These days, many school and district mission and vision statements reference one or more 4D Competencies. They say things like, “We want our students to be strong critical thinkers, collaborative leaders, and ethical people.”
However, a mission statement is just a wish until a systematic approach provides the roadmap needed to turn it into reality. Our Intent to Evidence framework focuses on equipping schools and districts with this pathway.
| Tier | What | How |
| Intent | I want to teach a Competency. | Connecting practical relevance to the new idea and developing clear and common language in discussing it. |
| Presence | I have set specific times/assignments to teach a Competency. | Explicit and deliberate and intentional classroom objectives, goals, and “students will be able to’s.” |
| Quality | I am using techniques and best practices to teach a Competency. | Thoughtful scaffolding and integration, with repeated practice in a variety of contexts, to ensure a comprehensive and systematic approach. |
| Evidence | I am using tangible benchmarks to determine the progress of my students at a Competency. | Use of real-world performance tasks, rubrics, and assessments to demonstrate proficiency. |
For more information on:
- this framework, see our blog written for the National Center on Education and the Economy, From Intent to Evidence: A Pathway to 4D Proof
- how a school successfully put this framework into action, see Mission to Life – Crescent Schools Case Study