Arne Duncan used an address to state policymakers this week to shill for 21st century skills.
He promised that new assessments would measure how students “analyze and solve complex problems, communicate clearly, synthesize information, apply knowledge, and generalize learning to other settings.” And Duncan’s speech blurred the line between the common state standards initiative and the 21st century skills agenda: “[M]any so-called experts questioned whether states could work together to set rigorous, globally competitive standards or collaborate to develop assessments of 21st century skills. But resolute governors, state education chiefs, and committed stakeholders across the country have proved the skeptics dead-wrong. Your collective courage today will transform educational opportunity for decades to come.”
The Secretary didn’t elaborate on what assessments of 21st century skills might look like, so allow us to offer you a preview: “For example, one possible assessment of 21st century skills would focus more on a student’s operational skills, such as her expertise in using multiple sources appropriately and efficiently, rather than on whether or not a correct response was submitted.” (Emphasis added; see full document here.)
Answering a question correctly: not a 21st century skill.
James Elias