Jonathan Costa's slideshow for the NEASC preparation conference at CAS on 11/9/10

1. EDUCATION
CONNECTION
21st Century
Skills
Why, What,
& How
NEASC Preparation
November 9th, 2010
© JPC Sr. 2010

2. © JPC Sr. 2008
Why Bother With
21CS?
1. You should
do it.
2. You have
to do it.
The only question left is…..
superficial or systemic?

3. Yes, It’s Happened Before Our
Eyes
© JPC Sr. 2010

4. Think About Exponential
Growth
 Since 1994 the number of web
sites has grown from 5,000 to
200,000,000 (40,000 % increase)
 The “blogosphere” did not exist
before the year 2000… now
there a 1,000,000 posts per day.
 Google processes about
1,000,000,000 searches per day.
 Facebook grows by 750,000
users per day.
© JPC Sr. 2010

5. Look at These Numbers
© JPC Sr. 2010
WORLD INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION STATISTICS
World Regions
Population
( 2010 Est.)
Internet Users
Dec. 31, 2000
Internet Users
Latest Data
Penetration
(% Population)
Growth
2000-2010
Africa 1,013,779,050 4,514,400 110,931,700 10.9 % 2,357.3 %
Asia 3,834,792,852 114,304,000 825,094,396 21.5 % 621.8 %
Europe 813,319,511 105,096,093 475,069,448 58.4 % 352.0 %
Middle East 212,336,924 3,284,800 63,240,946 29.8 % 1,825.3 %
North America 344,124,450 108,096,800 266,224,500 77.4 % 146.3 %
Latin
America/Caribbean
592,556,972 18,068,919 204,689,836 34.5 % 1,032.8 %
Oceania / Australia 34,700,201 7,620,480 21,263,990 61.3 % 179.0 %
WORLD TOTAL 6,845,609,960 360,985,492 1,966,514,816 28.7 % 444.8 %
As of June 30, 2010

6. The King Is Dead, LLTK
More content hours
have been uploaded to
YouTube this year…
…than have been
broadcast by the three
major networks in
their entire history.
© JPC Sr 2010

7. From Turn the Page to Hit The Button
In the second quarter
of 2010, Amazon sold
180 Kindle Edition
Books for every 100
hard-covers sold.
Amazon has been
selling books for 15
years and Kindle books
for 33 months.
© JPC Sr. 2010

8. © JPC Sr. 2010
Instant Access…to
Everything
Apple
iPhone 4G
A hand held
computer, phone,
e-mailer, camera, web browser, GPS
video player, iTunes, Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, instant messenger, live
television, etc..

9. Forget Expensive
Software
 Opens on July 11, 2008
 In the first 2 months,
100,000,000
applications were
downloaded.
 The average cost of an
iPhone App is $3.87
 Many are silly and junk,
but huge numbers do
specific things related
to information very
efficiently…
© JPC Sr. 2010

10. Real Utility – Quick and
Cheap
Redlaser – Use the
iPhone camera to
scan any
commercial bar
code and get
instant world-wide
price comparisons
and purchase links.
© JPC Sr. 2009

11. Augmented Reality
Applications
© JPC Sr. 2010
What happens when you combine a
digital compass, a gyroscope/accelerometer,
GPS, and data storage in hand-held device?

12. Augmented Reality
Applications
© JPC Sr. 2010
Night Sky
What happens when you combine a
digital compass, a gyroscope/accelerometer,
GPS, and data storage in hand-held device?

13. Up, Up, and Away…
© JPC Sr. 2010

14. Do You Know What This Is?
© JPC Sr. 2010
This is one of the big
tech stories of 2010.
The HTC Hero –
Sprint’s 4G Wimax
phone
Full cable-modem
speeds in your
pocket.
Hang on…again!

15. How Would You Answer?
What would an “open
phone test” look like?
What would your
district/school iPhone
app have in it?
What happens when
everyone can get
anything from
anywhere?
© JPC Sr. 2010

16. The smartest 25% of the
Chinese population . . .
includes more
people than
the total
population of
North
America.
In other
words, they
have more
Honors kids
than we have
kids.

17. estimates that today’s
students…
will have 10-
14 jobs
before they
reach the age
of 40.

18. Consider the
Consequences
What rules and restrictions do
we have now that will not
survive a public culture that
is racing to be more…
© JPC Sr. 2010

19. Let’s Look Beyond the Gadgets
Think of the impact that these tools
and environment are having on
how an entire generation thinks
and learns…
The main impact is a dramatic
difference between
Digital Immigrants
- And -
Digital Natives
© JPC Sr. 2008

20. © JPC Sr. 2008
They ARE DifferentAdapted from Marc Prensky – “Digital Game Based Learning”
Digital Immigrants
Digital Interpreters
Mostly text
Paper based
Information stream
One task at a time
Fonts
Logical order
One conversation
Reward in the end
Serious work
Deliberation
Legacy content
Digital Natives
Digital Fluency
Mostly media
Screen based
Information flood
Multi-tasking
Graphics
Random access
Networked
Instant gratification
Games and engagement
Twitch speed
Future content

21. Seeing the World
Differently
© JPC Sr. 2008
“Go to Your Room!”
Digital Immigrants Digital Natives
Sad & alone in my room. Glad & connected to the world.

22. From Watching to Engaging
 The cell phone has reached
90% of the market faster than
any other device in the last 50
years.
 38% of teens say their phone is
more important than their
wallet.
 After having his wisdom teeth
out last month, my youngest
had to be warned by the nurse
that he may not remember
what he is texting because of
the impact of the anesthesia.
© JPC Sr. 2010

23. Seeing The World
Differently
© JPC Sr. 2008
“Come to class every
day ready to learn!”

24. It Won’t Be Like the 60’s
A shift to 21st Century Skills
will not change the need for
accountability – the
standards movement and all
the money have ensured that.
One thing it will change is
increase the difficultly of
creating reliable
assessments.
© JPC Sr. 2006

25. By Setting a Minimum
Standard…
…we see a shift in
emphasis from rank
and sort with
universal access
- to –
improve the
performance of
every student and
universal proficiency.
© JPC Sr. 2008

26. A Change in the
Culture
© JPC Sr. 2008
Articulating how well we expect
learners to perform and measuring for it.
A variety of reliable and consistent
Assessment tools that are aligned with the
identified goals for learning.
Improving the methods through
which we create learning.
A variety of teaching strategies that are
aligned with the identified goals for learning.
Articulating what we want
learners to know and be able to do.
What are the most critical skills and
attributes a learner will need
to be successful?
Improved
Student Learning

27. NEASC 2011 Standards
Focus
To ensure that all students are successful and obtain
identified 21st century learning expectations through
effective instruction, data based assessment, and
appropriate instructional supports.
 School wide analytic rubrics with targeted high levels of
achievement.
1. A formal process based on school wide rubrics to assess whole-school and
individual student progress.
2. Disaggregate and analyze data to identify and respond to inequities in student
achievement.
 Teachers’ instructional practices are continuously examined to
ensure consistency with the school’s core values, beliefs, and
21st century learning expectations. All teachers should be…
1. personalizing instruction.
2. engaging students as active and self-directed learners.
© JPC Sr. 2010

28. 2011 Standards Greatest
Hits
A rating of DEFICIENT is appropriate if any of the following exist:
1. A lack of challenging and measurable 21st century learning
expectations for all students which address academic, social, and
civic competencies, and a lack of school-wide analytic rubrics
that identify targeted high levels of achievement for all 21st
century learning expectations
2. The school does not have a formal process, based on school-wide
rubrics, to assess whole-school and individual student progress in
achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations
3. Insufficient opportunities for all students to practice and achieve
each of the 21st century learning expectations
4. Instructional practices on the whole are not consistent with the
school’s core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning
expectations
© JPC Sr. 2010

29. A Common Sense
Approach
© JPC Sr. 2010
CSDE/SRBI
Ensure all students
are challenged and successful.
NEASC
Ensure a focus on
21st Century Skills.
Two secondary school mandates, but just...
...one Mission.
Ensuring all students are challenged and successful in acquiring 21st Century Skills.
Pursued through one pathway and one plan.
Quality
Instruction
21st Century
Skill
Identification
Universal
Screening
Tiered
Quality
Instruction
Progress
Monitoring

30. High School Bottom Line… Part
One
1. Identifiable and measurable 21st century
skills throughout the community.
2. Some kind of “entry” data collection.
3. Some kind of system for ensuring that
the results of this data are tracked and
acted on so that all kids have dedicated
opportunities/instruction in these areas.
4. Some kind of exit experience to ensure
that these skills have been mastered and
demonstrated.
© JPC Sr. 2010

31. Usually, the process looks like this….
1. Identify measurable 21st century skills
and create rubrics/assessment
frameworks.
2. Practice using them and refine them –
test them.
3. Build the assessment tasks/challenges.
4. Design the courses and systems that will
support your implementation.
5. Implement, review, and improve.
© JPC Sr. 2010
High School Bottom Line… Part
Two

32. © JPC Sr. 2009
So What Are They?

33. How Do We Get There?
As a community?
If you would
allow me to
put my
2 cents in…
© JPC Sr. 2009

34. © JPC Sr. 2009
Alignment and
Coherence…
There are three
things extremely
hard: steel, a
diamond, and to
know one's self.
Benjamin Franklin

35. Three Foundational
Principles
1. All for one and one for all
– make everyone
accountable everything.
2. Systems orientation - or –
it’s about HOW the work
gets done.
3. Dedication to the
Pareto Principle (content).
© JPC Sr. 2009

36. Big Picture
When the last round of
standards where released you
were encouraged to divvy the
work up by department.
In this pursuit, I firmly believe
if everyone is not on the hook
for all of the skills, you have
made a grave mistake.
© JPC Sr. 2009

37. Preparing Students For a Knowledge
Economy
Align Your Systems With Your Goals for Learning
Type of
Assessment
Required
Subject Area
Responsibilities
Everyone’s
Responsibility
© JPC Sr. 2009
Content
(Declarative)
Facts
Content Skills
(Procedural)
Discrete Skills
21st Cent. Skills
(Contextual)
Applied Understandings
Type of
Knowledge
Desired
Type of
Instruction
Required
Lecture, video,
films, assigned
readings and
memory activities.
Classroom or textbook
problems, experiments,
discussions, practice and
repetition.
Complex projects,
real time explorations,
authentic and technology
supported applications.
Amount of
Time
Required
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Ongoing, systemic and
without a finite
or predictable end.
Discrete units,
spiraled and
predictable.
Recall & recognition
based quizzes, tests,
and activities. Multiple
choice, matching, etc.
(SAT/AP/Exams)
Checklists,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(AP/CMT/CAPT/Exams)
Holistic and,
analytic rubrics,
or other agreed upon
skill standards
(Portfolios, Exhibitions, Etc)

38. A Systems Orientation
 Recognition that all work is part of a process.
 Recognition that the way the work is done
defines the process and becomes the system of
work.
 Recognition that work quality is absolutely
driven by that system of work.
 The principle of . . . . 85/15
 More than any other decision you make, the
WAY you do the work of a school will have the
largest impact on how effective your school is.
© JPC Sr. 2008

39. Systems Drive the Work
Curriculum InstructionAssessment
& Data
Prof.
Development
Teacher
Evaluation
Goals &
Planning
Leadership &
Communication
Budgeting

40. © PI 2001
The Bottom Line…
MOST American High
Schools have not
traditionally
organized themselves
in ways that promote
this type of
integrated,
accountable, and
authentic approach to
teaching and learning.

41. Devise Processes That
Engage All
Random groups, get out of the
department focus.
Provide templates and examples.
Be prepared for the content
blowback – you have to have a
reasonable answer, approach, and
process or it stop you in your
tracks.
© JPC Sr. 2010

42. The Pareto Principle
In any system of work,
20% of the causes are
responsible for 80%
of the effects.
© JPC Sr. 2008

43. Refined/Refocused North Salem
Statement
Engage students to continuously learn,
question, define and solve problems
through critical and creative thinking.
In pursuit of this, we believe that:
 All students are capable of learning
 All students are supported and challenged to continuously improve
 Academic, intra and interpersonal skills are essential for success
 The learning environment must be safe, ethical and respectful
 Everyone in the community shares responsibility for student
development
 We must continue to hire and retain staff of the highest quality
 Collaboration, data and evidence guide decision-making.
© JPC Sr. 2009

44. How must our
methods of
assessing student
learning evolve so
that we can meet
the twin demands
of feedback and
accountability in a
skill based world?
Essential Planning Questions
Feedback and Accountability in a Skill Based World
© JPC Sr. 2009

45. Rethinking Key - How You Know
Traditional, print literacy
assessment practices
can be very concrete
and narrowly focused.
Assessing for analysis,
patterns, synthesis and
evaluation skills is
more difficult – and
important.
© JPC Sr. 2009

46. A Process for Building Performance
Assessments
1. Identify what you are assessing for.
2. Determine critical attributes.
3. Select an appropriate assessment instrument/scale
to judge the work.
4. Describe each attribute across the selected scale.
5. Provide models of work across the scale.
6. Assess, and/or have the student assess, the work
by applying the ratings and providing
explanations.
© JPC Sr. 2009

47. Rigor, Rubrics and
Standards
© JPC Sr. 2009
Item Insufficient - 0 Sufficient -1 Proficient - 2 Excellent – 3
Sustains a
Process of Inquiry
Does not ask relevant questions. Asks questions that are relevant. Asks questions that are relevant and
there is evidence of complex
interpretations.
Asks questions that are insightful,
relevant; shows evidence of complex
interpretations; displays original
thinking.
Does not activate prior knowledge. Makes limited use of prior knowledge Relates prior knowledge/experiences to
work and expands interpretation of work
Demonstrates how prior knowledge
contextualizes and enriches the
interpretation of the work.
Does not make even minimal
connections among sources or ideas.
Make somes connections among
multiple sources or ideas.
Makes multiple connections among
multiple sources or ideas.
Makes multiple and complex
connections among multiple sources or
ideas.
Differentiates
Between Media
Sources
Displays limited or no understanding of
how different media outlets vary in their
delivery and consideration of content.
Displays a basic understanding of how
different media outlets vary in their
delivery and consideration of content.
Displays a sound understanding of how
different media outlets vary in their
delivery and consideration of content
and provides specific examples of how
these outlet’s viewpoints may vary.
Displays an in-depth understanding of
how different media outlets vary in their
delivery and consideration of content
and provides specific examples of how
these outlet’s viewpoints may vary for
the same or different content and
applies analytic criteria to judge bias
and reliability of these outlets.
Discerns Source
Bias
Displays no recognition of source bias
and/or is unable to articulate the
potential impact of this bias.
Demonstrates a basic awareness of
source bias or structural features
and/or is able to explain potential affect
on information accuracy or relevance.
Identifies specific examples of source
bias or structural features and can
explain how these issues affect the
accuracy or relevance of the information.
Identifies specific examples of source
bias or structural features, explains how
these issues affect the accuracy or
relevance of information, and can
counter or balance this bias with other
data or sources.
Understands Ideas
from Multiple
Perspectives
Does not paraphrase or demonstrate
empathy with alternative points of
view.
Paraphrases and demonstrates some
evidence of empathy for alternative
points of view.
Paraphrases and demonstrates strong
evidence of empathy for multiple
alternative points of view.
Paraphrases and demonstrates strong
evidence of empathy for multiple
alternative points of view and
indentifies strengths and weaknesses
of the alternatives.
Applies Evaluative
Criteria
Does not judge the merits of a work or
understand criteria.
Evaluates explicit and implicit
information for relevance or accuracy
to judge the merits of a work and
applies the prescribed criteria.
Accurately evaluates explicit and
implicit information to judge the merits
of a work and applies the prescribed
criteria.
Independently evaluates explicit and
implicit information;. develops and
applies original criteria to judge the
merits of a work.

48. © JPC Sr. 2007
Something to Think About
There is no shortcut to the
amount of time required to
use standards effectively.
You either have to define the
standard through descriptive
language or you will have to
define it through working
with your peers to develop
anchor sets/model student
work.
The best strategy is a
combination of both
approaches.

49. How should we adjust our
teaching and delivery
methods to both
leverage the power of
Information Age
technologies and to
meet a new generation
of learners in their own
learning environment?
Essential Planning Questions
Leveraging Information Age Tools and Strategies
© JPC Sr. 2009

50. Rethinking Key - How You Teach
You cannot prepare
students to master
skills and be literate,
independent, higher-
order thinkers if they
are not doing
meaningful work with
the tools that will help
define their success.
© JPC Sr. 2009

51. Responsibilities for 21st Century Learning
Success
So students can…
1.Use real-world digital and other
research tools to access, evaluate
and effectively apply information
appropriate for authentic tasks.
2.Work independently and
collaboratively to solve problems
and accomplish goals.
3.Communicate information
clearly and effectively using a
variety of tools/media in varied
contexts for a variety of
purposes.
4.Demonstrate innovation,
flexibility and adaptability in
thinking patterns, work habits,
and working/learning conditions.
5.Effectively apply the analysis,
synthesis, and evaluative
processes that enable productive
problem solving.
6.Value and demonstrate
personal responsibility,
character, cultural
understanding, and ethical
behavior.
© JPC Sr. 2010
teachers must…
1. Design instructional
experiences that
facilitate the ownership
& development of these
critical skills.
2. Create, lead & facilitate
a rigorous, content rich
& student centered
learning environment.
3. Improve the quality &
depth of assessment of
student learning.
4. Work collaboratively to
support a variety of
student learning &
professional goals.
5. Continuously improve
their own technical
knowledge & problem
solving abilities.
& BOE/admin. must;
1. Actively support the
movement toward a 21st
Century digital learning
environment.
2. Ensure alignment of
curriculum, assessment,
supervision, &
professional development
practices with these
goals.
3. Provide a robust
technology
infrastructure.
4. Ensure that resource
allocation & budget
development processes
align with these goals.
5. Align all district policies
and processes to
facilitate digital practice
& systems integration.

52. Contact Information
Jonathan P. Costa, Sr.
Director, School/Program Services
EDUCATION CONNECTION
costa@educationconnection.org
860-567-0863
To view most of this presentation content online,
© JPC Sr. 2009