Missouri will be testing a program aimed a honing some skills, which may not always show up on a report card. Laura Slover of Educational Testing Service (ETS) says durable skills, such as communication and critical thinking, can be invisible but are good predictors of a student’s future success. She says the goal of the “Skills for the Future” pilot program is to incorporate such skills into a state’s standard education curriculum.
“We’re in a big transition right now in terms of what employers are seeking in employees, the employability of people entering the workforce. Employers are saying increasingly that the durable skills are transferable and are becoming more important for hiring and ongoing growth and development. These skills are good predictors of success post-high school,” said Slover.
ETS has been testing the program already in districts in Indiana, North Carolina, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Slover says the pilot program, to be rolled out in the 2026-2027 school year at Greater Ozarks, will include teacher training, assessments and student feedback. The Success Ready Students Network will also be helping with the initial implementation.
According to Slover, the program will eventually expand to other districts throughout the state of Missouri.
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