Reforming Academic Records for Equity

In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Tom Vander Ark is in conversation with Laura Slover and Mike Flanagan, focusing on the transformative initiatives in education being spearheaded by ETS and the Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC). The discussion gets into the Skills for the Future initiative, emphasizing the shift from traditional education models towards competency-based education that aligns with the demands of a rapidly evolving workforce. This initiative, a collaboration between ETS and the Carnegie Foundation, seeks to broaden educational goals beyond conventional academics to include essential skills like communication, critical thinking, and civic engagement. By embedding innovative assessment tools in several states, the program aims to capture authentic evidence of student learning both in and out of the classroom, thus preparing students more effectively for future challenges.

• (00:00) Introduction and Guest Welcome
• (01:26) The Role of Achieve and the Standards Movement
• (06:11) Mastery Transcript Consortium: Origins and Goals
• (09:33) Skills for the Future Initiative
• (22:05) Future of Education: Assessments and Signals

• Watch the full video here
• Read the full blog here
• Laura Slover LinkedIn
• Mike Flanagan LinkedIn
• Skills Transcripts at Scale: Why The ETS & MTC Partnership is a Big Deal
• Skills for the Future announcement
• States Announcement
• Skills for the Future Press Release
• A New Visio for Skills-Based Assessment Paper