The primary focus of our current work around 21st Century Skills is developing a 21st Century Accreditation Model.  Information related to that is availble on this page:  http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5082

As part of our 21st Century Learning initiative, the Kansas Department of Education has developed 21st Century Learning Profiles available below.  These profiles of the 21st Century Learner and 21st Century Learning Environment help define a vision for 21st Century Learning.  These profiles can assist educators in a re-design of their schools or classrooms and will help guide the work of the department in all we do--as we work to prepare Kansas students for lifelong success through rigourous acadmeic instruction, 21st century career training, and character developmnet according to each student's gifts and talents.

Below is a link to the profiles which were endorsed by the KSBOE in December 2008.

21st Century Learning Profiles

21st CENTURY SKILLS IN KANSAS
Kansas is focused on creating opportunities for stakeholders to work together to ensure student success by looking at more than the current content area measures of learning and identifying new ways to measure success that incorporate the skills and competencies students will need to live, learn, and thrive in a 21st century environment that demands innovation and creativity.

Accelerating technological advances, a rapidly changing knowledge base, an interconnected workforce, and an increasingly global society have combined to create the need for students to develop essential 21st century skills. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education to ensure every child’s success as a citizen and a worker in the 21st century.

As Kansas looks to redesign schools by providing visionary educational leaders and effective educators, integrating academic and career/technical education standards, and continuing to improve teaching and learning from Pre-K through 20, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills offers an unprecedented opportunity to engage all stakeholders—students, parents, community, educators, business and industry, and government—in efforts to create innovative opportunities for Kansas students.

“We believe that the Partnership and its member states will assist in guiding us in our systemic and forward thinking educational improvement efforts. Additionally, as a national education leader, we believe the Kansas team can offer similarly important guidance to others as we tackle unprecedented challenges in educating students for success in an increasingly global and competitive society,” says Alexa Posny, Kansas Commissioner of Education.


P20 ADVISORY COUNCIL
Former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius established the P-20 Council, whose members include policymakers, educators, and business leaders, to advise on a variety of initiatives in the state, including the Partnership of 21st Century Skills.

Read more about P20 Advisory Council...

A COMMON VISION
The Kansas State Board of Education has specifically outlined the following goals which incorporate 21st Century teaching and learning:

  • Redesign the delivery system to meet our students’ changing needs.
  • Provide an effective educator in every classroom.
  • Ensure a visionary and effective leader in every school.
  • Improve communication with all constituent groups and policy partners

A print ready version of this article can be found here.

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