Instructing and Assessing Competencies for Future Success: Research From International Baccalaureate

Session Type: Coordinated Paper Session

Abstract

According to employers globally, competencies such as creative and critical thinking, analytical thinking, communication, and ethical thinking are critical for future workforce success (World Economic Forum, 2023). The International Baccalaureate (IB) recently proposed an ambitious research and development project focused on examining how instruction and assessment can accelerate the development of these competencies in schools and classrooms. In this coordinated session, the IB Global Director of Research and Design will discuss the IB’s vision for the IB Learner. She will describe how IB is advancing the operationalization of “competencies of the future” through a focused research agenda. Following, independent researchers will present the results of two literature reviews on two success competencies: creative thinking and ethical thinking. Each presentation will offer a synthesis definition of each competency (creative thinking and ethical thinking), summarize evidence to support their instructional malleability, and summarize evidence informing effective pedagogy and assessment. Presentations will conclude with implications for future assessment and measurement research and practice, which apply to a broad range of success competencies.

Sub Unit

• Individual Papers, Innovation Demonstrations, Coordinated Sessions, or Organized Discussions

Session Organizer

• Willard Christopher Brandt, NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Presenters

• Jennifer Merriman, International Baccalaureate

• William A. Lorie, Center for Assessment

Individual Presentations

• IB International's Role in Supporting the Development of Competencies of the Future - Jennifer Merriman, International Baccalaureate

• A Review of Creative Thinking and Implications for Assessment Design and Use - Chris Brandt, Center for Assessment

• Defining and Assessing Ethical Thinking in Cross-National Education Contexts. - William A. Lorie, Center for Assessment

Discussant

• Thanos Patelis, University of Kansas