Assessing '21st-Century Skills' Won't Be Easy, Paper Says

Business and higher education leaders are pleading with schools to teach “21st-century skills,” such as interdisciplinary thinking, that students need to flourish in an increasingly global, technology-rich society. But figuring out whether the skills have been taught well will require assessing them well, and that won’t be easy or cheap, a new paper warns.

“Integrating 21st-century skills into teaching and assessment ... is not only an economic imperative, driven by changes in the workforce, but a vital aspect of improving student learning,” says “Measuring Skills for the 21st Century,” a white paper scheduled for release Nov. 10 by the Washington-based think tank Education Sector.

The paper joins a growing chorus of calls from business and education leaders for schooling to adapt to a changing economy. They argue that most schools concentrate too much on imparting factual information, rather than ensuring that students know...