New Hampshire has been a national leader in embracing competency-based education (CBE), driven by a commitment to personalized learning and extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom. New Hampshire was the first state to eliminate the Carnegie Unit in high schools, moving from seat time to mastery as the basis for students earning credit towards graduation. For two decades, educators and state leaders have continued to refine efforts to adopt CBE in schools and implement rigorous CBE systems.
Beyond CBE, New Hampshire has modeled the smart use of time, space, and technology (one of six XQ Design Principles). In 2018, the state legislature enacted the Learn Everywhere program, creating an ecosystem of learning opportunities for students, including relevant, hands-on experiences outside of the classroom. Learn Everywhere empowers students to earn high school credit for off-campus learning experiences and work-based programs offered by state-approved partners.
To expand on these efforts, state leaders could work with communities to develop a Portrait of a Graduate that reflects the broad set of competencies all high school graduates should have by the time they leave high school, and explore opportunities to launch a statewide initiative with dedicated resources to incentivize community-led high school redesign.
