Competency-Based Assessment implementation: A Study of understandings, challenges, and supports

British Columbia school districts are in the process of implementing Competency-Based Assessment methods in secondary school grades, which is a shift from traditional methods of assessment previously used. This study sought to understand the level of understanding of Competency-Based Assessment amongst secondary teachers, as well as to explore the challenges they have encountered in its implementation so far and identify the supports that they would need to continue the implementation process. After collecting survey data from nine secondary teachers and conducting interviews with three department heads in a British Columbia secondary school, it was found that secondary teacher understandings of Competency-Based Assessment are variable, though the challenges faced and the supports needed for implementation are generally consistent with those identified in the literature on Competency-Based Assessment.