69´«Ă˝

Personalized Learning Video

VIDEO: Inside a Competency-Based Learning Program Without Grades

By Jaclyn Borowski & Alyson Klein — October 10, 2024 1:35
69´«Ă˝ in the Moonshot Program research and create a presentation on Walt Disney and Elon Musk during class at California Area Elementary School in Coal Center, Pa., on May 16, 2024.
Email Copy URL

Three years ago, the California Area school district in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains, gave students the chance to opt into a very different kind of K-12 experience.

These students—about 75 of the district’s roughly 900—no longer receive traditional grades. Instead, they get feedback from teachers. And instead of learning the same content as everyone else, their lessons and assignments are based on their goals and personal interests.

Here, learn more about the challenges and benefits of this approach.

See Also

From left, Amora Grillo, Mia Naughton, Ally Neil, work on a project in the Moonshot Program at California New Area Elementary School in Coal Center, Pa., on May 16, 2024.
From left, Amora Grillo, Mia Naughton, and Ally Neil work on a project in the Moonshot Program at California Area Elementary School in Coal Center, Pa., on May 16, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Personalized Learning Inside One District's Experiment With Competency-Based Education
Alyson Klein, September 16, 2024
14 min read

Jaclyn Borowski is the director of photography and videography for Education Week.
Alyson Klein is an assistant editor for Education Week.

Video

School & District Management Video Everything You Need to Know About Electric School Buses
While electric school bus usage is growing nationally, it's not without its challenges. Here's a look at the state of transportation.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Zum electric buses are parked before a news conference announcing the Oakland Unified School District as being the first major school district in the country to use 100% electric school buses at the Zum/OUSD bus yard in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.
Jeff Chiu/AP
69´«Ă˝ & Literacy Video Teaching Content and Supporting 69´«Ă˝ Through Disciplinary Literacy
Get up to speed on what disciplinary literacy is and how teachers can start thinking about it—no matter their subject.
School & District Management Video How This Principal Manages Student Behavior—Without Too Many Rules
Principal Tracie Anderson Swilley brought students on board to make big changes to her school’s culture.
Recruitment & Retention Video Recruiting and Retaining STEM Teachers: A Former White House Adviser's Take
A retired teacher and former White House policy adviser has some ideas for schools leaders looking to recruit and retain in STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Teacher Nathalie Roy, left, talks to her Glasgow Middle School students about using papyrus and learning about writing with smelly squid ink on the papyrus in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 23, 2019. This unlikely elective course open to students at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge connects traditional classical studies with STEM.
Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP