Overview

Competency X is an assessment approach for workforce informed performance tasks that we developed to broaden access to college and career opportunities.  The “X” is how learners choose to curate evidence of their learning and reflect on how it represents success with competencies.  The idea was developed at Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California to help students access the life science workforce. 

The Idea

Pathway Badges are built through industry and college partnerships to increase coherence and transparency about how to access college and career opportunities.  The pathways are dynamic maps of badges that allow students to set personal learning goals and plot out flexible paths that connect to those opportunities.  Students curate evidence of their learning in a digital portfolio and reflect on how they represent success with competencies.  Digital badges are assigned when students meet specific criteria that is validated by industry and college partners in their digital portfolio.  Students use digital badges to earn internships and do more intentional skill development work within internships.  Most important, the badges help shape talent networks that recruit students for workforce and college opportunities.  Read below for information on how we create currency for these badges to be used as portable competencies.

Badge Currency

We know that badges will broaden access to opportunities once they are recognized as credible tools that clearly communicate competencies to both institutions of higher education and employers. 

Competency Based Articulation

Competency based articulation​ is a process for high school students to earn college credit by passing college validated performance assessments that are delivered by teachers and mentors for students.  To learn more, watch the video below.

Workforce Opportunities

Working with Biocom, we are building a talent network for the biotech labor market to recruit students to career opportunities based on pathway badges they earned..  We are piloting this process by building pathways to paid internships.  We are excited to launch the badges that make up a pathway to a career opportunity this fall.
We are honored to announce that we received a grant from the Assessment for Learning Project (ALP) to support our implementation of Competency X. The grant from ALP is led by the Center for Innovation in Education (CIE) at the University of Kentucky in partnership with Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) at EDUCAUSE.  These grants are generously supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.