Author: Dr. Sydney Schaef

Decorative image of a graduate from a competency-based school who is tossing a cap in the air and smiling with one arm up in the sky, and a blurred background with a government building behind her.

4 things every educator should know about competency-based learning

Dr. Sydney Schaef August 25, 2024 No Comments

7 min Whether you’re new to competency-based learning or standing back as a skeptic, here are four things to know about competency-based education (CBE)–a growing movement in our field. In…

Group of teachers learning how to calibrate when rating student work, sitting around a table with open laptops, notebooks, and coffee mugs.

5 Effective Ways to Calibrate When Rating Student Work

Dr. Sydney Schaef July 21, 2024 No Comments

6 min Five practical and effective ways to help your team calibrate when rating student work using rubrics or success criteria. Are you an instructional leader, department chair, or lead…

3 important ways to make your profile of a graduate actionable

Dr. Sydney Schaef June 4, 2024 1 Comment

3 min Creating a collective vision or “profile of a graduate” that reflects the hopes and values of your community is a vital step in leading district transformation. But what…

The CBL Method for transforming education brings deep and meaningful learning to a group of students, shown in a photograph smiling for a group photo.

Schaef: It’s Time to Redesign K-12 Academic Standards.

Dr. Sydney Schaef June 24, 2021 No Comments

4 min This opinion article, which presents the case for redesigning K-12 academic standards, was written by Dr. Sydney Schaef and was originally published by The 74 Million on June…

Five Big Ideas for Learner-Centered Competency Framework Design

Dr. Sydney Schaef May 5, 2021 No Comments

10 min A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel…

Image of the number 5, representing five key lessons in competency-based education or mastery learning startups

Five Key Lessons for Mastery Learning Startup

Dr. Sydney Schaef June 6, 2016 No Comments

26 min As I see it, the biggest challenge we face in American public schools today is this: we’ve got an antiquated factory-based school model, and a workforce that has…

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