The traditional education model has long been built around one thing: grades. But are grades really the best measure of genuine learning? In the first episode of Season 3 of the "Growth Over Grades" podcast, our host Jordan Lewis sits down with Bryanna Hanson, Director of Learning Design, and Liz Perry, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Learner-Centered Collaborative, to unpack this question. Together, they explore how competency-based education (CBE) and learner-centered practices are helping schools put the focus back where it belongs—on students and their growth.

Their Pathways to Learner-Centered Education

For both Bryanna and Liz, their passion for transforming education comes from lived experience. As a former Spanish teacher, Bryanna saw firsthand how much of school didn’t connect to the real world. “The experience I had in school was not very applicable,” she reflects. That realization pushed her to rethink what learning should feel like—and how to make it more meaningful.

Liz shares a similar story. She was once a student who didn’t feel connected to her learning. That experience stayed with her and shaped her purpose: becoming the kind of educator who creates classrooms where students feel seen, challenged, and inspired.

Episode Highlights

• • 00:00:00 - Introduction
  • 00:01:40 - Guest Introductions
  • 00:03:35 - Defining Learner-Centered
  • 00:07:16 - Overview of the Learner-Centered Collaborative
  • 00:10:30 - Defining Competency-Based Education
  • 00:15:17 - Shifting the Narrative: Compliance vs. Empowerment
  • 00:19:07 - Key Principles of CBE
  • 00:28:05 - Role of the Teacher in a Competency-Based Model
  • 00:41:05 - Technology in Competency-Based Education
  • 00:50:21 - The Competency-Based Reporting Playbook
  • 00:55:51 - Advice for Leaders Implementing Competency-Based Education
  • 01:00:03 - The Future of Competency-Based Education

Defining Competency-Based Education

Traditional learning often requires students to memorize facts for tests or in order to get better grades. However, competency-based education takes a very different approach that challenges the education system. With competency-based learning, students have the chance to build meaningful, real-world skills they’ll be able to use beyond the classroom. As Bryanna puts it, “It’s not just about getting a grade because you filled out a worksheet. It’s about building skills that are relevant and applicable.”

This is a whole new way of thinking about school and teaching. Moving to a CBE system will mean reimagining what learning looks like. You'll also have to change how you measure success.

The Learner-Centered Collaborative's Approach

At the Learner-Centered Collaborative, Bryanna and Liz partner with schools and districts to design learning experiences. It is their mission to center these experiences around personalized, authentic, and equitable practices that put the learner first. "It's about centering the needs, strengths, hopes, and goals of learners in the design, facilitation, and assessment of learning," explains Liz.

Making Assessment Meaningful

One of the biggest shifts in competency-based education is rethinking assessment. In many schools, grades are used as carrots and sticks—tools for rewarding or punishing behaviour. How do we help students grow, then?

Bryanna finds the answer when she recalls her experience teaching in a no-grades classroom. Instead of chasing points, her students were more focused on improving their skills, so a shift from where they're doing school for a grade to doing it to learn has to happen.

Liz adds that assessment should be authentic and ongoing. “Authentic assessment tasks allow students to see the connection of what they're doing to the real world,” she says. Giving students varied opportunities to show their learning over time helps them connect what they’re learning in school to life beyond it.

Collaboration Makes Learner-Centered Education Work

Throughout the conversation, one theme kept coming up: collaboration. Making learning truly learner-centered requires everyone—teachers, students, families, and the broader community—to be part of the process.

But collaboration doesn’t happen by accident. “If you don’t put it in the schedule, it won’t happen,” Bryanna shares, quoting a school leader. Schools have to intentionally make space for people to work together.

Liz shares a simple but powerful way to bring families into the conversation. Instead of the usual, “What did you learn at school today?” try asking, “Tell me about how you collaborated with your peers today.” Questions like these help bridge school and home, building a community that supports each student’s learning.

Using Tech the Right Way

Technology can be a powerful support for competency-based learning, but it’s not the driver. “Technology should support educators in good pedagogy, not dictate it,” Bryanna reminds us. When used well, tech makes learning visible, opens up communication, and creates new ways for students to show what they know. But the heart of the work is always the learning itself, not the tool.

Overcoming Barriers and Looking Ahead to a Long-Term Shift

Big changes don’t happen overnight. Moving toward competency-based education takes time, patience, and a willingness to start small. You have to work together to pilot new approaches and build upon successful strategies. Bryanna is honest about that: “This is a long-term game, not an initiative that you can take on in August and have ready to go in December. It's really about changing mindsets and shifting practices, but it’s also systemic change.”

Competency-based education is more than just rethinking grades; it’s about creating learning experiences that feel meaningful and personal to each student. This approach puts the whole learner at the center—empowering students to take ownership of their growth, rather than simply preparing them to pass a test.

The Learner-Centered Collaborative continues to lead the way in supporting schools on this journey. Their Competency-Based Reporting Playbook offers practical tools to help schools make this shift. And as more educators join the conversation, we move closer to an education system that truly puts learners at the center.

Want to learn more about how to bring competency-based learning to life? Check out our blog on enhancing learner-centered models through competency-based education.