success the school assumes the responsibility to provide the extra support via additional help, more time or both.

What are Learning Standards?  Learning standards are concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education. Learning standards describe educational objectives (i.e., what students should have learned by the end of a course, grade level, or grade span), but they do not describe any particular teaching practice, curriculum, orassessment method.  While learning standards vary in content, purpose, and design Connecticut has adopted the Common Core of State Standards, CCSS.

What is the Common Core of State Standards, CCSS?  The CCSS is not a National Curriculum.  The Common Core State Standards do provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.  Windsor Locks has developed its own curriculum and assessments aligned to the CCSS to ensure our students will be competitive with other children in Connecticut and the United States.

What is a rubric? A rubric is typically an evaluation tool or set of guidelines used to promote the consistent application of learning standards in the classroom. It is also used to measure how a student is progressing toward attaining a learning standard.   Rubrics are also used to determine grades or the degree to which learning standards have been demonstrated by students.

How is competency determined?  Competency is determined by the teacher, just as a grade would be.  The difference being students must demonstrate in a variety of ways that the new learning can be applied and transferred to new and other learning.  Competency can be demonstrated on multiple assignments, assessments, projects, presentations etc.

How is reporting different in a competency based system Vs. a traditional system? Competency-based learning is generally seen as an alternative to more traditional educational approaches in which students may or may not acquire proficiency in a given course or academic subject before they earn course credit, get promoted to the next grade level, or graduate. For example, high school students typically earn credit by passing a course, but a passing grade may be an A or it may be a D, suggesting that the awarded credit is based on expectations—with some students learning more and others learning less. Since grades may be calculated differently from teacher to teacher and they may be based on differing learning expectations (i.e., some courses may be “harder” and others “easier”), it may is possible for students to pass their courses, earn the required number of credits, and receive a diploma without acquiring important knowledge and skills. In extreme cases, students may be awarded a high school diploma but still be unable to read, write, or do math at a basic level.  When schools transition to a competency-based system, it can entail significant changes in how a school operates and how it teaches students, affecting everything from the school’s educational philosophy andculture to its methods of instruction, testing, grading, reporting, promotion, and graduation.

Report cards may be entirely redesigned, and schools may use different grading scales and systems, such as replacing letter grades with brief descriptive statements—e.g., phrases such asdoes not meet, partially meets, meets the standard, andexceeds the standard are commonly used.  Windsor Locks HS transcripts will reflect student achievement based on credits earned and numerical equivalents (i.e. 3.0 – 4.0 scale)