Twenty-First Century Skills: From Theory to Action

This chapter provides a general introduction to issues and initiatives in the assessment of twenty-first century skills, the implications of assessment for the teacher and teacher training, the role played by technologies not only for demonstration of skills but for their measurement, and a look to the future. Frameworks that have informed a gradual shift in the aspirations of education systems for their students are described, followed by evidence of implementations globally and regionally. The role of the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S; Griffin et al. (Eds.) (2012), Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Springer, Dordrecht) in reflecting and acting on a call by global consortia is outlined. This provides the context for the book contents, with the chapters briefly described within their thematic parts. The chapters provide a clear picture of the complexities of the introduction of teaching and assessment strategies based on skills rather than content.