This resource was updated on March 25, 2026.
This education glossary from KnowledgeWorks defines commonly used terms related to personalized learning, competency‑based learning, student-centered learning and more. These definitions reflect the language KnowledgeWorks uses in research, thought leadership and work with education partners across states, districts and schools. Many terms include links to related resources written by our staff who have expertise in education policy, best practices and trends in teaching, learning and pedagogy, futures thinking, continuous improvement and education leadership.
A – E | F – J | K – P | Q – T | U- Z
Anytime / Anywhere learning
Students have opportunities to learn outside of the typical school day and year, and outside of the classroom or school, often by using digital technologies that allow them to study and complete assignments at any location and at any time. Some systems and states award credit based on these experiences. (Closely related terms: blended learning, project-based learning, real-world learning, extended learning opportunities)
Source: “The Students at the Center Framework.” JFF (2013).
- Hope Yet: Centering Youth Voice
- What Playful Learning and Personalized, Competency-based Learning Have in Common
Aspiration setting
Aspiration setting is a process in which a person, team or organization explores their hopes and preferences for the future. It articulates a desired outcome beyond the current state, fostering motivation and expansive thinking. It is an important step in the shared visioning process.
- Creating Shared Purpose and Understanding with Aspiration Setting and Visioning
- Aspiration Setting and Visioning: The What, When and Who’s Involved
Assessment-capable learners
Learners who understand their current level of understanding and the learning path, can select tools and resources to guide their learning, and seek feedback and monitor their own progress to adjust course as needed
Source: Frey, N., Fisher, D., & Hattie, J. “Developing ‘Assessment Capable’ Learners.” Educational Leadership. Alexandria, VA.: ASCD, 75 (5), 46-51, 2018
Blended learning
Any formal education program in which a student learns in part through online learning and in part in a supervised, brick-and-mortar location away from home
Source: “Maximizing Competency Education and Blended Learning.” Patrick and Sturgis (2015). p. 17
Collective efficacy
A collective belief in the community’s ability to make a difference for all learners
Source: Donohoo, J., Hattie, J., & Eells, R. “The Power of Collective Efficacy.” Educational Leadership. Alexandria, VA.: ASCD, 75 (5), 46-51, 2018
- From Collaboration to Collective Efficacy: Lessons from Emerging Leaders
- From Collegiality to Collective Efficacy
Competency
Developed through a shared community vision, competencies express the most critical outcomes learners need to thrive in a changing world. Competencies are the interrelated knowledge, skills and dispositions that are relevant, measurable and transferable and can be applied throughout a learner’s lifetime.
Source: “The Past and the Promise: Today’s Competency Education Movement.” Le, Wolfe, Steinberg (2014).
Competency-based education (CBE)
A competency-based learning environment includes the following elements:
- Each student gets what they need to reach their fullest potential and master high standards through flexible pathways, differentiated support, individual and collective tasks and multiple means and opportunities to demonstrate skill development
- Students have individual agency as well as collaborate in co-constructing pathways and measures of learning
- Standards, competencies and measures of mastery incorporate community input and voice to ensure pathways reflect universal design for learning and are non-biased
(Closely related terms: proficiency-based learning/education, mastery-based learning/education)
- An Introduction to Competency-based Education
- How does competency-based education look in the classroom?
- Competency-based Education FAQs
- Traditional Vs. Competency-based Grading
Continuous improvement
The act of integrating quality improvement into the daily work of individuals in the education system. The concept rests on the belief that improvement requires an organizational or professional commitment to an ongoing process of learning, self-reflection, adaptation and growth.
Source: “Continuous Improvement in Education.” Park, Hironaka, Carver and Nordstrum. (2013).
Culturally responsive teaching
Practices and dispositions that seek to perpetuate and foster linguistic, literate and cultural pluralism as part of the democratic project of schooling. Culturally responsive teaching follows a multi-pronged methodology comprised of cultural awareness, information processing and learning partnerships.
Source: “Zaretta Hammond on Coaching and Culturally Responsive Teaching.” Rebora (2019).
Deeper learning
A set of competencies students must possess to succeed in 21st-century jobs and civic life, including: master core academic content, think critically and solve complex problems, work collaboratively, communicate effectively, learn how to learn and develop academic mindsets
Source: “Deeper Learning Defined.” Hewlett Foundation (2013).
Design thinking
An orientation to learning that focuses on identifying need, challenging assumptions, generating a range of possibilities and learning through targeted stages of iterative prototyping. This is a key component of the process not just to solve but to define problems. This seemingly subtle shift can energize one towards empathetic action.
Source: “What is Design Thinking?” Stanford University REDLab
Durable skills
A combination of how you use what you know – skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity – as well as character skills like fortitude, growth mindset and leadership. (similar terms: transferable skills, 21st century skills, metacognitive skills)
Source: America Succeeds
Educator
The word “educator” has a broader connotation that “teacher” doesn’t have. While our traditional understanding of a teacher is someone who instructs their knowledge to passive students in a classroom, an educator can facilitate a learners’ journey through many different ways and roles.
- How Changing the Way You Talk About Learning Can Transform Your Practice
- Envisioning Educator Roles for Transformation
Educator agency
Creating the conditions for teachers to exercise professional judgment, make instructional decisions and shape learning environments; a cornerstone of effective, student-centered education
Equity
Educational equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. Working toward equity in schools involves:
- Ensuring equally high outcomes for all participants in the educational system; removing the predictability of success or failures that currently correlates with any social, economic or cultural factor
- Interrupting inequitable practices; examining biases; and creating inclusive, multicultural school environments for children and adults
- Discovering and cultivating the unique gifts, talents and interests that every member of the learning community possesses
Source: National Equity Project. Educational Equity: A Definition.
Exit tickets
Short formative assessment exercise given at the end of a class or unit that helps the teacher obtain formative data about students’ current levels of understanding. Exit tickets generally ask students to: rate their current understanding of new learning; analyze and reflect on their efforts around the learning; provide feedback to teachers on an instructional strategy; provide feedback about the materials and teaching. (Closely related terms: exit slips)
Source: “The Many Uses of Exit Slips.” Marzano (2012).
Formative assessment
Ongoing, non-punitive classroom assessments that are administered in the course of a unit of instruction in order to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses; foster increased autonomy and responsibility for learning on the part of the student; assist educators in planning subsequent instruction; and aid students in guiding their own learning, revising their work and gaining self-evaluation skills.
Source: “Handbook of Formative Assessment.” Andrade and Cizek, eds. (2010).
Forecast
A publication or assets that depicts a range of futures based on making and managing assumptions about change
Futures thinking / studies
A systematic and creative process involving the study of and managing assumptions about change to describe a range of future possibilities
Growth mindset
- The belief that intelligence can be developed and one’s abilities grown through hard work and persistence, rather than innate talent. Students with a growth mindset understand that they can grow smarter through hard work, the use of effective strategies and accessing help from others when needed. It is contrasted with a fixed mindset: the belief that intelligence is a fixed trait that is set in stone at birth.
Source: “What We Know About Growth Mindset from Scientific Research.” Romero (2015).
Human-centered learning
A systemic shift that aligns educational structures, policies, practices and learning experiences around the flourishing and well-being of the people involved in education – including students, teachers, administrators, families and community members – providing the social infrastructure that society and the planet need to meet the challenges of a new era characterized by uncertainty and accelerated change.
Individual learning plan
- A student-directed planning and monitoring tool that customizes learning opportunities throughout students’ experience, broadens their perspectives and supports attainment of goals. The plan documents students’ interests, needs, supports, course selections (including access to college level programming), transition placements and other learning experiences both in and out of school.
Source: “What is an ILP?” Rhode Island Department of Education (2019). Instructional framework
An instructional framework establishes a common language and shared beliefs about teaching and learning, enabling educators to discuss effective practices, give and receive feedback with a common reference point and monitor student growth in a coordinated way.
Source: Adapted from “Creating an Aligned System,” Marzano, Schooling, and Toth
Intermediary
Local intermediaries are the connective tissue between policy and practice, vision and execution, innovation and sustainability. They convene partners, translate strategy, and anchor change in relationships rather than compliance.
Source: “Trust & Transformation: Why Local Intermediaries Are the Key to Education’s Future.” Midles, Tran (2025). Getting Smart.
Learner
The word “learner” has a broader connotation that “student” doesn’t have. While our traditional understanding of a student is someone who sits in a classroom and takes things in, a learner has an active role in their education. The role of the learner transcends children and adults; everybody can be a learner.
Learner / Student agency
Student agency means empowering students to take ownership of their learning journey. Instead of simply receiving knowledge, students with agency are encouraged to set goals, make learning decisions, reflect on their progress and adapt as they grow. This approach transforms learners into active participants rather than passive recipients in their education.
Source: Nakkula (2012)
- What is student agency, and why is it important?
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Building Student Agency and Ownership Through Standards-based Grading
- Ideas and Tips for Student Agency in Assessment
Learner-centered
Education that integrates personalized approaches, real-world learning, competency-based education and/or student agency, choice and voice to foster desired learning outcomes. This term sometimes is used instead of “student-centered;” however, learner-centered refers to any age group to put the focus on the person rather than their role in the education system. (Closely related terms: student-centered)
Learning community
A group of educators, learners, families and community partners working to advance a shared vision for education
Learning continuum
A set of standards-based competencies that clearly communicates the knowledge, skills and dispositions that each student is expected to master
Learning ecosystem
A learning ecosystem encompasses all the elements and interactions that facilitate learning, both formally and informally. Learning ecosystems include people, content, technology, culture and strategies that work together to support individuals in their learning journey. How they support learners and learning changes as the needs of learners change.
- Learning Ecosystems
- Exploring Real-world Learning Ecosystems
- Exploring the Future Education Workforce: New Roles for an Expanding Learning Ecosystem
- 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning
- Recombinant Education: Regenerating the Learning Ecosystem
- What Is a STEM Learning Ecosystem? Lessons From the Natural World
- Seeds of Possibility: Connecting Policy to Practice Across Learning Ecosystems
Learning progressions
The purposeful sequencing of teaching and learning expectations across multiple developmental stages, ages or grade levels. Learning progressions also include careful attention to the individual’s prior understanding necessary for building future, more complex understanding, as well as the need for students to encounter content matter in different ways and over time to deepen understanding.
Sources: Ed Reform Glossary. | “The Lowdown on Learning Progressions.” Popham (2007).
Liberatory education
An anti-oppressive education system rooted in self-determination and pushes back on the scarcity narrative surrounding public education. It is a system in which all human beings have the right to participate in shaping a world that is constantly shaping them. It is flexible and prioritizes the science of learning and human development in tandem with culturally responsive instruction.
Sources: “Liberatory Education: Cultivating Human Development.” Randall (2018); “Liberatory Education.” Hammond (2021).
Mastery
The targeted level of achievement relative to a standard or learning goal. “Demonstrating mastery” is synonymous with “demonstrating proficiency” or “meeting the standard” and involves the demonstration of skills and content knowledge as outlined in clear, measurable learning objectives.
Source: “The Past and the Promise: Today’s Competency Education Movement.” Le, Wolfe, Steinberg (2014).
Micro-credentials
A micro-credential is a short, competency-based recognition that allows an educator to demonstrate mastery in a particular area.
Source: “Micro-credentials.” National Education Association.
Neurodiversity
Establishes that every human has differences in how their brain is “wired” and how the brain functions to support thinking and learning, supporting the viewpoint that brain differences are normal, rather than deficits.
Source: “Neurodiversity: What You Need to Know.” Rosen (2014).
Pathways
College and career pathways as student-centered opportunities (such as early college, dual enrollment) that link K-12 to postsecondary education and careers, providing real-world experience, skills and supports for success, making education relevant and building a bridge to high-demand jobs by connecting learning to life and work, not forcing a college or career choice but offering a both/and approach
Peer assessment
- An approach to assessment in which students give informed feedback to one another. Effective peer assessment connects to clear standards and involves constructive critique. It ideally relates to works in progress, so that peers may use the feedback to revise their work. Being able to provide peers with positive, usable feedback is also a critical life skill.
Source: “Student-centered Assessment Guide: Peer Assessment.” Brooke and Andrade (2013). Personalized, competency-based learning
The KnowledgeWorks approach to personalized, competency-based learning relies on four essential things:
- Transparent learning outcomes that everyone can understand
- A focus on student mastery rather than seat time
- Making learning real and relevant so that learners are future-ready
- A shared vision for learning that incorporates perspectives from educators, learners, families and the broader community
Learn more: Personalized, competency-based learning isn’t about us. It’s about our learners.
Personalized learning
Creating engaging learning experiences customized to each student’s strengths, needs and interests
- What is personalized learning? What is personalized, competency-based learning?
- Personalized Learning and Technology: Four Things to Keep in Mind
Portrait / Profile of a Graduate
A Portrait of a Graduate (sometimes called a Profile of a Learner) builds upon a learning community’s shared aspirations or formally stated vision to outline the essential skills, dispositions and knowledge that students need for success after graduation.
Project-based learning
A teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. Students gain knowledge and skills over an extended period in which they investigate and respond to a complex question, problem or challenge.
- Source: “What is Project Based Learning?”
Real-world learning
An approach to learning that involves schools working with community partners and industry experts to engage students in authentic, relevant problems, projects and experiences that develop career awareness and readiness. When students participate in learning experiences where they can engage with authentic audiences and purposes, they see that their academic work has meaning beyond the walls of the classroom. Examples include early colleges, work-based learning, internships and service-learning.
Source: “Real-world learning: Getting started.” Digital Promise.
Reciprocal accountability
Reciprocal accountability places the responsibility for school improvement on schools, the state, and districts, and defines their specific responsibilities in ensuring and supporting those outcomes. Districts are given autonomy to explore and implement innovative approaches. The state is responsible for working in partnership with districts to evaluate progress toward their stated goals, including providing targeted financial and technical assistance resources to districts in response to identified local needs.
Self-assessment
Students identify strengths and weaknesses in their own work and revise accordingly. Effective self-assessment involves students comparing their work to clear standards and generating feedback for themselves about where they need to make improvements, then having time to make those improvements before submitting for a grade.
Source: Frey, N., Hattie, J., & Fisher, D. (2018). “Developing Assessment-Capable Visible Learners, grades K-12: Maximizing skill, will, and thrill.” Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Literacy.
Self-regulation
The ability to be goal-directed and to demonstrate control over and responsibility for one’s focus and effort when engaged in learning activities. It is also the ability to strategically modulate one’s emotional reactions or states to be more effective at coping and engaging with the environment in which one finds oneself.
Sources: “Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice.” Toshalis and Nakkula. (2012) p. 18. UDL Guidelines – Version 2.0: Guideline 9.
Shared vision(ing)
(n) Shared vision is a common understanding of goals and aspirations that unites a group toward a desired future outcome. It reflects collective values and priorities, providing direction and motivation.
(v) Shared visioning is a collaborative process in which a learning community works together to create a common vision or set of goals. It brings together diverse perspectives to unify the learning community’s commitment toward a common purpose. Strategic integration and foregrounding of the shared vision ensures ownership and alignment through collective decision-making and accountability.
Skills validation
Skills validation is a process for measuring and understanding what skills a person has, how well they can use them, and in what context. It relies on clear evidence – like examples from the person’s work – to demonstrate what they know and can do.
Source: The Partnership for Skills Validation
Transfer
The process through which an individual becomes capable of taking what was learned in one situation and applying it to new situations. Considered one of the “gold standards” to documenting that deeper learning has occurred.
Source: “Education for Life and Work.” Pellegrino and Hilton (2012).Trauma-informed schools
- A learning community in which the adults are prepared to recognize and respond to those who have been impacted by traumatic stress. The goal is to not only provide tools to cope with extreme situations but also to create an underlying culture of respect and support.
Source: “What Is a Trauma-Informed School?” Treatment and Services Adaptation Center.
Universal Design for Learning
Providing content via multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression.
Source: CAST
Vision
Also known as aspirational futures, a vision is a type of future that a person, community or organization seeks to create or desires to come to fruition.
