At Springpoint, we support design teams to develop and implement new high school models, many of which leverage competency-based education (CBE) as a way to strengthen teaching and learning. Since it is nearly impossible to successfully implement an entire CBE system all at once, we have outlined three key phases of implementation, which can be found here. We build our support to partners around these sequential phases, starting with developing a common language. 

Developing a common language to underpin CBE promotes transparency and ensures that everyone in a school community shares a clear understanding of CBE, driven by concrete definitions and shared benchmarks for student work. Essential elements of a shared competency language also include using the same competencies across disciplines, ensuring each competency has a standard meaning in all classrooms, and codifying observable indicators for each competency. Schools that prioritize developing a common language in CBE create structures and systems that give teachers space to norm and calibrate around competencies and rubrics. These schools also ensure that common language shows up visibly and frequently in the school environment. 

The bulletin boards in the hallways of The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria feature students work, along with rubrics, assignments, and other materials that capture the school’s shared langauge. Practices like this ensure that common language lives throughout the school community.

To see how common language exists in a mature, full-school CBE system, we visited The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria (TYWLS) with our partners. TYWLS is a non-selective, competency-based school in Queens, New York. The school—which has a 98% college graduation rate—continues to refine its CBE model that the school started nine years ago.

We observed classrooms and heard from students and teachers about their journey designing and implementing CBE. But more specifically, we sought to deeply study and understand the impact of common language on student learning at TYWLS. As the foundation of a successful CBE system, common language requires ongoing refinement, clarification, and reinforcement. There are several specific touch points and protocols that support this work, such as using a ‘Looking At Student Work’ protocol and conducting teacher-student conferencing—both of which we saw first-hand at TYWLS. 

We set out to uncover how TYWLS has successfully implemented their approach to common language. We first observed a ‘Looking At Student Work’ meeting, which helps educators both norm around and calibrate to high expectations for student work (read more about the ‘Looking At Student Work’ protocol, here). In the meeting, we watched three TYWLS teachers discussing a piece of work from Mya, an 11th grader who came to TYWLS in the middle of 9th grade. Note how the teachers surface evidence of prioritized competencies in Mya’s essay, and discuss how Mya’s teacher, Greg, can further support her in attaining mastery.

Watch three TYWLS teachers conduct a Looking At Student Work meeting here.

Partners then observed TYWLS teacher Greg Zimdahl conduct a conference with Mya to provide feedback as well as suggestions for how she can work toward mastery of key competencies, such as “argue.” Partners also had an opportunity to ask Mya and Greg questions about their experience and the conferencing process overall. Notice the fluency of their use of common language, and how Greg weaves in some of the suggestions that he received from his fellow teachers in the ‘Looking At Student Work’ meeting above.

Watch TYWLS teacher, Greg Zimdahl, conduct a one-on-one in class conferencing session with 11th grade student, Mya.

We also had the privilege of hearing directly from students on how the CBE system at their school empowers them to own their own learning and how it prepares them for college, career, and beyond.

Check out two students, 9th grader Nicole and 12th grader Maryam, talk about how CBE supports them in their learning. 

Following a full day at TYWLS visit, partners were brimming with ideas, questions, and inspiration. It was an illustrative, tangible experience that propelled us into the rest of the learning tour and catalyzed partners’ own CBE planning. We were struck by the intentionality of these practices at TYWLS. Every interaction—between teachers and students, teachers and teachers, students and students—incorporated the school’s common language, which drives both CBE and strong teaching and learning at TYWLS.

Hear two design leaders reflect on the lessons they are taking from TYWLS back to their own communities as they design and implement a CBE system to support their students to succeed.

While in New York City, our partners also had a chance to see several other high schools with strong CBE systems. Springpoint facilitated work time and led partners to reflect on what they saw and helped them start to select their own prioritized competencies for their schools. 

CBE is a complex, meaningful undertaking that requires a clear vision for phased implementation that starts with developing a common language. We are excited to support partners on their CBE journeys—exploring best practices, concretizing CBE approaches, and creating tools and resources to facilitate ongoing design and implementation.