Unconference

Facilitator

: Rob Bajor, Digital Promise
Essential Question: How do we continue to improve inter-rater reliability, assessor certification, and assessor scalability models?

Unconference

The unconference group approached the theme of the Symposium from a different angle, understanding that formal recognition of micro-credentials hinges on district and state-level buy-in to the quality of micro-credential assessment.

Many guiding questions surfaced related to the topic of micro-credential submission and assessment, including:

• What are the components of a systems-change approach to competency-based educator and student evaluation?
• What are the norming protocols districts and states can use to calibrate micro-credential assessment?

Unconference Symposium Presentation

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The group then defined their challenge statement: Increase trust and transparency, across stakeholders, in the micro-credential earning process.

To that end, group members developed an Assessor Training framework that speaks to the perspectives of each stakeholder in the ecosystem and establishes a shared understanding of micro-credential rigor and value. Participants identified the target goals of this framework for each stakeholder as follows:

• Issuers/Developers: Ensure micro-credential value is maintained as the rate of earning increases.
• Educators/Earners: Communicate micro-credentials’ theory of change and validate their participation in it.
• Assessors: Effectively onboard content experts, educators, etc. to assess micro-credentials.
• State and District-level Stakeholders/Recognizers: Increase investment in what earned micro-credentials can provide for student learning and educator practice.

Participants in this session intend for the framework to encompass multiple models that can be adapted for various contexts. Two important elements of the framework are a social/community dimension for training assessors and developers at issuing organizations, and the incorporation of micro-credentials as a lever for building out the training.

As an iterative design, this Assessor Training framework will change depending on findings from pilots with partner issuing organizations and districts. Group members hope that as it evolves, substantiating data and insights on best practices will emerge that can be shared across the ecosystem.