Research abstract

Can Micro-credentials Create More Meaningful Professional Development for Teachers?

Should teachers have a continued education plan that consists more than in-service check-ups? Many school districts only require their educators to have so many hours, and as long as they are met, the quality is often ignored. By KQED Mindshift

Laura Lurns Last updated May 5, 2017 · 1 min read

There is much emphasis placed on the way students learn, but there is much less attention paid to how teachers learn to improve their technique in the classroom. Recently, some schools and non-profit organizations have been experimenting with micro-credentials to help teachers become more effective at their jobs. These techniques allow teachers to learn in an interactive manner that utilizes feedback from their peers.

In order to help teachers learn and and become proficient in relevant skills, a nascent movement of nonprofits, states, districts and educators are exploring what a competency-based professional learning system could look like using micro-credentials.

In a small school district in Wisconsin, the teachers have been utilizing micro-credentials with great success. Instead of focusing on competitive teacher evaluations, the administration in this suburban school district used bonuses for micro-credentials and collaboration to improve the quality of their schools. While this movement is still small, it is continually growing an improving to give students the better education they deserve.

Key takeaways

Digital Promise is promoting the movement into technology in the classroom.
Micro-credentials are beneficial to classrooms.
As research continues, the teachers involved in the study reports back any gathered information.

Is your child struggling in school?

Get your free personalized learning roadmap

You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.

Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly

Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.

Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.

Get my free assessment & 7-day trial Cancel anytime during your trial.

Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.

A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.

Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert Writes about the learning brain for parents who want plain answers. Every article is grounded in current neuroscience and classroom practice.

In order to help teachers learn and and become proficient in relevant skills, a nascent movement of nonprofits, states, districts and educators are exploring what a competency-based professional learning system could look like using micro-credentials.

Key takeaways

Is your child struggling in school?

Keep reading