Policy: State

Trends in Seat-Time vs. Competency-Based Policy

The traditional model of credit accumulation adopted by states across the United States is based upon a seat-time requirement known as the Carnegie Unit. Using this model, students must be seated in a class for specific number of hours in order to receive credit for the course. This is true for all students, regardless of prior knowledge, skills, or experiences, and has been the primary means of credit accrual in the United States since the early 20th century.

REL Midwest and Public Television Present Competency-Based Education

At 10 p.m. on Monday, September 2, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, and at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 8, 2013 (all Central Time), Illinois public television viewers can watch Implementing Competency-Based Education Practices in the Midwest, a REL Midwest Making Connections event produced with WTTW in Chicago and taped with a studio audience. The program archive will be available online later in September.

Transforming Remediation: Understanding the Research, Policy, and Practice

On August 15 the College and Career Readiness and Success Center and the American Youth Policy Forum co-hosted the webinar, “Transforming Remediation: Understanding the Research, Policy, and Practice.” The Webinar addressed barriers to the successful completion of postsecondary education, specifically the need to alter and reform remedial education practices.

CCRS Center Updates

The College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center) works to help states and other CCRS stakeholders better inform, align, and support efforts to ensure that all students are ready for success in their postsecondary endeavors.  

The CCRS Center has released the following tools and issue briefs to help schools, districts, and states address key CCRS needs as they work to ensure all students are college and career ready:

College and Career Readiness in a Competency-Based System

“College and Career Readiness”—you can’t read anything in education these days without this concept popping up. At times it can seem like a nebulous and ever changing term. For states, districts, and schools transitioning to competency-based education systems, what are the implications and opportunities emerging that may help us in managing the concept of college and career readiness for all students? 

Here are a few of the things I see emerging:

State Paths To A Competency-Based Education Approach

The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and the College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center recently hosted a webinar on implications for state policy in competency-based education systems. The discussion brought together national and state leaders to share what progress has been made in states, what has been learned in doing such work at the state level, and guidance on where other states might begin.

New CCRS Center Brief: Improving College and Career Readiness for Students with Disabilities

The National Longitudinal Studies and other data demonstrate how students with disabilities are lagging behind their peers. Students with disabilities graduate from high school at lower rates, attend and graduate from postsecondary institutions less frequently, and achieve lower rates of competitive employment.

New College & Career Readiness & Success Center Brief on Career and Technical Education

The College & Career Readiness & Success (CCRS) Center recently released a brief titled How Career and Technical Education Can Help Students Be College and Career Ready: A Primer.  This brief examines the role of career and technical education (CTE) in preparing students for both college and the workforce in a changing postsecondary landscape.

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