States Partner On Micro-Credentials To Personalize Teacher Learning
In The News Piece in Forbes
July 21, 2022
The Education Policy Program's work on teacher micro-credentials is cited in a Forbes article.
Ten years ago most teachers suffered through whole group sit-and-get professional development—low engagement, no choice, no personalization.
A pair of startups, one venture backed and one nonprofit, leveraged the digital platform revolution and began offering an array of teacher learning experiences culminating in demonstrations of new capabilities that earned teachers micro-credentials. Schools and systems adopted this new approach to give teachers more voice and choice in their learning, allowing them some choice in what they learn, how they learn, and how they demonstrate their learning.
In 2020, more than 2000 educators earned more than 4000 micro-credentials. BloomBoard and Digital Promise host over 500 active microcredentials each, and the National Education Association (NEA) offers nearly 200.
Educator micro-credentials are, according to New America, “a verification of a discrete skill or competency that a teacher has demonstrated through the submission of evidence assessed via a validated rubric.”
Teachers view micro-credentials as more difficult than traditional professional development, according to New America research, but those that have engaged in one express interest in engaging in another, indicating positive perceived value.
Read the full article here.