Making the Case: Compelling Data
This growing library features data points describing the impacts and outcomes of student-centered and competency-based teaching and learning. The data are sourced from research studies, evaluation reports and journal articles, as well as evidence collected directly by classroom, school, district and state leaders.
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Students at Learner-Centered Schools See Greater ELA and Math Gains
Students who started in the bottom quartile from Next Generation Learning Challenge schools demonstrated greater gains than students in a matched comparison group on the NWEA MAP English Language Arts and Math interim assessments after two years.
Competency-Based Teaching Leads to Higher State Test Scores
In the Project Mastery grant initiative, students in schools using competency-based models outperformed demographically similar peers on state tests.
Students Complete Requirements Faster in Competency-Based District
Elementary and middle school students in a competency-based district in Colorado who were academically behind completed math and literacy performance level requirements faster than students in a traditional school system.
North Carolina Students Perform Better in Math with Personalized Learning
On average, students made larger gains in math growth after taking a course from a personalized learning teacher than students who did not take a course from a personalized learning teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School District in North Carolina.
Student-Centered Approaches Positively Impact Teachers
In higher education, student-centered approaches to teaching have been found to correlate with greater teacher satisfaction, less teacher burnout and positive student outcomes such as improved engagement and higher academic achievement.
Personalized Learning Bolsters Reading and Math Scores
Students participating in schools using personalized learning approaches had modest gains in reading and math scores over peers in other schools, and researchers found these benefits held for students of all ability levels.
Mastery-Based Approach Helps Students Catch Up
In the competency-based system studied, 43% – 47% of students who were behind their traditional grade levels completed their performance levels in three or fewer quarters, less time than it would take in a traditional education system.
Student Choice Has Biggest Impact
Effects of competency-based models on student learning appeared most positive in programs that put primary emphasis on student choice with project-based learning.
Nontraditional Assessments Build Intrinsic Motivation
Having access to nontraditional assessments as part of a competency-based setting was positively associated with intrinsic motivation.
Flexible Pacing Builds Self-Direction in Math
The option of extra time to finish a topic or unit and the opportunity to retake an exam or redo a final project in mathematics were associated with favorable changes in students’ self-efficacy in mathematics.
Personalized Learning Results in Math and Reading Gains
Students in schools using personalized learning practices are making greater student achievement gains in math and reading over the course of two school years and students who started out behind are now catching up.