reDesign Launches Online Competency-Based Education (CBE) Professional Learning Community

reDesign, an organization supporting learner-centered education, has created CBE Catalyst, a team-based online professional learning community to accelerate school and district implementation of competency-based systems. Launched at the Aurora Institute Symposium in November, CBE Catalyst is designed to enable educators to turn learning into action with a comprehensive, flexible suite of professional support offerings.

“There is growing agreement, globally, that the focus of education should be on developing uniquely human skills that complement AI and other new technologies. Competency-based learning is a powerful lever in this work. However, systemic shifts to CBE require robust, adaptable, and engaging learning opportunities for educators that are affordable at scale. For years, educators at all levels of the system have shared that they are stymied by the fragmentation and cost of offerings in the CBE professional learning space,” said Antonia Rudenstine, founder and executive director of reDesign. “With 40% of states engaged in developing Graduate Portraits that spotlight the most important competencies young people need, we have an opportunity to accelerate the current momentum by collaborating as CBE learners, designers, and leaders. CBE Catalyst is a low-cost, membership community where educators can prepare to ignite this shift in their own communities–tapping into the hard-won CBE expertise and solutions of colleagues from around the country, while simultaneously contributing to the field’s knowledge base regarding emergent best practices.”

CBE Catalyst is designed to provide school and district teams with maximum flexibility to design a CBE pathway that fits their vision, community, and capacity. All activities are opt-in. An annual membership includes:

• CBE Ignite Essentials: Join a cohort of school teams for three launch modules facilitated by a reDesign coach. Essentials modules are offered quarterly so teams can determine the timing that works best for them.
• CBE Tools & Resources: Access an ever-expanding library of CBE tools, self-paced modules, and other resources, delivered to teams every month.
• Q&A Sessions: Engage with reDesign coaches for just-in-time guidance and support.
• Community of Practice: Collaborate, troubleshoot, celebrate successes, and crowdsource ideas.
• Youth Feedback: Create pathways for partnering with young people for feedback and piloting of new CBE designs and policies.

CBE Catalyst learning opportunities begin in February 2025. To learn more about CBE Catalyst, visit www.redesignu.org/cbe-catalyst.

About reDesign

Since 2008, reDesign has partnered with schools, districts, and states to spark change in education. With more than 60 years of combined experience, we’ve helped communities create opportunities for over one million young people to develop the skills that enable them to thrive in a rapidly-changing world. To learn more, visit www.redesignu.org.

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