CBE/UDI Glossary

is an approach that asks students to engage in their learning by thinking, discussing, investigating, and creating.

Students understand and construct knowledge as they participate in the learning process.

Active learning takes place at school based on learning opportunities designed and provided by instructors.

The critical part of the learning process is the timely feedback provided either from the instructor or fellow students.

is the collection of knowledge and skills associated with appropriate assessment design, implementation, interpretation, and, most importantly, use.

A critical aspect of assessment literacy is that educators and leaders know to create and/or select a variety of assessments to serve different purposes such as improving learning and teaching, grading, program evaluation, and accountability.

However, the most important component of assessment literacy is the degree to which educators and others are able to appropriately interpret the data coming from assessments and then take defensible instructional or other actions.

A process of adjusting results based on a comparison with a known standard or “calibration weight” in order to allow defensible comparisons of student assessment results; for example, across different entities (e.g., schools, districts, states).

In order to define a calibration weight, we need to have something in common, either:

(A) the same students taking different assessments, or

(B) different students taking the same assessments. 

The second definition is generally more practical, so common performance tasks have been administered to students in different schools, and district performance assessments serve as a “calibration weight” to evaluate the extent to which teachers in different locales evaluate the quality of student work similarly.

The degree to which the results of assessments intended to measure the same learning targets produce the same or similar results.

This involves multiple levels of documentation and evaluation including:

a) the consistency with which teachers in the same schools evaluate student work similarly and consistently;

b) the degree to which teachers in different schools and districts evaluate student performance consistently and similarly; 

c) the degree to which the results from students taking one set of assessments can be compared to students taking a different set of assessments (such as comparing pilot and non-pilot districts). 

A determination of “comparable enough” for any type of score linking should be made based on clear documentation for how comparability is determined and that it is defensible.

Competencies are tied to the ‘real world’ beyond the academic environment, they are the big ideas that thematically organize a course of study.

Competencies are tied to the ‘real world’ beyond the academic environment, they are the big ideas that thematically organize a course of study.

Also known as mastery-based, proficiency-based, or performance-based, is a school- or district-wide structure that replaces the traditional structure to create a system that is designed for students to be successful (as compared to sorted) and leads to continuous improvement.

In 2011, 100 innovators in competency education came together for the first time.

At that meeting, participants fine-tuned a working definition of high quality competency education, which includes 5 elements:

• Students advance upon demonstrated mastery.

• Competencies include explicit, measurable, transferable learning objectives that empower students.

• Assessment is meaningful and a positive learning experience for students.

• Students receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs.

• Learning outcomes emphasize competencies that include application and creation of knowledge, along with the development of important skills and dispositions.

Competency-based education is a model of systemic change driven by the need for equity, it focuses on ensuring that all students can succeed and addressing the fundamental flaws of traditional curriculum models.

CBE emphasizes competencies as the foundation for education and allows students to advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at self-paced and individualized learning pathways regardless of environment and time.

A competency model is a collection of multiple competencies that together define successful performance in a defined work setting. 

A model provides a clear description of what a person needs to know and be able to do – the knowledge, skills, and abilities – to perform well in a specific job, occupation, or industry.

CMC is a Website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

The goal of the Clearinghouse is to inform the public workforce system about the value, development, and uses of competency models.

There are many definitions of curriculum in education. 

Internationally, the term curriculum or curriculum frameworks refers to the high level knowledge and skills students are expected to learn and describe (i.e., competencies).

The curriculum framework may include student learning objectives or learning standards.

In the United States, the term curriculum also refers to the resources that teachers use when designing instruction and assessment to support student learning, including the:

• course syllabi, units and lessons that teachers teach;

• assignments and projects given to students; 

• materials (books, videos, presentations, activities) used in a course,module, or unit;

• assessments used to evaluate student learning and check or understanding.

is a strategy that teachers can use with a view to providing meaningful learning experiences for all learners.

In other words, curriculum differentiation is the process of modifying or adapting the curriculum according to the different ability levels of the learners in the classroom. 

is the pedagogical practice of recognizing, exploring, and responding to students’ cultural contexts, references, and experiences.

This practice was introduced by Gloria Ladson-Billings in 1994.

Cultural responsiveness builds upon eight principles:

• Communication of High Expectations

• Active Teaching Methods

• Practitioner as Facilitator

• Inclusion o Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

• Cultural Sensitivity

• Reshaping the Curriculum or Delivery of Services

• Student-Controlled Discourse

• Small Group Instruction

The New York City Mastery Collaborative highlights that a competency-based approach can promote cultural responsiveness in the following ways:

Transparency: path to success is clear and learning outcomes are relevant to students’ lives and interests. Shared criteria reduce opportunity or implicit bias.

Facilitation shifts: refocus the roles of students and teachers to include flexible pacing, inquiry-based, collaborative approach to learning. Students drive their own learning, and teachers coach them.

Positive learning identity: growth mindset and active learning build agency and affirm students’ identities as learners (academics, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.).

Term often used to describe highly engaging learning experiences in which students apply skills and knowledge and build higher order skills. 

The Hewlett Foundation defines deeper learning as 6 (six) competencies:

1) master core academic content;

2) think critically and solve complex problems;

3) work collaboratively;

4) communicate effectively;

5) learn how to learn;

6) develop academic mindsets.

Deeper learning intersects with CBE in multiple ways, including:

• defining the learning outcomes;

• emphasis on lifelong learning skills  (e.g., academic mindset, learning how to learn);

• the importance of applying skills and knowledge to build competencies.

is a framework developed by Norman Webb that categorizes contexts into four levels of rigor, students will face contexts what may involve solving a real-world issue in the assessments. 

Dok demands learning and thinking at deeper cognitive stages through the progress of the four levels by providing scaffolding to craft engaging lessons that vary in cognitive effort.

Dok levels:

DoK level 1: Recall

DoK level 2: Application

DoK level 3: Strategic thinking 

DoK level 4: Critical thinking

According to the National Equity Project:

Education equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.

Working towards equity involves:

1. Ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants in our educational system; removing the predictability for success or failures that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor;

2. Interrupting inequitable practices, examining biases, and creating inclusive multicultural school environments for adults and children; and

3. Discovering and cultivating the unique gifts, talents, and interests that every human possesses.

is related to the principles of fairness and justice.

It refers to equal treatment and, in the past, has been used to refer to equal inputs. 

Note: CompetencyWorks uses the term equality as an aspirational goal of all students reaching their full potential.

students who have adopted a fixed mindset — the belief that they are either “smart” or “dumb” and there is no way to change this — may learn less than they could or learn at a slower rate, while also shying away from challenges (since poor performance might either confirm they can’t learn, if they believe they are “dumb,” or indicate that they are less intelligent than they think, if they believe they are “smart”). 

Carol Dweck’s research findings also suggest that when students with fixed mindsets fail at something, as they inevitably will, they tend to tell themselves they can’t or won’t be able to do it (“I just can’t learn Algebra”), or they make excuses to rationalize the failure (“I would have passed the test if I had had more time to study”).

(Adapted from the Glossary of Education Reform — edglossary.org)

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A concept developed by psychologist Carol Dweck and popularized in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. 

Students who embrace growth mindsets — the belief that they can learn more or become smarter if they work hard and persevere — may learn more, learn it more quickly, and view challenges and failures as opportunities to improve their learning and skills. 

Dweck’s work has also shown that a “growth mindset” can be intentionally taught to students. (Adapted from the Glossary of Education Reform — edglossary.org)

Competency education is grounded in the idea that all students can succeed with the right supports, including learning how to have a growth mindset.

Habits of work and habits of mind are directly related to the ability of students to take ownership of their learning (i.e., student agency, learner’s autonomy) and become self-directed learners.

There are a variety o Habits of Work (specific practices or behaviors) and Habits of Mind (skills, perspectives, and orientation) that help students succeed in school or the workplace. 

Schools tend to focus on a few of the habits of work and mind to help students learn the skills they need to take ownership of their learning.

refer to skills needed to apply academic skills and knowledge to real-world problems. 

The term can refer to the higher levels on Bloom’s or Webb’s taxonomy or to a set of skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, working collaboratively, communicating effectively, and an academic or growth mindset. 

Term used to convey the process and activities that students engage in to learn skills and knowledge.

It also refers to the package of outcomes and targets, activities, resources, assessments, and pedagogical strategies that are associated with a course, module, or unit. 

In the United States, this is generally referred to as curriculum.

Learning objectives are tied to the specific instructional goals of the course and are nested under a thematic idea. 

are measurable statements that articulate at the beginning what students should know, be able to do, or value as a result of taking a course or completing a program (also called Backwards Course Design)

are research-based approaches and maps how students learn key concepts and skills as described in [Achieve] Learning Progressions in CBE.pdf.

The materials explored during a course, module, unit, or activity: videos, images, audio, texts, presentations, etc. 

The learning sciences are concerned with “the interdisciplinary empirical investigation of learning as it exists in real-world settings.”

Core components of learning sciences research include:

• Research on thinking: including how the mind works to process, store, retrieve, and perceive information;

• Research on learning processes: including how people use “constellations of memories, skills, perceptions, and ideas” to think and solve problems, and the role that different types of literacies play in learning; and

• Research on learning environments: including how people learn in different contexts other than a direct instruction environment with a core principle of creating learner-centered learning environments. 

provide “the foundation of learning and working. They broadly support student thinking, self-management, and social interaction, enabling the pursuit of education and career goals.” (AIR, n.d.)

CompetencyWorks uses the term to capture the skills that enable students to be successful in life, navigating new environments, and managing their own learning.

This includes a growth mindset, habits of success, social and emotional learning skills, metacognitive skills, and higher order (i.e., deeper learning competencies).

is a process used to evaluate and improve comparability.

The process involves having teachers (or others) work to develop a common understanding of varying levels of quality of student work.

Moderation processes are often used as part of calibration, but moderation is a way to evaluate comparability while calibration is the adjustment based on these findings.

is the process of “tailoring learning for each student’s strengths, needs and interests – including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when and where they learn – to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible.” (Aurora Institute, n.d.)

Personalized learning takes into account students’ differing zones of proximal development with regards to academic and cognitive skills, as well as within the physical, emotional, metacognitive, and other domains.

The PDI Chart demonstrates that personalized learning is learner-centered, whereas the related approaches of differentiation and individualization are teacher-centered. 

Thus, teachers may use a personalized and differentiated approach to meet students where they are.

According to CASEL, “social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

They focus on the development of 5 (five) competencies:

• self-awareness, 

• self-management, 

• social awareness, 

• relationship skills, and 

• responsible decision-making.

or student ownership of their education refers to the skills and the level of autonomy that a student has to shape their learning experiences.

Schools that want to develop student agency will need strategies to coach students in the lifelong learning skills (growth mindset, meta-cognition, social and emotional learning, and habits of success) and to establish practices that allow students to have choice, voice, opportunity for co-design, and the ability to shape their learning trajectories.

or student ownership of their education refers to the skills and the level of autonomy that a student has to shape their learning experiences.

Schools that want to develop student agency will need strategies to coach students in the lifelong learning skills (growth mindset, meta-cognition, social and emotional learning, and habits of success) and to establish practices that allow students to have choice, voice, opportunity for co-design, and the ability to shape their learning trajectories.

is defined as “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.” © CAST, 2022

UDL guides the design of instructional goals, assessments, methods, and materials that can be customized and adjusted to meet individual needs.

A term developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky to refer to the moment(s) during the learning process that lives between what one can do on one’s own and what one cannot do at all. 

It is the zone in which guidance and support is needed in order to become independently competent. 

A personalized approach to learning provides students with access to learning experiences attuned to students’ individual ZPD — which sometimes overlaps with others’, but frequently may not.