Acuity Insights

Passing ≠ Prepared
Progress > Perfection
Progress > Pitfalls

Join us on March 11 as we explore real-world lessons learned from launching and scaling Competency-Based Education (CBE)–and how are making the pivotal shift to focus on outcomes, competence, and real-world readiness.

You’ll learn:
1️⃣ Common implementation challenges and how schools overcame them
2️⃣ How to build faculty and learner engagement early
3️⃣ Practical tips for sustaining momentum beyond year one

Don’t miss this candid discussion on March 11 with CBE experts from Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine, Stanford Medicine and Acuity Insights.

You’ll leave with actionable insights and proven CBE strategies you can apply at your institution.

Save your spot: https://hubs.li/Q043C-G10

Good intentions can sometimes go wrong: Competency-Based Education (CBE) fails when programs chase simplicity over validity.

To round out our 3-part series, we unpack the biggest CBE pitfalls to keep on your radar – and how to avoid them. Let’s dive in:

❌ Pitfall 1: The “Expert” Trap – Adding “Expert” as a visible anchor can be powerful, but only when raters understand what “expert” looks like for the learner stage in front of them.

❌ Pitfall 2: Stacking Scales Across Time – Converting multiple 1-4 scales into a single 1-12 growth curve creates misleading growth curves. For example, a 4 in clerkship ≠ a 4 in internship.

❌ Pitfall 3: Using One Assessment Form Across Multiple Phases – Early learners get discouraged; advanced learners plateau; committees lose stage context.

❌ Pitfall 4: Retro-Mapping Competency Scores into EPA Dashboards – Filling EPA dashboards with repurposed competency ratings can muddy feedback and put promotion decisions at risk.

Ready to make the pivotal shift to focus on outcomes, competence, and real-world readiness? Get started with our free guide: https://hubs.li/Q03_Ys1h0

Q: True or false? Good data beats perfect data.

A: True – For Competency-Based Education (CBE) programs, the answer is a resounding yes.

Next in our 3-part series on CBE Best Practices, we unpack how programs can aim for an outcomes-driven approach and design for competence and real-world readiness.

Here are some key principles to keep top of mind:

• Start with purpose: proficiency, growth, or readiness for autonomy.
Anchors > numbers. Not all 3s are equal: a “3” isn’t the same across different rating scales.
• Frequent, focused observations lead to better insights.
• Faculty need clarity about what they’re judging–and why.

Ready to make the pivotal shift from simply capturing activity to more intentionally capturing ability? Get started with our free guide: https://hubs.li/Q03-Q9qV0

Stay tuned for PART 3 - What to avoid: common pitfalls of CBE that derail well-intentioned programs.

Our team at Acuity Insights wishes you all the best for the holiday season. Things will be quieter here, as our team takes a well-earned, restorative break over the holidays from December 22 through to January 4.

We look forward to reconnecting with you in 2026 and continuing pivotal conversations about advancing holistic success in .