Schools today are struggling to achieve innovation, efficiency, and effective reform with limited financial resources. To allay these challenges met by education leaders, the U.S. Department of Education has suggested some approaches to increase educational productivity. Among these recommendations, the Department makes a strong case for policies targeted at personalized learning and competency-based pathways. The resource offers clear definitions of concepts as well as district, state and collaborative examples of successful competency-based efforts and their corresponding impact on student achievement.