Danielle Sutherland
Abstract
This qualitative case study examines how a Michigan middle school implemented competency-based education (CBE) practices through an advisory program designed to support flexible pacing, personalized intervention, and student agency. Drawing on interviews with administrators and teachers at Williamson Middle School, the paper uses implementation fidelity as an analytical framework to assess program successes and challenges. Findings reveal that the advisory program successfully created protected time for academic support, cultivated student choice in seeking remediation, and integrated social-emotional learning to develop students’ metacognitive skills. However, significant challenges emerged: insufficient time limited meaningful re-teaching, and support structures primarily served students working below pace while excluding on-pace and advanced learners from academic enrichment. These findings illuminate tensions between CBE principles and traditional schooling constraints, offering practical implications for schools implementing competency-based approaches and policy recommendations regarding resource allocation for sustained CBE implementation.
Recommended Citation
Sutherland, D. (2026). Competency-based education under review: Lessons from a Michigan middle school. Midwest Journal of Education, 3(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.69670/mje.3.2.1
DOI
Corresponding Author
Danielle Sutherland, Assistant Professor of Secondary Education Towson University
8000 York Road, Towson, MD, 21252
Email: [email protected] ORCid: 0009-0002-1388-1620