Assessing 21 st Century Skills

1. Assessing 21st Century Skills Partnership for 21st Century Skills National School Boards Association Orlando, Florida March 29, 2008

2. Overview • Who is the Partnership and what is the Framework for 21st Century Skills? • Formative Assessment of 21st century skills • Summative Assessment of 21st century skills • The North Carolina Experience

3. P21 Members

4. Who is the Partnership? A unique partnership between business, education and policymakers With support from the U.S. Department of Education

5. 20th Century Education Model

6. 21st Century Skills Framework

7. 21st Century Skills Framework Core Subjects • Economics • English • Government • Arts • History • Geography • Reading or Language • Arts • Mathematics • Science • World Languages • Civics • 21st Century Themes • - Global Awareness • - Financial, Economic, Business • & Entrepreneurship Literacy • - Civic Literacy • - Health Literacy

8. 21st Century Skills Framework Learning & Innovation Skills • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving • Creativity & Innovation • Communication & Collaboration

9. 21st Century Skills Framework Information, Media & Technology Skills • Information Literacy • Media Literacy • ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) Literacy

10. 21st Century Skills Framework Life & Career Skills • Flexibility & Adaptability • Initiative & Self-Direction • Social & Cross-Cultural Skills • Productivity & Accountability • Leadership & Responsibility

11. 21st Century Skills Framework How do I learn more about 21st century skills? www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21

12. Why is assessment so important? Importance of global benchmarking Importance of emerging skills Assessment

13. Assessment Source: Levy F. and R.J. Murnane (2004) The New Division of Labor: How Computers are Creating the Next Labor Market. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press

14. Overview • Who is the Partnership and what is the Framework for 21st Century Skills? • Formative Assessment of 21st century skills • Summative Assessment of 21st century skills • The North Carolina Experience

15. Formative Assessment What is Formative Assessment? It is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students’ achievement of intended outcomes. -- CCSSO

16. Formative Assessment What does it look like in the classroom? • Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and criteria for success • Engineering effective classroom discussions, questions and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning • Providing feedback that moves learning forward • Activating students as the owners of their own learning • Activating students as instructional resources for one another “Classroom Assessment: Minute by Minute, Day by Day” Leahy, Lyon, Thompson, Wiliam. 2005.

17. Issues Definitional Issues Gray areas Grading Teacher Time Formative Assessment

18. Partnership for 21st Century Skills White Paper on Assessment Formative Assessment

19. P21 Paper Focus on 21st century skills Make thinking visible, structured, real time, authentic Data used to inform instruction Build capacity of teachers and students Formative Assessment Partnership for 21st Century Skills White Paper on Assessment • F. A. Characteristics • in Literature • Clarifying learning intensions/ • criteria (standards) • Rich information, elicit • evidence of learning, during • learning • Feedback to advance • learning • Process used by teachers • and students, activating • students

20. What Teachers Need Good assessment skills Pedagogical content knowledge Professional development Formative Assessment

21. Why is formative assessment so important for 21st century skills? Impact on performance Greater authenticity possible Formative Assessment

22. Additional Comments External resources Tools in white paper Technology Capabilities for formative assessment 21st century technology skills Formative Assessment

23. Overview • Who is the Partnership and what is the Framework for 21st Century Skills? • Formative Assessment of 21st century skills • Summative Assessment of 21st century skills • The North Carolina Experience

24. What are they for? Program evaluation Classification/selection of students or schools Grades Summative Assessment

25. “External” summative tests Large-scale assessments (international, national, state) General achievement measures (e.g. commercial NRT’s, SAT, ACT) Interim/benchmark Classroom, school, district summative tests Unit, marking period tests/exams District accountability Summative Assessment Examples

26. Summative Assessment • Developing large scale 21st century assessments is challenging • Expensive – government investment in innovation is essential (enhanced assessment grants). • Test development is bound by disciplinary conventions. • The status quo tends to drive much of what is done. • Philosophic viewpoints clash.

27. Summative Assessment www.21stcenturyskills.org/Route21

28. Overview • Who is the Partnership and what is the Framework for 21st Century Skills? • Formative Assessment of 21st century skills • Summative Assessment of 21st century skills • The North Carolina Experience

29. The North Carolina Experience State Board of Education’s new mission: FUTURE-READY STUDENTS for the 21st Century

30. The North Carolina Experience FUTURE-READY STUDENTS for the 21st Century The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st century.

31. The North Carolina Experience New Standards for a New Mission • Principal Standards • Teacher Standards

32. The North Carolina Experience Graduation Project • Paper • Portfolio • Product • Presentation www.ncpublicschools.org/graduationproject

33. The North Carolina Experience ICT/ETS http://www.ets.org/Media/Products/ICT_Literacy/ demo2/index.html

34. The North Carolina Experience Biology Prototype Project Dr. John Bransford International expert on cognition and technology LIFE Center Learning in Informal and Formal Environments

35. The North Carolina Experience Blue Ribbon Accountability Commission

36. Conclusion Are our students ready for the new global economy?

37. Conclusion Are our students critical thinkers and problem solvers? Are our students globally aware? Are our students self-directed? Are our students good collaborators?

38. Conclusion Are our students information and technology literate? Are our students flexible and adaptable? Are our students innovative? Are our students effective communicators?

39. Contact Us 177 North Church Ave. Suite 305 Tucson, AZ 85701 (520) 623-2466 www.21stcenturyskills.org