Standardized assessments remain a traditional foundational measure of progress, but achievement can no longer be dictated by these metrics alone, writes Dr. Terra Greenwell, an educational leadership and systems advisor, and former chief academic officer for Jefferson County Public Schools (KY), in an essay in The 74.
Research shows that high-stakes testing demoralizes students and teachers and narrows learning down to math and reading scores.
Thankfully, the tide is turning.
As the Portrait of a Graduate framework gains momentum across the U.S., schools are primed to completely reimagine how we measure learning in a way that is authentic to the human experience and to select tools that support, rather than complicate, the work of capturing future-ready skills.
Today, instead of empowering students with the skills to navigate a complex world, educators are forced to “teach to the test,” prioritizing performance on a single test over deep learning to satisfy accountability measures for policymakers and legislators.
Our students’ future success depends on more than reversing declining foundational skills in reading and math. According to America Succeeds, seven of the ten most requested skills by employers are durable skills, such as effective communication, creativity and critical thinking developed through real-world, authentic learning experiences.
However, the New Hire Readiness Report 2025 found that 84% of hiring managers say most high school graduates are not prepared for the workforce, and 80% believe they are less prepared than previous generations.
As educators, we have a moral obligation to ensure we are preparing students for the future. Traditional measures still have a place, but they can’t be the only way to assess a student.
Districts that implement a Portrait of a Graduate initiative define the competencies they value and want every student to leave with — qualities like emotional intelligence, adaptability, collaboration and resilience. However, many struggle to put operations in place that turn aspirations from a poster on the wall into a fully functional system that monitors student progress and success.
When Kentucky updated its accountability framework this past spring, districts gained structural flexibility to look beyond rigid standardized ratings. By introducing local indicators of quality alongside state metrics, the state is empowering schools to demonstrate student growth through capstone projects, performance-based defenses and real-world learning aligned with the Portrait of a Learner framework adopted in 2022.
Many districts leaned into this opportunity early through a simple, yet transformative shift: engaging community stakeholders from day one to co-create implementation playbooks, establish shared guidelines, define common rubrics, and run pilot programs that validate these authentic assessments of learning.
This collaborative approach helped school leaders ensure consistent experiences in all classrooms while still empowering teachers with the freedom to tailor instruction to students’ needs. Most importantly, the values became embedded in each district’s culture, from the district office down to each and every student.
For districts taking the lead with this approach, technology that supports tracking and reporting on student skills is critical. They can no longer adopt one-size-fits-all tools when the goal is communicating highly personalized progress that reveals a student’s true capabilities. It’s more important than ever to evaluate every tool line by line against district initiatives and ensure a match.
The most effective student data platforms empower teachers and students to collect and showcase meaningful artifacts of learning through the educational journey, including capstone projects, student reflections, work samples and project portfolios. At the same time, they must offer robust rubric assessments so that teachers can clearly identify when a student falls short of a benchmark — and where extra support may be needed to help strengthen durable skills needed for the real world.
Society champions second chances as stepping stones. Yet, we often tell a 15-year-old that their years of learning can be distilled into one test score. Students should be given opportunities to learn from their setbacks, to revise and resubmit work and to re-demonstrate mastery of content without judgment.
When we finally shift our focus from proving learning to nurturing it, we create spaces where every child has the chance to thrive.
By measuring student progress through multiple forms of evidence — capturing not only academic achievement but also future-ready competencies — we honor students not just for what they know but for who they are becoming.
The 74
