Alternative Means to Show Student Growth and Learning: Open Badges and Other Systems. A White Paper of the Stark Education Partnership

The issuing of badges for achievement is not necessarily a new concept for adults (consider the military), nor for children (look at scouting). Yet, except for sports trophies and award days, the concept is alien to education where letter grades and scores on standardized tests remain the primary means of recognition. This document shares alternative means to measure growth and learning in education, with an emphasis on "soft skills." The document discusses Open Badges--visual tokens of achievement, affiliation, authorization, or other trust relationship sharable across the web--as one way to recognize learning beyond formal credentialing systems. A parallel effort exists in Ohio. While not an open badging system, per se, students in the Class of 2018 may earn the "Ohio Means Jobs Readiness Seal," which also serves as one of the qualifiers under Option One of the 2018 Ohio Graduation Requirements. The document also discusses Credly, a thought leader in the digital credentials movement. Credly is committed to "access and equity by making the Credly platform universally available to anyone looking to be part of the Digital Credentials movement."