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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Relationships Build Foundation for Successful Personalization
According to research report findings from City Year, prioritizing trust and strong relationships is the foundation for successful personalization.
Strong Relationships Foster Engagement
According to a City Year research report, AmeriCorps members leaning into the practice of building strong developmental relationships was critical for maintaining student engagement.
Project-Based Learning Brings Achievement Gains in Low Income Schools
Project-Based Learning led to a 63% gain in social studies for students in low-income schools as compared with students in higher-income schools. That translates to five to six months of increased learning for the year.
Project-Based Learning Increases Achievement in Elementary
On average, in a study of 46 schools in Michigan, third graders participating in a project-based science curriculum performed eight percentage points better on the state science assessment as compared with students in the control group classrooms. The positive effect held across schools with different racial and ethnic makeup and household-incomes.
Project-based Learning Boosts Student Engagement
In the second year of study of a 6th-grade project-based science curriculum; students scored higher than a matched comparison group on pre- and post-assessments measuring engagement in science practices. Students using the curriculum also reported classroom assignments were more interesting, challenging, worthwhile and enjoyable.
Project-Based Learning Increases Achievement in AP Courses
Findings from the first year of the Knowledge in Action project-based learning approach revealed an increase in the likelihood of earning a score of three or higher on the AP U.S. Government or AP Environmental Science test by about eight percentage points.
Clarity of Learning Targets Positively Impacts Student Learning
Several student learning capacities (e.g., intrinsic motivation, utility of math/ELA; locus of control, self-management and preparation for courses) were perceived by educators as positively impacted by increased clarity of learning targets in a competency-based system.
Competency-Based Practices Increase Student Engagement
In a study of 11 schools in Maine, researchers discovered a positive relationship between the degree of exposure to competency-based education practices (e.g., minimum, low-medium, and medium) and self-reported student engagement.
Mastery-Based Strategies Bolster Intrinsic Motivation
In an analysis of schools in three states, some competency-based education practices (e.g., clarity and required attainment of learning targets; use of multiple assessment types) were perceived as increasing students’ intrinsic motivation.
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.
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A future of learning where students of all races and ethnicities, incomes and identities pursue the kinds of learning experiences that enable them to uncover their passions and thrive in an evolving world.