Direct assessment competency-based education (DA CBE) is a teaching and learning modality that empowers learners to progress at their own pace by prioritizing the mastery of skills and knowledge while making time variable.

DA CBE aims to create equitable access to educational pathways and career opportunities. It accommodates diverse abilities, and backgrounds through flexibly-paced learning that focuses on what students know and can do rather than the time spent in the classroom.

General inquiries about DA CBE programs may be sent to CBE@CCCCO.edu. Additional information can be found in the Competency-Based Education Community located in the Vision Resource Center.

Key Features of DA CBE

Instead of... In CBE, learners...
Having fixed due dates Are responsible for scheduling their own work
Moving in lockstep throughout the term May start and finish at different times
Having a single opportunity to pass a test ("one and done") Have multiple opportunities to try, get feedback and try again
Being able to pass a course with a C grade Have to demonstrate each competency at ≥ 80%
Multiple-choice final exams Complete performance-based assessments
Learning outcomes that may not relate to career goals Demonstrate competencies tied to real-world expectations

Source: The Volta Learning Group. CCC | Competency-Based Education (CBE) Learning Series. October 2, 2023

Direct Assessment (DA) CBE Programs in California

Each college in the DA CBE Collaborative is tasked with designing new, first-of-its-kind, DA CBE associate degree programs. As a multi-year initiative, these colleges came together to establish local structures as well as inform statewide policies and regulations to support the systemwide development and implementation of DA CBE. As an innovative and novel modality, the DA CBE Collaborative aims to develop a DA CBE program blueprint that empowers students in their educational journey through alternative, dynamic pathways to degree attainment. The flexibility these dynamic pathways offer can provide students that had to pause their higher education due to rigid and/or uncertain life obligations a way back to degree attainment.

Colleges Currently Offering Their Own DA CBE Programs

College Program
Coastline College Management
Southwestern College Automotive Technology
Shasta College Early Childhood Education (Stackable Certificate)

Colleges Currently Designing Their Own DA CBE Programs

College Program
Bakersfield College Culinary Arts
East Los Angeles College Biotechnology
Merced College Early Childhood Education
Mt. San Antonio College Kinesiology
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    Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education Implementation Blueprint

    The Direct Assessment CBE Implementation Blueprint (Part 1 of 2) is a dynamic new resource co-developed with eight early innovator colleges to support the design and implementation of direct assessment CBE programs across California. In alignment with the goals of Vision 2030, this practical guide offers key decision points, tools, and considerations to help college leaders, faculty, and staff confidently move from concept to program implementation. With its intentional equity-focused design, the blueprint can support college efforts to expand flexible, student-centered learning modalities like CBE that drive equity in access, support, and success for California’s learners.

    Part 2 of the Blueprint will be released summer 2026. Please stay tuned for more information.

    Learn More

Resources

Between October 2024 and April 2025, faculty from colleges that participated in the Direct Assessment Competency-based Education Collaborative developed draft, skills based general education competencies using the Cal GETC framework as an organizing structure rather than to imply systemwide or course to course articulation of competencies. Designed to be discipline agnostic and grounded in real world application, the competencies emphasize clarity, measurability, and authentic assessment.

Each area includes a student facing summary and a detailed faculty description. The student facing summary is intended to help communicate expectations to students, and the faculty competency description is designed to support backwards design of instructional content and learning activities as well as formative and summative assessments. While informed by (but not bound to) the Cal GETC structure, the competencies are intended to support local AA/AS degrees and ongoing CBE efforts.

On November 8, 2025, the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges endorsed these statements as a tool that colleges may adopt or adapt or use as a resource to inspire local conversations about the role of general education within a skills based, competency focused education program as more colleges consider developing local associate degrees through a direct assessment, competency based approach.

ASCCC Endorsed – Cal GETC Aligned – Universal General Education Competencies (PDF)

This guide serves as a practical resource to help California community colleges use data to strengthen direct assessment competency-based education (CBE) programs. It outlines strategies for tracking student progress, evaluating program effectiveness, and supporting continuous improvement through data-informed decision-making. The resource highlights approaches for measuring program outcomes, costs, and overall impact, while providing tools and worksheets to support planning, implementation, and long-term program sustainability.

Using Data to Improve and Evaluate Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education Programs (PDF)

In DA CBE, learning is demonstrated by the mastery of skills, which are represented by competencies. By the end of a DA CBE program, students will have proven their learning through activities and experiences that align with these competencies.

Faculty develop competencies tailored to industry standards, ensuring program alignment to workforce skills and needs. Students progress based on their demonstrated mastery of these competencies through designed assessments and tailored coaching support. Based on where learners are, those with years of relevant experience can accelerate their path to degree attainment, while those who need more time can pace learning accordingly. Ultimately, this student-centered modality creates additional pathways for degree completion without sacrificing learning, rigor, or industry-alignment.

DA CBE supports the California Community Colleges' student-centered approach in the following ways:

  • Flexible: Students can access learning materials at their convenience and can engage in learning when it suits their schedule.
  • Self-Paced: Students can progress through competencies at their own pace.
  • Personalized: Students have access to individualized guidance and feedback.
  • Workforce-Aligned: Programs focus on competencies that are valued by the employers.
  • Transparent: Competencies define clear markers of knowledge, skills and abilities
  • Cohesive: Students enroll in fully designed, end-to-end programs.
  • Valid assessment: Assessments crafted to demonstrate skills students will apply directly to their future career.

Chancellor's Office Blueprint for Systemwide DA CBE Implementation

In 2020, the Chancellor’s Office collaborated with the California Community Colleges Curriculum Committee (5C) to develop a regulatory framework for DA CBE, aligning with system goals and emphasizing student-centered learning. This framework drew from national best practices and was tailored to the unique landscape of the California Community Colleges system. Following this, the Board of Governors ratified this framework in 2021. Additionally, to support system wide implementation, the Chancellor’s Office launched the DA CBE Collaborative in June 2021, an innovative, multi-year, grant-funded cohort of colleges piloting DA CBE. The DA CBE Collaborative is a peer learning community of 8 pilot colleges tasked with developing their own DA CBE associate degree programs to inform system wide implementation.

Instead of... In CBE, learners...
Having fixed due dates Are responsible for scheduling their own work
Moving in lockstep throughout the term May start and finish at different times
Having a single opportunity to pass a test ("one and done") Have multiple opportunities to try, get feedback and try again
Being able to pass a course with a C grade Have to demonstrate each competency at ≥ 80%
Multiple-choice final exams Complete performance-based assessments
Learning outcomes that may not relate to career goals Demonstrate competencies tied to real-world expectations

Source: The Volta Learning Group. CCC | Competency-Based Education (CBE) Learning Series. October 2, 2023

If you're interested in creating your own DA CBE program, please reach out to Michael (Billy) Wagner at CBE@CCCCO.edu.

Interested in DA CBE on Your Campus?

If you're interested in creating your own DA CBE program, please reach out to Michael "Billy" Wagner at CBE@CCCCO.edu.