The process of selecting an assessment should begin with a determination of what purpose the assessment is intended to serve.
2. Tests that will be used to make consequential decisions need to meet higher technical standards than tests that are used for lower-stakes decisions.
3. The cost of assessment (both expenditures and time) should be weighed against the value of the uses it will serve.
4. More-complex assessments may be needed to measure more-complex competencies.
5. Innovative assessments (involving simulations, remote collaboration, etc.) can require substantial time and resources (e.g., training, computing power, telecommunications infrastructures).
6. 21st century competencies cannot be measured equally well, and competencies that are not well defined are particularly difficult to measure.
7. If the desired assessments do not exist, districts can work with partners to develop them (partners can include other districts, researchers, and assessment organizations).
8. Context and culture matter, and assessments that work in one setting might not work as well in another. It is often necessary to conduct additional research to validate measures locally.
9. Acquiring information about students’ understanding of 21st century competencies can make educators and students more intentional about improving the competencies.
10. Educators (and learning scientists) do not know as much about teaching and learning 21st century competencies as they do about teaching traditional academic content, so expectations for improvement need to be realistic.
11. Assessments can have unintended consequences, which should be monitored in each local context.
12. Measures of 21st century competencies should be part of a balanced assessment strategy.