State Approaches to Competency-Based Education to Support College and Career Readiness for All Students

David Blumenthal and Jeremy Rasmussen

Image of brief coverMany students still struggle to graduate on time within traditional school systems, particularly racial and ethnic minority students, English language learners, and students with disabilities. States and schools are shifting their focus to ensure college and career readiness is a realistic and attainable goal for all students. This brief provides an overview of competency-based education (CBE), one model to support college and career readiness for all. Free from the restraints of a one-size- fi ts-all approach, CBE provides strategies to set college and career readiness expectations for all students while creating personalized education opportunities.

In this brief, we introduce the core elements of CBE and discuss how states can support the development of CBE through policies, guidance, and expanding assessment mastery. We highlight examples of how states are using CBE from the following states:

  • New Hampshire
  • Maine
  • Iowa
  • Oregon
  • Michigan
  • Florida
  • Georgia