Curriculum and 21st century skills

I was personally thrilled by Monday's board work session on curriculum development with Jay McTighe, who has worked with State College for a number of years.

I have long believed that the district was ahead of the curve with its list of "characteristics of a State High graduate" that so closely parallels the 21st century skills that are such a large part of the national education conversation.

While this list has informed the work of the district’s faculty for over a decade, Mr. McTighe challenged the district to be more intentional, and explicit, in tying these characteristics to our curriculum, and finding ways to measure whether we have succeeded. While some of the things on this list are easier to measure than others, just asking the question (to give one example) “what does ‘a responsible steward of the environment’ look like?” is a good place to start.

From the conversations I heard, there is a general recognition that by focusing on these “higher order” skills, we will continue to be successful on standardized test scores (as we heard about later in the meeting.) That vision appears to be shared around the table.

FYI, the list:
• a responsible and involved citizen
• a clear and effective communicator
• a competent problem solver who thinks critically and creatively
• a productive individual who works independently and collaboratively
• one who demonstrates respects for self and others in an increasingly diverse society
• a user of evolving technologies
• a knowledgeable practitioner of wellness behaviors
• an informed consumer and effective manager of personal and family resources
• a responsible steward of the environment
• a participant in the arts