Key Points
- Competency-based learning shifts the focus from test scores to demonstrated mastery, allowing learners to grow at their own pace and demonstrate their true abilities.
- Through open standards like CASE, Open Badges, and the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), students can carry verifiable evidence of their achievements across schools, systems, and careers, providing a clearer and more comprehensive picture of the learner.
In every school I’ve taught in or visited, I’ve met students capable of incredible things, problem solvers, innovators, collaborators. But all too often, their capabilities are reduced to a number or letter on a report card.
Here’s the reality: grades don’t always tell the full story. A “B” doesn’t capture the grit a student showed revising a research paper for the third time. A “C” doesn’t reflect the creativity poured into a group project that pushed every team member to think differently. Traditional grading systems are familiar, yes, but they weren’t designed for the future our students are stepping into.
That future demands more. As education evolves, we must move beyond static grades to approaches that reflect the full depth of a student’s growth through competency-based learning (CBL).
Digital credentials that follow open technical standards help do just that. They make learning personalized by capturing each student’s unique achievements, portable by allowing those achievements to travel across schools, systems, and careers, and purposeful by aligning them with real-world skills and future opportunities.
A Shift in Focus: Why Competency-Based Learning Matters
CBL rethinks the purpose of school. It moves beyond covering content and starts focusing on whether students have actually learned it.
It isn’t about letting students go it alone. It’s about providing a clear pathway for growth, where expectations are transparent, and progress is based on mastery, not time.
In CBL classrooms, students:
- Understand what they’re learning and why it matters.
- Move forward when they’ve demonstrated proficiency.
- Engage in meaningful projects that reflect real-world applications.
- Receive timely, targeted feedback to help them grow.
It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter and working together.
The Challenge: Making It All Work Together
Many districts believe in the vision of CBL, but they hit a wall when it comes to implementation. Why?
Because we’ve layered dozens of tools and platforms into our systems, and they don’t always speak the same language. Teachers are left stitching things together. Students toggle between dashboards. Leaders struggle to see the big picture.
That’s where the CASE® standard from 1EdTech can make a difference.
CASE: Connecting the Dots in the Digital Learning Environment
CASE stands for Competency and Academic Standards Exchange®, and while that may sound technical, here’s what it really means: CASE helps all your digital tools “talk” to each other when it comes to standards and competencies.
With CASE, your learning objectives and academic standards aren’t buried in PDFs or locked into one system. Instead, they’re:
- Machine-readable and can be shared across platforms and tools.
- Alignable to assessments, curriculum, and learning resources.
- Actionable for teachers, students, and families alike.
Whether your district is using state standards or a local portrait of a graduate, CASE ensures everyone is working from the same playbook.
This means less time managing data and more time empowering learning.
Open Badges and Digital Credentials: Making Learning Visible
But here’s the next leap: if students are mastering real skills, they deserve to be recognized in ways that matter.
Enter digital credentials, and more specifically, digital credentials that leverage the Open Badges standard from 1EdTech.
These aren’t just digital stickers. They’re verifiable, portable credentials that showcase what a student knows and can do. They can include:
- Mastery of academic standards.
- Workforce-aligned competencies and skills like collaboration, communication, or digital fluency.
- Personalized achievements like leadership, service, or creativity.
Students can carry these credentials in a digital wallet, from K-12 through college and into their careers. They become a part of a learner’s identity and portfolio, showing growth across time, space, and experience.
This is how we move beyond grades: by making learning and experience visible and mobile.
CLR: A Comprehensive Picture of the Learner
Now, imagine tying it all together into a learner profile. That’s the promise of the Comprehensive Learner Record Standard™ (CLR Standard®).
CLRs capture not just courses and grades, but:
- Academic achievements
- Digital badges
- Reflections and artifacts
- Projects and performances
- Social and emotional growth
It tells the full story of a student’s learning journey, not just the chapters we assess.
With CLR, students have the tools to create a portfolio that shows all of their accomplishments and skills. They can articulate what each achievement means for them and any future employer. The portfolio also allows them to understand any gaps they may want to fill as they continue their learning and career journeys. It’s a powerful shift from transcripts to transformation.
Building a Future-Ready Learning Ecosystem
Imagine how this can all work together. A student takes a course with the academic standards translated into the CASE standard. The skills and competencies learned in that course are now machine-readable and can be connected to an Open Badge, so anyone who looks at that badge can see exactly what the student learned in that class. The badge can then be combined with other data and achievements in a CLR, proving a student has earned all the skills needed for a specific job or that the credits they earned are comparable to those needed to move on to a course at a postsecondary institution.
These innovations aren’t silver bullets. But together, they form the foundation of a future-ready ecosystem where:
- Students lead their learning and can more easily follow their progress.
- Teachers guide growth through authentic experiences.
- Learning is personalized, portable, and purposeful.
When we connect pedagogy and technology with intention, we unlock the full potential of our learners.
When credentials are tied to transparent standards, they give students more than a score; they provide a story: a clear, validated record of what they know, what they can do, and where they’re headed. This shift transforms education from a series of grades into a dynamic, student-centered journey that empowers learners for life beyond school.
Final Thoughts: It's Time to Rethink What’s Possible
As educators, we have the privilege and responsibility of preparing students not just for the next test, but for lifelong learning. That means we must design systems that reflect the skills and mindsets students will need for success.
We need interoperable tools, authentic assessments, and flexible ways to recognize learning.
If your district is ready to take the next step, I encourage you to:
- Explore membership with 1EdTech
- Learn how CASE, Open Badges, and CLR can support your CBL journey
- Partner with a growing community of educators and leaders shaping what’s next
The future isn’t just coming, it’s already here. Let’s build it together, with our students at the center.
About the Author
As the Vice President of K-12 Programs at 1EdTech, Dr. Tim Clark assists schools and districts in adopting 1EdTech standards and practices to enable interoperable and secure digital learning ecosystems. He also provides strategic leadership for K-12 in 1EdTech in collaboration with K-12 institutional and state department of education members of the consortium. Tim holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership for Learning with a concentration in Instructional Technology, and his research and dissertation focused on designing online learning communities for elementary students. Throughout his career, he has been a vocal advocate for implementing instructional technology, digital content, and curriculum to increase achievement and motivation, encourage collaboration, facilitate critical thinking, and construct engaging learning environments.
