Considerations for advancing research on competency-based assessment in K-12 education

Competency-based education (CBE) is transforming Kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) learning by emphasizing mastery of essential competencies through person-alized, learner-centered pathways. As educational systems increasingly adopt CBE, we recognize a critical need for assessment practices that are equitable, authentic, and instructionally embedded. In this paper, we aim to advance both theory and practice by presenting a comprehensive framework for designing and implement-ing competency-based assessments in K–12 settings. We describe nine assessment considerations spanning the assessment lifecycle. At the conceptualization stage, we note how assessment systems can identify essential learner competencies, define and ground competencies conceptually, and promote fairness and equity in what counts as evidence of proficiency. In terms of task development and implementa-tion, we emphasize how assessment systems should design authentic and contex-tualized tasks, enable flexible demonstrations of competencies, provide actionable feedback to motivate learners, align assessments with instruction, manage time and resource demands, and scale assessment responsibly with technology. Throughout, we leverage an Evidence-Centered Design (ECD; Mislevy et al., 2003) perspec-tive to clarify how conceptualizing competencies (domain model), task design (task model), and assessment implementation and interpretation (evidence model) cohere to support defensible inferences about learners’ competencies. Ultimately, our work seeks to inform the assessment practices that align with the broader goals of CBE in K–12 settings and support learners in striving toward their academic and profes-sional goals.

See the full article at Competency-Based Education Research Journal