Competency-based Assessment...
- Things Education
- Sep 26
- 6 min read
...for every classroom.
Hello all. Welcome to the 133rd edition of TEPS Weekly!
It has been three months since Sagar School started using Competency-Based Assessments (CBA). The principal has now decided to have a meeting with teachers to see how CBA is going in the classrooms. The meeting starts with the teachers sharing their experiences. Some teachers look frustrated, while others are curious but unsure.
“CBA is about assessing skills, so I don’t focus much on the content in the textbook.”
“I let my students learn at their own pace, but it took so long that I couldn’t finish the syllabus on time.”
“CBA is so subjective that my co-teacher and I have had many disagreements about what grades to give for the same answer.”
Do these challenges sound familiar? Or did these thoughts cross your mind while thinking about using competency-based assessments?
Before we get into specific issues that teachers may face, let’s understand what CBA is.
CBA is a way of assessing what students know and what they can do based on a specific competency. Instead of just checking what has been taught, it focuses on whether students can apply their knowledge, skills and competencies in real situations.
Knowledge refers to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It is the information and facts a student possesses.
Example: Knowing the formulae for calculating area and perimeter in Mathematics.
Skills are the specific learned abilities to perform an action or task well.
Example: Measuring a classroom accurately using a tape measure or doing long division.
Competencies are a combination of skills and knowledge needed to perform a real-world task.
Example: Designing a small garden layout in front of the class, which requires understanding measurements (knowledge), using measuring tools (skills) and planning the layout effectively by integrating the knowledge and skills (competency).
So if we are to assess student competencies, we must understand that these are based on students having knowledge and skills.
Misconception 1: CBA only focuses on skills and ignores content.
Alex is a math teacher. He has taught the Pythagoras Theorem to his Grade 6 students. Now it's time for assessment. The competency he assesses is ‘Applying the Pythagoras Theorem to determine whether a triangle is a right-angled triangle’.
Question: A triangular field has sides measuring 8 m, 15 m and 17 m. The farmer wants to know if it has a right angle so he can place a water sprinkler in the exact corner where the right angle is. Show how you would prove this, and explain why the method works. |
What skill is this question assessing? Do you think this question only assesses skills? What about knowledge? Let’s check. To answer the question above:
the student must know the Pythagoras Theorem and how it applies to right-angled triangles. (knowledge).
the student must apply the theorem to check whether there is a right-angled triangle. (skill)
This question assesses the competency of applying the knowledge of the Pythagoras Theorem to solving a real-life problem and the reasoning behind why the solution works. Skills cannot be effectively applied without the underlying knowledge, and reasoning can’t be done without proper conceptual understanding. Therefore, the belief that ‘CBA only focuses on skills and ignores content’ is a misconception.
Misconception 2: CBA allows students to take unlimited time
In traditional assessments, time is fixed for assessing all the learners. Students are judged on both what they know and how quickly they can show it. But in CBA, the focus is on mastery of the competency, not on speed or time taken.
Let’s take the same question and competency we discussed earlier. In any classroom, there will be a mix of students at different learning levels. Whether a student answers the question in 10 minutes or 30 minutes, the focus of the assessment should be on:
Did the student identify the right theorem?
Did they apply it correctly?
Did they explain their reasoning?
CBA offers flexibility in pacing, where students progress at their own speed. But this doesn’t mean giving unlimited time to students. The time must be flexible but bounded.
A teacher should plan the time allotted to master the competency in the same way that they would otherwise. For example, the teacher plans to assess the competency within the time limit of 40 minutes. The plan could be:
The teacher begins with a short introduction to the problem and then lets students have 20 minutes to attempt it. While they work, the teacher observes who is progressing quickly, who is slower and where students are getting stuck. In the next 20 minutes, the teacher provides different scaffolding based on the stage each student is at.
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This way, the assessment stays within a fixed time limit, but every student gets the right level of support or challenge to demonstrate mastery.
If there is no planning of time, students might lose motivation and never reach the desired competency, and teachers won’t be able to plan the syllabus flow efficiently.
Misconception 3: CBA is subjective and unreliable
In CBA, students are often asked to apply what they know, explain their answers and show their reasoning. This can feel subjective, as some teachers may value the process more while others focus on the final answer. A well-structured rubric helps resolve this. Below is a sample rubric for assessing the competency we discussed earlier:
Competency: ‘Applying the Pythagoras theorem to determine whether a triangle is a right-angled triangle.’
Criteria | Developing | Competent | Extending |
Knowledge: Understanding of Theorem & Context | States the theorem but does not identify which side is the base, height or hypotenuse based on the given measurements. (1) | States the theorem and identifies sides- base, height or hypotenuse based on the given measurements. (2) | Explains the theorem with the formula a2+b2=c2 and identifies sides- base, height or hypotenuse. Explains why the theorem is true using diagrams. (3) |
Skill: Accuracy of Calculation & Method | Attempts calculation but with errors or missing steps. (1) | Shows correct steps and calculations to check a2+b2=c2 (2) | Completes all calculations accurately, with all the involved steps. (3) |
Competency: Reasoning and conceptual understanding | Give an incomplete conclusion. (eg: “Yes, it is right triangle” with no details) (1) | Concludes that the field is right-angled because the relation between the sides correctly satisfy the Pythagoras Theorem (2) | Gives a clear conclusion and explains how this helps solve the farmer’s sprinkler placement problem. (3) |
The criteria are a mix of learning outcomes, skills and knowledge that students need to build their competency. For each criterion, the expected milestones are shown as developing, competent and extending.
This type of assessment rubric gives common criteria for all teachers to assess the learning and helps students know what is expected of them. The clear levels or milestones in the rubric make the assessment more objective, and since it evaluates both the process and the outcome, it becomes a more reliable way to assess student competency.
CBA is about helping every student show what they can understand and do. Misconceptions often arise from a limited understanding of what CBA really is. Concerns about CBA being skill-only, time-unlimited or subjective can be addressed through careful planning and clear rubrics. When implemented well, CBA can move teachers from only assessing students’ rote knowledge and skills to assessing students' ability to use what they learn in real-life situations.
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Edition: 4.40
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