COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION
Teaching and Learning at NEIA is a competency-based education system. Our system is routed through our vision of four Pillars: Belonging & Togetherness; Entrepreneurship & Innovation; Integrated & Experiential; Human-Centered Design. We assess measurable skills: four Foundational competencies (e.g., “I EXPRESS my ideas clearly through the visual design of my work”), seven Pillars competencies (e.g., “I CONNECT new ideas to previous learning and information across sources“), and subject-area specific competencies (e.g., Math: “I JUSTIFY my mathematical thinking clearly and communicate it effectively” to demonstrate subject-based acumen); any competency can be applied to any subject-area assessment.
Our values inform this system so that all students enhance their skills to succeed as the “Next” generation. Our model engages in constructing authentic learning both inside and outside of classrooms. NEIA focuses on assessing and measuring competencies throughout our educational process.
Our competencies are curated skills to represent, support, and uphold our NEIA values. We are committed to providing an innovative, relevant, and future-focused learning experience. We believe in the power of empathy, curiosity, and collaboration to transform people’s lives and positively affect change in the world.
For clarity and equity, assignments are designed and assessed through competencies.
Teachers create each assessed assignment/task/project through a lens of the subject-area competencies and global competencies. Teachers intentionally inform students on which competencies (i.e., skills) will be assessed; they teach and clarify the concept of the competency in the subject area and globally.
While subject areas have a targeted group of three specific competencies, students are also assessed in our school-wide competencies that apply to all areas:
Foundational Competencies
- I PRESENT by drawing upon a range of rhetorical skills to best engage my audience
- I WRITE using proper mechanics of spelling and punctuation, utilizing sophisticated diction and direct phrasing
- I EXPRESS my ideas clearly through the visual design of my work
- I REVISE work after seeking and receiving feedback
Pillars Competencies
- I REFLECT carefully on my learning progress, process, and/or artifact
- I IDEATE unique solutions, including attention to using varied resources
- I CREDIT work done by others, representing what work is my own and what is not
- I ASK QUESTIONS to seek a deeper understanding, including a range of points of view when developing a concept or idea
- I CONNECT new ideas to previous learning and information across sources
- I CONSTRUCT meaning by using critical and creative thinking skills while tackling challenging problems
- I COLLABORATE effectively with peers, including all voices
Subject-Area Competencies
Humanities
- I COMPREHEND concrete and abstract ideas, making judgments, predictions, and inferences based on details from the text
- I SUPPORT my argument with evidence from my source[s], analyzing textual examples and demonstrating their significance to my argument
- I ANALYZE cause and effect relationships and use them to demonstrate understanding of historical concepts
Innovation Studio & Visual Arts
- I CREATE a product that supports the goals of the project and value for the user
- I CONTROL materials, tools, and techniques, demonstrating command
Theater
- I DEVISE work individually and collaboratively with an understanding of its intended impact on an audience
- I PERFORM work to express character and/or communicate ideas to an audience
Math
- I ATTEND to precision when applying mathematical concepts
- I DETERMINE varied skills needed to solve a problem and persevere in solving them
- I JUSTIFY my mathematical thinking clearly and communicate it effectively
Science
- I ANALYZE cause and effect relationships and use them to demonstrate understanding of science concepts
- I MODEL systems to develop scientific explanations and show the interactions among the important parts
- I INVESTIGATE through scientific observation, identifying variables, developing hypotheses, and using consistent documentation.
World Languages
- I INTERACT to comprehend and communicate information clearly in culturally appropriate ways
- I INTERPRET written, verbal, and non-verbal messages to communicate in culturally appropriate ways
- I PRODUCE written, verbal, and non-verbal messages to communicate in culturally appropriate ways
Teachers provide targeted feedback on each competency assessed in the assignment/task project and keep a record of the competencies’ measures.
Students are assessed on competencies through a system of four measures that inform the status of the skills on a particular task or at points in time of the learning process:
Deep
I demonstrate an in-depth understanding of this competency skill with a high level of quality and complexity.
Immersed
I demonstrate a clear understanding of this competency skill, which varies in accuracy and quality.
Surface
I demonstrate an insufficient understanding of this competency skill with limited effectiveness.
Unknown
I am missing the required material or have submitted an incomplete or inadequate artifact.
“Our value is placing the learning over the grade. Our goal is for innovators to understand that our competency-based education system focuses on processing their learning and the skills they need.”