All he said was, “For the next two to three years his non-profit is ‘heads down focused’ on making Khan Academy the best possible learning tool and proving the benefits of personalized, mastery-based learning.” He also agreed that the question gets something that is “close to my heart,”: competency-based learning; adding, “students make progress based on the amount of time they spend in a seat, not how well they can demonstrate mastery of a skill or concept. “

The former Senator and Governor Bob Kerrey, who shared stage with Khan at the conference, said that the founder’s comment sounded like a “yes” and added that he thought Khan dodged the question.

“He didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no, he didn’t say maybe, meaning he’s probably going to do it, right? I spent 16 years in politics and I heard a “yes,” Kerrey quipped.

The idea of a third-party organization, outside of traditional academic circles, offering a new kind of credential is gaining traction. The startups like Degreed and Smarterer, in addition to the non-profit Mozilla’s Open Badges initiative, are beginning to point the way to new models of certification. In wake of such an hour, there is greater possibility that Salman Khan would go ahead and offer a college degree or high school diploma from his academy.

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