Brooke Scoville, a culinary instructor at Renaissance High School, combines her years of experience as a pastry chef and catering business owner with a passion for teaching practical skills that directly benefit students in the workforce. She has incorporated SkillStack® into her classroom since 2018, and in 2024, she introduced a new way for students to access their SkillStack information and enhance their ability to build industry-relevant skills.

SkillStack® is a microcredential platform used by Idaho educators to validate student proficiency in key skills. The platform awards digital badges representing competencies learned through rigorous training and assessments. These badges not only serve as motivation but also help employers identify qualified candidates, enhancing the employability of SkillStack® participants.

The platform uses the Open Badges standard, allowing learners to share their achievements across platforms. This makes it easier for employers to view the badges, understand the skills associated with them, and verify when and how the badge was earned. While students can use the badges to earn postsecondary credit, Scoville notes that employers have yet to fully adopt them. However, there are ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the value of SkillStack® badges to employers, helping them recognize the qualified candidates who have earned these industry-relevant credentials.

It gave them a fun, real-time way to track their progress, and they loved seeing their achievements grow.

Brooke Scoville

In Scoville’s hands-on culinary classroom, students learn in a kitchen, so they don’t have access to computers or laptops to track badges online. Instead, each student has their own personal chart where they place stickers as they earn badges. 

“It gave them a fun, real-time way to track their progress, and they loved seeing their achievements grow,” said Scoville.

The charts became a central classroom feature, motivating students and inspiring younger ones to envision earning the badges. 

“The great thing about having the badges on the wall is that younger students get to see the advanced students’ progress, which helps them understand what they could achieve,” said Scoville.

Scoville emphasizes that the badges represent meaningful skills students will carry into their careers. This approach reinforces that the badges represent real, employable skills. 

“It’s about demonstrating competency, not just ticking off a list,” she explained.

The classroom culture encourages students to learn from mistakes rather than penalizing them. If students make errors, they can learn from them and master the skills needed to earn the badges.

Incorporating SkillStack® has greatly boosted student engagement. Earning SkillStack® badges is also a key requirement for the Workforce Readiness and Career Technical Education diploma. To earn this diploma, students must complete graduation requirements, finish a CTE pathway, pass a Technical Skills Assessment and Workplace Readiness Assessment, and demonstrate competency through SkillStack® badges or industry certifications. Local education agencies are encouraged to recognize students who earn the diploma. In the West Ada School District, where Scoville teaches, students who achieve the designation were recognized last year with a special cord at graduation. 

“Since we introduced the CTE diploma, students are more motivated to come to class regularly and put in the work,” said Scoville. “It’s not about letter grades anymore; it’s about demonstrating real-world skills.”

At the end of the year, students will be recognized for their achievements in a special ceremony, where their SkillStack® charts will be displayed. This recognition, paired with the skills they’ve mastered, provides a strong incentive for continued dedication.

“Seeing their progress in such a tangible way has really made a difference,” said Scoville.