Case Study: School District of South Milwaukee advances educator growth with BloomBoard

Aligning Incentives to Personalized Competency-based Professional Learning

The School District of South Milwaukee was looking for a way to move away from traditional salary-step increases tied to years of service and advanced degrees, and instead align educator compensation with professional growth and classroom effectiveness. To address this challenge, the district partnered with **BloomBoard** to pilot a competency-based professional learning approach using micro-credentials.

With **BloomBoard**, South Milwaukee launched a limited-choice micro-credential program in March 2017, allowing educators to personalize their learning from about 75 district-approved options and complete 14 total micro-credentials at their own pace. The pilot has already produced strong results, with participants earning all 14 micro-credentials and reporting positive experiences, including more relevant learning, measurable evidence of growth, and better alignment to daily classroom practice and the district’s compensation model.

School District of South Milwaukee

Ann Ecker

Director of Instruction