reDesign

What if intelligence isn’t something we teach, but something we ignite?

We came across a recent viral post quoting an MIT professor, saying:

“We were wrong—intelligence doesn’t come from memory, it comes from imagination.”

We might say it differently — but we agree on the essence.

Real learning isn’t about perfect logic or memorized answers.

It’s about curiosity, experimentation, and the courage to imagine new possibilities.

In competency-based learning, imagination isn’t a distraction from rigor — it’s what makes rigor meaningful.

When learners design, create, and reflect, they’re practicing the very habits that define intelligence: adaptability, problem-solving, and perspective-taking.

→ How are you designing spaces where imagination leads to insight?

A performance assessment reveals what a learner can do—and how they learn to do it.

In competency-based classrooms, performance assessments are more than end-of-unit projects—they’re the backbone of measuring meaningful learning.

This Wednesday, join us for Performance Assessment that Powers Competency-Based Learning, a free CBE Catalyst webinar where you'll learn how to:

➜ Identify the hallmarks of competency-based performance assessments
➜ Create performance assessments that are of, for, and as learning
➜ Use clear criteria and tools for consistency

📅 Wed, Nov 5 | 4:00 PM ET (US) / 1:00 PM PT (US)
🔗 Link to register 👉https://www.redesignu.org/cbe-catalyst-shift-series/

How do we prepare young people for futures that don’t yet exist?

In her new book Leading Future-Focused Schools, Shira Woolf Cohen argues that readiness isn’t something to add on top of academics — it’s something to design for within every learning experience. She calls on schools to embed real-world competencies like problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration into daily practice.

It’s inspiring to see the Future9 Competencies highlighted in the book as an example of how schools can make that shift—linking what students learn today to the opportunities waiting beyond the classroom.

📘 Leading Future-Focused Schools by Shira Woolf Cohen
https://www.innovageous.com/post/inside-leading-future-focused-schools-resources-stories-inspiration

🔗 Explore the Future9 Competencies featured in the book, our free + open source competency framework
https://www.redesignu.org/future9/

We’re looking forward to joining the MTC Forum in New Orleans, where our Executive Director, Antonia Rudenstine, will be part of an important conversation on what it really takes to grow a competency-oriented teaching faculty.

Together with Paulina Murton from the Great Schools Partnership, the session will explore how schools can move beyond systems change to the mindset, routines, and practices that make competency-based learning sustainable.

With the 2025 MTC Forum in New Orleans swiftly approaching, we are excited to share some of the great sessions planned for this year’s event! Interested in what is necessary for the shift to competency-based teaching and learning? Here’s one you won’t want to miss:

Session Name - Capacity Building: Growing a Competency-Oriented Teaching Faculty

Panelists - Antonia Rudenstine (Executive Director, reDesign), Paulina Murton (Executive Director, Great Schools Partnership)
Facilitator - Jason Cummings (MTC, Director of Member Engagement)

Description - Shifting to competency-based teaching and learning requires more than new systems and tools—it demands new ways of thinking, planning, and practicing in the classroom. Through candid discussion and real-world examples, school leaders and professional learning practitioners will tackle some of the most pressing questions facing faculty: How do you respond to the fallacy that competency-based approaches are less rigorous than traditional models? How do you help teachers design workflows that are manageable and sustainable? Gain insights and practical strategies for supporting faculty as they empower students with greater voice, choice, and agency.

reDesign helps schools and districts design and adopt future-ready competency-based education models. Great Schools Partnership is a nonprofit school-support organization working to redesign public education and improve learning for all students.

We hope to see you for the MTC Forum and the FullScale Symposium in New Orleans! Learn more here: https://mastery.org/what-we-do/2025-mtc-forum/