The Optimizing Assessment for All team at Brookings, jointly with the Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR), announces a new report, Competencies for the 21st Century: Jurisdictional Progress. The report describes jurisdictions’ level of preparedness in increasing their focus on 21st century competencies (skills, character, and meta-learning—also known as “21^st century skills” and “social-emotional learning”).

Already needed for educating the “whole child for the whole world” during normal times, competencies such as resilience, mindfulness, and growth mindset have been starkly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But learning these competencies cannot be turned on at the flip of a switch—it is a process that needs to be started and sustained during good times and—especially—bad times.

The report highlights some major issues for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers:

1. The 12 competencies are distributed reasonably similarly across the three dimensions, primarily for the skills dimension in the CCR framework, and less so for the character and meta-learning dimensions.
2. There was a scarcity of pedagogies designed to develop student proficiencies in the competencies. Different jurisdictions varied in their methods of communicating pedagogies and in holding teachers accountable. When documentation on pedagogies were found, they rarely addressed the 12 competencies.
3. There is clear lack of alignment across curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, which is necessary for implementation of the competencies.

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November 19, 2019 – The Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR) is pleased to announce it has received support from MathWorks to develop “21^st Century Mathematics” courseware, aimed at assisting high, middle, and lower school teachers and students.   

The Mathematics courseware covers ten areas of change in PISA Mathematics 2021, stemming from recommendations the CCR produced for the OECD’s PISA 2021 and Australia’s ACARA.  The courseware brings together into a single cohesive implementation, all of modernized knowledge (context, content and concepts), interdisciplinarity and projects, and skills, character, and meta-learning abilities. The design will allow for self-paced student work, significant teacher professional development, and demonstrate multiple pedagogical approaches to courseware publishers.

Andreas Schleicher, director of OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills, commended CCR’s work for its contribution to PISA Maths 2021 in a recent letter, “Starting with the Stockholm conference in 2014 in conjunction with the OECD, followed by colloquia in East Hampton, NY and Cambridge, MA and culminating with the Geneva conference in 2018, CCR has doggedly pursued an agenda of relevance and modernization of education standards and assessments, applied to Mathematics in this case.”

The first module of ten that will be featured in the courseware will be available on the OpenEdx platform in March 2020.

Jack Little, president and cofounder of MathWorks, stated, “Evolving the way STEM subjects are taught and learned is critical to inspiring the future generation of mathematicians, engineers and scientists. MathWorks is pleased to support CCR’s courseware initiative.”

Charles Fadel, founder of CCR, added, “It is very rewarding when open-minded thought leaders recognize and embrace the need for moving Mathematics forward. This courseware reflects the needs of this century’s leading-edge mathematics professions such as Data Scientists, Algorithmics, etc. coupled with a far deeper understanding of fundamental math topics such as proportionality and number sense.  This comprehensive design will appeal to a significantly larger number of users, who are unfortunately too often turned off by the partial irrelevance of many mathematics subjects and the poor pedagogical practices associated with them.  We are very grateful to MathWorks for its clarity of vision and kind generosity, as this work will significantly extend and support the prior grant from Mr. Ray Stata.”

MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. MATLAB, the language of engineers and scientists, is a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation. Simulink is a block diagram environment for simulation and Model-Based Design of multidomain and embedded engineering systems. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these product families to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, electronics, financial services, biotech-pharmaceutical, and other industries. MATLAB and Simulink are also fundamental teaching and research tools in the world’s universities and learning institutions. Founded in 1984, MathWorks employs more than 4500 people in 16 countries, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, USA. For additional information, visit mathworks.com.

CCR is a non-profit global organization dedicated to improving education and openly propagating its recommendations and frameworks on a worldwide basis, via answering this question: “What should students learn for the 21^st century?” CCR’s focus on relevance in education brings together international organizations, jurisdictions, academic institutions, corporations, and non-profit organizations including foundations. For more information, please Contact Us.

@CurrRedesign @MathWorks @SchleicherOECD 4DEdu #21stcenturyskills #AIED #OECDPISA

October 16^th, 2019 – The Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR) is pleased to announce that Microsoft Education Research will be using its CCR Framework Rev 1.0 to help different international education systems establish a shared competencies standard equivalency.

This CCR 4D framework is the first of its kind to describe a deeply researched, explicit, and consistent structure for an education of Skills, Character, and Meta-Learning (aka “21^st century skills” or social-emotional learning (SEL)).  The framework expresses these dimensions through 12 parameters, their 60 sub-competencies, and a lexicon of 200+ associated and related constructs.

The intent of the 4D framework is to provide jurisdictions, organizations, municipalities and schools with a blueprint for a curriculum that transforms 21^st century competencies into daily practice, helping teachers and students in developing relevant skills, character, and meta-learning qualities, all to be expressed through Knowledge disciplines. These competencies are much needed to update K-12 curricula around the world to make 21^st century education a lot more relevant. The framework is propagating rapidly to a growing number of organizations globally, notably among them the Mastery Transcript Consortium™ and Atlas as previously announced.

Charles Fadel, founder of the CCR, and co-author of 21^st Century Skills, Four-Dimensional Education, and Artificial Intelligence in Education, adds, “It is very validating to CCR that a corporation of the stature of Microsoft selected its framework over numerous other possibilities. The Framework was created at a cumulative investment of approximately $6M over the past six years.  We are releasing the tip of the iceberg at this stage, and will soon announce several other high-profile partners.  The framework was painstakingly developed as an elaborate synthesis of 75+ other frameworks worldwide, with clear design goals of actionability: comprehensiveness, compacity, orthogonality, abstraction, and global relevance. This will allow learners to thrive in an innovation-driven yet problem-challenged world, one that is shifting to learning-based societies where fulfilled citizens will not only generate knowledge but also know how to apply it, how to behave and engage in the world, and how to reflect, adapt, and “learn how to learn.” 

Dr. Maria Langworthy, Worldwide Director, Education Research at Microsoft, stated, “CCR’s framework stood out to us because it maps the curriculum frameworks from many different countries and jurisdictions to a common framework that includes advanced competencies in a consistent way. This is important for developing internationally valid work standards that could enable ‘interoperable’ learner profile data. When those learner profiles are expanded to include a broader range of advanced competencies, it will be necessary for them to be represented consistently in education systems’ data platforms.”

Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

CCR is a non-profit global organization dedicated to improving education and openly propagating its recommendations and frameworks on a worldwide basis, via answering this question: “What should students learn for the 21^st century?” CCR’s focus on relevance in education brings together international organizations, jurisdictions, academic institutions, corporations, and non-profit organizations including foundations. For more information, please Contact Us.

@CurrRedesign #4DEdu #21stCenturySkills #AIED @MSFTNews @microsoft

The Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR) is pleased to announce the release of it CCR Framework Rev 1.0, the first of its kind which outlines a deeply researched, explicit and consistent structure for 21^st century education of Skills, Character, and Meta-Learning (aka “21^st century skills” or social-emotional learning(SEL)).  The framework expresses these dimensions through 12 Competencies, their 60 Subcompetencies, and a lexicon of 200+ associated and related constructs.

The intent of the 4D framework is to provide jurisdictions, organizations, municipalities and schools with a blueprint for a curriculum that transforms 21^st century competencies into daily practice, helping teachers and students in developing relevant skills, character, and meta-learning qualities, all to be expressed through Knowledge disciplines. These competencies are much needed to update K-12 curricula around the world, to make 21^st century education a lot more relevant. The framework is propagating rapidly to a growing number of organizations globally, notably among them both the Mastery Transcript Consortium™ and Atlas as announced herein.

Charles Fadel, founder of CCR, and co-author of 21^st Century Skills, Four-Dimensional Education, and Artificial Intelligence in Education, adds, “the Framework was created at a cumulative investment of approximately $6M over the past 6 years.  We are releasing the tip of the iceberg at this stage, and will soon announce several other high-profile partners. The framework was painstakingly developed as an elaborate synthesis of 75+ other frameworks worldwide, with clear design goals of actionability: comprehensiveness, compacity, orthogonality, abstraction and global relevance. This will allow learners to thrive in an innovation-driven yet problem-challenged world, one that is shifting to learning-based societies where fulfilled citizens will not only generate knowledge but also know how to apply it, how to behave and engage in the world, and how to reflect, adapt, and “learn how to learn.” 

Notable Partners announced today:

The Mastery Transcript Consortium™(MTC) is made up of a growing network of public and private member high schools who are codesigning the Mastery Transcript, a high school transcript that supports mastery learning and reflects the unique skills, strengths, and interests of each learner. In the coming years, the MTC hopes to change the way students prepare for college, career, and life.

Stacy Caldwell, CEO of MTC, stated, “MTC is pleased to see strong alignment between the work of our member high schools and CCR’s deeply researched framework. The CCR model offers to schools a blueprint for organizing mastery credits in ways that support the range of higher-order thinking skills and social-emotional learning needed for today’s world, and we look forward to offering it as an option for our member schools.”

Atlas, a subsidiary of Faria Education Group, is a leading international education company that provides curriculum management platforms for K-12 schools. As the trusted choice for over 6,000 schools in 120 countries, Atlas allows schools around the world to initiate, revamp, and continuously refine and improve their curriculum process.  

Bernard Merkel, Director of Client Services at Atlas, stated, “We’re excited to work with CCR to provide the 4D framework as an option for our schools to use in Atlas as it adds another tool in our teacher’s pockets to continue to refine and deepen their curricular work.”

CCR is a non-profit global organization dedicated to improving education and openly propagating its recommendations and frameworks on a worldwide basis, via answering this question, “What should students learn for the 21^st century?” CCR’s focus on relevance in education brings together international organizations, jurisdictions, academic institutions, corporations, and non-profit organizations including foundations. For more information, please Contact Us.

@CurrRedesign @MasteryTranscript @PlanOnAtlas @MastTranscript#4DEdu #21stCenturySkills #AIED

Promises and Implications for Teaching and Learning

What will education look like as it is transformed by AI?

#4DEdu @CurrRedesign #AIED #Edu #artificialintelligence #EdTech

PRAISE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION

“Artificial Intelligence in Education is really two books in one: the first presents a comprehensive curriculum framework for 21st century learning; the second is a thorough survey of the uses of AI in learning. It is an invaluable resource for those concerned with the future of education.” —Tony Wagner, best-selling author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators

“…a must read for educators and all stakeholders interested the future of education which will be impacted – and more than likely transformed – by AI…By staying rooted in the science of learning, the authors provide a critical lens on both the potential benefits and risks of AI without hyping the technology.” 
—Jim Flanagan,Chief Operating and Strategy Officer, The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

ABOUT THE BOOK

The landscape for education has been rapidly changing in the last years: demographic changes affecting the makeup of families, multiple school options available to children, wealth disparities, the global economy demanding new skills from workers, and continued breakthroughs in technology are some of the factors impacting education. Given these changes, how can education continue to prepare students for the future and increase its relevance?

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has exacerbated the need to have these conversations.  Its impact on education and the multiple possibilities that it offers are putting pressure on educational leaders to reformulate the “What” (school curriculum) and the “How” (channels to deliver it).

Whittle School & Studios is pleased to announce a partnership with the Center for Curriculum Redesign (CCR) to develop teaching programs for its international campuses. CCR was selected because of its breadth of knowledge of global education and its expertise in best practice, with ideas drawn from around the world.

The announcement follows in-depth scrutiny by Whittle School & Studios of more than 20 educational curricula. The partnership has been formed as Whittle prepares for the opening of its first campuses in Washington, D.C. and Shenzhen, China, in September 2019.

CCR’s framework for curriculum design emphasizes the four dimensions of knowledge, skills, character, and meta–learning. Whittle School & Studios intends to deliver education that is truly global, tailored to the individual, and fit for the innovation age.

“CCR is pleased to have been selected by Whittle as the best-in-class for its 4-D Framework and for its curricular expertise. Whittle’s international focus and footprint embeds CCR to offer a comprehensive and truly global education,” said Charles Fadel, Founder of CCR. “This framework is available in 18 languages, representing about 80% of the world, and serves an international system such as Whittle for its future expansion as well.”

“We chose to partner with the Center for Curriculum Redesign after an exhaustive global search to find a curricular framework to best prepare our students to contribute to tomorrow’s world. CCR’s framework guides our development of a program that privileges not just knowledge but also personal development, real world problem solving and teaching how to learn (meta-learning). It aligns with our vision to provide a holistic education that goes beyond content. Both CCR and Whittle School & Studios are committed to providing the most relevant curriculum possible for a globally connected world,” said Morgan Silver Greenberg, Chief Product Development Officer at Whittle School & Studios. “Whittle School & Studios has been founded on the belief that a new model for education is needed, one based on the very latest in learning science and tailored to the needs of individual students.”

The CCR distinguishes its approach to curriculum development by:

• Providing the most up-to-date, rapidly evolving, real-world-centric curriculum by modernizing Knowledge and emphasizing essential content and core concepts with an eye towards both expertise/mastery and transfer.
• Explicitly embedding “21st century skills” and social/emotional learning (SEL) via the CCR’s Four-Dimensional Education Framework. Through instruction and experience, students develop skills, character, and meta-learning abilities: creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, mindfulness, curiosity, courage, resilience, ethics, leadership, metacognition and growth mindset.

About Whittle School & Studios

Whittle School & Studios intends to create the world’s first truly modern school serving students from age 3 to 18, with a global network of high-end private school campuses. Founded by Chris Whittle, an early leader of the charter school movement in the US, the school is forming local partnerships in over 30 major cities around the world. Whittle School & Studios will bring together renowned educators to provide a world-class education for its students, one that is personalized, prepares students for the future, and enables unique global exchange experiences.

For inquiries:

Center for Curriculum Redesign

Please Contact Us

Whittle School & Studio

Lauren Archambeault Keybridge Communications (202) 471 4228 ext. 113 laurena@keybridge.biz

4DEdu #21stcenturyskills @CurrRedesign @WhittleSchool