The Future of Education Report 2022

The Future
of Education
Report
Future Design School supports deep competency development
and skill mastery through exceptional learning experiences.
We support leaders looking to develop unique, personalized

pathways for their schools, educators and students.
Schools across North America leverage our organization for
transformational strategy, professional development as well as
our robust tools, frameworks and resources.
Our proven methodologies combine significant learning

generated from our extensive field work around the globe and
leverage our deep expertise in strategy development, user
centered design and change management.
Hundreds of schools and districts have leveraged our seasoned

business strategists and renowned education experts to drive
deeply impactful and measurable results.
www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

The Future of Education Report
1
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Letter from Founder & CEO Sarah Prevette 2

The Future Design School Team 3
The State of Education by the Numbers: Closing the Skills Gap 4
ATTRIBUTE DEVELOPMENT & MEASUREMENT
The Movement Towards Attribute Development and Measurement 6

How to Build and Measure Attributes: Key Considerations for Success 12
Portrait of a Future Ready Graduate 19
A New Curriculum, A Bright Future: Foundation Public School 26
The Case for Attribute Based Report Cards 30
PERSONALIZED LEARNING
Now, More Than Ever: Personalization and Future Ready Learning 36

The Anatomy of Personalized Learning and Inquiry 42
Finding Your Place and Blazing Your Path: Kingsway College School 48
Valuing the Journey: A New Approach to Personalized Assessment 52
Pathways, Portraits, and Progress: Danbury Public Schools 62
Considerations for Effective Parent/Guardian Engagement 67

Manage the Pace to Make the Case: Change Leadership in This Moment 71

2
A Note From Our Founder & CEO

Sarah Prevette
We are facing a significant gap in society: employers can’t find the candidates they need,
and graduates can’t find jobs. To address this, a major shift in K-12 education is taking hold —
one focused on embedding and measuring future ready skills, and providing a personalized
learning trajectory for students of all ages.
We are excited to be on this journey with school leaders from around the world, which
transcends the realm of K-12 education. Industry leading companies and organizations are
calling out for a deeper understanding of the demonstrable attributes of people applying
for jobs, and racing to re-skill their workforces to be more adaptable and ready to face the
future of work. Higher education institutions, meanwhile, are changing their approaches to
prize and embed key competencies, and adapting their admissions processes, instructional
approaches, and graduation credentials and artifacts accordingly.
I recognize that, in light of profound and ongoing burnout and frustration in education, this
need for systemic change may be difficult to hear. However, in another important respect,
there’s never been a better time than now to make this happen. I’ve been greatly anticipating
this revolution, and though I understand that it might seem intimidating to hop on board
this train in the wake of all that has occurred since the spring of 2020, I also recognize
that we cannot let this opportunity pass us by. The technology acceleration and massive
upheaval of the past two years has enabled us to address the skills gap in ways we never
could have done before. To that end, Future Design School has been working with K-12 school
leaders all over the world to develop future ready strategic goals, define competencies,
create assessment tools, embed personalization in classrooms, and engage teachers and
staff to build confidence through transformative professional development programs.
At the same time, we are working with postsecondary institutions to deepen community
connections and redesign programs to create authentic artifacts that employers can use to
understand the candidate behind a resume and cover letter.
This issue of The Future of Education Report is intended to guide K-12 school leaders to
think about the shape of school to come — attribute infused (with future ready skills and
competencies), personalized, and deeply authentic. But more than this, it contains practical
considerations for how to scaffold these approaches in schools and provide the support that
teachers, staff, students, and parents will need.
On behalf of the entire Future Design School team, I’d like to thank you for all you do to make
a difference in the lives of students. I hope you find the ideas in this Report inspiring and
helpful as you prepare for the changes to come. We would love to connect with you to hear
your thoughts, and discuss how we can make a difference for the teachers, students, and
parents in your orbit. Reach us anytime at team@futuredesignschool.com or 1-800-975-5631.
Sincerely,
Sarah Prevette
Founder & CEO, Future Design School

3
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
SARAH PREVETTE has developed transformational strategy for some

of the country’s biggest business leaders and renowned brands.
Globally recognized for her work in human centered design and
entrepreneurship, she is proud to work alongside an incredible team
of educators to drive innovation inside schools. Prevette’s organization,
Future Design School, provides world-class strategy development,
professional training programs and resources that empower effective
leadership and personalized learning. Prevette has an illustrious
history of innovation as a serial entrepreneur, high profile investor and
strategic advisor to numerous organizations. She has been named by
SARAH PREVETTE Inc. Magazine as one of the top entrepreneurs in North America and
Founder & CEO one of the “Top 20 Power Elite” by Canadian Business.
@sarahprevette
SANDRA NAGY has dedicated her career to driving innovation

and building effective organizational strategy. With 20+ years of
experience, Nagy has designed, developed and delivered hundreds
of learning opportunities to thousands of employees and educators.
Nagy leads the Education Practice at Future Design School,
building strong academic partnerships with school leaders that
help to drive their strategic priorities through consulting support,
professional development and efficacious curriculum resources.
Nagy’s educational background includes a Master’s in Education
from Harvard University focused on Technology in Education and
SANDRA NAGY a Bachelor of Commerce focused on Organizational Behavior and
Director of Learning
Entrepreneurship from McGill University.
@edtechtest
LESLIE MCBETH is an educator on a mission to answer the question:

“How might we empower students to solve the world’s big problems?”
With 15 years of experience at the intersection of design and education,
McBeth has worked in public policy and design in Switzerland and
New York City, and as a classroom teacher and professional learning
designer in Toronto. Currently the Director of Special Projects at Future
Design School, McBeth designs programs to empower educators to
break down their classroom walls and engage students in future ready
learning experiences. She has worked with more than 6,000 educators
around the world from Australia to Sweden to California, leading
workshops and speaking at events such as CIS Ontario’s Cohort 21,
LESLIE MCBETH SXSWEdu, the Apple Teacher Conference and TEDx. Since 2016, she
Director of Special Projects
has been the Design Thinking Coach for the Google Certified Innovator
@lesmcbeth
program worldwide.

The Future Of Education Report
4
The State of Education

by the Numbers:
Closing the Skills Gap
The education system serves many purposes, but it is
ultimately a future talent pipeline. And when job providers
across the globe signal a need for a shift in that pipeline,
it is incumbent upon education to respond in kind. Right
now, the message from employers across a wide spectrum
of industries and regions is clear: there is a massive
gap between the skills they need and what current and
prospective employees are demonstrating.
Higher education is responding to this with an increased

focus on work integrated (co-op) learning programs and the
development and measurement of in-demand attributes:
transferable skills and competencies like problem solving and
critical thinking that are in highest demand in the workplace.
Future ready K-12 schools are doing the same, and more,
by implementing a personalized approach to learning and
opening up a wider range of opportunities for students.
Photo by Black ice from Pexels
Here’s a look at some statistics

that underscore the need for a
new approach to education.

5
SCOPE OF THE SKILLS GAP WHAT EMPLOYERS

ARE LOOKING FOR
of companies worldwide Regardless of the industries being recruited,
recognize that they have the top skills employers want are:
87% a skills gap now, or will
within the next few years DEPENDABILITY
Source: McKinsey & Company • #1 most important skill
• #1 skills gap
SKILLS IN HIGHEST DEMAND
TEAMWORK/COLLABORATION
The 5 skills named by the most employers • #2 most important skill
worldwide as increasing in demand are: • #6 skills gap
1. CRITICAL THINKING & ANALYSIS PROBLEM-SOLVING
2. PROBLEM SOLVING • #3 most important skill
• #1 skills gap
3. SELF MANAGEMENT
FLEXIBILITY
4. TECHNOLOGY USE & DEVELOPMENT • #4 most important skill
5. WORKING WITH PEOPLE • #3 skills gap
Source: Future of Jobs Survey 2020, World Economic Forum Source: Future of Work Report, Monster.com
WHAT WORKERS ARE SAYING IMPACT ON HIRING
47% 2/3 of global employers

think candidates could do a
of U.S. workers believe soft skills are more better job articulating their
valuable than subject matter expertise skills more clearly
Soft skills U.S. workers gained in the past year
80% of U.S. employers

CANADA
U.S.
42% 49%
? and 85% of Canadian
Time Management Adaptability employers say they have
44%
difficulty filling openings
due to skills gaps today
Problem Solving
Pulse of the American Worker Survey, Prudential Insurance Company Source: Future of Work Report, Monster.com
BARRIERS TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

The top 3 barriers employers worldwide cite to adopting new technologies:
55.4% 46.7% 41.4%

Skills gaps in the local Inability to attract Skills gaps among
labor market specialized talent organization’s leadership
Source: Future of Jobs Survey 2020, World Economic Forum

6
The Skills
Revolution:
The Movement Towards
Attribute Development
& Measurement
Photo by Jason Goodman from Unsplash
WHAT ARE All aspects of education can and The problem, however, is
ATTRIBUTES? should be rooted in attribute that most students are not
development and measurement. consciously developing in-
Attributes are Every fact and formula students demand attributes, and rarely
transferable skills are taught, each of the tools and are they measured in a fulsome
and future ready strategies they learn, and all the way. This is understandable,
competencies, grades, comments, and data given that students are mired
such as problem that teachers collect and share, in the minutiae of their daily
solving and critical are most beneficial when they schoolwork, in some cases
thinking, that have the common purpose of also practicing for standardized
school leaders building the skills that students tests. They are also tempted
are working to will need in order to face the by a wide range of distractions,
deeply embed challenges of the world they are and may be facing equity or
and authentically poised to enter. This is critical, wellbeing barriers that hamper
measure through because we are in the midst of a their ability to engage in school
frameworks like skills revolution: more and more at all. Teachers and school
a community- employers and postsecondary leaders, meanwhile, are often
specific Portrait of institutions are actively seeking burdened with these and other
a Graduate. candidates who can demonstrate concerns, and overcome by the
future ready attributes like critical sense that systemic change
thinking, empathy, and problem (like embedding a whole new
solving — and are shifting their layer of reporting required for
recruitment and evaluation attribute measurement) in this
practices accordingly. moment is a bridge too far.

7
We are in the midst of a skills revolution:

more and more employers and postsecondary institutions
are actively seeking candidates who can demonstrate future
ready attributes like critical thinking, empathy, and problem
solving — and are shifting their recruitment and evaluation
practices accordingly.
A common critique of traditional approaches

to education is that they fall short in
helping students to see how their learning The clear message emerging
prepares them for the “real world.” Attribute on a global level is that shifting
development is purpose built to rectify this, to an attribute-based approach
and it is particularly impactful in providing to education is an urgent and
exposure to nontraditional pathways. As pressing concern — that there
schools continue to evolve their equity lens to is literally no time to lose.
ensure the needs of all students are accounted
for, the importance of developing core
competencies, applied through a personalized
approach, comes into sharper focus. According to the World
Economic Forum’s Future of
Communication and critical thinking skills, for Jobs Report 2020:
example, are equally relevant in skilled trades
and professions like law and medicine. And “Skills gaps continue to be
yes, an understanding of math will always high as in-demand skills
be important, but the authentic application across jobs change in the next
of math skills in a context that activates a five years. The top skills and
student’s passions, coupled with an emphasis skill groups which employers
on developing deeper problem solving skills, see as rising in prominence in
lays a strong foundation for personal growth. the lead up to 2025 include
Valuing attributes as a part of academic critical thinking and analysis
achievement sets the stage for a more as well as problem-solving,
equitable and universal learning environment and skills in self-management
— one that ensures more students have such as active learning,
the opportunity to align their education to resilience, stress tolerance
their strengths, and build skills to prepare and flexibility.”
themselves for jobs that haven’t even been
invented yet.

8
Embedding attributes can also have What has been gained since
an enormous impact on culture. the spring of 2020 is a deep
Establishing future ready skills understanding of why and how a
within the foundation of a school or lockstep approach to education,
district’s mission takes “character focused solely on standards and
development” goals to the next academic achievement, is not
level; they become lived values sustainable in a world that values
that are visible and understood by flexibility and adaptation. A shift
everyone in a learning community in focus towards attributes meets
— and not just a poster on the wall. this realization head on — and,
This approach also fosters an asset through its need for personalization,
based mindset in students, teachers, authenticity, and meaningful,
staff, and parents — a shift in focus to ongoing assessment and data
authenticity, passion, and progress collection, leverages the injection
toward mastery. of new technology brought about in
response to COVID-19.
Plus, attributes represent a golden
opportunity for cross discipline Despite this, many schools and
alignment and partnership districts are struggling to bring
development. Project based learning change to bear as they continue to
opportunities, design challenges, manage the fallout of the pandemic.
and experiential activities that loop Though it can be difficult in the face
in local companies and organizations of profound learning loss to focus
all pair naturally with an attribute- on what has been gained during
based approach, encourage teacher this exceptionally difficult time, it
and student collaboration across remains important to lean into the
ages and subjects, and provide realizations that COVID-19 laid bare,
truly impactful and “sticky” learning and take advantage of the shifts and
experiences. innovations it generated.
Now here’s the good news: not only is it possible to embed

attribute development and measurement in any system, schools
that are following this path are discovering and reaping the
benefits of its transformative potential. Teachers and staff are
seeing it as an opportunity to forego rote learning in favor of deeply
meaningful pedagogy and wrap-around student support. They
are finding, too, that it is indeed possible to measure attributes in
a meaningful way. School leaders facing never-ending operational
requirements, meanwhile, are discovering that adopting an
attribute-based approach represents a chance for them to reclaim
instructional leadership, and ignite their passions for learning. And
students (and parents) are finding a clearer path to understanding
the value of education in the face of a rapidly shifting landscape.

9
This last point is especially important,

because how students consciously
become aware of key attributes,
narrate them, and showcase their
skills is vital to their future success. For
school leaders, this means defining and
embedding a “Portrait of a Graduate,” (a
set of measurable skills that students will
consciously pursue, in a developmentally
appropriate way, over the course of their
learning journey in K-12 — see examples
on the next page) and developing a
continuum to embed the identified skills
in all grades and subject areas. In a world
where expectations and standards are
constantly evolving, this is where school
can truly support students for life.
Though school leaders don’t have a

crystal ball to predict the future, they
know that adaptive mindsets built on
the ability to think critically, identify and
solve problems, innovate, analyze data,
and (above all) learn new skills has far
more value than simply acquiring content
knowledge, memorizing information, and
developing aptitude in using specific tools.
Photo by Jason Goodman from Unsplash
Embedding a sustained, attribute-based approach meets this challenge, and what’s more,
it represents a great awakening for education: an important shift in theme and focus to the
true purpose of learning, framed by a thirst for authenticity and a commitment to prepare
young people for the future. Students currently in K-12 education need to demonstrate core
competencies and show conscious development of future ready attributes at every stage of
their growth and throughout their lives, and will be at a significant disadvantage if they are
unable to do so. The skills revolution is in full force; schools and systems that do not respond by
embedding attributes — and students who lack the means to demonstrate them — will quickly
fall behind.
The Future Design School team can help you define and measure key
attributes and build a unique Portrait of a Graduate for your school or
district. Connect with us today to learn more: team@futuredesignschool.com

10
Attributes in Action:
Graduate Portraits
In response to the movement toward attribute development and measurement, schools are
starting to develop Portraits that capture the key industry informed skills and future ready
competencies their students will embody by the time they graduate. They are then taking the
important steps of embedding these attributes into curriculum, building new assessment practices
to track their development, and even leveraging technology tools to capture ongoing reflection.
Here are a few examples of this inspiring work in action.
DANBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Danbury Public Schools in Connecticut’s new Portrait of a Graduate centers on five critical attributes:
ADVOCACY COLLABORATION COMMUNICATION INNOVATION LEARNING
District leaders are working with Future Design Read more about their inspiring work,
School to develop a comprehensive learning and how Future Design School is
continuum to build and assess these attributes, engaging with Danbury to support their
transformation, on page 62.
and provide professional learning to teachers.
FOUNDATION PUBLIC SCHOOL

The Foundation Public School network of 12 campuses
in Hyderabad and Karachi, Pakistan, are adopting Future
Design School’s Portrait of a Future Ready Graduate —
our unique, holistic approach to teaching and learning
designed to embed critical attributes and drive student
centered education transformation. This work is being
supported by our innovative curriculum and assessment
tools, and sustained professional learning.
See page 19 for a breakdown of the Future Design School
Portrait of a Future Ready Graduate, and read more about our
collaboration with Foundation Public School on page 26.

11
PEWAUKEE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Pewaukee School District in Wisconsin recently launched its Graduate Profile, founded on the
concept of future readiness as well as “nurturing and developing well-rounded students who
are able to not only critically think and problem-solve, but who also actively participate in the
enhancement of self and society.” The attributes they identified are embedded in all aspects
of teaching and learning.
CATEGORY PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES
Contribute Actively participate in the • Citizenship

enhancement of society • Service
• Global Awareness
Create Develop and implement solutions to • Innovation

unique challenges • Problem Solving
• Adaptability
Compete Strive to maximize performance by • Knowledge

applying acquired information and • Critical Thinking
skills • Literacy
Connect Respectfully working with others in • Collaboration

meaningful and productive ways • Communication
• Cultural Responsiveness
Commit Internal drive and desire required to • Personal Responsibility

overcome obstacles and maximize • Resilience
talents • Initiative
• Perseverance
Care Ability to manage one’s health and • Wellness

support the well-being of others • Empathy
• Self-Awareness
• Reflection
Future Design School can help you action your Graduate Portrait
Leverage our deep expertise and unique approach to...
Engage with Create or revisit Measure what Build dashboards

stakeholders your Portrait matters and reporting tools
Get started today. Email team@futuredesignschool.com to book a meeting

12
KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESS
How to Build and

Measure Attributes
Determining a set of attributes to infuse throughout a school or district,
and building the process to embed and measure these future ready skills
and competencies, is a deep and meaningful process. It is not a matter of
merely adding another tech tool (though technology can help support the
process once it’s defined), nor should it become another administrative
“requirement” atop the pile of must-dos bogging down teachers and staff.
Rather, an attribute-based approach means engaging a wide range

of stakeholders to determine vital competencies, and embedding the
development of ongoing, student centered resources — including portfolios
and a learning continuum — that build on and amplify the work already being
done. It is also ongoing, and requires a recursive cycle of evidence gathering
and iteration, supported by sustained professional learning. Here are six
important parts of the process, and some key considerations for each.

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1. Define YOUR
Attributes
While it’s true that there is a near-universal call for today’s students to build and
demonstrate skills like problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration, this does not
mean that every school or system should be working toward the same list of competencies.
Future ready school leaders building or iterating on a Portrait of a Graduate take a wide
range of factors and influences into account, and bring together diverse voices to develop
a set of attributes that reflects the needs of their communities.
At this stage, school leaders consider how they might:
Surface examples of Engage with nearby Consult with

exceptional teaching higher education parents/guardians,
and learning to highlight institutions to better and take their
the starting point for understand their expectations
this development work; admissions criteria and feedback
teachers and students Connect to local job into account —
themselves are the most providers to learn particularly when
important people to hear what skill gaps they parents can also
from throughout the are experiencing as provide a unique
process, and should see they forecast new and perspective into
themselves reflected at all anticipate vacant jobs local workplace
stages needs via their
Look to research into professional
Mine curriculum documents the future of work
and resources for call- or community
(the World Economic connections
outs to specific attributes Forum’s Future of Jobs
(these parts of curricula are report and the OECD Engage educators
often overlooked, but can Skills for Jobs database in co-creation and
provide valuable direction are great places to start) iteration
and insight)
Once a list of aligned competencies has been created, socialize it widely,

and be prepared to iterate based on the feedback received — initially, and
on an ongoing basis. The result of this work: an informed and inspiring
Portrait of a Graduate, an aspirational profile from which a continuum of
development can be built to understand how students are progressing.

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2. Measure What Matters —

Meaningfully
Building a Portrait of a Graduate is vital, but it also represents the beginning of the process of
embedding key attributes in schools. Measuring student progress in the development of future
ready competencies is an exciting step forward, but can feel daunting if it’s seen as additive
to an already overloaded tasklist. Witness, for example, report cards that include sections on
learning skills: this is critical information, but is often treated as secondary to academic grades,
and falls short in demonstrating progression.
To mitigate this, school leaders embedding attribute

measurement ask themselves how they might:
Build a continuum Embed meaningful Place increased value

of age-appropriate evidence gathering into the on frequent and deep
development of measurement process, including exposure to authentic
each competency, student portfolios, personal learning opportunities
and provide statements, and fulsome to develop attributes,
reporting tools reflection opportunities; this and encourage
that highlight a kind of content carries forward measurement of
student’s ongoing in a far more meaningful way student transference of
progress than test scores competencies from one
situation to another
Integrate the Implement ongoing assessment
process with frameworks, such as Journey Leverage available
existing practices, Based Assessment [see page 52 technology tools, or
such as the for more about this assessment develop new ones, to
development of method], to measure student collect data in a format
learning goals progress toward mastery of a that can easily be made
skill visible
These considerations, when taken into account, provide a foundation

for an attribute measurement system that transcends periodic report
cards and subject-specific academic achievement by demonstrating a
student’s progress and long-term trajectory in the development of critical
skills across discipline lines. The impact of this level of visibility into
student progress cannot be overstated — and, properly implemented,
ensures that data collected is utilized to drive impactful student progress.
But beyond this, measuring the competencies that truly matter is an important exercise
in effective engagement, moving away from a standardized approach and reclaiming
learning for its core purpose: preparation for the world beyond a school’s walls.

15
3. Embed Attributes into

the Curriculum
Revising curriculum to reflect

identified attributes is the pedagogical
equivalent of shifting the process from
a wish list of “wants” to a prioritized
mandate of “needs.” Curriculum drives
the planning and delivery of courses,
units, lessons, and assessments — it’s
the place where the what and how of
learning is codified. No transformation
to an attribute based approach is
complete without the curriculum to
back it up.
Photo by Liza Summer from Pexels
When reimagining curriculum to cultivate opportunities for students to

demonstrate attributes, school leaders consider how they might:
Assess current curriculum delivery and Call out attributes directly in

resources to determine what to keep, curriculum expectations, and
and what needs to be revamped provide practical examples of them
in use in teaching and learning
Embed provocations for personalized
learning, while ensuring that fundamental Engage student choice and voice
knowledge and understanding is through authentic problem solving
addressed
Teach students how to reflect
Emphasize transferable skills and metacognitively on their own
opportunities for cross curricular learning learning, and why this is important
As with defining the attributes themselves, curriculum revision requires a deep consultation
process, with teachers, students, parents, and community leaders at the table to provide their
expertise. Engaging authentically in this consultative step not only yields a better result; it
also facilitates a smoother transition, since the people impacted by the change can see their
needs and concerns reflected in the new way forward.

16
4. Revise Report
Cards
In order to meet the needs of a changing
world, schools are now rounding out the To make this happen, school
picture of students and their learning leaders consider how they might:
progression. Traditional transcripts show only
one, narrowly defined view about a person — Augment student profiles
and while there will continue to be a need in to include a personal
at least the short term to report on grades and portfolio that goes beyond
test scores, the message from job providers standardized test scores
to show the unique
and an increasing number of postsecondary
differentiation between each
institutions is that demonstrated evidence of
learner
attribute development is a crucial factor in
their vetting processes. Leverage technology to make
an individual’s progress across
But of course, that’s not the only reason a continuum of development
to make attribute measurement visible. accessible and understandable
Tools like online dashboards, accessible to to the student and their
teachers, students, and parents, can provide parents/guardians
a holistic, long term view of competency
Develop microcredentials or
development progress — through data and
certifications that students
documentation collected and built upon year
can use to demonstrate their
over year. This kind of information is what
progress in developing future
more and more higher education institutions ready attributes
are asking for as part of their admissions
processes, and also provides useful Use the data being collected
anecdotal evidence when applying for jobs to continue to iterate on the
and work integrated learning opportunities. system as a whole
Data collection is vital, because it speaks

to the need to continuously evaluate
and improve attribute measurement
practices, and implement a more holistic,
personalized approach to assessment.
It is also an important reminder that,
since this is an iterative process, it can
be implemented over time, and should
be adaptable to the changing needs of
students, schools, and industry.
Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

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5. Provide Robust and Ongoing

Professional Development
Supporting systemic change in education with

engaging professional learning opportunities
is an important way that future ready school
leaders ensure that their transformative visions
come to light. Effective examples of these
programs mirror the attribute development
and measurement process itself: they are
personalized, and developed with the needs
of the teachers in mind; they activate growth
mindsets to facilitate the building of new skills;
they flex and change as needs dictate; and they
provide ongoing support.
Photo by Vanessa Garcia from Pexels
School leaders engage teachers and staff by providing sustained

professional learning programs that reveal how educators might:
Optimize the curriculum in their Participate in professional learning

subject areas to focus on helping communities within and beyond their
students build and demonstrate school or system
future ready competencies
Embed personalized assessment practices
Utilize backwards design to plan that support advancement upon mastery of
learning experiences that ladder a skill
up to the goal of developing
Leverage technology to make attribute
attributes
development and measurement visible
Managing change and earning buy-in from teachers and staff goes a
long way when embedding a learning transformation, but they are far
from the only people who need and deserve ongoing engagement.
Bringing students and parents into the fold completes the cycle —
and provides additional support to teachers who are the ones on the
front line, connecting directly with both of these audiences.

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6. Engage Students and Parents in

Ongoing Conversations
As learning becomes more personalized, and pedagogy continues its rise in prominence in the
public eye, future ready school leaders recognize the importance of proactively engaging with
parents and students as a key component of the learning transformation process.
This is particularly important when embedding a focus on attribute development, since it directly
connects with postsecondary success and workplace readiness — two areas of significant
focus for students and their families. What’s more, there is tremendous expertise to be gleaned
from these groups; many parents, in particular, live their working lives in the midst of the skills
revolution.
When developing systems to engage parents and students on an ongoing

basis, school leaders ask themselves how they might:
Create a task force that brings students Utilize student reflections

and parents together with teachers, as tools to evaluate the
school leaders, and community partners to effectiveness of the work
provide strategic leadership at all stages being done
of embedding attribute development and
Leverage the expertise
measurement
of parents who, in their
Engage parent councils and leadership role as professionals,
groups to strategize, operationalize, assess, understand the shifting
and iterate upon the attribute definition, needs at the heart of the
development, and measurement process future of work
As noted, this is an ongoing process. A focus on attribute development and measurement

represents a substantial change, and sometimes that takes time. But it’s change for the better,
and with the right plan and approach in place, students — supported by teachers, parents, and
community leaders — will advance through school with the tools they need to be ready for the
challenges and opportunities to come.
Future Design School has the strategic and professional development resources
you need to bring attribute development and measurement to life at your
school. Reach out to us today at team@futuredesignschool.com

19
Portrait of a Future
Ready Student
As school systems aspire to transform, moving away from traditional approaches that
define success through academic achievement alone, they are looking to infuse the
development of attributes that will set students up for success and lifelong learning.
To do this, many school leaders are adopting a portrait of a graduate that defines
the transferable skills, competencies, and dispositions that transcend academics —
attributes that will ensure students are prepared for the rapidly changing needs of
industry, regardless of the path they choose.
Informed by our transformative work with schools and districts, and backed by
industry insights and research informed pedagogical best practices, Future Design
School’s own Portrait of a Future Ready Graduate represents a holistic approach to
teaching and learning.

20
OUR PORTRAIT IS INTENDED TO

TRULY DRIVE STUDENT CENTERED
EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION.
In some school systems, our (based on developmental

portrait has been adopted outright; stages) that can be leveraged by
in others, it has been leveraged as educators. The panacea of student
an inspiration for those looking to development, and the goal of
develop their own unique approach this measurable approach, is to
that aligns with what skills their empower students’ Conscious
community believes are critical for Pursuit of Learning.
students to succeed beyond K-12
— in postsecondary, career, and life. This Conscious Pursuit is driven
The aim in both cases: to effectively intrinsically by students through
support students on their learning the prospect of gaining knowledge,
journey towards future readiness. insight, and personal growth. When
a learner is self-motivated, they
When we think about what students are actively seeking information,
need to be future ready, we look at experiences, and opportunities
it holistically — taking into account that will enhance their abilities.
students’ social emotional needs, as They are aware of their strengths
well as essential learning strategies and areas for growth, and look for
and character traits. Our ultimate opportunities to “level up” or
goal is the conscious pursuit of grow in meaningful ways. Students
future ready skills and competency have keen metacognitive abilities;
development with students. they regularly think about their
own thinking and learning, and
To achieve this goal, our Portrait develop critical competencies such
of a Future Ready Graduate sets as self and social awareness, self
a solid foundation with students, regulation, responsible decision
beginning by cultivating a sense of making, resourcefulness, curiosity,
wellbeing. Each element (or ring) and ambition. The Conscious
of the Portrait has a continuum Pursuit of Learning is vital to deep
of development that underpins understanding and ongoing
it, along with outcomes and growth both in and beyond
measurable rubrics the classroom.

21
Future Design School

Portrait Breakdown
Breaking down the portrait ring by ring, and building an understanding
from the inside out, helps to provide a holistic picture of the aspirational
and attainable trajectory Future Design School is setting for students
around the globe.
WELLBEING
The attributes in this first ring provide a
necessary foundation, upon which higher
order skills and competencies can be built.
Wellbeing refers to the state of being
happy, healthy, or content with one’s
situation. Ensuring a positive state of
wellbeing is fundamental for learning, and
sets the foundation for personal growth.
Identity Optimism
Individuals who have Optimistic individuals have an inherent
developed a strong belief in the future. They view challenges as
sense of identity have an opportunities, and maintain a positive sense of
understanding and belief self when navigating the unknown.
in one’s self, to allow for
a deeper understanding Psychological Safety
of the world around them. Individuals who feel psychologically safe are
They are confident in their confident in taking interpersonal risks without
own ability and values, and feeling vulnerable or threatening their sense of
leverage their self-worth self or individual worth. They leverage their strong
and morals to approach sense of self and demonstrate inclusive values
challenges with certainty that promote and foster a climate of fearlessness,
and an open mind. innovation, and receptiveness.

22
SOCIAL
EMOTIONAL
LEARNING
This second ring builds upon wellbeing by

embedding key skills to promote a greater
understanding of oneself and others, and
develop the tools necessary to navigate
complex situations.
Emotional Intelligence Self and Social Awareness

Emotionally intelligent individuals Individuals who are self aware
understand how their own feelings, and understand themselves and their
the emotions of others, influence behavior, motivations, and recognize that how
reactions, and decision making. They are they interact with others is interpreted
able to demonstrate an ability to adapt differently by people in a variety of
their approaches in recognition of these situations. Socially aware individuals
emotional responses. recognize that their actions impact those
around them, and that they need to
leverage skills to appropriately respond
Healthy Relationships to situations around them. They can
Individuals who are prepared for the future maneuver through a variety of situations,
of work are able to build and maintain leveraging different healthy behavioral
healthy relationships in work and social tools and methods that are effective and
settings. They develop and value diverse promote positive outcomes.
relationships that are mutually rewarding
and provide opportunity for growth. Self Regulation
Individuals who deeply understand how
Responsible Decision Making to self regulate take steps to identify
Individuals who make responsible decisions needs and advocate for themselves, and
are able to analyze potential outcomes leverage tools and methods to ensure
and demonstrate thoughtful judgement that they recognize how to process and
around personal behavior and values, manage their emotions in a way that is
healthy to their individual development
social situations, safety, and ethics. They
and relationships with others. They know
understand the complexity of certain
that it is an ongoing process that requires
decisions, and recognize that other decisions
them to not only manage their behaviors
do not require as much consideration and
and emotions, but also their workload
can and should be made quickly.
and goals in a variety of settings.

23
LEARNING SKILLS
This ring is focused on establishing skills to engage

deeply in all learning situations, and instill the
importance of lifelong learning and an ongoing
thirst for knowledge and personal growth.
Constructive Doubt
Individuals who practice constructive doubt are beginning to see beneath the surface of
a problem, and understand it from perspectives aside from their own — not to question
validity, but to better understand scale, scope, and resonance. They test theories, and
use the information they collect to extend their understanding.
Goal Setting & Planning

The ability and drive to identify, set, pursue, and achieve goals in a learning context is
a vital skill for future success — in school and beyond. Individuals who engage in goal
setting understand its direct connection to their personal learning journey, and are able
to use structures and scaffolds (like S.M.A.R.T. goals), as well as time management tools,
to determine and attain their objectives.
Long Term Memory

Through practice (with or without additional scaffolds or accommodations in support of
specific learning needs), individuals use learning opportunities to collect experiential and
factual data in a manner that is coherent to them — and are able to subsequently recall
what they learned, in familiar and new contexts. They also understand the difference
between building memory and memorization: the former is a cumulative and proactive
endeavor designed to deepen understanding; the latter is situational, reactive, and
specific to the task at hand.
Metacognition
Individuals who practice metacognition can articulate not just the process they used to
arrive at a solution or conclusion, but how the path they took connects to their identities.
They have built the foundational confidence to own their unique internal wiring, and have
reflected deeply on why they think and learn the way they do.
Self Reflection
Self reflection is the process of making meaning from experiences. Individuals who are
self reflective take charge of their own learning, and ask questions before, during, and
after an activity to seek deeper understanding.
Use of Learning Strategies

Individuals who have honed their ability to select and deploy learning strategies
understand themselves and how they learn best. They actively participate in scaffolded
instruction and practice of different strategies, self-assess their engagement, and
organically adopt the strategies that work best for them.

24
Ambition
Ambitious individuals possess determination and grit.
They take initiative, work hard to achieve their goals,
and persevere when they are met with challenges.
Curiosity
Curious individuals ask big questions, and develop
wonderings based on their passions and interests.
They possess a strong desire to seek out information
and challenge the status quo.
Empathy
Empathetic people have an innate ability to
understand and adopt the feelings and experiences of
others. They reflect and consider diverse perspectives
in their interactions and decision making processes.
CHARACTER Resourcefulness
DEVELOPMENT Individuals who are resourceful overcome challenges
in an efficient and effective manner. They solve
problems in creative or innovative ways, leveraging
The traits in this ring reflect various resources that are available to them.
attributes that not only
make great learners and co- Stewardship
workers, but also represent Individuals who are stewards of the world understand
the qualities needed to be a the interconnectedness of people and the
responsive and responsible environment. They are responsible for the greater
member of society. world around them, and ensure they are cared for,
valued, respected and protected. They understand
that leadership is a part of stewardship, and it is not
only about the development of self, but also the
ability to empower others to become leaders.
FUTURE READY
ATTRIBUTES
These eight attributes, underpinned by the traits
in the preceding rings, are vital developmental
goals that encapsulate the transferable skills
necessary to navigate our changing world.
Collaboration
Individuals who are prepared for the future
work well with people of various skill and
personality types. Effective collaborators
practice strong interpersonal skills both as
an individual as well as in teams.

25
Communication Entrepreneurship
Individuals who communicate Individuals who are prepared for the
effectively can articulate their ideas future are open-minded, optimistic,
with ease and simplicity through and observant. Those who possess
speaking, writing, and with various an entrepreneurial mindset
media. They leverage active listening have the creative confidence to
to deepen their understanding and act, anticipate, and ambitiously
engagement in all communication, generate ideas and actions in a
and can convey their thinking while future that remains unknown.
also demonstrating empathy toward
the audience. Equity and Inclusion
Individuals who are prepared for
Creativity the future understand their own
Creative individuals produce new and bias, and the impact that bias
unique ideas and are able to make and inequity have on the world
connections between seemingly around them. They also understand
different ideas. Those who exercise how bias and inequity affects the
creativity understand the value of interconnectedness of society and
taking risks and are willing to do so. consciously develop their point of
view to ensure that space, places,
Critical Thinking and surrounding environments are
Individuals who possess critical inclusive for all stakeholders.
thinking skills practice higher-order
thinking where they can interpret, Global and Future Vision
predict, analyze, and evaluate Individuals who have a global vision
relevant information. Critical thinkers are in tune with the world around
are naturally curious; they ask deep them and understand the role they
questions and consider multiple play in positively impacting others.
perspectives in order to solve They understand the importance
problems in a variety of contexts.. of what they are learning today,
can articulate how it connects
Design Thinking to the real world, and recognize
Individuals who are designers that learning is a conscious and
leverage human centered design continual pursuit. Together, a well
methods to solve real problems, developed global and future vision
effectively applying the repeatable allows individuals to successfully
process of ideation, validation, and navigate the rapidly changing world
prototyping. and the future of work.
Ready to build your own Portrait, or put the attributes you’ve identified into
action? The Future Design School team has developed and deployed future
ready strategies with schools and systems around the world. Leverage our
experience today — reach out at team@futuredesignschool.com to get started.

26
A NEW
CURRICULUM,
A BRIGHT
FUTURE
Foundation
Public School
Photo by Mitchell Luo from Unsplash
Foundation Public School (FPS) is a network of 12 elementary, junior, and senior

school campuses in Karachi and Hyderabad, Pakistan. Established in 1981, FPS
is known for strong academics and a dedication to supporting students as they
learn and grow. Sensing a need to adopt a new, innovative approach, school
leadership worked with Future Design School to reimagine learning by embedding
the attributes embodied in our Portrait of a Future Ready Graduate [see page 19]
and adopting a personalized approach to education. The result: Foundation Public
School is now, also, a Future Design School — a collective of schools dedicated to
a shared vision for transforming education.

27
Pakistan has long employed what might best be described as a very traditional approach
to education. “Students in Pakistan have this problem, this gap, where we’re just taught to
solely rely on books, and not challenge the status quo and follow our own interest,” explains
Rehman Minhas, Foundation Public School’s executive director. But that tide is now turning,
thanks to a new generation of Pakistani parents who are looking globally and seeking a
different type of education for their children. “I’m thinking from a parent’s perspective,” Mr.
Minhas says, “because all the young parents about my age — and although I’m not a parent
yet, I have friends who are parents — are looking at schools, and everyone’s looking forward
to new schools that can challenge the status quo and can bring in new philosophies from
Scandinavia, or different countries.”
With this in mind, FPS Yasmeen Minhas, a The new curriculum launched
engaged with Future founder principal of this fall as a pilot project
Design School to build FPS and part of its at one Foundation Public
a new curriculum that management team, School campus, supported
embeds our research is excited by the by extensive and ongoing
backed Portrait of a possibilities this new PD from the Future Design
Future Ready Graduate, direction is poised to School team. Teachers from
develops and measures bring. “More than 50% other campuses will be
key attributes like problem of the population of visiting throughout the year
solving, critical thinking, and Pakistan is youth,” she to learn more about the new
collaboration, and features says. “We think that approach before it rolls out
ongoing assessment and there is a need for better to 3,000 students across
a personalized approach quality schools, with a the school network, and
to teaching and learning. very good curriculum. facilitators are also working
The depth and breadth of We need young people with the management team
this partnership is reflected who make good to help educate parents about
in a new designation: decisions and think for the changes taking place. This
Foundation Public School is themselves. This is what holistic support from Future
Pakistan’s exclusive Future is generally missing in Design School has been vital,
Design School. Pakistan.” Mrs. Minhas says.
“Future Design School shows a lot of patience and understanding to our

needs, and our traditions and our culture. There’s a lot of respect for
it, because we need to have an international curriculum in our schools,
but with a lot of patriotism and respect for our cultural beliefs here. It’s
been a wonderful experience working with them.”
- YASMEEN MINHAS
Foundation Public School

28
With Future Design School, we’re building on

developing the entire student — breaking away
from this tradition of relying on textbooks, and
giving students their own choice of what to do,
what to learn, and how to learn. REHMAN MINHAS
Foundation Public School
Navigating change is often

The result: broad support from all stakeholder
challenging, but it works best
groups, including school leaders, teachers,
when it begins from a position of
parents and students. “We have a very strong
strength. For this reason, an asset
foundation, and still do,” Mr. Minhas says. “The
based approach was used for the reason we’ve hired Future Design School is to
new curriculum and strategies build on this foundation — not to tear it apart, but
being developed at Foundation to see what works and then build on from there.
Public School. “The process started Our roots have always been about developing the
with listening, understanding entire child, helping them in becoming a problem
cultural nuances, and the teaching solver, an independent student — but we were
and learning that was taking place lacking that expertise on exactly how to do that.”
in the current classrooms” says
Future Design School Managing It’s a winning strategy, poised to benefit
Director Sandra Nagy. “Foundation Foundation Public School and its learning
Public School has done community, and by extension, the broader
tremendous work for 40 years, community as well. “It’s more about developing
and serves a vibrant community. the student,” Mr. Minhas says. “That’s what we’re
Our goal was to honor that history, trying to focus on: How do we develop human
while also shining a light on those beings? How to develop good citizens — people
vital, future ready attributes that who are empathetic, care about the country,
we know students will need to care about others, care about justice. That’s the
succeed in the years to come.” movement that we’re seeing in this country.”
Join our growing network and support the growth of

your whole student development process.
Learn more about how your school can become a Future

Design School: email team@futuredesignschool.com

29
BECOME A FUTURE
DESIGN SCHOOL
Future Design School is taking strategic partnerships to
the next level. Schools and districts that share a vision of
bold transformation in education are coming together and
leveraging our unique approach as a vision for change in
their communities.
WHAT IS A FUTURE DESIGN SCHOOL?

• A beacon of personalized learning
• Focused on building future ready attributes
• Community connected and responsive
• Devoted to ongoing professional learning
• Committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS JOIN OUR NETWORK TO:
• Develop and execute strategic goals • Access engaging, customized curriculum

• Engage with key stakeholder groups resources
• Embed our Portrait of a Future Ready • Deploy innovative assessment frameworks
Graduate and learning continuum and measurement tools
• Optimize data collection and • Connect with other thought leaders in
technology tools to gain deep a worldwide community of education
insights changemakers
Become a Future Design School today! Get in touch at team@futuredesignschool.com

30
The Case for

Attribute Based
Report Cards
Attribute based report cards, which measure

future ready skills and competencies, are taking
hold in school systems across North America.
Though student progression in learning skills like
responsibility, collaboration, and organization has
long been an element of progress reporting, this
next evolution represents an important shift in that
attributes are increasingly being looked at for their
potential to become the primary focus of evaluation.
The intent, spurred by the skills revolution and calls

from hiring managers and postsecondary admissions
departments, is to move from a system in which
students are ranked based on a standardized
grade, toward a focus on reaching proficiency and
mastery through personalized learning coupled with
meaningful feedback. This means measuring skill
development on an ongoing basis through holistic
self reflection, peer review, portfolio development,
and data that shows student progression over time
in developing and demonstrating the future ready
skills they’ll need to be successful in postsecondary
education and the working world.

31
The measurements by which we hold students accountable

can be arbitrary and abstract, and do not always serve all
students in a positive way. It is also impossible to assume that
all teachers interpret and apply grades in the same manner.
By definition, an A-F (or percentage/ Key to this approach, as Chris Sturgis

numerical) grading scheme means that and Susan Patrick point out in When
students are observed, assessed, and Success Is the Only Option: Designing
evaluated based on standardized yet Competency-Based Pathways for Next
subjective measures. All students, despite Generation Learning, is allowing students
their unique and varying skills and learning to advance upon mastery instead of seat
needs, are held to the same expectations time — in other words, providing the
of success. The measurements by which space and flexibility to let learners keep
we hold students accountable can be trying until they truly understand.
arbitrary and abstract, and do not always
serve all students in a positive way. It is Report cards that reflect competency
also impossible to assume that all teachers proficiency are a cornerstone of
interpret and apply grades in the same attribute measurement, and work best
manner. One teacher may assign an A- in conjunction with a personalized
to the same piece of work that another educational approach, supported by
teacher would consider worthy of a B+. ongoing assessment at all stages
These subjective assessment measures can of learning, along with student self
ultimately be the difference between failure reflection and peer review. According
and success — they might fast track some to Sturgis and Patrick, providing
students, but they also hold back many personalization gives students
others from reaching their potential. autonomy and agency in their own
learning, and helps them to better
And what happens to the students who understand their unique strengths and
do not succeed in this traditional form of weaknesses. Feeling engaged with and
schooling? They experience labeling and connected to learning increases intrinsic
judgement, and ultimately may decide that motivation and leaves room for mistakes
school is not for them. No child should ever — which is often when the best learning
feel this way or decide that they do not occurs. When students know that there
belong in a place of learning, nor should are multiple pathways for learning, and
learning be thought to happen solely inside that they have agency in their learning
school walls. The current shift towards journey, they can feel confident that they
attribute based learning and grading will have the time and space they need
can support all students to feel a sense to become proficient. Plus, this approach
of engagement and ownership in their removes the top-down relationship of
education, as well as an authentic sense of the teacher as the only expert, opening
mastery and achievement that meets them the door to multiple possibilities and
from their individual starting point and moves opportunities for each student.
them forward from there.

32
Attribute based report cards highlight This form of assessment is designed

where a student is on their learning to prevent students from feeling
journey, and what they need to do in as though success is too far away,
order to progress. Through meaningful and move them forward to more
feedback, ongoing reflection, and challenging tasks with a proper
assessment of the student’s ongoing understanding and confidence in
learning, they document where the the subject or challenge.
student is succeeding and where there are
areas for improvement as they continue Attribute based education and
on their journey to mastery — and provide grading is transparent, personalized,
authentic, guided opportunities for and meaningful. Transparency
students to build metacognition skills by between student and educator
reflecting deeply on their development of allows the student to understand
identified attributes. The result: no child is where they are in their learning
ever deemed to have failed, because they progression, and how they can take
are always given a chance to continue ownership and agency over their
learning and try again. learning.
“In a proficiency system, failure or poor

performance may be part of the student’s
learning curve, but it is not an outcome.”
Proficiency-Based Instruction And Assessment, Oregon Education Roundtable
Essential components of Students receive timely, differentiated

attribute based learning support based on their individual learning
needs
Learning outcomes emphasize
Students advance upon mastery competencies that include application
Attributes include explicit, and creation of knowledge, along with
measurable, transferable learning the development of important skills and
objectives that empower students dispositions
Assessment is a meaningful and a Students, teachers, and schools have the
positive learning experience for all information and resources they need to
students continuously improve

33
ATTRIBUTES IN ACTION: BRITISH COLUMBIA
Over the past five years, the education system in the Canadian province of British
Columbia (BC) underwent a major overhaul to create a new competency based
curriculum model. The two major tenets of this model are that learning will be concept-
based and competency-driven; and assessment will no longer be a separate act from
learning, but a model of continuous observation, learning, and improvement — an
opportunity for students to gain proficiency while still remaining rigorous and based on
key skills and standards, as the province’s new assessment guidelines point out.
Innovative and forward-thinking, BC’s

proficiency model of assessment is a strengths-
based approach to learning that meets students
where they are at and encourages them to keep
gaining knowledge and advance upon mastery.
Students in Kindergarten through 9th Grade
are assessed as either emerging, developing,
proficient, or extending, giving them the chance
to continue learning and improving regardless
Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels of the level they are given.
ARTIFACT EXAMPLE: END OF YEAR REPORT
This report card for a 7th Grade student draws inspiration from practices in place in future
ready school systems worldwide, including examples of the Communicating Student
Learning approach to progress reports in use in some BC schools. It shows how attribute
measurement and ongoing assessment provide a clear picture of a student’s progress.
Student Sarah Prevette Grade 7
Reporting Period Spring 2021 School Future Design School
SUMMARY OF PROGRESS
Sarah’s work shows a high level of creativity, and she excels when given a challenge that
connects with her passion for art and the natural world. She showed tremendous growth
in her leadership skills this year, and demonstrated impressive dedication to making
connections between what she is learning in school and what she sees and experiences
in her daily life.
See Sarah’s online dashboard and portfolio for additional insights into her progress this
year.

34
Though embedded in all elements of teaching and

learning, assessment of these competencies in BC is
done through student reflection and self assessment.
This part of the example report card expands on that
approach.
ATTRIBUTE DEVELOPMENT
Sarah continued to progress in her development of our core competencies, making considerable progress in
her growth in critical and reflective thinking through her leadership in our school-wide mock election and in-
school candidate debates.
Sarah says: “The mock election and debates were really exciting. My team and I worked hard together, and
it really helped me understand important issues.” See Sarah’s online dashboard and portfolio to read more
personal reflections and explore data related to her ongoing development of key attributes.
COMPETENCY SCALE YEAR BEGINNING DEVELOPING APPLYING EXTENDING

to acquire the ability to skills, skills,
ATTRIBUTE: skills, apply skills, strategies and strategies and
strategies and strategies and processes processes
processes processes consistently creatively and
strategically
2019-20
COLLABORATION
2020-21
2019-20
COMMUNICATION
2020-21
2019-20
CREATIVE THINKING
2020-21
CRITICAL & REFLECTIVE 2019-20

THINKING 2020-21
PERSONAL AWARENESS 2019-20

& RESPONSIBILITY 2020-21
2019-20
POSITIVE PERSONAL
& CULTURAL IDENTITY 2020-21
SOCIAL AWARENESS 2019-20

& RESPONSIBILITY 2020-21

35
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
COMPETENCY BEGINNING DEVELOPING APPLYING EXTENDING

SCALE to acquire skills, the ability to apply skills, strategies skills, strategies
strategies and skills, strategies and processes and processes
SUBJECT: processes and processes consistently creatively and
strategically
Sarah is developing in her ability to use estimation in math, and can complete decimal-based
operations. She continues to find equations challenging, and recognizes that this will be an area
MATHEMATICS of growth in the coming school year.
Sarah says: “I am proud of the progress I made in using estimation this year. I practiced at home
by estimating the total price of our grocery bill each week.”
Sarah enjoys presenting to her fellow students and external audiences. She excels at reading for
meaning, particularly with nonfiction resources that connect to her passion for nature.
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE Sarah was a dedicated participant in our ongoing fiction literature circle activities, though she
ARTS occasionally found it challenging to complete the pre-activity tasks.
Sarah says: “I see the connection between language arts and my goal to become an
environmental scientist. I will need to read and understand a lot of information, write reports and
articles, and make presentations to many different people.”
SCIENCE
Sarah’s deep love of nature served her well in science this year. Her water quality project...
The academic development component of the report card

can be extended as needed to support all subjects.
AREAS FOR GROWTH AND SUPPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
Sarah is improving in her ability to persevere when she encounters a challenge, but sometimes needs
reinforcement to understand what to do when she gets stuck.
• Teachers can support Sarah by helping her break down larger tasks into manageable pieces, and
guide her in setting achievable goals.
• At home, Sarah can be supported through ongoing conversations about what work needs to be done,
and time management to complete tasks asynchronously.
Although Sarah makes deep connections to tasks that connect directly to her passions, she sometimes
struggles to engage when these connections are less apparent.
• Teachers can support Sarah’s growth in this area by encouraging her to frame problems in a context
to which she connects (e.g., connecting a math problem with statistics to track endangered species).
• At home, Sarah can be encouraged to apply a “learner’s lens” to her hobbies, interests, and daily life,
to continue to connect her everyday world with the concepts she’s learning in school.

36
Now, More Than Ever:

Personalization and
Future Ready Learning
Personalized learning is a quest.
In fact, it’s arguable that embedding personalization in classrooms

is the quest of our present moment in education. There’s a good
reason more and more schools are seizing this opportunity and
implementing a personalized approach to learning: it’s where
education — and the world it inhabits — is headed.
Students “need to develop crucial skills and attitudes that will allow
them to succeed as citizens in our ever-changing twenty-first-century
world,” writes Dr. Matthew Friedman in “Personalized Learning in a
Post-COVID World,” an article published in February 2021 by All4Ed.
“In a personalized learning environment, we can develop students’
skills in collaboration, communication, independence, and the ability
to find what they need to know instead of simply having it provided
by an adult.”

37
WHAT IS PERSONALIZED
LEARNING?
Personalized learning starts
with the student, and engages
them to actively participate in
the design of their learning.
The result is a learning
experience tailored to their
needs, preferences, and
interests.
Photo by Jeswin Thomas from Unsplash

38
The Future Design School team has Personalization is crucial to this shift,
been working to implement personalized and includes increasing student agency
learning with school, district, and system in defining what and how they learn,
leaders in North America, the Middle implementing technology, redefining the
East, Central and Southeast Asia, and role of teachers, and establishing new
across Europe. Despite wide differences pathways programs that activate student
in culture and resources, these leaders passion and promote authentic learning
are all implementing innovative practices that expands the horizon of options
like Journey Based Assessment and visible to learners as they move through
Authentic Personalized Inquiry to better and beyond the education system. The
prepare students for a future in which movement is happening, and the need
adaptability, lifelong learning, self is profound: adopting a personalized
advocacy, and an entrepreneurial approach is vital to avoid falling behind
mindset will be critical to their success. in a rapidly changing world.
There are many compelling reasons to personalize learning for students, but none is more
important than the fact that, in order to succeed in the future of work, today’s students will
need to be continually engaged in learning throughout their adult lives. Speaking about this
need as part of the launch of Reskilling Revolution (a initiative created in 2020 by the World
Economic Forum), then–Minister of Labour of France, Muriel Penicaud, said:
“We have to move towards a Society of Skills, placing lifelong

learning, upskilling and reskilling at the core of people,
businesses and governments’ interests.” In other words, the facts
and information students acquire in school today will be dwarfed
in importance over time by their ability to adapt to change and
continue to learn as they navigate the working world.

39
Photo by Vanessa Loring from Pexels
Embedding this value starts with a personalized approach that places learning in
each student’s hands. In “The changes we need: Education post COVID-19,” an article
published in the February 2021 edition of the Journal of Educational Change, Yong Zhao
and Jim Watterston note that there is an “increasing call for learners to be more actively
engaged in their own learning.” They write:
The reasons for students to take a more significant role in their own learning are multiple.
First, students are diverse and have different levels of abilities and interests that may not align
well with the content they are collectively supposed to learn in the classroom. Teachers have
been encouraged to pursue classroom differentiation...and students have been encouraged
to play a more active role in defining their learning and learning environments in collaboration
with teachers.... Second, the recent movement toward personalized learning...needs students
to become more active in understanding and charting their learning pathways.
The good news on this front is that the These tech-led innovations, and other
pandemic brought forth innovation in adaptations made to provide increased
education, augmented with increased flexibility and personalization over
access to technology — and the results the past two years, cannot fall by the
have begun to pay off. A June 2020 report wayside.
by EdTech Hub found that, in addition to
ensuring that students can learn at a pace Yes, learning loss must be addressed;
that makes sense for them, using technology and yes, the need for social emotional
to provide personalized learning “appears to learning in schools is greater now than
offer significant promise to improve learning ever before. But this cannot come at
outcomes, including potentially ‘out-of-class’ the expense of ensuring that there
and ‘out-of-school’ learning,” and that it can are systems in place that can adapt to
be effective in “closing educational gaps for ongoing shifts in where, when, and how
lower attaining students, potentially including students learn — and personalization
those returning to school after an absence.” is central to this revolution.

40
In an article for McGraw Hill titled For school leaders, a central requirement
“Personalization’s Role in Post-Pandemic in this evolution is to provide change
Education,” Becky Jones wonders how leadership for teachers as they evolve their
different the COVID shutdowns would practice toward a personalized approach.
have been if personalized learning This could be a steep climb for some
was the norm in education. “Imagine if educators, but as the EdTech Hub report
instead of worrying what page we are notes, tech-enabled personalized learning
on, on a particular day, we had provided “should not be interpreted as decreasing
students with a strong foundation,” she the importance of the teacher, but rather
writes. “If we had taught them to be enhancing it.” Zhao and Watterston break
independent, how to learn, and what the this down further, pointing out that access
expectations were. The idea of asking to technology in education has redefined
them to learn at home might not have the role of teachers and the way students
been as worrisome.” obtain information:
“Teachers no longer need to serve as the instructor, the sole

commander of information to teach the students content
and skills,” they write. “Instead, the teacher serves other
more important roles such as organizer of learning, curator of
learning resources, counselor to students, community organizer,
motivator and project managers of students’ learning.”

41
This reversal of flow, along with the realization that true

personalization is an ongoing process, can cause anxiety
and consternation. Yes, it’s true; personalized learning
can be messy at times, and downright experimental
— but it’s also what’s required to address real student
needs. Putting the onus for developing a learning
trajectory in students’ hands is critical to embedding
key attributes — transferable skills and competencies
like critical questioning and problem solving — and
is equitable by design in that it honors a student’s life
experience and is built around their needs.
An important driver for all of this work

is authentic engagement in learning,
Strategic, systemic changes like
and developing programs that these cannot happen overnight.
activate student passions and help They require buy-in from a wide
them chart a course through school. range of stakeholders, updates to
Pathways programs that allow systems and infrastructure, and most
students to zero in on purposeful of all, support for teachers in the
learning goals that connect to form of opportunities for exposure
their interests pair naturally with to global trends and innovations
personalization, and also serve to within and beyond the realm of
shed light on opportunities students education. But the pandemic
may otherwise be unable to see. This has shown us two things: that
includes apprenticeship and work seemingly immovable things can
placement programs that provide indeed be shifted; and that there
valuable experience and a path to is an urgent need for greater
meaningful work, and postsecondary flexibility and personalization in
opportunities that combine the education. This is an opportunity
development of transferable skills to improve education to truly meet
with the industry connections the needs of learners, and provide
students need to succeed once they tech enabled, authentic, multimodal
graduate. [Learn more on page 62 learning opportunities that deeply
about one such pathways program, engage students and prepare them
being developed by Danbury Public for what lies ahead.
Schools in Connecticut.]
The face of education is changing rapidly, and the Future Design

School team can help you stay ahead of the curve. Connect with us
today at team@futuredesignschool.com

42
The
Anatomy of
Personalized
Learning
and Inquiry
Photo by Katerina Holmes from Pexels
Personalized learning is often described as an important way to meet students

where they are — to activate their existing passions, and help them understand
the relevance of what they learn in school. This is valuable and important, but
the deeper metacognitive purpose of personalization is to instill in students
the value of being proactive when learning, acquiring, and sharpening
transferable skills, and deepening their knowledge and understanding.
For this reason, the critical component of personalized learning, its “secret
sauce,” is that it is learner-led. In this way, personalization stands apart from
differentiated or individualized learning; though valuable and important, both
of these approaches employ a “top-down” model that flows from teacher
to student, instead of the other way around. [See page 46 for a comparison
between differentiated, individualized, and personalized learning.]

43
The Journey Towards Personalized Learning
Embedding this approach is a Students identify interests,

multi-step journey that works 1
strengths, and opportunities, with
best when school leaders coaching from teachers
steer the process — clearly
articulating its purpose, and At the beginning, teachers are deeply
scaffolding and supporting involved in setting learning goals
it through professional and helping students chart a course
development for teachers and — the “why” and “how” of learning —
resources for students and but whenever possible, the content
parents. and process is determined by the
students themselves.
The stages of this journey vary
according to the needs of each Students set objectives and
learning community, but here’s 2
participate in the design of their
a breakdown of three common own learning pathways
phases of personalized learning
implementation: At this stage, the deeper
metacognitive component of
personalization comes into focus,
as students take on determining the
“why” and “how” of what they learn
— guided by ongoing feedback and
assessment from their teachers.
Competency based models are

3
s applied to develop transferable
skills through personalization
At this vital stage, future ready

attributes, often described as
competency based models, are
made visible to students — and
they are given the opportunity
to demonstrate and articulate
these competencies authentically,
through their personalized learning
journeys. [See page 12 for more
about attribute development and
measurement.]

44
Exceptional Learning Through

Authentic Personalized Inquiry
Recognizing a need to combine experiential learning,
personalization, and the development of transferable skills and
attributes, the Future Design School team developed Authentic
Personalized Inquiry — an approach to learning that requires
students to engage in real world problems, develop innovative
solutions to those problems, and present their findings to an
audience outside the classroom or school.
Here are some key characteristics of this approach >>
Photo by Jeswin Thomas from Unsplash
PROBLEM DRIVEN
Finding connections between real world problems and curriculum
expectations makes for authentic learning experiences. With that in mind,
Authentic Personalized Inquiry experiences are focused around students
solving a problem; all the learning that occurs links back to that core
problem and supports students in finding a solution.
CONTINUOUS INQUIRY
As students work to address the overall problem, they will develop
more wonderings and questions as they are faced with new learning.
Each question they develop through this process will serve to enhance
their learning of the topic or problem they are studying. Ongoing
inquiry allows students to think deeper and learn more about the
problem they are looking to solve.
STUDENT CHOICE & VOICE

Providing student choice means allowing learners to take control of
their own goal setting, and choose what topics, learning processes,
and products they will pursue — all in service of driving inquiry.
Throughout the learning process, students are encouraged to draw
upon their own cultural and/or traditional knowledge, in addition
to various experiences and points of view, and lend their individual
voices to their learning. Their own lived experiences are important,
and students should feel like they have the opportunity to share and
draw connections between what they are learning and their own lives.

45
ONGOING ASSESSMENT & ITERATION

It is important to provide opportunities for ongoing assessment throughout
the learning process. Changing assessment practices is critical to driving
this change in teaching and learning; we need to start measuring what
matters, and actioning what we learn. Students should be given regular
opportunities to learn from their mistakes and identify their own next steps.
Authentic Personalized Inquiry places a greater focus on the process than
the product; therefore it is important to provide students with opportunities
to reflect on their learning and make changes as they go. As students
build their solutions, they should be able to see how they have improved,
changed, and iterated on their ideas. Throughout the process, students are
continuously seeking feedback and iterating on their products to improve
knowledge, understanding, and application of their learning.
MEANINGFUL REFLECTION
Meaningful reflection is distinct in that it challenges students to deeply
explore what they learned about how they learn, and then connect that
new understanding to their development on an ongoing basis. For it to
be effective, meaningful reflection should happen at different stages
throughout the learning process, and should help students identify where
they have been with their learning, and where they need to go next.
INDIVIDUAL MASTERY
Students will master future ready skills throughout this process by using
them to direct their learning. For example, as part of a meaningful reflection
exercise, they will consider how they refined their critical thinking skills
throughout a learning experience. In addition, students will continue to
develop their own personal skills as they work to combine the passion and
purpose of what they are working to solve.
REAL SOLUTIONS
Students will apply their knowledge of what they know and understand in
order to solve real problems and develop real solutions. They will produce
results that connect their learning to themselves, their community, and the
world. This provides students with the opportunity to share their learning
(online or in person) with a wider audience — parents, school leaders, and
local community stakeholders. In coming up with and sharing real solutions,
students will continue to develop the skill of empathy as they identify and
respond to unmet needs.

46
COMPARING
DIFFERENTIATED, INDIVIDUALIZED,
AND PERSONALIZED LEARNING
Though commonly associated with differentiated or individualized learning models,
personalization is unique in its approach and application in classrooms. The critical
difference lies in the fact that it is learner-led — students are at the center of all
stages of the learning process. Here’s how it breaks down >>
What does teaching and learning look like?

DIFFERENTIATED INDIVIDUALIZED PERSONALIZED
Starts with groups of Starts with the pre-identified Starts with the learner;
learners needs of individual learners learning connects with
personal interests and
Content, product, process, Materials, resources, and passions
or learning environment is strategies are adapted to
adapted to meet the needs support the learner’s unique The learner plays an
of learners learning styles. Often these active role in the learning
needs are recognized process, working closely
through evaluatory with the teacher to
measures (e.g., IEPs) develop learning goals
What role does the learner play in directing their learning?

Instruction varies to meet Instruction is based on the Student voice and choice
the needs of a group of needs of the learner, and is central to the learning
learners to ensure they are generally the learning is trajectory
learning in an efficient and passive
productive manner The teacher acts as a
Teachers customize learning “coach” or facilitator by
Often the teacher still tasks based on individual supporting students to
chooses the topics and needs uncover how they learn
determines how students best, and how they
should demonstrate their choose to demonstrate
learning evidence of learning
Adapted from the report “Personalization vs. Differentiation vs. Individualization” by

Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey, Personalize Learning LLC

47
How are learning objectives determined?

Groups of learners have the Though the path to success Learning objectives are
same objectives based on of the objective is paced agreed upon by teacher
need and learning styles differently for each student, and student — they are
most learners have the different for everyone,
Lessons and resources can same objectives as they are created with
be modified or changed student voice and choice
to meet different learning in mind
needs
Students take greater
ownership of their
learning
What tools and resources do learners use?

Tools and resources are Tools and resources are Students self-select the
selected by the teacher, generally recommended by tools and resources they
and given to specific groups the teacher, and sometimes wish to use
based on their needs and an outside professional
the task at hand Teachers help students
Tools respond to the understand tools, leverage
Learners look to their pre-identified needs and technology, and connect
teacher as the main source strengths of the learner with external stakeholders
of their learning to deepen learning
How is learning assessed?

Students submit responses Requirements are Assessment is ongoing;

to teacher generated determined by the teacher students iterate based on
questions, usually with a based on student strengths feedback as they work
choice between one of and needs, and assessment toward their self identified
several formats data is provided in a goal, and advance upon
standard format mastery of the underlying
Grades are provided on a skill or competency
fixed scale or rubric
Future Design School has deep experience in helping learning

communities embed a personalized approach. Contact us at
team@futuredesignschool.com to learn more about how we
can make a difference for your students.

48
Kingsway
College School
FINDING YOUR
PLACE AND BLAZING
YOUR PATH
Photo provided via Kingsway College School
For Kingsway College School (KCS), September marked the culmination of a

longstanding dream, and the beginning of an exciting new journey. In fall 2021,
the Toronto independent school welcomed the first students in its Senior School
— a unique high school program focused on place-based learning and providing
personalized support to students as they explore their individual passions.

49
The vision for a secondary program has been in the works at KCS for most of its 32-year history,
explains Head of Senior School Andrea Fanjoy, and the model is a profound reflection of the
school’s focus on authentic student leadership and its “Four Doors to Learning”: academics, arts,
athletics, and citizenship. The centerpiece is the new KCS Path Program — a sustained personal
inquiry initiative that builds transferable skills as students explore an interest or topic of their
choice. Future Design School has been a champion of the KCS Senior School development
journey since the early days of its inception.
THIS IS “When students begin in Grade 9, they will be asked what their
ALL ABOUT passion is,” Fanjoy says. “It can literally be any topic under the
BUILDING sun — and it can change, because life is like that. But they will be
ATTRIBUTES supported in learning about their topic from an academic, artistic,
THAT HELP athletic, and citizenship perspective — which is an interesting
THEM IN creative thinking exercise.” Every Wednesday afternoon, KCS
WHATEVER Senior School students will engage in their Path topic through
THEY DO
personalized, inquiry-based exploration, experiential opportunities,
and collaborative investigations that come together in a learning
portfolio that showcases their development of key skills and
culminate in a creative impact project that each student will
complete by the end of Grade 11.
The KCS Path Program One seed that grew into “There’s no question we have
is an exciting way to the Senior School learning a curriculum that needs to
use personalization as model was planted back be taught — that needs the
a tool to help students in 2015, when Fanjoy time and the expertise that
build future ready engaged with Future teachers bring,” Fanjoy says.
skills like problem Design School to launch
solving, critical thinking, KCS by Design — a
“But we need to
creativity, stewardship, working group of students
do more. We need
and entrepreneurialism. and teachers who came
to carve out time
“We see this model together to use human
and opportunities
connecting the dots centered design principles
where students can
between what students to generate new ideas
start learning how
are capable of, what on how to deepen
to be independent,
they want, and what will differentiated instruction
intrinsically motivated
help them have more at Kingsway College
learners. They’ll learn
agency and control in School. The results led
more about themselves,
their school experience,” to programs in the Junior
and they will absolutely
Fanjoy says. “All of the School that support and
develop the attributes
evidence suggests mirror the principles
that they will need when
this will help them be of Path, and provide
they go to university,
successful. This is all engaging, personalized
and in whatever they do
about building attributes opportunities to extend
— quite literally — for
that help them in student learning beyond
the rest of their lives.”
whatever they do.” required courses.

50
Photo provided via Kingsway College School
It’s a deeply authentic approach, made even “It is about looking

more so by the fact that KCS embraces a
place-based, experiential lens to learning, in
outside of the textbooks
which the city of Toronto is adopted as a giant and typical resources,
classroom and a strong focus is placed on observing what’s around
connecting with people and places outside you, engaging with the
the school’s walls. This means field trips people in that place —
large and small — the Senior School’s new which is a big part of our
campus is located next to Lake Ontario and a model — and learning
city-spanning shoreline recreation trail — and
connecting students with networks of experts
about what is happening.
and supporters, including school partners and Everything about our
members of the KCS parent community. place can connect to
a course, there’s no
For Fanjoy, the benefits are self-evident. “It’s question. It’s up to the
easy to see that if a student spends the bulk of school culture, and making
their early life in the confines of the school, that sure the supports and the
is much more limited than what they would get
out of getting out of the school,” she says.
processes to facilitate that
connection are in place.”

51
It’s here, too, that The innovative mindset “Future Design School is playing
personalization comes to that Fanjoy and the KCS a huge role on a global scale to
life at KCS, as students’ team are bringing to the support that activity, and KCS
own neighborhoods and new Senior School project has been a big beneficiary. We
lived experiences are is refreshing and inspiring, need people like the people
brought to bear on what, but it’s no accident. It was at Future Design School, and
where, and how they learn. consciously cultivated over others, to help us achieve what
So far, this has meant time, through a dedication we all got into the profession to
everything from exploring to experimentation and achieve. We got into it to do our
local geographies to bringing many voices best for kids. We care a lot, and
engaging with a French to the table — and the want to do what’s right. But we
organization near the entire community is need help, and this is a classic
school to understand now reaping its rewards. example of what happens when
language and culture. In “This is a great time to you take the educators, and
this way, teachers are able be an educator,” Fanjoy the people who want to make
to help students connect says. “It’s a demanding a difference, and you add a
deeply with learning time, no question, but relationship with someone who
goals, and see themselves there is a growing, global brings an external expertise to
— their passions, community that is working the table. Really special things
perspectives, and histories to move education can happen, and that’s what’s
— reflected in their work. forward. happening.”
Future Design School brings a vision and

a perspective that our profession needs
and benefits from right now. Their tools
and practices are straightforward — all the
elements that they have brought to KCS are
things that we’re going to keep using on our
ANDREA FANJOY own. They made a transformative exercise
Head of Senior School
Kingsway College School into something that is really practical. There’s
no question they are committed. They are
there for us, and that’s what we need; there’s
just no question that this is a big effort we’re
involved in, and we’re extremely grateful
that Future Design School is involved.

52
VALUING THE JOURNEY:
A New Approach to
Personalized Assessment
Educators are no longer the exclusive holders of knowledge; rather, they
are facilitators of learning, mentors in skill development, and coaches
of deep questioning. Educators are gifted with the opportunity to truly
impact the course of the student journey.
Personalization in education is the most important manifestation of this

evolution, and as school leaders implement this new approach, one
question they are often asked is how to assess a personalized learning
experience. Clearly, creating a custom test or essay question for each
student is neither practical nor engaging — and what’s more, it is
antithetical to the notion of personalization as a learner led journey of
inquiry, discovery, action, and reflection.

JOURNEY BASED
ASSESSMENT
Personalized learning is a deep reexamination of the trajectory of

learning, and needs an assessment revolution to match.
Journey Based Assessment, a term coined by Future Design

School, addresses this need by taking the full learning process
into consideration. This empowers our students to push
themselves, seek out inspiration, understand what it is they
want to achieve, and learn to set their own goals. It fosters
resilience and perseverance to achieve greatness by
supporting students to learn from failures and prepare
them for a future that they want.

54
THE PROBLEM:
Playing the “game of school”
Traditional assessment is often presented in black and white terms: there are right and wrong
answers, and prescribed ways of attaining the “A” grade. Educators are expected to give tests and
assign summative and culminating tasks that are the same or similar for most of their students.
When “choice” is given, it is usually in the form of selecting from a predetermined list of topics
or products; the assessment method and criteria, however, is the same for everyone. But this
approach is limited. It can hinder the demonstration of student growth and can actually restrict
educators in truly understanding students’ many layers of learning.
Static assessment prompts many

students to play the “game of
school” rather than focusing on
what really matters: what and
how they learn. More and more
students now suffer from test
anxiety, while others fall prey to
related issues that actually get in
the way of their learning. Despite
this, many districts and institutions
still use static assessment to
judge student ability. The “game”
of school needs to change.
When students are Students who feel successful Learners who do not typically
focused on being the stop taking the risks that achieve high-level or at-level
best, or finding the “right” will actually improve their grades are at risk of developing
answers, there are many learning and deepen their a sense of learned helplessness
missed opportunities understanding, and instead in their ability to succeed in
— not only for students, work toward achieving the school. It is no secret the impact
but for educators as “A” that they know how to get. grades have on the overall
well. Teachers should be This becomes limiting for educational experience of some
working on identifying them, and the focus becomes of these learners; however, it
how to best support and so weighted in a letter or can also have an impact on the
engage their learners in number that the purpose of trajectory of the opportunities
ways that are meaningful. learning no longer becomes that they might feel are available
However, static relevant. Thus, any meaning to them. More importantly,
assessment often leads or passion surrounding high-stakes static assessments
students to self-identify as a topic becomes further can eventually take a toll on the
“good” or “bad” at learning. disconnected from the way some students feel about
In either case, there are learning; the “A” becomes the themselves and the value of
consequences. passion and the goal. their education.

55
THE OPPORTUNITY:
Assess the journey, prepare for the future
It’s time to shift our assessment pedagogy to understand how our students learn, and
leverage that information to search for opportunities to inspire our students’ journeys
— teaching skills, competencies, and content along the way.
Assessments need to measure future ready attributes, including curiosity, ambition,

resourcefulness, stewardship, and empathy. Assessment must support, motivate,
empower, and excite students to uncover new opportunities. Effective assessment
promotes responsible risk taking, and encourages learners to embrace the ambiguity
that learning and problem solving requires. It should empower students to identify
their strengths, acknowledge areas of opportunity to deepen their learning, and excite
them to find new interests or applications of their learning.
For educators, assessment ought to help determine how to best support each
individual student. It should provide a holistic view of student progress and support
transitions between educators, institutions, and years of school.
This requires a shift in thinking about the role of a teacher to embody the key attributes of a
coach. In sports, coaches consistently look for ways to improve their athletes, and they work
together to pursue unique approaches to help athletes become the best that they can be
by teaching them how to push themselves further. Coaches focus on skill development,
physical health, mental readiness, and teamwork. Approaching learning with this mindset
creates a space for students to take the lead to direct their learning, knowing that they have
the support of a trusted and knowledgeable adult to provide guidance along the way.
Leveraging proven practice such

TRIANGULATION OF EVIDENCE as the assessment cycle and
the triangulation of evidence to
determine student success is key to
CONVERSATION the process. Gathering evidence of
learning in the form of conversations,
observations, and products allows
educators to form a greater holistic
understanding of what students know
in relation to the subject at hand.
It allows for greater explanation,
showcases skill level, and creates
PRODUCT OBSERVATION an opportunity for educators to truly
understand their students.

What is hindering educators
from changing their practice?
Change leadership is essential at this moment to help
teachers evolve their assessment practices.
Debunking the following four myths is an important step in

the process of shifting to Journey Based Assessment.
Journey Based Assessment allows educators to create the

conditions for deep personalized assessment and learning,
MYTH ONE: but does not mean creating individual tools for each student.
Rather, it’s about leveraging meaningful tools in a way that
“I will have students and educators can demonstrate growth, and
continuously promote new learning. Future Design School’s
to create assessment tools enable educators to easily understand
personalized individual needs and how to drive learning forward.
assessment
Deep, personalized, holistic assessment, when done well,
tools for all actually services educators with more time to focus on
learners” individual students and can make an incredible impact on
the student journey. This journey should not only be about
the student experience in one particular class or subject; as
this practice evolves, Journey Based Assessment should be
leveraged throughout the students’ entire educational journey,
growing and changing with the individual student, preparing
them for their future, and instilling in them a sense of
understanding, direction, and pride in their accomplishments.
While Journey Based Assessment creates opportunity in

many forms, the open dialogue between educators and
students is one of the most valuable impacts. Journey Based
Assessment creates space and focus for dialogue between
educators and students. Naturally, this assessment approach
leads to a more holistic understanding of each learner.

57
The world is changing rapidly, and postsecondary

admissions requirements are evolving along
MYTH TWO: with it. Transcripts and test scores are being
augmented by an increased focus on qualitative
“Postsecondary assessments that prioritize applicants who
demonstrate authentic passion, exhibit a diverse
education admissions range of interests, and provide evidence that they
departments will not are developing key attributes that will carry them
accept alternative through and beyond their postsecondary careers.
In the years to come, more and more colleges and
forms of assessment” universities will be looking for students who can
demonstrate transferable skills. Journey Based
Assessment is purpose-built to help students
develop and showcase these future ready
attributes — on a college application, in a job
interview, in their communities, and beyond.
Deep assessment requires time, but it doesn’t need

to take more time than writing and grading quizzes,
MYTH THREE: tests, or essays. The transition into Journey Based
Assessment appears more time consuming than it
“Journey Based actually is, and in fact it actually creates more time
and space for gathering deeper insights on student
Assessment takes needs, and making more meaningful connections.
up more time However, there are specific factors to consider when
than traditional implementing this in a classroom.
assessment” Timely feedback is crucial for students. This is

why consistent conversation, observation, and
product assessments are so critical; they provide
that opportunity to dig deeper, in the moment.
Ensuring that educators have multiple examples
of student learning is the key to success in Journey
Based Assessment. Co-creating documentation
tools and criteria can be a highly effective first step
to assist educators and students alike to make the
shift into rich assessment practice. When outlining
expectations and criteria with students, their ability
to not only achieve success, but navigate the
learning by leveraging their own choice and voice
becomes clearer.

58
Students should be Conducting diverse types of

able to communicate assessment, over time, allows
MYTH FOUR: challenges they have educators to capture growth
encountered, and and identify misconceptions
“I won’t have how they overcame early. This enables educators
concrete adversity, while still to address issues and have a
addressing the curricular greater understanding of the
evidence learning goals they overall process of the student’s
of student demonstrated. They learning journey. Journey Based
should be able to Assessment practitioners value
learning” stay on track, but find and assess the journey of learning
opportunities to be over the end product, creating a
innovative and think detailed, safe, and evolutionary
Journey Based
deeply. Most of all, understanding of learning —
Assessment is ongoing.
they should enjoy their alongside their learners.
Students and teachers
learning.
should be curating
However, though this type of
meaningful evidence
Journey Based evidence based assessment
of learning over time.
Assessment is also about is crucial, educators must also
This cannot simply be
creating the conditions consider the cadence and cycle of
grades or samples of
for which students can when (and for what purpose) the
tests, but rather rich
demonstrate and identify assessment will be used. Engaging
evidence and examples
the transferability of skills. students in the assessment
of what students can
Tracking the growth of cycle empowers them to identify
do, how they approach
skills and competencies further opportunities to deepen
challenges, the
over time allows students their learning, with the support
iterations they make
to recognize patterns and of rich, descriptive feedback,
along the way, and how
identify how and when ongoing moments for deep
they are developing
they have leveraged self and peer assessment, and
character. Journey
skills in new and different ample opportunities for iteration
Based Assessment
ways. Tracking learning, and refinement. Journey Based
provides substantive
competencies, and skills Assessment promotes greater
evidence of where each
will enable students student agency, while also
student is within their
to connect the use of teaching students the iterative
own development of
various skills in different nature of learning, problem
specific competencies.
situations. solving, and teamwork.
59
Tests are bad because they cause a lot of stress and don’t
actually show your teachers what you are capable of.
We know that this can be true. Tests are not always reflective
of what students are able to achieve, but rather demonstrate
their test-taking skills. Many students who know how to earn
an excellent grade on a test may not actually retain the
What this information long term, thus nullifying the application of skills
student says… and/or knowledge.
These excerpts
from a speech Also, sometimes people will spend hours and hours
by a 6th Grade studying for a test and once the test is done they forget
student provide everything they ever did, so it is really useless to spend all
amazing insight those hours and have so much stress and then you forget
everything that you learn.
into how many
students view the Tests are also bad because they take away time from
traditional “test” as being outside, socializing and playing — and when you
an assessment tool. have a test you are stuck inside memorizing worksheets
The student pulls instead of enjoying your life.
from his personal
experiences
Memorization or rote learning not only fails to serve as a
and shares his
meaningful way to learn, but also takes time away from
interpretations of students’ lives in many more ways and devalues important
the experiences of learning that takes place outside of the classroom. The
others. opportunities to socialize, be active, and participate in the
greater community have an incredible impact not only on
youth as learners, but also their wellbeing.
When people have tests all they do is study because

they are worried that [they will fail].
Tests are useless because a lot of people think that if

you do bad on a test you will never get a good job or
go to a good high school. In reality, if you do bad on
one test it’s not the end of the world.
A lot of people think that standardized tests are

so important. If you think about it they are really
useless, as all they are really testing is the teachers,
but maybe the teacher is doing everything right and
their students are not the best kids at doing tests.

60
School can cause a lot of anxiety and Mental wellness, or social emotional learning, is
other mental health issues and tests an urgent issue at schools across North America.
are one of the reasons that may There is an obvious connection between high stakes
cause people to get anxiety issues. assessments such as a test and student anxiety.
Yes, learners need to develop resiliency, and must
School boards should try for one have the skills and competencies to cope with stress
year to have no tests at all and and anxiety. However, is a test the best way to teach
then see at the end of the year if and learn those skills? As adults, our skills and
the kids were any better or worse. competencies are tested and developed daily through
What you might see is happier kids our actions and experiences. We receive feedback
coming to school, less stressed kids, from others on how to improve upon the task we have
more time outside and kids that are set out to accomplish and achieve the next goal,
more interested in learning and less and we work alongside others to do so. Effective
worried about their marks. assessment is ongoing and collaborative.
I think the students should start a club where they give ideas to teachers and principals
about what they think would make learning better, because the teachers would then
[understand] what kids are feeling and this would also make kids more interested in learning.
I’m pretty sure most kids don’t think they learn much from taking tests but maybe they
could come up with other ideas for how to figure out if they are doing fine in school.
[T]ests are not necessary and there are many options besides tests that teachers and
principals should seriously consider in order to help kids do better in school.
Understanding learners, and empowering them to take ownership of how they learn and how
they showcase their learning, will benefit not only the learner, but the educator as well. Ensuring
that we know our community of learners — their needs, motivations, and interests — will allow
educators to better meet their students where they are in order to propel them to where they want
to be.
Jump start Journey Based Assessment at your school
• Educators as coaches: Build challenge based experiences

• Employ the assessment cycle and triangulation of evidence
• Promote risk taking in student learning
• Assess skills & competencies alongside curricular content
• Personalize assessment: Empower student choice and voice, exploring
true differentiation
Get started today: Contact us at team@futuredesignschool.com to learn more

about how to embed Journey Based Assessment in your learning community.

61
STRATEGIC PLANNING
YOUR FULL SERVICE

STRATEGIC PARTNER
Future Design School’s strategic development

team brings insight from industry and wide ranging
experience in education to articulate and operationalize
your school’s or district’s unique trajectory.
DESIGN ESTABLISH BUILD ENGAGE

effective strategy shared vision action plans in deep PD
COACH ASSESS UNCOVER CREATE

and support teams current initiatives new opportunities new resources
Our sustained, supportive approach brings school and community stakeholders

together to build consensus and foster deep connections. We embed strategic
goals in all aspects of teaching and learning through innovative resources and
engaging professional development programs.
Connect with us today and bring your future ready strategy to life:
team@futuredesignschool.com
62
PATHWAYS,
PORTRAITS,
AND PROGRESS
Danbury Public
Schools
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
Danbury Public Schools in Connecticut engaged with Future Design

School to bring to life a bold vision: developing a new approach to high
school. The resulting Career Academy Model is an immersive, personalized
learning experience that cultivates the skills and competencies embodied
in the district’s Community Portrait of a Graduate, and provides practical
experience in high-demand local job sectors.

63
In many ways, Danbury is emblematic of school districts across North America. It serves
a diverse student population, and strives to make deep connections between its schools
and the wider community to address inequity and give students the tools they need to be
future ready. “Our graduation rates speak for themselves,” says Dr. Kara Quinn Casimiro,
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. “Our students from low socioeconomic
backgrounds, [often] minority students, do not graduate at the same rates as their white
peers from higher socioeconomic levels.”
In response, Casimiro and her team zoomed out to reexamine the purpose of education itself.
“What does a real education look like, versus a student who knows how to ‘play school’ —
and who’s best served by these types of environments?” she asks. “ We’re really aiming to get
that hands-on, authentic experience, and high levels of student engagement, which in turn
will lead to academic success and greater preparation for the future. There’s definitely room
for growth in what we’re offering kids.”
The new Danbury Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate and learning

continuum is focused on developing five critical attributes:
1. ADVOCACY The district has identified ideal states for student growth in
2. COLLABORATION each of these areas, and is working with Future Design School
3. COMMUNICATION to build a progression of measurable skill development
4. INNOVATION across grade bands. From there, a robust professional
5. LEARNING learning program will support teachers to implement this
vision in classrooms — reimagining the learning experience
to cultivate attribute development with students.
One exciting manifestation of Danbury’s new vision is its Career Academy Model. Starting in
2024, high school students in the district will build future ready attributes in a personalized
and deeply engaging context, by attending one of six academies:
Information Technology Scientific Innovation Art, Engineering,

and Cyber Security and Medicine and Design
Professional and Global Enterprise Communications

Public Service and Economics and Design
Each academy includes a set of industry-informed pathways for students to

pursue — the Information Technology and Cyber Security academy, for example,
contains pathways devoted to teaching and education, culinary arts, justice and
law, and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps leadership.

64
While some pathways in Danbury’s

new Academy model lead students
toward postsecondary education,
some lead directly to apprenticeships
or the workplace — a need identified
through conversations with the students
themselves. “There was a lot of student
voice that started to identify areas of
need and growth in our system,” says
We’ve built a lot of
Melissa Nadeau, STEM Curriculum
excitement, and we’ve Administrator at Danbury. “They felt that
included board members they needed more guidance on what
in a way we haven’t really they can do with their lives after high
school that did not just involve college,
done before. We’ve
and that was pretty powerful.”
really engaged them in
this process, and that’s The consultation process in developing
one of the ways we used the Portrait and the Academy model
was broad and deep. Students, parents,
Future Design School. I
teachers, school and district leaders, and
need 12 board members local job providers were all brought to the
who can go out in the table, leading to a fulsome plan that was
community, and rub met with wide support and enthusiasm.
elbows with everybody “There was no pushback, and that’s
because people heard their voice in
that they can. Future our plan,” Casimiro explains. “It was
Design School helped us planned by design to address everyone’s
bring people to the same concerns and hopes and dreams, so that
spot of understanding, when we presented it, it was the perfect
plan because everyone’s voices were
and to have them have reflected.”
some stake in the game
and feel like they have Ensuring teacher and student
ownership of it — that engagement in this major change was
particularly important. To that end,
they’ve come to this Danbury will be leveraging technology
conclusion that this is the to connect artifacts from personalized
right thing to do for kids. learning, skill development metrics,
academic progress, and student self
DR. KARA QUINN CASIMIRO reflections. Teachers will have access to
Assistant Superintendent of Teaching all of this information, giving them a wider
and Learning view of how students are progressing —
Danbury Public Schools
and students themselves will also track
their own progress and accomplishments.

65
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
“We educate children at the bare minimum of cost. But what’s

interesting is that, with the work that we have done to this point,
we have talked to more local partners: the health industry; our local
hospital; some manufacturing companies. They are begging to come
to the table to find ways to support us.” - DR. KARA QUINN CASIMIRO
As they move through school, students will develop a demonstrable record of their
accomplishments, which they can use in applications to higher education and to showcase
their skills to potential employers. Identifying and acting on the need for this deep,
personalized tool to track student progress is a powerful example of how the Danbury
leadership team is connecting more deeply with all stakeholders in their midst — and why it’s
so valuable to engage in a facilitated process to bring those voices to the table. “We are the
owners of a vast amount of knowledge for the context with which we work, and there’s power
in that, but you need to break away from the noise of your own perception,” Nadeau says.
“That’s why collaborating with Future Design School was important: it takes away your own
bias that you bring to the table and really provides an equitable system to bring out ideas from
others that maybe wouldn’t have had a voice.”
Engaging with area industries was particularly important and fruitful — especially given
available funding in the district. “In Connecticut, out of 169 towns, we are at the bottom in terms
of pure, per-pupil funding,” Casimiro says. “What that means is that we educate children at
the bare minimum of cost. But what’s interesting is that, with the work that we have done to
this point, we have talked to more local partners: the health industry; our local hospital; some
manufacturing companies. They are begging to come to the table to find ways to support us to
get this off the ground.” As a result of this engagement, both the Portrait and Academy model
Danbury is implementing is informed by local industry and reflects the future ready skills
they’re seeking from current and future employees.

66
“What Future Design And as for concerns about academic rigor

in Academy pathways, Nadeau notes
School facilitated is that authenticity and an interdisciplinary
the beginning of hope approach help reinforce academic concepts
for this community. It in a relatable and personalized way. “There’s
no reason why kids can’t go through an
represents change for inquiry process within a culinary course to
a community whose explore why some breads rise, and some
future depends on the breads do not, and talk about how to bake
the perfect loaf of bread, based on certain
education system.” criteria,” she points out. “That is exactly
what we would do in a science classroom,
MELISSA NADEAU but just applied in a culinary sense — and
STEM Curriculum Administrator I would argue that many students, who
Danbury Public Schools
are sometimes not engaged in the pure
application of a science or mathematical
principles, will find a lot of worth in it when
they can see themselves in their own student
choice of learning in a culinary atmosphere.
They would find more value in that lesson
and allow them to make more connections
between school, community, and work.”
The transformations that Casimiro, Nadeau,

and the Danbury team are making are poised
to make a profound and lasting impact.
“When I look out my window, I think about
the statistic that 40% of my neighbors may
not graduate from high school,” says Nadeau,
who grew up in Danbury. “What Future
Design School facilitated is the beginning
of hope for this community. It represents
change for a community whose future
depends on the education system.”

67
Considerations for
Effective Parent/Guardian
Engagement
School transformation requires leaders to consider the needs, ideas, and
concerns of all stakeholders — inside and outside the classroom. Parents
and guardians in a school community can be the most vocal supporters or
strongest opponents of its vision, so meaningfully engaging with this group and
inspiring them to be allies is critical to the success of a school’s change journey.
We have worked with many schools that are facing resistance, confusion, and
angst from parents in response to proposing or implementing new approaches
like personalized learning and attribute development and measurement. This
resistance takes many forms. Some parents hire tutors to catch students up on
the “basics” when schools are implementing new approaches, which results
in learners being overwhelmed with mixed messages from the adults in their
lives, while others push back on teachers and leadership.
Instead of focusing on trying to come up with

solutions to satisfy all of the reactions, how might
school leaders develop parents into enthusiastic
partners that support a school or district’s
transformation journey?

68
Photo by Alex Andrews from Pexels
STRATEGIC PLANNING
At the strategic planning stages of school

transformation, identifying and engaging
all stakeholder groups is imperative. Effective questioning strategy
Giving parents a voice during this process begins with developing different
will yield favor to school leaders down lists of assumptions for each
the road. Engaging parents can be done stakeholder group to test, such as:
through multiple modalities, including
surveys, focus groups, and requests for How does the parent community
participation in committees that might feel about moving from traditional
leverage particular parents’ expertise. approaches to new methodologies
like attribute development,
Getting to the heart of the reasons why personalized learning, and Journey
a parent community feels a certain Based Assessment?
way will help to support them through Do parents generally support the
the changes to come, by fostering initiatives and the people driving
their own learning and with ongoing the transformation?
communication throughout the change
Has there been a history of
process. It is also a valuable opportunity
successful or challenging changes
to identify champions of change, and in the school or district?
bring them to the table — where they can
then be empowered as advocates for the
future ready vision being imparted.

69
PARENT EDUCATION
Parent education nights, synchronous and

asynchronous virtual offerings, student driven
parent learning opportunities, school and class
websites — there are many ways to educate
parents on the changing nature of teaching and
learning, and the initiatives leaders are looking to
Parent Engagement
drive in their schools and districts.
There are distinct ways
An effective parent learning experience is focused,
to engage parents: at the
hands-on, and relevant — parents should clearly
strategic planning stage
understand why it matters to their child. Ensure
of school transformation;
that they walk away with practical tools that they
through deliberate parent
can leverage to engage their children in talking
education opportunities;
about and sharing their learning experiences.
and during implementation
in a productive manner.
In addition, it’s important to find ways to get
parents to weigh in on their own experiences
and learning needs. Personalized inquiry isn’t
just a classroom strategy; schools need to
leverage these same principles to engage their
communities of parents in the most effective
manner. Furthermore, many parents understand
the skills gaps at the heart of the movement
toward attribute development and measurement,
because they see them in their working lives.
Tapping into this understanding, and leveraging
it as valuable expertise, is a meaningful tool to
generate buy-in.
IMPLEMENTATION
Parents can be the greatest allies and resources in connecting classroom learning to the
real world. They have expertise in a wide range of occupational fields, rich and diverse life
experiences, and connections to vast networks and exciting resources. Leaders who have
an understanding of their parent community outside of being “just parents” serve their
schools and their teachers well.
Parents unable to lend support in person can provide connections to those who can, and
share their stories via video, audio, or in written form. Leverage students to share their family
stories through interviews that they can conduct with their parents at home. This can be
particularly helpful if there might be a language barrier; in these situations, students will
often have a better command of English and will be able to translate rich and important
cultural stories that help to build students’ empathy for others.

70
ONGOING COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY
Parents’ views of what is happening in a school or district will no doubt be colored by their
own educational experiences, and the depth to which they believe educators are being
transparent about their children. Leaders can support their belief in the changes being
made through ongoing communication and transparency, when it is appropriate.
Consider the forms of When making a change in a school or district,

communication that a parent establishing a timeline for implementation, sharing
community is most receptive to, it, and then committing to ongoing updates will
and also the variability of access determine the success level. Leverage parent
within a school’s community. Is education opportunities to attract those who want to
language a barrier? Is access to dig deep into the changes, and ensure that there are
technology (both devices and also high level summaries available to those who are
WiFi) still a barrier, even after unable to participate.
all the work done during the
pandemic to bridge this gap? It’s impossible to please everyone all of the time, but
What is the right timing, cadence, authenticity, good intentions, and transparency —
and consolidation of messaging about the changes themselves, and the rationale for
that needs to be considered for the timing and types of communication — will win
releasing pertinent information? favor with parents and other key stakeholder groups.
Also, human nature requires us to Engaging parents early and often in a school’s change
message key ideas multiple times journey will yield a group of champions that will
before others will hear it. How can support the transformation. Building bridges between
school leaders test to understand schools and parent communities has tremendous
if their communities heard the benefits on climate and culture, and can help make
messages they are sending, and gains that truly get at the heart of preparing students
understood their intent? for the future.
Future Design School team members are leaders in solving complex

challenges. We specialize in user experience design and can work across
all aspects of a school or district. Our proven, data-based inquiry process
engages the entire school community in providing input, empowering
collaborative culture while enabling data-informed decisions. Reach out
at team@futuredesignschool.com to learn more.
71
Manage the Pace to Make the

Case: Change Leadership
in This Moment
In times of reaction to significant challenges, change is especially

difficult. We know people are burnt out, and rightly so; the entire
education universe has been in a reactive state for the past two
years — and in many cases, much longer than that. But we also
know that change is needed, and that this need has never been
more apparent, urgent, and profound.
When we connect with school leaders to develop and implement

new strategic priorities, one of our key areas of focus is to
Here are five ways that
develop resources and plans around making the case for change.
future ready school
This often begins by understanding a community’s propensity leaders manage change
for stepping into new ways of doing things. To that end, we and empower the people
ask questions like this one: How might we manage the pace of who will shape — and
change to ensure it’s embraced by all stakeholders? We want to be shaped by — new
avoid making changes that are detrimental; and ensure that the strategic directions:
timing and approach are embraced.
DO WHAT YOU Forcing change when those downstream of it are not

CAN, WHEN in a place to adopt it is an exercise in futility. Bold and
sweeping are not the same thing; big transformations often
YOU CAN
happen incrementally. Consider testing new concepts as
a pilot project with limited scope before rolling them out
universally, or adapting timelines based on user feedback.
EMPOWER In education today, there are many people at all levels

of influence who are chomping at the bit to bring about
THE OPTIMISTS
transformations to better prepare students for the
TO CREATE future. Empowering these individuals by bringing them
CONSENSUS into the strategic fold can lead to them becoming
powerful advocates who will evangelize the vision and
mission behind a new strategy. The benefit of optimists
as vital consensus builders cannot be overstated.

72
ACKNOWLEDGE Conversely, the level of burnout in education is troublingly

high, and deeply distressing. Student and teacher wellbeing is
AND MAKE SPACE
the primary concern here, and requires due consideration and
FOR BURNOUT ample space. Throughout this Report, we contextualize strategic
AND FRUSTRATION innovations like personalization and attribute development as
opportunities to reclaim and reenergize classrooms and schools.
But people in crisis will have a difficult time embracing this
kind of message, however true it might be. Ensure you pick the
moment and pace that makes sense for your school community.
ADOPT A Transformation breeds new ideas, and sometimes they emerge

from unexpected places. This is a healthy sign, and should be
CULTURE OF
fostered by encouraging experimentation and out-of-the-box
YES thinking. Saying yes to teachers and staff who want to try new
tools and approaches, and collecting data and insights from
their experiments, improves the process of transformation —
and creates new advocates and optimists at the same time.
AVOID “ANALYSIS Given the many other barriers to change, it’s important for
leaders to step beyond the desire to over-analyze new
PARALYSIS” — TAKE
strategies. It’s a common trait in academia, but can have a
THE COURAGEOUS deeply negative impact on motivation. With that in mind,
PATH we often encourage the leaders we work with to embrace a
courageous path, even if that means iterating on approaches
while they’re being implemented. After all, it’s hard to move
forward while standing still.
Ultimately, change leadership in this moment means understanding where to start,

demonstrating empathy, and being willing to adapt and experiment. Just like personalized
learning, the pace of change will vary according to the needs and propensities of the people
affected by it. And just like identifying relevant attributes, the areas of specific focus — and the
measurement criteria and methods — are different for every school and system. But change is
absolutely possible, no matter what clouds are circling overhead. You are not alone — the
movement to bring about the future of education has begun, and it’s growing.
The Future Design School team works with school leaders around the
world who are bringing bold transformations to life. Connect with us today
to activate your future ready strategy: team@futuredesignschool.com

www.futuredesignschool.com
team@futuredesignschool.com
1-800-975-5631
@fdesignschool

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The Future

We support leaders looking to develop unique, personalized

Our proven methodologies combine significant learning

Hundreds of schools and districts have leveraged our seasoned

www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

Letter from Founder & CEO Sarah Prevette 2

ATTRIBUTE DEVELOPMENT & MEASUREMENT

The Movement Towards Attribute Development and Measurement 6

Now, More Than Ever: Personalization and Future Ready Learning 36

Considerations for Effective Parent/Guardian Engagement 67

www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

A Note From Our Founder & CEO

www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

SARAH PREVETTE has developed transformational strategy for some

SANDRA NAGY has dedicated her career to driving innovation

LESLIE MCBETH is an educator on a mission to answer the question:

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The State of Education

Higher education is responding to this with an increased

Here’s a look at some statistics

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SCOPE OF THE SKILLS GAP WHAT EMPLOYERS

WHAT WORKERS ARE SAYING IMPACT ON HIRING

47% 2/3 of global employers

Soft skills U.S. workers gained in the past year

80% of U.S. employers

BARRIERS TO TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

55.4% 46.7% 41.4%

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Photo by Jason Goodman from Unsplash

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We are in the midst of a skills revolution:

A common critique of traditional approaches

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Now here’s the good news: not only is it possible to embed

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This last point is especially important,

Though school leaders don’t have a

Photo by Jason Goodman from Unsplash

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DANBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ADVOCACY COLLABORATION COMMUNICATION INNOVATION LEARNING

FOUNDATION PUBLIC SCHOOL

www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

PEWAUKEE SCHOOL DISTRICT

CATEGORY PURPOSE ATTRIBUTES

Contribute Actively participate in the • Citizenship

Create Develop and implement solutions to • Innovation

Compete Strive to maximize performance by • Knowledge

Connect Respectfully working with others in • Collaboration

Commit Internal drive and desire required to • Personal Responsibility

Care Ability to manage one’s health and • Wellness

Engage with Create or revisit Measure what Build dashboards

Get started today. Email team@futuredesignschool.com to book a meeting

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESS

How to Build and

Rather, an attribute-based approach means engaging a wide range

www.futuredesignschool.com | 1-800-975-5631 | team@futuredesignschool.com

At this stage, school leaders consider how they might:

Surface examples of Engage with nearby Consult with

Once a list of aligned competencies has been created, socialize it widely,

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2. Measure What Matters —