More than ever before, students in the Sioux Falls School District are learning and demonstrating the use of critical 21st century skills in the classroom.

In order to be a successful member of the workforce and an effective contributor to a global society, students must know and be able to apply 21st century skills: analytical thinking, communicating, problem solving, creating and innovating, retrieving and evaluating information and collaborating. Since the District began tracking data collected during 10-minute drop-in visits throughout all school levels, the application of 21st century skills in the classroom has grown from 72% in 2008-09 to over 100% in 2011-12 due to observation of more than one 21st century skill being demonstrated at any time. Administrators have also increased the number of visits in classrooms to observe these skills by 222 visits over last year, bringing the total number of 2011-12 drop-in visits to 4,072.

Principals, District administrators, leadership interns and instructional coaches will continue to collaborate, while working with teachers, to support the implementation of effective teaching strategies which utilize 21st century skills.

Click here for the full report.