The Why, What and How of Building Competencies and Competency Assessments for High School Courses

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The Why, What and How of Building Competencies and Competency Assessments for High School Courses

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Title: The Why, What and How of Building Competencies and Competency Assessments for High School Courses

1
The Why, What and How of Building Competencies
and Competency Assessments for High School
Courses
Developing High School Competencies and
Competency Assessments

Tom Welch
September 20, 2006

Im the Woodsman

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Or maybe Lewis
Or Clark

But YOU. . .
You are the true pioneers!

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WHY?
In New Hampshire . . . the train is ready to
leave the station!
11
Ed 306 Standards for School Approval

Roll Out Of New Approved Standards November 21,
2005

New Hampshire is shifting
from a focus on school and teaching
to a focus on each student learning.

Lets take a moment to review . . .
Education 1.0
Formal education for a select few
No set curriculum

Education 2.0

Public Schools Education for all No defined
standards Curriculum determined and assessed
locally
15

Education 3.0
Focus on learning
Education for each and every child
Defined standards
Assessments as quality indicators

New Hampshire is getting ready for
The Tsunami
Identified Standards
Common Assessments
Technology for learning 24/7/7

The State of New Hampshire clearly
Gets It!
Do you?

Inquiring Minds want to know

Who is inquiring about what students know?
1.0
parents
students
2.0
students
parents
colleges and other post-secondary partners

3.0
parents
students
post-secondary partners
the Federal Government (NCLB)
the State of NH
districts
the newspapers
. . .

You used to be able to just worry about what
was being taught
Individual courses
High School graduation requirements
(did a student accumulate enough credits?)

By the way . . .
Would someone tell me what a credit is??
A credit is a unit . . .
but
Whats its value?

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A credit is a unit of . . .

The unarticulated suspicion is that some units of
learning dont mean as much as they should
Would you prefer one Australian dollar, or one
American dollar?

In an American education system full of plans
for better high schools, more and more courses
have impressive labels, such as "honors,"
"advanced," "college prep" and "Advanced
Placement." But many researchers and educators
say the teaching often does not match the title.
ASCD September 19, 2006

Currently in New Hampshire (2.0), the school year
is measured in TIME

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Ed 306.18 School Year pp. 17-18

(a) Pursuant to RSA 1891 and 18924 each school
shall maintain a school year option as provided
in either (b) or (c) below.
(b) Each school with a school year option based
on hours
(c) Each school with a school year option based
on days

30
Option (b) School Year measured in Hours

(b) Each school with a school year option based
on hours shall be subject to the following
requirements
(1) The school shall maintain in each elementary
school, a school year of at least 945 hours of
instructional time
(2) The school shall maintain in each middle and
senior high school, a school year of at least 990
hours of instructional time
(3) The school day of an individual student shall
not exceed 8 hours of instructional time and
(4) The school shall have in its school year an
additional 10 days of at least 6 hours in
duration to provide for instructional time lost
due to inclement weather or unexpected
circumstances, staff development, and
parent-teacher conferences
(5) A school may close before its scheduled
closing time when an emergency condition exists
which might adversely affect the health and
safety of students, provided that the number of
hours of instructional time originally planned
for the day shall be credited to the number of
hours of instructional time in the school year,
if
a. On that day, the school would normally have
had at least 5.25 hours of instructional time
and
b. The school remained open for at least 3.5
hours of instructional time.

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School Year based on days

(c) Each school with a school year option based
on days shall be subject to the following
requirements
(1) The school shall maintain a standard school
year of at least 180 days of instructional time
(2) The school shall have in its school year an
additional 10 days of at least 6 hours in
duration to provide for instructional time lost
due to inclement weather or unexpected
circumstances, staff development, and
parent-teacher conferences

And in NH 2.0, high school graduation
requirements are still expressed in terms of time
units.

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Ed 306.27 (f) Credit Requirements p. 31

(f) There shall be a minimum of 20 credits for a
regular high school diploma, unless the local
school board has set a requirement of more than
20 credits for a regular high school diploma, in
which case the local credit requirement shall
apply. The local school board shall require that
each high school offers courses or learning
opportunities as specified in (c) above.

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Table 306-2 Required Subjects and Credits for
High School Graduation pp. 33-34

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If time is more critical than learning, then NH
better watch out . . .
Wouldnt states that require more time units
have smarter students?
Several states already have more than 20
credits required for graduation

(a) Language arts - four (4) credits
(b) Social studies - three (3) credits
(c) Mathematics - three (3) credits
2. Required courses shall include Algebra
I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
(d) Science - three (3) credits
(e) Health - one-half (1/2) credit
(f) Physical education - one-half (1/2)
credit
(g) History and appreciation of visual and
performing arts (or another arts course which
incorporates this content) - one (1) credit
(h) Academic and career interest
standards-based learning experiences - seven (7)
credits including four (4) standards-based
learning experiences in an academic or career
interest based on the students individual
learning plan and
(i) Demonstrated performance-based
competency in technology
Total 22 credits

And that state always used to say
TGFM,
But . . .

Subject Requirements
English 4 ENG I, II, III, IV
Mathematics 3 Algebra I, Geometry, 1 additional
mathematics
Science 3 Biology Physical Science and 1
additional science
Social Studies 4 1/2 MS Studies, 1/2 Social
Studies elective, World History, U.S. History,
1/2 American
Govt. 1/2 Economics
Business
Technology
1 1/2 Computer Applications, 1/2 Keyboarding or
Computer Discovery
Computer Discovery taken in the 8th grade will
count for Computer App. Keyboarding
requirement.
Health 1/2 Comprehensive Health and
Family/Individual Health
Fine Arts 1 Any fine arts course
Advanced
Seminar
1 Unit for twelfth grade students
Electives 7 1/2 Any courses that are not required
TOTAL 25

But dont worry, NH, those are all
(for the moment at least)
Time-based credits like your 2.0 credits

In 2.0 language
Those are all based on inputs. . .
Not outcomes
Or in 3.0 language
Downloads. . .
Not
Uploads

In Education 2.0 NH defined instructional time
that was required for schools
And even placed limits on the instructional time
in a day that a student could be subjected to.

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Option (b) School Year measured in Hours

(b) Each school with a school year option based
on hours shall be subject to the following
requirements
(1) The school shall maintain in each elementary
school, a school year of at least 945 hours of
instructional time
(2) The school shall maintain in each middle and
senior high school, a school year of at least 990
hours of instructional time
(3) The school day of an individual student shall
not exceed 8 hours of instructional time and
(4) The school shall have in its school year an
additional 10 days of at least 6 hours in
duration to provide for instructional time lost
due to inclement weather or unexpected
circumstances, staff development, and
parent-teacher conferences
(5) A school may close before its scheduled
closing time when an emergency condition exists
which might adversely affect the health and
safety of students, provided that the number of
hours of instructional time originally planned
for the day shall be credited to the number of
hours of instructional time in the school year,
if
a. On that day, the school would normally have
had at least 5.25 hours of instructional time
and
b. The school remained open for at least 3.5
hours of instructional time.

Whats the limit on the time a student can be
learning in New Hampshire?
Whats the limit on how long a student needs to
take to learn in New Hampshire?

In the New Hampshire of the 3.0 era,
the important measure is not instructional
time
But
learning results

WHY High School Competencies?

New Hampshire cant afford to stay on the
Education 2.0 train
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But I didnt see it coming!

48
Ed 306 Standards for School Approval

Roll Out Of New Approved Standards November 21,
2005

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Ed 306.04 Local School Board Policies

(1) Absenteeism and attendance
(2) Promoting school safety
(3) Discipline
(4) Records retention, including electronic
files
(5) Character and citizenship
(6) Meeting the instructional needs of each
student with different talents
(7) Student hazing
(8) Student harassment, including bullying
(9) Sexual harassment, as detailed in Ed
303.01(j) and (k)
(10) Reporting of suspected abuse or neglect
(11) Promotion of a school environment that is
conducive to learning and supports strong family
and community partnerships
(12) Distance education, if the district chooses
to offer distance education as provided in Ed
306.22
(13) Extended learning opportunities, if the
district chooses to offer extended learning
opportunities as provided in Ed 306.26(f) or Ed
306.27(b)(4)
(14) How a credit can be earned, as provided in
Ed 306.27(d)
(15) Recommending developmentally appropriate
daily physical activity and exercise
(16) Behavior management and intervention for
students and
(17) Homeless students.

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Ed 306.21 Off-Site Program p. 20

(a) Off-site program means the regular delivery
of the majority of a students instruction at a
facility not located in the school building(s).
(b) An off-site program shall be
(1) Designed to address the personalized needs
to students, including, but not limited to,
dropout prevention and
(2) Approved by the local school board in a plan
that
a. States the goals of the program
b. Specifies the procedures for assessing and
implementing its program plan consistent with RSA
193-C3, III and
c. Specifies when the program would be offered,
which may be at a time other than during the
regular school day.
(c) Off-site programs for students with
disabilities shall meet the requirements of Ed
1119.
(d) Prior to implementing an off-site program, a
school administrative unit shall submit to the
department the following
(1) A copy of the local school boards approval,
including the plan submitted and
(2) The location of the off-site program.
(e) Each student participating in an off-site
program shall participate in the state assessment
exam, when applicable.

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Department Comment Off-Site Programs

The reference in (b)(2)(b) to RSA 193-C3, III
sets out the requirement that the content of
off-site programs must conform to the grade level
expectations required of a traditional course of
the same grade and subject.
(c) clarifies that SpEd Off-site Programs are
required to meet SpEd Rules Ed 1119
(e) makes it clear that students in off-site
programs are required to participate in the
statewide assessment test.

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Ed 306.22 Distance Education p. 21

(b) If a district chooses to offer distance
education, the provisions of (c) - (f) below
shall apply.
(c) The local school board shall be responsible
for
(1) The approval, coordination, and supervision
of distance education courses offered for
instructional purposes or high school credit, or
both, in the district and
(2) Granting student credit for completion of
distance education courses.
(d) School districts may cooperate to share
delivery of distance education courses.
(e) The local school board shall adopt policies
relative to all distance education courses
offered by the school district to require that
(1) The courses comply with all federal and state
statutes pertaining to student privacy and to
public broadcasting of audio and video
(2) Credit courses require students to meet
similar academic standards as required by the
school for students enrolled in credit courses
offered by the school
(3) Only students approved by the school
principal or designee shall be eligible to
receive credit for distance education courses
and
(4) Students earning credit for distance
education courses shall participate in all
assessments required by the statewide education
improvement and assessment program.
(f) The local school board shall adopt policies
relative to all distance education courses
offered by the school district relative to
(1) The number of students a teacher may be
required to supervise
(2) Monitoring of student progress, grading of
assignments, and testing
(3) Security of individual student records,
provided that no individual student records
obtained through participation in distance
education courses shall be used for any purposes
other than those that support the instruction of
the individual student and
(4) Gathering and disseminating of district-level
aggregated data obtained through participation in
distance education courses.

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Ed 306.26 (f) pp. 26-27 Ed 306.27(b)(4) pp.
28-29 Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO)

(f) If a district chooses to offer extended
learning opportunities in a middle school, the
extended learning opportunities shall
(1) Consist of activities designed to
a. Provide credit or supplement regular academic
courses and
b. Promote the schools and individual students
educational goals and objectives
(2) Be governed by a policy adopted by the local
school board that
a. Provides for the administration and
supervision of the program
b. Encourages that certified school personnel
oversee an individual students program
c. Requires that each extended learning proposal
meet rigorous measurable standards, and be
approved by the school prior to its beginning
d. Specifies whether or not credit can be granted
for extended learning activities, including, but
not limited to, independent study, private
instruction, team sports, performing groups,
internships, community service, and work study
and
e. Requires that credit for an extended learning
activity can only be approved by certified
educators
(3) Incorporate student participation in
selecting, organizing, and carrying out extended
learning activities
(4) Provide opportunities for students to acquire
knowledge and skill development comparable to
knowledge and skill development in courses
offered at the high school and
(5) Be available to all students.

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Department Comment ELO

The local school board is required to adopt and
implement written policies and procedures
relative to extended learning if the district
plans to offer extended learning opportunities,
as per Ed 306.04.
It is strongly recommended that local school
boards adopt policies that indicate which, if
any, of these opportunities the district is
prepared to offer.
The local districts policy may define whether
extended learning opportunities are offered in
wide variety, in limited options, or not at all.
Without such a policy, individual petitions may
be granted if the school board has a policy or
process addressing such petitions. A written
policy should indicate date of implementation.
If a district chooses to provide extended
learning opportunities, to some degree, there
must be opportunities that are available to all
students, not just a select group, such as honor
students.

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306.27 High School Curriculum, Credits,
Graduation Requirement, and Co curricular Program
p. 28

(a) The local school board shall require that
the required curriculum content developed for
each high school is consistent with RSA 193-C3,
III.
(b) The required curriculum content shall comply
with the following
(1) The program of studies shall include those
courses for which credit is awarded as well as
other educational experiences and instructional
activities required by Ed 306
(2) Credit courses shall be planned for the
attainment of specific educational objectives
leading to the high school diploma
(3) The instructional program shall include
a. Procedures for diagnosing learner needs
b. Methods and strategies for teaching that
incorporate learner needs
c. Resource-based learning opportunities
d. Techniques for the evaluation of student
outcomes and
e. The provision of remedial instruction as
needed
(4) If a district chooses to offer extended
learning opportunities, the extended learning
opportunities shall

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Department Comment 306.27

The elements found in Ed 306.27(b)(3), and the
various terms included
a. Procedures for diagnosing learner needs
b. Methods and strategies for teaching that
incorporate learner needs
c. Resource-based learning opportunities
d. Techniques for the evaluation of student
outcomes and
e. The provision of remedial instruction as
needed
are meant to reflect good educational practice in
common use. The department recommends that
districts provide a section in their local
program to describe how each of the elements of a
high school instructional program that are
required by this rule will be met in order to
demonstrate compliance. While there seems to be
general consensus on the meaning of elements a,
b, d, and e, c. resource-based learning
opportunities refers to the tools and experiences
that enhance learning.
Demonstration of competencies for the purposes
of this section will be further defined in a
future advisory.

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306.27 (d) Instructional Time and Competencies
p. 30

(d) By the 2008-2009 school year, the local
school board shall require that a high school
credit can be earned by demonstrating mastery of
required competencies for the course, as approved
by certified school personnel. Until the
2008-2009 school year, the local school board
shall require that a high school credit can be
earned as provided in (1) or (2) below, or both
(1) Attendance at a course scheduled to meet for
no less than 135 clock hours of instructional
time if the school operates on an 8-period
schedule or for no less than 150 clock hours of
instructional time if the school operates on a
7-period schedule or
(2) If a competency assessment is in place as
provided in (i) below, by demonstrating mastery
of required competencies for the course, as
approved by certified school personnel.

58
Ed 306.27 (q) Distance Learning and HS Credit
p. 35

(q) If a local school board adopts policies
relative to the awarding of credit for distance
education as described in Ed 306.22, the policies
shall require that
(1) Students may earn credit toward the number of
units required for graduation through the
successful completion of such courses and
(2) Credit shall be granted only if the high
school principal determines that the distance
learning course meets the academic standards
required by the high school for students enrolled
in a credit course offered by the high school.

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What is a Competency Assessement?

Humpty Dumpty When I use a word, it means just
what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.

Some descriptions of Competency Assessments
End of Course Assessments
Gateway Assessments
Performance-Based Assessments

The Definition of Performance Assessment
Performance assessment is a measure of assessment
based on authentic tasks such as activities,
exercises, or problems that require students to
show what they can do.
Some performance tasks are designed to have
students demonstrate their understanding by
applying their knowledge to a particular
situation. For example, students might be given a
current political map of Africa showing the names
and locations of countries and a similar map from
1945 and be asked to identify and explain
differences and similarities. To be more
authentic (more like what someone might be
expected to do in the adult world), the task
might be to prepare a newspaper article
explaining the changes.

Performance tasks often have more than one
acceptable solution they may call for a student
to create a response to a problem and then
explain or defend it. The process involves the
use of higher-order thinking skills (e.g., cause
and effect analysis, deductive or inductive
reasoning, experimentation, and problem solving).
Performance tasks may be used primarily for
assessment at the end of a period of instruction,
but are frequently used for learning as well as
assessment.
Source Adapted from The Language of Learning A
Guide to Education Terms, by J. L. McBrien R.
S. Brandt, pp. 77-78, 1997, Alexandria, VA
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.

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HOW?

OK, then how do we do this?

Traveler, there is no path . . .

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. . . the path is made by walking it.

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PLEASE, be careful!

Dont go too soon

This will NOT be a straight line, linear process

September 20, 2006
?
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Use a 3.0 mentality
Lessons from
flickr
gimp
YouTube
(more uploads than downloads)
Wikipedia

Follow Fibonacci
0
1
1
2
3
5
8
13
21
34
55

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Its a long way from

Think about . . .
on-line banking
e-bay
Googling for information
online lesson plans
Skype
NH DOE website

Think about the fact that the Web is only
4000 days old.
The class of 2008 was already in school
before the Web was born.

EJHS lesson
The long progression
Final exams required
Final exams comprehensive EOCA
EOCAs mirror the state tests
Common EOCA
Credits depend on EOCA
increasing base score

Key components
1. Communication
Faculty
Students
Parents

Avoid the mine fields that you will encounter if
you dont communicate!

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2. Collaboration
The N2 factor

The other mine fields

MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
MINE!
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The N2 factor
The value of a network is the value of the
square of the number of members of the network.
2 networks of 10 lt 1 network of 202
2 x 1020 1 x 400 400

3 networks of 10 lt 1 network of 302
3 x 10 1 x 900
30 900
20 networks of 102 lt 1 network of 2002
20 x 10 1 x 40,000
200 40,000

3. Commitment to the process
Make each decision from a 3.0 mindset focused
on LEARNING
NOT
A 2.0 mindset focused on TEACHING and SCHOOLING

Make decisions on what constitutes rigorous
learning for each course on the transcript.
What should each student know and be able to do?
How can they demonstrate the learning?