CCSSO EdSteps Initiative and Asia Society Partnership for
Global Learning
Both the Partnership for 21st Century Learning and the Committee on Defining Deeper Learning
and 21st Century Skills include skills related to global or cultural awareness, appreciation of diversity,
and collaboration with others. Similarly, recognizing that global competence is crucial for living and
working in the global era of the 21st century, the Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO),
in collaboration with the Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning, commissioned a task force to
identify the capacities of a globally competent student. Global competence is defined as “the capacity
and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance” (Mansilla and Jackson 2011,
xiii). The task force determined that students who are globally competent can perform the following:
- Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and
conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research - Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives
thoughtfully and respectfully - Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic,
ideological, and cultural barriers - Take action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating
reflectively
21st Century Skills and the Standards
Both the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards are designed to support the
development of broadly literate students who have the capacities of literate individuals necessary for
success in college, careers, and civic participation in today’s
world (CDE 2013b, 6). (See chapter 1 of this ELA/ELD
Framework.) Development of 21st century skills is crucial for
the realization of this goal, and many 21st century skills are
integrated into the CCR Anchor Standards, the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy, and the CA ELD Standards. Thus, as teachers
support students’ achievement of these standards, they
are at the same time supporting the development of many
21st century skills, and vice versa. Figure 10.4 displays the
alignment between the capacities of literate individuals and
a sampling of 21st century skills identified by the Partnership
for 21st Century Skills (P21), the Committee on Defining
Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills (DL), and the
CCSSO EdSteps Initiative and Asia Society Partnership for
Global Learning (GL). The 21st century skills included in the
figure are representative, not exhaustive.
Both the CA CCSS for
ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD
Standards are designed to
support the development of
broadly literate students who
have the capacities of literate
individuals necessary for
success in college, careers, and
civic participation in today’s
world.21st Century Learning Chapter 10 | 941