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Portraits in Progress: Emerging Future-Ready Skills Assessment Strategies

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Portraits in Progress: Emerging Future-Ready Skills Assessment Strategies
Language: English
Authors: Kyle M. Dunbar, Katie Wilczak, Kelly Mills, Nick Mireles, Alison Shell, Digital Promise, Pearson
Source: Digital Promise. 2025.
Availability: Digital Promise. 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 935, Washington DC 20036. Tel: 202-450-3675; e-mail: contact@digitalpromise.org; Web site: https://digitalpromise.org/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 34
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, School Districts, Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Academic Ability, Academic Achievement, Self Evaluation (Individuals), Skill Analysis, Skill Development, Barriers
Geographic Terms: Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York
Abstract: As more and more schools, districts, and states establish a Portrait of a Graduate, the need to assess the future-ready skills found in these Portraits of a Graduate has increased in urgency. In this report we detail assessment strategies school districts are taking to assess student future-ready skill abilities such as performance-based assessments, defenses of learning, and badging. In addition, we found that assessments were being used to measure student ability, improve instruction, communicate with families, and evaluate Portrait implementation and that districts prioritize student-centered assessments that emphasize growth, self-evaluation, and feedback. We recommend that districts clarify their purpose for future-ready skills assessment and align their assessment system with their instructional vision and establish shared expectations for student performance and development of future-ready skills. We also recommend researchers, policy makers, and developers Invest in research and development to create reliable and valid tools for assessing future-ready skills, align recognition systems across K-12, postsecondary education, and the workforce to ensure that future-ready skills are valued beyond the classroom and foster collaborative communities of practice among district leaders to accelerate innovation by allowing educators to share strategies, address challenges, and build collective capacity for meaningful assessment.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED678849
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:As more and more schools, districts, and states establish a Portrait of a Graduate, the need to assess the future-ready skills found in these Portraits of a Graduate has increased in urgency. In this report we detail assessment strategies school districts are taking to assess student future-ready skill abilities such as performance-based assessments, defenses of learning, and badging. In addition, we found that assessments were being used to measure student ability, improve instruction, communicate with families, and evaluate Portrait implementation and that districts prioritize student-centered assessments that emphasize growth, self-evaluation, and feedback. We recommend that districts clarify their purpose for future-ready skills assessment and align their assessment system with their instructional vision and establish shared expectations for student performance and development of future-ready skills. We also recommend researchers, policy makers, and developers Invest in research and development to create reliable and valid tools for assessing future-ready skills, align recognition systems across K-12, postsecondary education, and the workforce to ensure that future-ready skills are valued beyond the classroom and foster collaborative communities of practice among district leaders to accelerate innovation by allowing educators to share strategies, address challenges, and build collective capacity for meaningful assessment.