ABSTRACT
Competency-based crediting should have a far-reaching, transformative impact on schools and school systems, curriculum, and instruction. A caveat: although the following effects are plausible results “downstream,” few are certain or inevitable. New Tech Network schools have declared collaboration and agency to be two signature emphases in their students’ preparation. Schools can welcome and encourage students to go outside their building and learn in the public library, the nearby university, the software startup down the street, or the congresswoman’s office downtown—and can effectively credit students for that learning. High Tech High campuses in San Diego often include on their staffs full- or part-time administrators with the dedicated role of community outreach and partnerships. Subject-specific courses, be they in semester- or year-long units, are simply too large, too bulky, for efficiently organizing and documenting learning. Westminster School in Atlanta has recently implemented a three-week “Jan-term” between semesters, and awards a half-course credit for its completion, recorded on the transcript.
