Culver's competency model draws interest at education conference

 

Physics instructor Monica Owens took Culver Academies’ competency-based approach to learning, which focuses on growth and mastery rather than grades, to an international audience this summer.

Owens presented Culver’s grading model to physics educators at the American Association of Physics Teachers Summer Meeting in Pasadena, California.  Her poster presentation highlighted how Culver incorporates competencies into freshman physics classes and how those competencies are assessed throughout a semester.

"I presented about how Culver is using competencies in the physics classroom," Owens said. "So what does that look like? What are competencies, and what does that look like within our classroom?"

Owens' presentation centered on Culver's broader competency-based learning model, which is designed to help students develop skills beyond academic content. Culver's framework includes 27 competencies organized under five pillars: scholarship, communication, well-being, leadership and citizenship.

In the science department, teachers focus on six competencies that align  with scientific inquiry: collaboration, iteration, supporting conclusions, solving problems, deepening understanding and developing questions. Owens explained how those competencies are integrated into freshman physics projects and assessed through rubric-based evaluations that track student growth throughout a semester.

The framework is designed to shift students' focus from earning grades to developing skills and habits that will serve them in college, careers and life. Rather than replacing traditional coursework, competencies encourage students to apply knowledge through action, critical thinking and reflection, so they have time to learn, make mistakes and grow before being graded.

"We see that students have a growth mindset in a sport or learning an instrument or learning knitting. They're OK with not being perfect at the beginning,” Owens said. “We want to provide this opportunity for students in the classroom, not just outside of the classroom."

Students do receive letter grades at the end of the course.

Owens said her presentation generated significant interest among conference attendees, many of whom were looking for ways to move beyond traditional grading systems. Educators were particularly interested in how Culver has implemented competencies across the entire campus, creating a consistent culture that emphasizes growth, problem-solving, communication and leadership.

 

 

“Some who when they heard about the competency-based system, they said: ‘That’s exactly what I want to be doing, but I didn’t know the words for it,’ ” Owens said. “Their feedback was they would rather have students who can critically think and ask good questions. It was a nice affirmation that the work we are doing here is important and valued."

Owens said many attendees were familiar with standards-based grading but had not encountered Culver's competency model. The presentation generated significant discussion among educators looking for alternatives to traditional grading systems.

"They like that we're actually holding students accountable to knowing specific skills or habits," Owens said.

The presentation also sparked conversations about how other schools might adopt similar practices.

"They were asking: ‘How could I create this culture at my school because as an individual classroom teacher, it would be hard to push a new way of grading,’ " Owens said.

One educator from St. Louis was so interested in Culver's approach that he asked about visiting campus.

“He was so excited," she said.

Beyond presenting, Owens attended workshops, lectures and collaborative sessions designed to help teachers improve classroom instruction and student learning.

One of the conference highlights was a visit to the California Institute of Technology, where attendees sat in on a re-creation of a famous Richard Feynman lecture in the Nobel Prize-winning physicist's classroom.

"It was amazing," Owens said.

The lecture explored a question Feynman once posed: If civilization were ending and only one piece of scientific knowledge could be passed on to future generations, what should it be? The answer focused on understanding the structure of the atom and its role in explaining how the physical world works.

Owens also attended a workshop examining how teachers explain energy and connect classroom concepts to real-world applications.

"I really liked that workshop because it just gave me a different way of thinking about how to present material to students," she said.

Another keynote presentation focused on the metacognition of learning, including strategies for helping students move information into long-term memory through recall and repeated practice. Owens said the session reinforced the importance of providing opportunities for students to revisit concepts throughout a course.

A session led by Physics Teacher of the Year Danielle Bugge emphasized curiosity and encouraging students to ask questions.

"Listening to her talk was exciting. Listening to her journey was great," Owens said.

Among the most hands-on experiences was a session called "Physics Chopped," modeled after the television cooking competition. Teachers were divided into teams, given a set of materials and challenged to design a lab activity within 25 minutes.

 

 

"It was super interesting because there were six groups of us and we all came up with something completely different," Owens said.

She plans to adapt the activity for students in her own classroom, particularly AP Physics students, as a way to review concepts and encourage creative problem-solving.

Other sessions introduced Owens to new laboratory activities, medical imaging simulations that could connect physics concepts to anatomy and physiology, and discussions about supporting students and families in communities affected by immigration enforcement actions.

The conference also provided opportunities to connect with educators from other institutions, including physics professors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Owens said conversations with college faculty reinforced Culver's emphasis on critical thinking and questioning.

"Their feedback was they would rather have kids that can critically think and ask good questions," Owens said. "So it was a nice like affirmation that the work we're doing here is good stuff."

For Owens, that validation was among the most meaningful outcomes of the week.

"It's a really great way to connect with teachers outside of Culver," she said. "I also just love meeting all the other teachers from different schools, hearing about how they're implementing strategies, the struggles they have at their schools, just collaborating and meeting with others. The atmosphere of the National AAPT Summer Meeting is very unique and rewarding. All of these experiences at the conference get me excited to start the new school year."