Skills for the Future Pilot

Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green Celebrates SFF Pilot

The Skills for the Future Grant: Cultivating and Measuring Durable Skills for Sustainable Success in Work and Society, is a pioneering $4M USED funded initiative designed to help students master the essential skills they need to thrive beyond high school. This unique partnership between NCDPI, ETS, AASA, UNC Chapel Hill, and the Carnegie Foundation focuses on the development of the NC Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) skills. With an emphasis on student collaboration, the aim of this pilot is to prepare students for the broadest range of postsecondary college and career opportunities.

In September 2026, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has been awarded an additional nearly $4 million from the U.S. Department of Education to expand Skills for the Future.  "The award advances Pillar 1 of Achieving Educational Excellence, the State Board of Education and NCDPI's strategic plan: preparing each student for their next phase in life," said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice "Mo" Green.  "North Carolina's Portrait of a Graduate names the skills that phase requires. Skills for the Future is a way we help students build those skills, prove they have them and carry that proof with them when they leave us. This award means we can bring that work to more classrooms, more teachers and more students across the state."

By leveraging AI-powered analytics, performance tasks, and real-world evidence from inside and outside the classroom, this grant aims to pilot a scalable, student-centered measurement system that complements traditional transcripts with skill-based insights.

7 Districts and 4 Charter Schools across NC have participated in Cohorts 1 - 3 of the pilot.  The pilot includes: 

  • Professional development and networking opportunities for secondary educators to embed Collaboration and other durable skills into their classrooms, schools, and districts led by AASA
  • Student identified authentic artifacts showcasing their durable skill growth
  • ETS designed platform including multi-source evidence capture, AI assisted insights, and validated scoring rubrics. 
  • Community Partnership opportunities to bring stakeholders together
  • Creating a supplemental durable skill "Future Ready Transcript" 

The current system of measuring student success, centered around seat-time and GPA, misses a broader set of capabilities that truly matter in life and work. Employers consistently seek durable skills like collaboration and adaptability, yet these are not captured in traditional assessments.

The Skills for the Future project addresses this gap by helping educators and systems validate and elevate the broader competencies that students need to thrive, particularly students who are historically underserved or who gain valuable experience outside of academic settings.

SFF Information and Resources

Districts participating in Cohorts 1 - 3
  • Iredell-Statesville Schools 
  • Mooresville Graded School District 
  • Caldwell County Schools
  • Edgecombe County Public Schools
Districts and Charter Schools participating in Cohorts 2 - 3
  • Kannapolis City Schools
  • NEAAAT
Districts and Charter Schools participating in Cohort 3
  • Gaston County Schools
  • Martin County Schools
  • Lake Norman Charter School
  • Pioneer Springs Community School
  • Northeast Carolina Prep Academy

Kristine Barberio, Skills for the Future Project Coordinator - kristine.barberio@dpi.nc.gov
Dr. Shaun Kellogg, Office of Research and Promising Practice Senior Director - shaun.kellogg@dpi.nc.gov

Susie Bell, ETS - Executive Director, Programs - sabell@ets.org

Dr. Shannon King, AASA - Chief Learning Officer - sking@aasa.org

Dr. Ethan Hutt - UNC Chapel Hill - Program Director, Minor in Education - ehutt@unc.edu

David Sherer - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching - Director, Impact Lab - dsherer@carnegiefoundation.org

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This page was last modified on 09/18/2026