Many students throughout the country disengage from the traditional high school model, and all students who graduate from high school do not necessarily acquire the skills required for postsecondary success in college or careers. This action research study sought to examine and develop a competency-based model of curriculum and assessment that defined and assessed a continuum of student success that includes social-emotional skills for historically marginalized students at a competency-based pathway high school in New England. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of students and staff who identified self-awareness and self-management as the prioritized social-emotional skills needed to support students in building agency through the modality of a competency-based, transformative learning experience course. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to create and implement a social-emotional transformative learning experience course and a social-emotional competency, named Self-Direct, to support students with self-directed learning. The social-emotional transformative learning experience course taught students how to lead their own academic case conference and develop their competence in self-directed learning. The Self-Direct competency was also implemented in all the students' transformative learning courses. Student participants and teachers provided feedback that assessed the implementation and outcomes of the new social-emotional curriculum and aligned Self-Direct competency. Students and staff concluded that students' self-directed learning had increased and that student-led conferences were an effective vehicle to build student self-awareness and self- management. The study also implicated that the newly implemented curriculum could be improved through differentiated student groups and by restructuring and realigning other school programming. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]