Cedar Rapids Community School District has a well-defined strategy for implementing competency-based learning. Amid implementation, however, they ran into challenges getting standards-based grading (a key part of their model) to really “stick” in the district.

Cedar Rapids researched other communities that have demonstrated success in building a system and culture for standards-based grading. From this research, the team learned new approaches to track individual students’ mastery of standards over time (versus having grades that reflect mastery at a singular, stagnant point in time); these approaches struck the team as potentially powerful ways to close persistent achievement gaps in the district – which, in turn, would be a compelling message to bring to students, families, and staff in attempt to get the work to “stick.”

Explore More

Districtwide Learning Framework To Create Coherence With Greater School Autonomy

Hopkins Public Schools shifted decision-making to be more school-based and used the district learning framework to provide guidance and...

Focusing Instruction Through Standards Prioritization and Model Units

In response to the pandemic, Cedar Rapids Community School District chose to focus teaching and learning on the most important content for...

Start Safe SEL Lessons

In response to the pandemic, Renton School District prioritized students’ health and wellbeing by embedding social-emotional learning in...