Experimenting With Competency-Based Aid - Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed

The U.S. Department of Education will give its blessing -- and grant federal aid eligibility -- to colleges' experimentation with competency-based education and prior learning assessment. On Tuesday the department announced a new round of its “experimental sites” initiative, which waives certain rules for federal aid programs so institutions can test new approaches without losing their aid eligibility. Many colleges may ramp up their experiments with competency-based programs -- and sources said more than 350 institutions currently offer or are seeking to create such degree tracks. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/23/competency-based-education-gets-boost-education-department#sthash.O9xTruQp.dpbs