Making Sense of K–12 Competency-Based Education: A Systematic Literature Review (2000 to 2019)

• In Event: Intense Challenges and Opportunities in Curriculum Policy

Abstract

K-12 competency-based education (CBE) is a school reform model intended to re-shape traditional understandings of what, when, where, and how students learn and demonstrate academic content. Research on the factors that affect K-12 CBE implementation and the efficacy of the reform has not yet been meticulously reviewed or integrated. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to examine the research on K-12 CBE from 2000 to 2019 in order to examine factors that affect implementation, student outcomes, and the relationship between implementation and student outcomes. Twenty-five research studies were included in the systematic review based on the specified inclusion/exclusion criteria and key search terms. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Authors

• Carla Evans, Center for Assessment

• Erika L. Landl, Center for Assessment

• Jeri Thompson, National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc.