Beyond Academic Achievement: Measuring Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Competencies

• In Event: 60.056 - A Role for Quality Improvement in U.S. Educational Accountability?

Abstract

Many state and district accountability and indicator systems have begun exploring ways to incorporate measures of interpersonal and intrapersonal attributes that are often termed “21st century competencies.” These include constructs such as communication, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and global awareness, many of which are presumed to be necessary for college and career readiness (Kyllonen, 2012; Pellegrino & Hilton, 2013; Soland, Hamilton, & Stecher, 2013). The growing emphasis on a broader set of outcomes stems in part from perceptions among some business and government leaders that globalization, technology, migration, international competition, and changing markets require students to develop new kinds of competencies. Consequently, public schools have faced growing pressure to ensure that graduates master a broad range of such outcomes. Examples include the College Readiness Indicator System, which is being used in five cities and includes measures of tenacity and goal orientation (Annenberg Institute for School Reform et al., 2014) and the California Office to Reform Education (CORE), a collaborative of seven districts that will incorporate measures of social and emotional competencies into a School Quality Improvement Index (Adams, 2014; EPIC, 2014).
The inclusion of these competencies in accountability and indicator systems has the potential to provide more comprehensive information to guide school improvement efforts while signaling to students, parents, teachers, and others that academic outcomes are not the only goals they should be pursuing (Conley & Darling-Hammond, 2013). Evidence that interventions focused on these outcomes can lead to substantial improvements in academic performance suggests that their measurement might play an important role in promoting quality improvement in schools, particularly those serving disadvantaged students (Cohen et al., 2006; Good et al., 2003; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). At the same time, the use of these measures raises concerns about unintended effects, particularly if stakes are attached to them. Research on test-based accountability suggests several risks including score corruption (Koretz, 2008).
In this paper we summarize recent advances in the measurement of interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies as well as efforts to incorporate them into school indicator systems, and we examine a small number of measures in depth to identify the challenges and opportunities they present for enhancing data-driven school improvement efforts. This work draws on a literature review and interviews with developers, policymakers, and funders. Preliminary findings suggest a number of challenges and opportunities. For instance, several innovative assessments have been developed to measure complex competencies, but these require resources that are not always available to educators who wish to use them. The use of these measures in the field suggests that they can lead educators to become more intentional about fostering important outcomes, but educators often experience anxiety stemming from lack of experience teaching these skills combined with goals that seem unrealistic. The paper offers guidance to school, district, and state leaders as they consider revising or expanding school indicator systems to address this broader range of student outcomes, and it lays out a research and development agenda to help maximize the chances that expanded indicator systems will enhance school quality.

Authors

• Laura S. Hamilton, RAND Corporation

• Brian Stecher, The RAND Corporation