Competency-Based Education Information

Assessment & Grading Philosophy Statement Purpose

In the Rochester School District, assessment and grading have many purposes: providing feedback to students, parents, and teachers, documenting student progress, and guiding instructional decisions. In a competency-based system, instruction and assessment are driven by course-defined competency statements and performance indicators.

Competency Statement & Performance Indicators

Defined Competency is a mastery of knowledge and content in a setting that requires a student to apply learning within or across content domains. A competency statement speaks to the overarching enduring understandings that a student gains as a result of active learning. From the student perspective, the competency statement really answers the question: “Why are you asking me to learn this?” Teachers in the Rochester School District have developed competencies in each of the content areas. Grade-level and course competencies are consistent across the district. These competencies are driven by national, state, and local standards. Each competency has multiple performance indicators that are assessed to determine student mastery. Performance indicators are the specific measurable stages of student achievement. They describe what the students should know and be able to do. Performance indicators are a demonstration of a student’s learned concepts, content, and skills. A student’s level of competence is determined by the assessment results from the performance indicators.