“21^st Century Skills” is a term coined to identify the skills necessary for students to be successful in the 21^st century.  These skills have been defined by various groups most notably the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills and collaboration between NCREL and Metiri Group, the enGuage 21st Century Skills and now Learning Point.

Ian Jukes has identified specific attributes evidenced by 21st century students.  The list provides descriptions within nine categories guide understanding toward the changing learning outcomes for students.  Categories include Reading and Writing, Informational Skills, Group/Team/Partner Skills and Technical Skills.  Nancy Walser has provided scenarios that demonstrate what 21^st century skills look like in her article in the September/October 2008 “Harvard Education Letter”, Teaching 21^st Century Skills.  Assessment of 21^st century skills brings new challenges.  The Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) has released suggestions for measuring students’ growth and programs’ value for preparing students for the 21^st century in their 2008 compendium.

TETA has supported implementation of 21^st century skills in Tennessee schools through participation in the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) refresh of standards for students and teachers.  Beginning in 2006, each regional chapter reviewed the existing student standards (NETS-S), discussed suggestions for revision, and submitted recommendations.  These changes were focused on updating the standards to support global learning in the digital age.  These suggestions were compiled and submitted to ISTE for consideration.  Beginning in 2007, the process was repeated for the existing teacher standards (NETS-T).  The committee is currently working to support conversation around refresh of the administrator standards.  The images below depict the results of the international process.

NETS-S                                                            NETS-T