And from the neo-liberals…

We are back in person for the Aurora Institute Symposium 2023. We invite you to register for the Aurora Institute Symposium 2023, held October 15-17 in Palm Springs, CA.

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Next Generation Accountability Systems for Student Success “We must reimagine accountability to better prepare students, families, communities, and schools with timely and relevant information to improve teaching and learning,” writes Aurora Institute President and CEO Susan Patrick in the spring issue of Cognia’s online magazine, The Source. Schools Should be Shaped with Help From the People They Serve Top education officials in Kentucky and Vermont call for more family and community involvement in school decision-making. States Blazing the Trail Towards Mastery Instead of Seat Time “This approach empowers students to play a key role in decisions about where, when, and how they will demonstrate their learning, allowing them to progress through academic content based on content mastery rather than arbitrary factors like age or time spent in class,” writes author Jonathan Alfuth, Senior Director of State Policy at KnowledgeWorks. Global Survey of 37k School Students Reveals Desire to Modernize Education The World’s Largest Lesson–an initiative led by Project Everyone, UNICEF, and NetApp–shared results from a recent survey of young people from 150+ countries, outlining an overwhelming call for modernization of curricula to mirror more closely the realities, skill sets, and demands of today’s society and the future. What If We Measured Learning Through Skills Gained, Not Time Spent in the Classroom? The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced its intentions to change the currency of learning from seat time to skills.

Aurora Center for Policy

The US Department of Education Seeking Public Comments on Approaches to Innovative Assessment Pilot The US Department of Education is requesting information on successful approaches to innovative assessment implementation that can encourage state educational agencies (SEAs) to pursue the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA) and improve statewide assessment. The Department will use this information to inform their implementation of IADA, under Title 1, Part B of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA). We encourage you to submit comments, including on the assumptions in the framing of these questions, and provide your detailed feedback to the US Department of Education by 5/1/23.

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Connecting & Convening

Register for the Aurora Institute Symposium 2023 Attendee registration is now open for the Aurora Institute Symposium 2023, to be held in Palm Springs, CA on October 15-17, 2023. Join the leading conference for transforming K-12 education systems, advancing breakthrough practices and policies, and implementing personalized, competency-based learning. We are excited to be back in person with you this year!

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Submit Your Presentation Proposal by Today’s Deadline Today is the last day to submit a proposal to present at the Aurora Institute Symposium 2023. Learn more about submitting a presentation proposal here. Ideal sessions will address breakthrough policies and/or practices to advance education transformation; be grounded in research and global best practices to advance high-quality, equity-driven personalized learning approaches and competency-based education systems; and provide leading-edge topics addressing key issues, knowledge needs, and challenges of the field through sharing lessons learned and promising practices for developing and implementing innovative, student-centered, new learning designs.

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CompetencyWorks

Implementation with Integrity A key challenge in the learner-centered, personalized, competency-based education (CBE) ecosystem is that it is not one-size-fits-all for students, nor for any single school, district, or state. In this CompetencyWorks Blog, Laurie Gagnon frames multiple pathways to student-centered learning.

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Field Spotlight

Developing a National Agenda for Student-Centered Assessment and Accountability Student-centered learning requires that we reimagine the way we think about school quality. That’s why we’re excited to partner with KnowledgeWorks and others on a national survey that will inform the development of a national agenda for student-centered assessment and accountability. Please take a moment to complete the survey by 4/26!

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Transforming the Teacher In order to dramatically transform the experience of students and what they can achieve, we must do the same for our teachers. Read how innovative designs can improve satisfaction, retention, and student experiences.

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For more news and updates in K-12 competency-based education, sign up for our monthly newsletters and follow the Aurora Institute on Twitter: @Aurora_Inst.

About the Aurora Institute ​​The Aurora Institute’s mission is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. Aurora is shaping the future of teaching and learning through its work in policy advocacy, research, field-building, and convening. With a national and global view of education innovation, we work on systems change in K-12 education, promote best practices, examine policy barriers, and make recommendations for change to yield improved outcomes for students. Aurora envisions a world in which all people are empowered to attain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to achieve success, contribute to their communities, and advance society.

Aurora Institute, 1100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1010, Arlington, VA 22201