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POLICY IN PRACTICE

Exploring North Dakota's policy flexibilities that make personalized learning possible.

North Dakota offers several innovation options that give schools and districts the freedom to design learning systems that work best for their students.

These tools are meant to:

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  • Help you understand what’s available

  • See how other schools are using them

  • Take your next step toward personalized, competency-based learning.

UNDERSTANDING POLICY FLEXIBILITIES

North Dakota has created pathways for schools to design, test, and expand innovative approaches to learning through:

CONNECTING POLICY TO PRACTICE

Policy flexibilities make it possible to bring personalized learning to life.


They open doors for schools to:

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  • Design learning experiences that fit local needs.

  • Redefine what counts as “instructional time.”

  • Build stronger connections between schools and communities.

  • Measure progress by mastery, not seat time.

"Waivers
are more than paperwork, it's an opportunity to reimagine how students learn."

ND Policy Primer

NORTH DAKOTA POLICY PRIMER

Innovation in education starts with a vision for what learners need — and the flexibility to make that vision possible.

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The North Dakota Policy Primer is designed to help school and district leaders explore student-centered policy opportunities that support personalized, competency-based learning across the state. Developed in partnership with Valley City State University, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the North Dakota Personalized Learning Network, and KnowledgeWorks, this resource translates complex policy into practical guidance for local implementation.

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Inside the primer, educators and leaders will explore opportunities to:

  • Design Innovative Education Programs

  • Leverage flexibility through waivers

  • Implement mastery-based learning frameworks

  • Expand real-world learning through Learn Everywhere​​​

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Whether your district is just beginning to explore learner-centered practices or actively redesigning systems and structures, this resource can help you identify pathways forward that align with your local vision and community needs.

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Policy flexibility is more than paperwork — it’s an opportunity to rethink how learning happens for students across North Dakota.

Bismark Public Schools

Innovative Education Program and Waiver

What it opened up:

North Dakota’s Innovative Education Program and Waiver gave Bismarck Public Schools the flexibility to rethink time, credit and instruction, enabling students to earn core academic credits through interdisciplinary, project-based learning in real-world settings beyond the traditional school day and classroom.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

You can reach out to ND DPI for direct support or connect with us and we can point you in the right direction.

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