Skills for the Future Grant

Cultivating & Measuring Durable Skills for Sustainable Success

The Skills for the Future Grant: Cultivating and Measuring Durable Skills for Sustainable Success in Work and Society is a $4 million U.S. Department of Education initiative led by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) in partnership with ETS, Battelle for Kids, and the Carnegie Foundation. This pioneering effort supports the development of tools and assessments that promote essential “durable skills” such as collaboration, critical thinking, communication, adaptability, and responsibility, and is aligned with the NC Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) skills. 

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.

Why It Matters

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.

Project Goals

This initiative is designed to support students, educators, and systems by:

• Developing a fully functional "Skills Suite" focused on collaboration
• Training and supporting 400 educators through professional learning and networked improvement communities
• Creating real-time dashboards and personalized feedback for students and families
• Facilitating Community Partnership Networks and statewide engagement events
• Issuing durable skills transcripts for 6,000 high school students

The suite will include multi-source evidence capture, AI-assisted insights, validated scoring rubrics, and accessible user portals for students, families, and educators.

Eligibility & Participation 

North Carolina public school districts and charter schools can apply to participate in one of 3 cohorts of high school educators and administrators beginning in the Fall of 2025 (Cohort 1), followed by Spring 2026 (Cohort 2), and Fall 2026 (Cohort 3). 

Each cohort receives the following supports over two academic semesters:

• Access to the Skills Suite and durable skill assessments
• Professional development and support sessions
• Opportunities to engage in state- and national-level networks

Selected sites will also support real-time evidence collection from out-of-school partners, such as Career & Technical Student Organizations and Crosby Scholars. 

Project Timeline & Key Milestones

The Skills for the Future project is structured over three years with clear stages of development, implementation, and refinement. 

• Year 1 (2024–25): Platform design, educator training, beta testing of performance tasks
• Year 2 (2025–26): Implementation of collaboration assessments, mid-point evaluation, cohort 1 pilot begins
• Year 3 (2026–27): Refinement, out-of-school evidence integration, dissemination of tools and findings, cohort 2 onboarding

Important Links and Updates

• SFF Cohort 1 Educator Recruitment Flyer (PDF)
• Skills Suite Overview and Rubrics
• Launch Announcement Press Release
• PoG Implementation Playbook
• SFF Cohort Pacing Guide
• SFF Resource & Networking Hub

Contact Information 

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

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