About CAM Pathways

We empower communities through education and employment. CAM Pathways connects students, families, and employers to build mastery‑based pathways from school to meaningful work, using ACE‑evaluated learning and real‑world experience to revitalize communities and expand opportunity.

Our Mission
Our Vision

CAM Pathways envisions thriving communities where every young person progresses from high school to meaningful work through mastery‑based learning, ACE‑recognized college credit, and real partnerships with local employers, creating a seamless education‑to‑career pipeline that fuels both individual opportunity and community revitalization.

COMPETENCY-APPLICATION-MASTERY (CAM)

Purpose

CAM Pathways exists to design and deliver community‑rooted, competency‑based learning experiences that let youth earn high school credit, ACE‑evaluated college credit, and work‑ready skills simultaneously, strengthening local talent pipelines and advancing long‑term community revitalization.

What is different about CAM Pathways

CAM Pathways is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax‑exempt intermediary that is changing the game in education by turning learning into a community‑powered, mastery‑based experience. As an intermediary, CAMPathways connects students, families, schools, employers, and workforce systems into one coherent pathway that blends West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship, ACE‑evaluated college coursework, and WIOA‑aligned work experiences into a single, future‑ready program. Drawing on evidence from early‑college, dual‑enrollment, and work‑based learning models, CAMPathways builds a foundation of local partnerships where students earn credit by contributing to real work with community businesses, completing meaningful projects, and mentoring others—so that every credential earned also strengthens the local talent pipeline and supports community revitalization while ensuring our future leaders are ready for life's competitive battles in the marketplace. Imagine students (future leaders) earning their degree, gaining experience in the real world, and building community programs, while their peers are still in high school. That is how "competency-based" works.

What is Competency

Competency is the proven ability to perform a task or role to a defined standard, by demonstrating the required knowledge, skills, and behaviors in real or realistic situations.

Studies supporting CBE

What is Application

Application is the act of using knowledge and skills in real situations—through project‑based work, mentorship, teaching others, and apprenticeships—to achieve a specific purpose, create value, or solve authentic problems.

Studies supporting Application

Cam Pathways truly helps our community grow and thrive!

John Doe

★★★★★

What is Mastery

In competency‑based learning, mastery is the point at which a learner consistently demonstrates the required knowledge, skills, and behaviors for a specific competency, in varied and real or realistic tasks, to a clearly defined performance standard—without needing additional instruction or support for that level.

Studies supporting Mastery

What does the Department of Education have to say about Competency Based Education?

  • The U.S. Department of Education has repeatedly framed competency‑based education (CBE) and mastery learning as promising directions for both K–12 and postsecondary education, especially when tied to college and career readiness.

    K–12: Mastery and readiness

    • An official issue brief on competency‑based advancement highlights CBE as a way to ensure students “advance upon mastery,” arguing that this approach can better align credits with actual learning, personalize pacing, and support at‑risk students when implemented with rigorous performance standards and quality assessments.​

    • Department‑linked work on employability skills (through the Employability Skills Framework) emphasizes mastery of cross‑cutting competencies—such as communication, problem‑solving, and professionalism—as essential for workforce readiness, encouraging states and districts to embed and assess these competencies systematically in CTE and academic programs.​

    CTE and school‑to‑work mastery

    • A current IES‑supported project on “CTE School‑to‑Work Mastery Learning” is explicitly studying models where students progress by demonstrating mastery of career and technical competencies tied to real work, indicating federal interest in mastery‑based structures as a way to improve school‑to‑work transitions.​

    • Federal CTE guidance and partner reports connect mastery of clearly defined technical and employability competencies—often demonstrated in work‑based and project‑based contexts—with stronger employment outcomes and smoother transitions into postsecondary education.​

    Higher education: Direct assessment and CBE programs

    • In higher ed, the Department formally recognizes direct assessment (competency‑based) programs for federal aid eligibility, allowing institutions to organize degrees entirely around demonstrated competencies instead of credit hours, which signals that CBE is not only permitted but encouraged as a legitimate, innovative pathway when quality controls are in place.​

    • Federal and partner briefs on CBE in colleges highlight benefits such as flexibility for working and adult learners, better alignment with workforce skills, and clearer documentation of what graduates can do, provided institutions use valid measures of mastery and maintain academic rigor.​