FullScale Symposium: Pushing the Edges of Competency-Based Learning

FullScale Symposium: Pushing the Edges of Competency-Based Learning

Last week, educators from across the country gathered for the FullScale Symposium, a national convening on the future of competency-based learning. Our team joined forces with leaders from Mesa Public Schools to explore one of the most practical, and often underestimated, levers for change: the master schedule.

In our session, we framed the schedule as the proverbial fence between traditional and competency-based models. Knocking the fence down entirely, redesigning the whole schedule from scratch, sounds bold, but it’s also incredibly hard. The structure of school is stubborn; bell schedules, credits, and class periods pull us back toward what we’ve always done. Too often, we end up painting the same six-period fence a different color instead of changing what it’s made of.

We offered another path: find the edges—the places where the fence is already cracked or has a few holes in it. This means finding places that are low-risk, potentially high reward: for example, reimagining an underutilized homeroom period to be a launching pad for passion projects or piloting an interdisciplinary model with a math and science teacher excited about the idea. These are the entry points for small, research-and-design shifts you can try right away with a team of teachers and learners.

Participants explored a protocol called “Pushing the Edges” to map their own schedules, spotting moments where rethinking how we allocate time, people, courses & credit, and technology could be powerful entry points for a better learner experience. Big change, especially sustainable change, doesn’t have to begin with bulldozers; it begins at the edges, where bold ideas and willing teams start carving new paths through the fence.

Tool for Reimagining Master Schedules: Pushing the Edges Protocol

Is your team looking to reimagine time, but not sure where to start? The Pushing the Edges protocol helps schools move from big aspirations to actionable ideas by uncovering what’s already possible within the schedule you have.

Instead of prescribing a model or template, this tool turns the conversation itself into the design space. Through a series of structured rounds, teams surface small but meaningful opportunities—the edges—where new ways of using time, people, courses & credit, and technology could take root.

Each round moves the group from individual sparks to shared insights to collective next steps, often ending with a why statement that captures what they want their schedule to make possible for learners. It’s a simple but powerful way to build momentum: to notice the cracks in the fence, and decide, together, how to widen them to create a more meaningful learner experience.

📎 Download the Pushing the Edges protocol to try with your own team.

We partner with schools and districts to begin pushing on the edges. If you’re ready to find places to push that are low-risk high reward we are here to help! 

Your Fall Learning Flight Plan

🚨LAST CALL! 🚨

✈️ November 5 – COACHING FOR VIBRANT LEARNING (9am–3pm)

COACHES + BUILDING & DISTRICT LEADERS: 

You spend your days feeding others…but who’s feeding you? This session is your refill. We will spend the day exploring: 

• What’s fueling, and draining, your current coaching cycles
• What kind of nourishment those you serve might need
• How to create low-lift, high-impact moves that energize both you and your team

🔗 sign up here

 ✈️ November 12 – KDE: Designing Local Accountability Systems (9am–12pm)

DISTRICT + SCHOOL LEADERS, TEACHERS, AND COACHES:

Ready to reimagine what accountability can look like when it’s locally designed and learning-centered? Join us to explore:

• What “success” truly means for your students, schools, and district
• How to design vibrant learning experiences that demonstrate growth
• Ways to build a community-owned system that reflects your local story

This interactive session co-hosted by the KDE Division of Innovation and UK Next Gen, features the new KDE Local Accountability Design Guide & Toolkit.

🔗 sign up here.             

🔗 Flyer

✈️ December 9 – Designing Defenses of Learning (9am–3pm)

COACHES + BUILDING & DISTRICT LEADERS: 

Whether you’re launching defenses for the first time or ready to reimagine the ones you have, this session is your design lab. We’ll spend the day exploring:

• What makes a defense truly learner-centered
• How to design prompts, artifacts, and reflection arcs that spotlight growth
• Ways to bring students, staff, and the community into the experience

You’ll leave with a defense model that’s bold, doable, and ready to showcase the strengths and journeys of your learners.

🔗 sign up here