Meaningful Professional Learning for Teachers

Take control of your professional growth and start learning with purpose. Schools and districts that use BloomBoard’s micro-credential platform enable their educators to have a truly personalized learning experience, allowing you to create individualized learning pathways and receive recognition for your learning through job-embedded, portfolio-based micro-credentials.

Micro-credentials Are Different

Unlike a traditional course or workshop, where the learning process is linear and time-based, the micro-credential learning process is a unique online experience whereby you gain an understanding at the outset of your specific goals, and then personalize your learning to achieve the requirements for earning the micro-credential. Successful completion results in a digital micro-certification that you can add to your portfolio and résumé to showcase the skills you develop throughout your career.

For licensed BloomBoard users, this personalized, self-paced learning process is supported by coaching and peer collaboration, resulting in a more authentic and meaningful experience.

Micro-credentials Are Less Like…

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A College Course

Though micro-credentials work within the existing system of educator salary advancement, they are not time or process-based, nor is there a required scope and sequence for earning a micro-credential.

A PD Workshop

Though micro-credentials work within the existing system of CEU/relicensure credit, they are not completed via seat-time or hours, and there are no release time, substitute teacher or travel requirements involved

A Test or Traditional Assessment

Micro-credentials are not measured by simply passing an exam or other traditional assessment. Rather micro-credentials are granted based on evidence of practice and how that scores against a defined rubric.

Micro-credentials Are More Like…

A Driver's License

To earn a driver’s license, you need to learn via practice, and ultimately demonstrate in your performance that you can successfully navigate in the real world. Micro-credentials are earned in a similar fashion, by proving your competence in practice with your own students in your classroom.

The Pole Vault

The bar is set, and your objective is to get over it, using the tools you have available (namely a pole and your own speed, strength and technique). You train and work on whatever you need to to clear the bar. The same is true with earning a micro-credential. Practice makes perfect, and teaching skills are no exception. Personalizing your learning process and honing the skills needed to clear the bar for competence is the only outcome that is required.

A Single-skill Version of Familiar Educator Certification

Micro-credentials, like other nationally recognized teacher certifications, allow teachers to distinguish themselves as accomplished, effective educators who have met the most robust standards in the profession, via a portfolio of their practice, which is assessed by experts.

How to Earn a Micro-credential

Micro-credentials are an evidence-based form of professional learning indicating that an educator has achieved competence in a specific skill.

Micro-credentials on BloomBoard follow the ADDIE instructional design framework. Each micro-credential is based on a robust, standardized blueprint, grounded in instructional design best practices and is comprised of three distinct parts:

  1. A definition of the skill
  2. Requirements based on the ADDIE model
  3. A performance rubric for each requirement

Teachers

Explore micro-credentials available to your organization through BloomBoard and learn how you can engage in purpose-driven professional learning to advance your instructional practice.

Administrators

Learn how micro-credentials are helping states and districts solve common organization-wide challenges such as teacher retention, recruitment, and instructional improvement.

How We Address Challenges »

Why Do Micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials not only provide teachers with recognition for the skills they develop and showcase throughout their careers, they also provide added incentives for professional growth.

Portfolio of Skills

Micro-credentials earned through BloomBoard can be aggregated into a digital portfolio of skills that educators can take with them throughout their career, distinguishing themselves as accomplished, effective educators who have met the most robust standards in the profession.

Professional Development Credit

BloomBoard works with many districts and states to offer educators the opportunity to receive formal professional development credit for earned micro-credentials, which can be used toward re-licensure, recertification and continuing education requirements (CEUs).

Graduate-level Credit & Salary Advancement

Micro-credentials have established equivalency with graduate-level credit for purposes of salary and/or career advancement for educators. Micro-credentials are recognized as the ‘currency’ of advancement in many districts and states across the country. 

Career Advancement

BloomBoard’s purpose-based approach provides schools and districts with coherence and alignment around educator career pathways via micro-credentials.

* Some features and functionality are only available to licensed users through organizational (school, district, etc.) accounts through BloomBoard.