If Grades Were Hyperlinks, Live Update

Our conversation here takes place at the National Summit for
Excel In Ed - from their website, Launched by former Florida
Governor Jeb Bush in 2008, the Foundation for Excellence in
Education (ExcelinEd) supports state leaders in transforming
education to unlock opportunity and lifelong success for each and
every child.


I was grateful to join my colleagues from NAF (known widely as
the National Academy Foundation) in hosting a roundtable
discussion at the conference aimed at illuminating new practices
in credentialing, in this case one that is local to where we
gathered in San Diego, CA. My guests, Alec and Carissa, represent
Del Lago academy, only 30 minutes north of where we sat together
in a windowless ballroom only a hundred yards or so from the
harbor. My first episode with Alec - number 28 - was titled "If
Grades Were Hyperlinks" and is one of the most downloaded
episodes of the show. When I found out that we'd be in San Diego
to discuss credentialing, I had to reach out and see if we could
get an update and hear - more than a year after the initial
episode - how Del Lago is fairing with this project, which even
in the most forward-thinking school district would be a scuffle
to reframe the purpose and tactics with which we recognize
learners' acquisition of skills.


Carissa Duran is an Aurora Institute,
Personalized Learning, Teacher of the Year and Guest Teacher at
Del Lago Academy


Carissa Duran is a teacher and instructional coach for literacy,
language development, and educational technology at Del Lago
Academy in California. She is committed to educational justice
and uses innovative pedagogy and assessment practices to improve
the engagement, empowerment, and success of historically
marginalized students.


Alec Barron is the founding Principal
Investigator for Competency X, and is a curriculum and
professional learning specialist in the Escondido (California)
Union High School District. He completed a social justice-based
Education Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity with the
University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Barron leads Competency X, an
assessment practice for workforce-informed performance tasks that
was developed to broaden access to college and career
opportunities. The “X” is how learners choose to curate evidence
of their learning and reflect on how it represents success with
competencies. The idea was developed at Del Lago Academy in
Escondido, California, to help students access the life science
workforce. Currently, the project is using a Phase 2 award, with
funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates and Hewlett foundations
to pilot a competency-based articulation approach to broaden
access to college credit and paid internships for high school
students.





Notes from this Episode:


Competency X: https://www.competencyx.com/


Excel In Ed: https://www.excelined.org/


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