Assessing 21st Century Skills: Tests of the Future

It's a fast-paced, ever-changing world out there, and the classroom – and eventually the workplace – will require your child to have the skills and knowledge for a new century. What kinds of skills are needed, and how will we know if the next generation of workers has what it takes to succeed?

The 21st-Century Job Market

New technologies and a global economy require an innovative, flexible workforce. In the 21st-century job market, no matter what field your child undertakes, she must know how to analyze and evaluate multiple sources of information and create new ideas from what she absorbs, says Elena Silva, a senior policy analyst at Education Sector and the author of a recent report, Measuring Skills for the 21st Century.

But what are 21st-century skills? Traditionally referred to as “soft” and “interpersonal” skills, they include critical thinking, collaboration, cross-cultural skills, and technology and media literacy.

“While these aren't new skills, they are essential in ways they weren't in past centuries,” reports Silva. “Most of the simplest jobs are done by computers, which means today's workers need to do more than that – they need to think analytically and creatively so they can make sound judgments about everyday problems.”

Furthermore, understanding a wider context when facing an issue – the ability to answer the question, “What does this all mean?” – is crucial. At the core of 21st-century skills are “what students can do with knowledge rather than the individual units of knowledge they have,” reports Silva.

A greater danger, warns Silva, is tacking on “21st-century skill” to any future initiative. While there are currently several education reform bills that use the term, it’s vital for educators and parents to understand what it means to gauge whether a new program or assessment test may be effective.