Preparing ACPS Students for Success in the 21st Century

Why should curriculum address what has been called "21st Century Skills"? What exactly are the competencies, aptitudes, and habits of mind required for students today as they enter post-secondary education and the world of work? ACPS graduates must be prepared for a constantly-changing workplace and gain the ability to cope with change in a dynamically transforming world.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills — a consortium comprised of representatives from a rich variety of corporations, educational groups, and community organizations — has identified the following categories of "workplace skills" for future graduates:

• Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes: global awareness; financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health literacy.

• Learning and Innovation Skills: creativity and innovation; critical thinking; problem solving; communication and collaboration.

• Information, Media, and Technology Skills: information literacy; media literacy; information, communications, and technology literacy (ICT).

• Life and Career Skills: flexibility and adaptability; initiative and self-direction; social and cross-cultural skills; productivity and accountability; leadership and responsibility.

While educators, parents, and community members acknowledge the value of such 21st Century skills, written curriculum documents do not always address them in an overt or sustained way. Future ACPS curriculum will be designed to ensure that these competencies are a key building block in curriculum content and processes within every grade and subject area. Such skills will also serve as unifying themes and concepts to reinforce the clarity and integration of core curriculum documents.