Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning and leadership

8/19/2019 Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning and leadership

1/20

Driving teacher learning

& leadership

Micro-credentials:

DP

DP


2/202 Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning & leadership

This publication was made possible by a grant fromCarnegie Corporation of New York. The statements madeand views expressed are solely the responsibility of theauthors.

We wish to acknowledge the members of the Professional

Development Redesign Task Force (funded by the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation and facilitated by LearningForward), whose valuable insights have informed ouranalysis of the issues addressed here. Thanks, too, to theteachers, administrators, and policymakers whom weinterviewed for this paper.

© 2016

Barnett Berry, CEO & PartnerCenter for Teaching Quality

Karen Cator, President & CEODigital Promise

Educators learn in a variety of settings andmicro-credentials offer a new way to validatethe learning that educators accomplishthroughout their careers. Digital Promiseis dedicated to continuing to innovatewith partners like CTQ and shine a light onexcellence in classrooms across the country."

Micro-credentials, spurred by Digital Promise’secosystem, can recognize and spread

teacher expertise in powerful new ways thatbenefit all students. They are instrumentalto CTQ’s efforts to cultivate, incubate, and scaleteacher leadership for an excellent andequitable public education system."


3/20

teachingquality.org/micro-credentials

Introduction4

Professional learning in American schools6

Defining micro-credentials8

Micro-credentials and the transformation of teaching and learning10

Why now? Four developments that set the stage for micro-credentials13

Establishing the policies and practices to fuel micro-credentials14

Next steps16

Conclusion18

Table of Contents:

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttp://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials



Teaching is future-focused work. It is about preparingstudents to secure their own well-being—and ournation’s—in a dynamic global economy. Readying thenext generation for college and careers is no simplecharge. Teachers must help all students to mastercore content knowledge and become adept criticalthinkers, collaborators, and communicators. To doso effectively, teachers must devote significant time,energy, and effort to their own professional growth

throughout their careers.

American schools invest substantially in teachers’professional development annually, but mostly withoutsignificant impact. But considerable evidence suggeststhat formal professional development often misses themark. The good news is that teachers, now more thanever, are also learning in a variety of informal ways.Systems just don't yet have reliable ways of tracking ormaking the most of that growth.

A potential solution for strengthening professionaldevelopment is at hand: micro-credentials foreducators.

The emerging micro-credentialing approach—drivenby an agile online system—presents teachers withopportunities to document their formal and informallearning. Individually and in teams, teachers canidentify and develop important skills, submit evidenceof their competence, and earn digital badges verifyingtheir expertise. School systems can tap the resultingdata to inform decision-making about investmentsin professional learning to most effectively support

teaching practice. And in the long run, micro-credentials offer a way for American teachers to morefully own and advance their profession.

This paper explores the potential of micro-credentialing to support teacher and leaderdevelopment. We will begin with a quick look atthe current state of professional development forAmerican teachers, including recent trends that haveset the stage for this new approach. Next, we’ll definemicro-credentialing and outline the specific benefitsof micro-credentials in the current reform context.Finally, we’ll survey the current policy landscape andidentify next steps for moving districts and statestoward micro-credentialing. We have more questionsthan answers, but we are optimistic about the promisemicro-credentials offer to drive teacher learning andleadership.

Micro-credentials offer a way for American teachers

to more fully own and advance their profession.

Teachingis future- focused

work.

The emerging micro-

credentialing approach

presents teachers with

opportunities to document

their formal and informallearning.

I n t r o d u c t i o n


5/20


Introducing micro-credentials for educators

Digital Promise and its partners have developed more than 120 micro-credentials thatrecognize a range of professional competencies for educators. A few examples:

Effective leadership of virtualcommunities of practice (Centerfor Teaching Quality)

Teaching practices forsupporting Deeper Learning(Digital Promise)

Supporting students withlearning differences andinstructional competenciesfor learning fractions (FridayInstitute)

Skills to support globalgraduates (MobileTechnology Learning Center,University of San Diego)

Data literacy and checkingfor understanding (RelayGraduate School ofEducation)

CTQ convenes teams of K-12 teachers from across

the country to develop micro-credentials

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttps://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737https://next.bloomboard.com/microcredential/provider/ac2f23c8-274d-449d-ac3f-6ad29e399737http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials



The troubling state of teachers' professional

development in the United States

Professional learning is a coreexpectation for teachers in Americatoday. Most states require a numberof in-service “credits” for teachersto renew their teaching licenses (e.g.,120 hours every five years). By wayof external mandates and fundingdecisions made far from classrooms,the contours of professional

development are often defined byadministrators and outside vendors.A recent study funded by the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation pointsout that America’s public educationsystem spends $18 billion annuallyon professional development, butvery few teachers (29 percent) arehighly satisfied with their formallearning opportunities. Teacherslament that their current professionaldevelopment is insufficient to“prepare (them) for the changingnature of their jobs.” ¹ Evenprofessional learning communities—amode with considerable potentialfor peer-to-peer learning—earnlow ratings because of inadequateimplementation.

Clearly there is room forimprovement of the formal structuresfor professional development.

P r o f e s s i o n a l l e a r n i n g

i n A m e r i c a n s c h o o l s

Individual teachers are already learning informally

and growing as professionals every day.

The Center for Public Education and National SchoolBoards Association recently released a hard-hitting

report revealing that American teachers receivelimited support for their efforts to engage in moreeffective instructional shifts and lack sufficient time tolearn from one another.²

Many teachers report that the trajectory of theirformal professional learning is dictated by others: Onein five teachers “never have a say” in their trainings—and only 30 percent are able to choose a majority oftrainings they attend.³

A 2013 survey of 100,000 classroom practitionersfrom 34 countries found that 50 percent of Americanteachers have never observed their colleagues’teaching, and only 10 percent of U.S. teachers reportedthat they have assigned mentors who have given themfeedback.⁴

More than 112,000 teachers have earned NationalBoard Certification, which has been recognized asa mark of accomplished teaching.⁵ But since theprocess’s inception more than 20 years ago, few statesand districts have routinely developed, recognized, andutilized these classroom experts as leaders.

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachers


7/20


84%of teachers

reportparticipatingin in-service

days

20%are satisfiedwith them

Most teachersparticipate ininformal professionaldevelopmentactivities, andinformal activities

generate moresatisfaction.

72%of teachers report

participatingin informal

professionaldevelopment

activities

Digital Promise and GrunwaldAssociates (2015)

Individual teachers are already learning informallyand growing as professionals every day across thiscountry. This informal learning is occurring in a coffee

shop where two teachers are planning together. It’staking place as a teacher independently redesignsassessments for her classroom after reflecting on thelast semester’s results. And it’s happening in onlineexchanges where teachers share resources and debatepractices in expanding virtual communities.

Common sense tells us these activities benefitstudents—and, anecdotally, teachers report thesame. A recent Digital Promise survey revealed thatwhile teachers are not satisfied with their formal

professional development opportunities, nearly threein four classroom practitioners are pursuing informal learning that satisfies their quest to improve.⁶

But in most school systems, these interactionsare not considered “professional development”because educators can’t participate for credit towardrecertification or other goals. These activities aren’ttracked, evaluated, or recognized. As a result, systemleaders know little about who has been learningwhat—or how much of an impact specific activitieshave on student learning. They often struggle to

identify teachers with particular areas of expertise, andthey lack the evaluative data necessary to understandthe impact of informal professional learning.

Enter micro-credentials.

Significant numbers of teachers are using

online resources and communities toimprove their practice:

Emerging technologies and

informal professional growth

High-quality content and virtual coachingon sites such as the Teaching Channel andDiscovery Education, as well as professionalassociations like National Science TeachersAssociation and the American Association ofSchool Librarians;

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)like those offered through Coursera, edX,

the Friday Institute at North Carolina StateUniversity, and the Deeper Learning Network;

Virtual communities like the CTQCollaboratory, where educators can learnabout policy and practice from one another—and go public with their ideas;

Social media interactions that connectteachers synchronously (e.g., webinars,Google hangouts, Twitter #edchats) orhelp them organize informal face-to-face gatherings focused on learning and

collaboration (e.g., Meetups, Edcamps, andunconferences); and

Online platforms that invite teachersto curate and share lessons, sometimesexpanding the value of products( Bloomboard, Scholastic’s Read180,LearnZillion, and Share My Lesson, just toname a few).

The good news?

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttps://www.teachingchannel.org/https://www.teachingchannel.org/http://www.discoveryeducation.com/https://www.nsta.org/https://www.nsta.org/http://www.ala.org/aasl/http://www.ala.org/aasl/https://www.coursera.org/https://www.edx.org/http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/http://deeperlearning4all.org/http://www.teachingquality.org/http://www.teachingquality.org/https://bloomboard.com/http://www.hmhco.com/products/read-180/index.htmhttps://learnzillion.com/http://www.sharemylesson.com/http://www.sharemylesson.com/https://learnzillion.com/http://www.hmhco.com/products/read-180/index.htmhttps://bloomboard.com/http://www.teachingquality.org/http://www.teachingquality.org/http://deeperlearning4all.org/http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/https://www.edx.org/https://www.coursera.org/http://www.ala.org/aasl/http://www.ala.org/aasl/https://www.nsta.org/https://www.nsta.org/http://www.discoveryeducation.com/https://www.teachingchannel.org/http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials



D e f i n i n g m i c r o - c r e d e n t i a l s

Competency-based . Micro-credentials focus onevidence of educators’ actual skills and abilities, notthe amount of “seat time” they have logged in theirlearning. They require educators to demonstrate theircompetence in discrete skills in their practice—either

inside or outside the classroom.

Personalized. Teachers select micro-credentials topursue—based on their own needs, their students’challenges and strengths, school goals, districtpriorities, or instructional shifts. And they canidentify the specific activities that will support themin developing each competency—including, but notlimited to, traditional professional learning activities.

Competency-based. Personalized.

On-demand. Shareable.

On-demand. Micro-credentials are responsive toteachers’ schedules. Educators can opt to explorenew competencies or receive recognition for existingones on their own time, using an agile online systemto identify competencies, submit evidence, and earn

micro-credentials.

Shareable. Educators can share their micro-credentials across social media platforms, via email,and on blogs and résumés. As a result, micro-credentials are portable currency for professionallearning that educators can take with them no matterwhere they go.

Each micro-credential provides details about what theteacher should know and be able to do, recommendsresources to support the development of the skill, andspecifies appropriate evidence an educator must submitto demonstrate his or her competence in order to earnthe micro-credential.

Educators pursue development of the statedcompetency until they are ready to submit

evidence for assessment. Learning can take placeat a time and location chosen by the educator.

Teachers identify the micro-

credential they want to earn based

on their needs and interests.

Teachers pursue their learning.

1.

2.

Here's how it works:

Four key characteristics distinguish the micro-credential approachfrom traditional professional development systems:

DP

DP

DP


9/20


DP

Over the past two years, Digital Promise has beenbuilding an ecosystem for advancing the design,development, and implementation of micro-credentials. This includes more than 20 partnerswith content expertise who have developed micro-credentials to address a variety of educator skillsand competencies. As of January 2016, more than

120 micro-credentials are available through anonline platform that facilitates selection, submission,assessment, and awarding of micro-credentials.Additionally, Digital Promise, the Center for TeachingQuality, and others are working with states, schools,and districts to provide formal recognition forteachers who earn micro-credentials.

Trained assessors evaluate

the evidence educators submit.

Teachers earn the micro-credential

and are awarded a digital badge.

To ensure quality and rigor, Digital Promise hasdeveloped a framework that ensures micro-credentialsare research-backed and evidence-based. Thisframework includes the following components:

definition of the specific competency;key method to achieve that competency;

research and resources to support the keymethod and competency;description of the evidence and artifacts that mustbe submitted to demonstrate competency; andrubric and scoring guide for how that evidencewill be assessed.

Required evidence might include a portfolio,video, student work, classroom observations,teacher and student reflection, and/or otherdocumentation of their learning “in action.”

After the reviewer completes the assessment,the issuing organization reviews that assessment

and determines whether the educator should beawarded the micro-credential.

Educators can display their earned micro-credentialson websites, résumés, and online profiles, and sharethem directly with colleagues and administrators.

3.

4.

5.

Teachers gather and submit

evidence of their competence.

Learn more about the micro-credential processwww.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/educator-micro-credentials

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttp://www.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/educator-micro-credentialshttp://www.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/educator-micro-credentialshttp://www.digitalpromise.org/initiatives/educator-micro-credentialshttp://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials



M i c r o - c r e d e n t i a l s a n d

t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n

o f t e a c h i n g a n d l e a r n i n g

Teachers (and administrators) will have access to improved opportunities forprofessional growth, driving the continuous improvement of their practice;

System leaders will be able to optimize investments in professional learning,identifying educators with the right expertise to lead effective innovations; and

The teaching profession will be more fully “owned” by its practitioners, whowill have greater opportunities to showcase their practice and communicatewith both policymakers and the public.

Improving professional development

by integrating informal modesProfessional development activities currently

considered to be “informal” tend to earn highermarks from practitioners. Micro-credentials support,document, assess, and recognize teachers’ professionallearning regardless of where, when, or how it happens.This gives individual teachers greater agency. Asone teacher who recently piloted a micro-credentialput it, “[Most current] professional developmentfalls through because it doesn’t treat the adult likean adult—specifically, we need toentrust the responsibility of PD toadults. . . . Micro-credentials reallygive every person that challenge. . . . I

think it’s a really beautiful thing when you let someone ask themselves,‘What do I really want to get betterat?’”


by supporting personalized learningWith their highly granular focus, micro-credentials

offer a format and opportunities for classroomexperts to document a wide range of skills andaccomplishments. And they allow for substantialcustomization of learning and leadership to fit a giventeacher’s (or a cohort’s) experience, level of skill andknowledge, classroom assignment, current students’needs, school context, professional interests, andpersonal learning preferences. Learning activities canbe relevant, timely, and of high quality.


They're always telling us, 'Differentiate for the students!

Differentiate for the students!' But when it comes to our

differentiation as a teacher, there is very little. . . . There

are things that I want to try out in my classroom [in my 10th

year of teaching]. . . and I am having to experience the same

professional development as a rst-year teacher."

- ELA teacher (Phoenix, AZ)

Adopting micro-credentials will help drive the transformation

of teaching and learning in substantial ways:


11/20



by encouraging focusedand productive collaborationScholars have surfaced powerful evidence thatcollaborative school cultures and peer-to-peerlearning can help teachers improve. Micro-credentialsoffer teaching colleagues a “common currency” forarticulating and documenting specific knowledgeand skills as they learn together and work alongsideone another. For example, a team of teachers mightchoose to pursue a micro-credential simultaneously,working together to improve the quality of formativeassessments in math or building a community ofteaching practice in which feedback is helpful andactionable.

Research findings suggest that offering practitionersopportunities to drive and organize their ownprofessional growth can increase pedagogicalcredibility among their peers. As a result, micro-credentials can facilitate learning among trustedcolleagues, increasing the likelihood that they willinfluence one another’s practice.

Of course, implementing micro-credentials will notguarantee that teachers have the time they need tocollaborate and learn with one another. However, bydefining specific skills and ways to document teachers’

competence in them, micro-credentials help systems justify the need to secure more time for high-qualitypeer-to-peer learning. They also encourage systems tobetter use the time and financial resources currentlyallocated to professional growth.


by quickening the spread of expert practicesToo often, districts, schools, and individual teachersfind themselves “reinventing the wheel” to meetstudents’ learning needs. Micro-credentials create

new opportunities to leverage the collective wisdom,experience, and pedagogical acumen of accomplishedteachers. Such an approach will make it easier forteachers to exchange effective lessons, assessmenttools, ideas, resources, and experiences to supporttheir colleagues’ professional growth beyond theborders of their schools and districts.

When what works well can spread quickly (and bedocumented and assessed), students benefit—especially those in under-resourced schools anddistricts. As one teacher told us, “What I really likedabout micro-credentials is that it gave me access to

the same things that other teaching professionals areexperiencing though it is not yet found in my school.”

Optimizing systeminvestments in professionallearningOptimizing system investments in professional

learning by informing decisions about demand forand effectiveness of specific opportunities

Micro-credentials could yield valuable informationabout educators’ interests and needs that couldguide teachers’ and leaders’ decisions about effectiveformal and informal learning activities. Meanwhile, theevidence submitted for individual micro-credentialscan indicate whether specific learning activitiesresult in meaningful shifts in teacher practice. Overtime, these data could identify high-impact learningactivities—as well as those with limited benefit—informing professional development spendingdecisions and ensuring that district and schoolresources are used wisely.

Optimizing system investments in professional

learning by enabling leaders to identify teacherswith specific kinds of expertiseMicro-credentials make professional learningaccomplishments more explicit and thereforeactionable for systems. When teachers demonstrateand are recognized for what they have learned,systems can access reliable data about facultymembers’ strengths, knowledge, and skills. Thismeans systems can strategically connect teacherswith leadership opportunities that use theirindividual expertise to meet student and schoolneeds. For example, micro-credentials might identifyeducators with the ability and interest to serve ascoaches, mentors, or peer reviewers as well as tolead curriculum and assessment reforms, spreadinnovative practices for working with specific studentpopulations, or serve as community liaisons.



12/201 2 Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning & leadership

Advancing teaching as a profession

by showing what 21st-century teaching, learning,and leading looks likeEducation sociologists like Seymour Sarason and DanLortie have long lamented that, while the public wantsbetter teaching and learning, they rarely want thoselearning experiences to look different from their ownK-12 schooling. Because micro-credentials requiredocumentation of an educator’s competence, thisapproach has the potential to yield powerful evidencefor promoting understanding of what great teachingactually looks like.

By “showing their work” through artifacts, reflections,and resources, teachers can collectively document—and make public—the impact of new kinds ofinvestments in their learning. Similarly, system leaderscan use this evidence to build greater demand for theeducational investments that matter for students.

Advancing teachingas a profession


by increasing teachers’ collective ownership

of their professionThe status of the teaching profession has beenundermined by school structures and culture thatisolate teachers from one another—as well as by the

prevalent outsourcing of professionaldevelopment to external consultants.The current approach to professionallearning sends the message thatpracticing teachers are not “experts.”Giving teachers more agency in theirlearning—and shining a spotlight onindividual expertise—are significantshifts for the profession.

Similarly, micro-credentials alloweducators to build a portfolio of everything they

know and are able to do, effectively collectingcurrency to support their professional identities.These portfolios—collections of digital badges withassociated evidence—can further bolster the ideathat educators are professionals who have spent theircareers developing skills in their craft.


by creating new opportunities for leadership

and recognitionTeaching is a relatively flat profession in the

United States. Because it is difficult to identify andreward classroom teachers as leaders, professionaladvancement for teachers often requires leaving theclassroom for administrative roles. Career ladders andteacher leadership reforms have tended to focus onnarrow formal roles that administrators typically fillusing an “anoint and appoint” approach that reaches asmall number of classroom experts.

A new kind of professional growth system could itselfcreate new leadership opportunities for teachers.Specifically, teachers could design and lead activitiesthat help their colleagues earn micro-credentialsand serve on panels of peers who score submissionsagainst a validated rubric.

But more broadly, micro-credentials offer educatorsopportunities to stand out among their peers inspecific ways that teachers, systems, and communitymembers value.

In this way, micro-credentialing sets the stage forincentives that encourage and reward teachers whodevelop and demonstrate particular kinds of expertiseto meet student and system needs.

I think I am really good at project-based learning. That’s a

strength of mine. I would like something ofcial saying, yes, I

have an outside stamp of approval: ‘She is really good at this.’

Bam! And that sets me apart."

- A teacher who piloted

the Giving Clear Directions micro-credential

Micro-credential data could also help both teachersand system leaders identify gaps in expertise acrossthe local workforce, revealing competencies that areparticularly desirable within a school system.


13/20


The micro-credential connection

Competency-based

learning for studentsRecognizing learning in terms of "seat time" just won't cut it at atime when many more students have to accomplish college- andcareer-ready standards. Many American schools are moving towarda competency-based approach, adopting performance assessmentsthat require students to demonstrate their competence by creatingand defending portfolios. This is a more efficient, productive, andpersonalized strategy. New Hampshire is leading the way on thisfront among states.

The rise of digital badgingDigital badges (supported by HASTAC, the MacArthur Foundation,and the Mozilla Foundation in 2011) allow individuals to receiverecognition for formal and informal learning experiences. Eachbadge, awarded by an “issuer,” contains data about the organizationor individual that granted it, the individual that earned it, and howthat individual earned it. More and more badges are performance-and evidence-based. Professional learning badges for teachers areemerging in isolated programs.

1.

2.

Teachers, too, should showwhat they know and can dorather than accumulatingseat time. Micro-credentialssupport this shift. An addedbenefit? Experiencingcompetency-based learningthemselves will helpteachers facilitate it for their

students.

Micro-credentials harnessthe technology behinddigital badges to createa system of professionallearning currency foreducators that is portableand shareable.

Research base for a new approach

to professional learning

Recent research suggests that the most valuable professionallearning experiences may be led by accomplished teachersthemselves. Key findings: 1) Collaborative school cultures helpteachers improve, 2) Top-performing nations invest in ways forteachers to learn from one another, and 3) Teachers are most likelyto be influenced by colleagues from similar contexts and in whomthey trust.

A new age of accountability

Passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) testifiesto a growing recognition that accountability should includemultiple measures of competence and performance, with progresssupported by appropriate resources.

3.

4.

Micro-credentials allowschools to apply thisresearch, supportingteachers as they documentthe ways they learn fromone another and implementthat learning.

Micro-credentials will allowteachers to assemble a widerange of evidence of whatthey accomplish, perhapscontributing to a moreauthentic accountabilitysystem.

W h y n o w ?

Fo u r d e v e l o p m e n t s t h a t s e t

t h e s t a g e f o r m i c r o - c r e d e n t i a l s




E s t a b l i s h i n g t h e p o l i c i e s

a n d p r a c t i c e s t o f u e l

m i c r o - c r e d e n t i a l s

Educators are eager to use micro-credentials tolead their own learning. Digital Promise’s nationallyrepresentative survey of teachers found that, afterthey are introduced to the idea, about 31 percentreport they are extremely or very likely to try micro-

credentials when they become available, and another34 percent are “somewhat interested.”

And conversations with state and district leaderssuggest that the policy landscape is ripe for a newbrand of teacher-led learning.* Eight states now offera teacher leader certificate endorsement, signalinginterest in developing teachers as individual andcollective drivers of improvement in schools.⁷ And inmany states, professional learning policies for teachersalready integrate seat-time and competency-basedlearning.

Many leaders report that introducingmicro-credentials as a formal partof state professional developmentstructures will require creativeimplementation of current policy, ratherthan necessitate legislative change.

In Illinois, for example, StateSuperintendent Tony Smith cited IllinoisPublic Act 98-610 as an important pivot

away from the tendency to manageteachers’ choices and instead to focus on the quality ofprofessional learning opportunities.⁸ One of the mostsignificant changes resulting from PA 98-610 is the

allowance for teachers and administrators in the stateto pursue different types of professional developmentthat can include micro-credentials. This shift hasmade it possible for Illinois teachers to explore micro-credentials for formal recognition.

Similar developments are at hand in Florida, wherethe state’s “guide” for teacher relicensing addressesthe importance of professional development plans.The state priorities also include several areas in whichmicro-credentials could become a mechanism forcollecting and assessing evidence of educator growthon specific competencies.

The policy landscape is ripefor a new brand of teacher-led learning.

* Our understanding of the potential for competency-based professionallearning policy is derived from document analyses and numerous interviewswith state, district, and union leaders. The examples are illustrative, notexhaustive.

I don’t know of a state that has a high-quality teacher

recertication system. Some do not even do much to approve

vendors. Most state education agencies want to move away

from counting hours for recertication. They know what they

have does not work. They just do not have the impetus to do

so—yet."

- Phil Rogers, Executive Director of the National

Association of State Directors of Teacher

Education and Certifcation (NASDTEC)⁹

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=098-0610http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=098-0610http://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/fl-educator-certification-renewal-requ.stmlhttp://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/fl-educator-certification-renewal-requ.stmlhttp://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=098-0610http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=098-0610


15/20


Some schools and districts are alreadyexperimenting with micro-credentials—andfinding success. For the past year, KettleMoraine School District in Wisconsin has beenimplementing micro-credentials to provideeducators with access to personalized learning

opportunities and recognition.

To sweeten the deal, the district provideseducators with an increase in their base pay forevery micro-credential they earn. The district hasseen greater collaboration and collegiality withinschools. Micro-credentials were part of the workthat led to recognition of Superintendent PatDeklotz as Wisconsin’s 2016 Superintendent ofthe Year.

Deklotz links micro-credentials—supported

by the local school board in a resolution— toa district vision for “shared ownership of theresponsibility of educating our children.”The approach recognizes that supportingeducators’ professional learning “is not a fixedscript but an ever-changing dynamic.” Micro-credentials, notes Deklotz, present “an attractiveenticement for people to come to our district.”¹¹

Even in districts where micro-credentialshave not yet taken hold, many system andunion leaders are undertaking complementarychanges to support competency-basedlearning. For example, Volusia County, Floridais redesigning its “Deliberate Practice Plan”

so teachers can lead their own learning byidentifying professional growth areas andcollecting evidence of impact. And systemleaders have begun to encourage teachersto document their development throughlesson studies, Twitter chats, and the district’sown online communities of practice. Micro-credentials offer a powerful next step tosupport this work.

Other states are also positioningthemselves to shift to a morecompetency-based system ofprofessional learning. For example,Tennessee’s evaluation system offersteachers specific feedback for improving

practices, and includes a portfolioapproach to assessing teaching aspart of its literacy reforms. TennesseeDepartment of Education (TDOE)leaders see promise in micro-credentialsfor both assessors and coaches in theirteacher evaluation program, and theycite micro-credentials as a tool to fuelbetter follow-up to state-led trainingsby collecting evidence of changes inteaching practices.

We are well-poised for micro-credentials in

Tennessee. We have a tiered licensing system. And

changes to the way we offer credit to teachers for

their professional development are rooted more in

policy, and less in law. Teachers crave the kind of

feedback and resources that micro-credentials canoffer, and we as an agency need to be more clear

on what is acceptable for districts to pay teachers

for PD time within the context of the school day.

I would like to explore use of Title II dollars for

the development of micro-credentials, fueling

collaborative work among and between teachers."

- Kathleen Airhart

Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department

of Education (TDOE)¹⁰

Case study: An early adopter of educator micro-credentials

In this video, as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s personalized professional learning for Future Ready leade(http://tech.ed.gov/leaders/), Kettle Moraine School Districdiscusses the ins and outs of micro-credentialing for

professional learning and how it looks in practice.

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhdwy3ASoEfku27IJ2HAKTJh-ACanSPsg&v=hxgyXmqxYEkhttp://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials



N e x t s t e p s

What are the next steps for supporting state and localpolicy leaders as they advance micro-credentials?

Three critical efforts can build on and mutuallyreinforce one another:

Invest in a coalitionof educators, states, anddistricts to pilot this work

This coalition of stakeholders would develop and pilota comprehensive approach to support competency-based professional learning through micro-credentials,with the purpose of addressing many of the concernsdistrict and state policy leaders have surfaced. Doingso will require extensive inquiry into the followingquestions:

What is the value of various micro-credentials toeducators and their school systems?

How can the relicensure system be redesigned

to recognize how each teacher’s personalizedlearning has an impact on his or her practice?

How could a move to micro-credentialing impactrelicensure systems and practices?

How can states and districts change theirapproach to teacher compensation to supportmicro-credentials and personalized pathways forlearning and leading?

How will the system evolve, and what impact will ithave on the professional development resources

currently available?

Given the diversity of contexts affecting these issues,pilots will need to involve several states and districtsto identify what is possible and pinpoint policies mostlikely to improve professional learning. A range ofstakeholders will need to be involved:

Practicing teachers must inform the architectureof a micro-credentialing ecosystem that reflectsthe realities of teaching students in the localcontext;

District and union partnerships will driveeffective policy design, implementation, andcourse correction;

Professional development providers, workingclosely with teachers and administrators, willdesign and continuously improve learningopportunities and align them with micro-credential offerings;

State and local education agencies willcooperate to determine how best to acknowledge

and incentivize teacher learning, including theleveraging of federal Title II dollars;

Researchers will validate the assessment andscoring process and analyze the impact of micro-credentials; and

Philanthropies will fuel comprehensive andconnected innovations across states and districts,strategically spreading lessons learned.Most importantly, micro-credential-basedreforms will require investment in effectivelycommunicating what works and why, with

particular emphasis on teacher leaders’ insightsand voices.

Three critical efforts will advance micro-credentials,

resulting in competency-based professional learning systems.


17/20


Assemble and pursue apowerful research agenda The credibility of micro-credentials will depend on the

evidence of impact of competency-based professionallearning. Policy leaders will likely demand suchevidence to justify larger investments and policy shifts.Similarly, teachers and administrators will look forevidence to justify the time and energy necessary toengage with micro-credentials.

A range of additional questions will help us betterunderstand the impact of micro-credentials and howto most effectively improve and expand the system:

Do micro-credentials have a significant impact onteacher practice? Are some more meaningful thanothers?

What is the effect of micro-credentials onteachers’ perceptions of their own (and theircolleagues’) skills?

Do micro-credentials increase collegiality andcollaboration within and across school buildings?What types of evidence credibly documentteachers’ learning and leadership?

How can micro-credentials incentivize meaningfulimprovements in practice and leadership forteachers and administrators alike?

How can micro-credentials, and a system ofcompetency-based professional learning, bestinform improvement of preservice as well as in-service teacher education?

How can micro-credentials “travel” as the labormarket for teachers opens up, with different jurisdictions effectively and efficiently recognizingthis new form of professional learning?

Of course, answering such questions will demand botha thoughtful research agenda and the political will tocollect relevant evidence. While the micro-credentialsystem is designed to collect some data on teacherparticipation and outcomes, states and districts areoften keepers of human capital information that couldprovide a more complete view of micro-credentialimplementation and impact. These data are oftenthe subject of political controversy and should beaddressed in a fashion that is neither punitive toeducators nor dismissive of their import. Movingthe needle on these data conversations requires theright coalition of stakeholders—and clear, carefulcommunication.

Similarly, completing this research in a rigorous and

reputable fashion will require support from institutionsof higher education, research organizations, andphilanthropies. High-quality research often requireslong timelines and substantial investment of resources.To ensure that the research carries significant weightin future policy conversations, stakeholders must bewilling to support it accordingly.

Develop and disseminatebest pracices

In most cases, professional learning is embedded instate rules and regulations, not state law, so micro-credentials could readily fit inside the current licensurerenewal system in many states. However, most statedepartments of education (which currently overseeteacher relicensure) are understaffed, with manyoperating at 50 percent of capacity since the 2008recession.¹²

To overcome this lack of capacity, state and localpolicymakers will need practical guidance on the keycomponents of micro-credentials, such as quality

control, communication, implementation, andincentives. Much of this work and guidance will comefrom early adopter states and districts as they pilotmicro-credentials. We are dedicated to working withthese players to spread best practices through toolkits,future publications, and other supports.




C o n c l u s i o n

Micro-credentials present a unique opportunity toshift the conversation around professional learningaway from seat time and toward competency, whilealso enabling teachers to personalize their learningand bolster their identities as professionals. Significantdevelopments over the past few years, including therise of digital badging and technologies that supportlearning in a variety of contexts, make today ripe forthis shift.

We are optimistic about policy leaders’ growinginterest in piloting micro-credentials to transformprofessional development for and by teachers. The

micro-credential ecosystem is off to a strong start,with many engaged partners and significant high-quality content. Yet we still have much to learn aboutwhat micro-credentials can mean to teachers, howstates and districts can best implement them, andwhat incentives will make them most compelling.Thoughtfully assembling a coalition of states, districts,content partners, teachers, and thought leadersand answering the right questions will help addresssignificant gaps in professional learning and systems’ability to tap expertise.

We are convinced that

transforming how all students learn demands transforming

how teachers learn and lead.

We believe micro-credentials

offer a powerful path to

cultivating, incubating, and

scaling excellence and equityin America’s public education

system.

Teachers design micro-credentialsat a CTQ retreat, July 2015


19/20


E N D N O T E S

¹ Boston Consulting Group. (2014).Teachers know best:Teachers’ views on professional development . Retrieved

from http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/ teacher_views_on_pd/

² Center for Public Education & National SchoolBoards Association. (2013). Teaching the teachers:Effective professional development in an era of high-

stakes accountability . Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachers

³ Boston Consulting Group. (2014).Teachers know best:Teachers’ views on professional development . Retrievedfrom http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/ teacher_views_on_pd/

⁴ OECD. (2014). Results from TALIS 2013: Country note,United States of America. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/TALIS-2013-country-note-US.pdf

⁵ National Research Council. (2008). Assessing accomplishedteaching: Advanced-level certification programs.Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Doi:10.17226/12224

⁶ Grunwald Associates LLC & Digital Promise. (2015).Making professional learning count: Recognizing educators’

skills with micro-credentials. Retrieved from http://www.

digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/ making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1

⁷ National Network of State Teachers of the Year & Centerfor Educator Effectiveness at Pearson. (2013). Creating

sustainable teacher career pathways: A 21

st

centuryimperative. Retrieved from http://researchnetwork.pearson.com/wp-content/uploads/CSTCP_21CI_pk_final_WEB.pdf

⁸ Tony Smith (Illinois Department of Education), personalcommunication, November 10, 2015. ⁹ Phil Rogers (National Association of State Directorsof Teacher Education and Certification), personalcommunication, November 18, 2015. ¹⁰ Kathleen Airhart (Tennessee Department of Education),personal communication, December 8, 2015.

¹¹ Pat Deklotz (Kettle Moraine School District), personalcommunication, October 19, 2015.

¹² Phil Rogers (National Association of State Directorsof Teacher Education and Certification), personalcommunication, November 18, 2015.

http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentialshttp://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/TALIS-2013-country-note-US.pdfhttp://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/TALIS-2013-country-note-US.pdfhttp://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://researchnetwork.pearson.com/wp-content/uploads/CSTCP_21CI_pk_final_WEB.pdfhttp://researchnetwork.pearson.com/wp-content/uploads/CSTCP_21CI_pk_final_WEB.pdfhttp://researchnetwork.pearson.com/wp-content/uploads/CSTCP_21CI_pk_final_WEB.pdfhttp://researchnetwork.pearson.com/wp-content/uploads/CSTCP_21CI_pk_final_WEB.pdfhttp://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://www.digitalpromise.org/page/-/dpdocuments/microcredentials/making_professional_learning_count.pdf?nocdn=1http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/TALIS-2013-country-note-US.pdfhttp://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/TALIS-2013-country-note-US.pdfhttp://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/teachingtheteachershttp://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://k12education.gatesfoundation.org/learning/teacher_views_on_pd/http://teachingquality.org/micro-credentials


20/20

#Love2Learnteachingquality.org/micro-credentials

Join our email list: teachingquality.org/get-our-updates

@teachingqualityFollow us on Twitter:

605 West Main St., Suite 207Carrboro, NC 27510

(919) 913-3000

[email protected]

Visit our website: www.digitalpromise.org

Follow us on Twitter: @DigitalPromise

1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 830Washington, DC 20036

(202) 450-3675
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_3/teachingquality.org/get-our-updateshttps://twitter.com/teachingqualityhttp://www.digitalpromise.org/https://twitter.com/DigitalPromisehttps://twitter.com/DigitalPromisehttp://www.digitalpromise.org/https://twitter.com/teachingqualityhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_3/teachingquality.org/get-our-updates

Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning and leadership

Documents

Transcript of Micro-credentials: Driving teacher learning and leadership