Join Us for the 4th Annual CBE Summit - May 2025 in St. Louis!
We are excited to invite you to our 4th Annual Competency-Based Education (CBE) Summit, taking place this May 2025! This event is a unique opportunity for educators, administrators, and stakeholders to come together and explore the latest strategies, innovations, and success stories in Competency-Based Education.
Details at a Glance:
📅 Dates: May 28th and 29th, 2025
📍 Location: Ritenour High School, St. Louis, MO
📋 Theme: Level Up Your Learning!
We encourage you to mark your calendar and join us for two days filled with insightful sessions, collaborative discussions, and networking opportunities with leaders in the field of CBE.
Tickets
Cost: $500 per person, includes keynotes, breakout sessions, lunch, and refreshments
If the “request an invoice” button doesn’t take you to your email. Contact chris@clstl.org for an invoice.
Call For Proposals
Submit a session idea to facilitate at our summit. Being a breakout session leader will get you FREE Registration!
Featured Speakers
Ashley Avila, Implementation Specialist, Marzano Academies
Ashley Avila is an implementation specialist for Marzano Academies, coauthor of Teaching in a Competency-Based Secondary School: The Marzano Academies Model, and former high school English teacher.
Ashley has led various school-level professional development sessions, presenting on relevant competency-based topics, and helping lead the effort to gain the status of first high school-level Marzano Academy. She has offered advice and professional development for local districts as they began to develop or plan their own transitions to competency-based education. Ashley focuses on providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for attendees and believes in offering practical examples that can be used or modified with ease. In 2019, she began working to complete the Marzano High Reliability Teacher certifications and has to date completed Level 1, Courses 1 and 2.
Ashley received a bachelor’s degree in English (with a concentration in writing) from the University of Illinois Chicago. She also holds a master’s in education from Lewis University and a master’s in reading from Saint Xavier University.
Dr. Patrick Hardy
Dr. Hardy began his career as a Boston Public School District high school teacher. Since then, he has amassed a wealth of work experience in K-12 educational leadership. He served as a principal of Proviso East High School Principal in Maywood, IL, where he led the school’s successful transition from traditional education to a competency-based model. Proviso East earned the distinction of being named the nation's first certified school for competency-based education. He also served as Principal of Freeport High School in Freeport, IL, Ellis Arts Academy in Rockford, and is currently the Principal of Hampshire High School in Hampshire, IL. During his tenure in these and other roles, he oversaw various initiatives, including redesigning professional learning, curriculum development, innovating instructional models, establishing student academic and behavioral supports, and school improvement planning. His teams reshaped curricula, established strong professional learning communities, redefined instructional strategies, and improved assessment practices.
Dr. Hardy has earned several professional recognitions. He was named a Rising District Leader byK-12 Dive and recognized by the National Teacher Hall of Fame in 2021. The Illinois Principals Association named Dr. Hardy Principal of the Year for the West Cook Region in 2018. In the same year, he received the Community Education Award from the city of Bellwood, Il, and was named a Marguerite F. Key Fellow by Northern University's College of Education. As the founder and CEO of Vetiver Education Strategies and an Associate with Marzano Resources, Dr. Hardy is a sought-after speaker and professional learning facilitator on various topics, including competency-based education, standards-based learning, instructional strategies, leadership, and strategic planning. Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Hardy co-authored the book Leading a Competency-Based Secondary School. He is also a contributing author to the upcoming book, Marzano Mastery Approaches: A Decision-Making Process for Designing Competency-Based Schools, with Dr.Marzano and several other subject experts.
Bill Zima, Director of Implementation, Marzano Academies
Bill Zima is the Director of Implementation for Marzano Academies, directly supporting schools in their transition to a personalized, competency-based system of education that develops agency and ensures achievement is all. He formerly served as Superintendent, Middle School Principal, Assistant Principal, and science teacher. He is also an adjunct professor for the University of Maine at Augusta, working with pre-service teachers to help them understand the current research in child development, classroom assessment, and teaching methods. He is the author of the book Mindsets and Skillsets for Learning. He is an absolute believer in the power of learning opportunities that develop agency in learners.
More Information:
Save the date Flyer
Please see the linked SAVE THE DATE flyer for additional details about the event. Feel free to share this flyer with others who may be interested in attending!
We look forward to seeing you in May! If you have any questions or need further information, don’t hesitate to contact us!