How Can We Use Micro-credentials to Assess Competency-Based Education?

What are Competency-Based Assessments?

Competency-based education (CBE) is an approach that centers a learner’s ability to obtain and demonstrate a specific skill, set of skills, or piece of knowledge. To assess competencies accurately, it often takes a different methodology than a traditional summative assessment; some rightly describe competency-based assessments as performance or demonstration assessments, where the learner develops and creates a portfolio of materials to demonstrate a full picture of the skill or knowledge.

Competency-based micro-credentials allows learners to demonstrate evidence of their competence in a skill and are grounded in research that illustrates how the competency will positively impact the learner.

Digital Promise’s Competency-Based Assessment Framework

Early on, Digital Promise convened practitioners around the United States to come together and investigate the opportunities and challenges of micro-credentials. Out of that work came the first principles of the Digital Promise Micro-credential Framework:, “built based on demonstrable skills, research-based rationale, multiple forms of evidence, and transparent and rigorous assessment and review. The framework—as it was meant to reflect continuous improvement, much like competency-based learning itself—has gained increased specificity regarding different learning contexts and types of skills that can be assessed via a micro-credential on the platform. In 2021, after conducting the first round of an internal content audit, Digital Promise iterated on the framework to ensure each micro-credential had exceeded principles in inclusiveness, equity, and accessibility, on which most, if not all, micro-credentials on the platform are based on:

• Impact: Does this competency support all learners? Is there research that demonstrates how this competency or skill may negatively impact historically and systematically excluded learners?
• Equity: Does the micro-credential consider equity in how it asks for the competency to be demonstrated? Does it promote engagement with a diversity of learners? Are there options for the types of artifacts requested? If demographic data is requested, is it appropriate and relevant to the micro-credential?
• Access: Are content-specific words or jargon defined when necessary? Are the majority of links and resources free to access? If behind a paywall, are articles summarized or directed to locally available resources, such as a library?
• Language: Does the micro-credential use person-first, strength-based language instead of deficit language? Is there gender-neutral language used throughout?
• The “Big Picture”: Is the micro-credential still relevant? Does it reflect current best practices and research?

Competency-based Assessments in Micro-credentials

Why are micro-credentials based on competencies, and not on admissions tests like the SAT, or standardized testing? Because micro-credentials are a reflection of a person’s experience and skill, each person will submit something different. For example, below is the partial prompt for the Live Coding micro-credential:

Your video should capture the following:

• When you made a mistake and how you responded to it (debugging)
• How you verbalized your thought processes
• How you provided students with an opportunity to make a prediction or posed a question for them to discuss

The micro-credential does not ask about how much experience one might have, their other credentials, or other privileged information—it only focuses on items related to the competency itself. People develop skills over time and at different paces.

Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond

Traditional methods of measuring and assessing competence, such as standardized testing and formal degrees, have increased inequities in educational and workplace settings. While a many-pronged solution is necessary, one of the paths forward is through competency-based micro-credentials.

Micro-credentials acknowledge that individuals can obtain skills in many ways, whether through online learning, lived experience, self-directed study, or other learning pathways.

Fortunately, many employers have begun to recognize this opportunity and are implementing hiring practices that emphasize skills over degrees.

This blog post is part of a series exploring how to design micro-credentials for equity and inclusion. If you are interested in learning more about micro-credentials, check out our current offerings on the Micro-credential Platform or visit our website to learn more about our services.

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