,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cdg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #bb1 #bjac ,mr4 ,petri 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,loebsack1 ,mr4 ,michaud1 ,mr4 ,hanna1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,pennsylvania1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,mr4 ,grimm1 and ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to provide1 develop1 and support #bast century readiness initiatives that assist students in acquiring the skills necessary to think critically and solve problems1 be an effective communicator1 collaborate with others1 and learn to create and innovate4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the #bast ,century ,readiness ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,students must be prepared in core academic subjects4 7#b7 ,students must possess the skills to be able to think critically and solve problems1 be effective communicators1 collaborate with others1 and learn to create and innovate4 7#c7 ,in order for students in the ,united ,states to be prepared to succeed in citizenship and workplaces of the present and future1 core academic subjects must be fused with critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 and creativity and innovation skills1 as such skills are critical for success in the #bast century4 7#d7 ,the work of the ,national ,governors ,association1 along with the ,council of ,chief ,state ,school ,officers1 in developing a set of voluntary and internationally benchmarked national common standards in mathematics and ,english that include rigorous content and #bast century skills1 is a positive development and should serve as a basis for incorporating those skills and other critical skills throughout other core academic subjects in the future4 ,federal policy must support ,state leadership and encourage continued ,state innovation4 #c4 ,college and career readiness statement of purpose ,section #ajja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcja7 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#aa71 by striking and after the semicolon2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#ab71 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#ac7 fusing core academic subject knowledge mastery and higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure that students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside content knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts4 4 #d4 ,evaluating of college and career readiness ,section #aeja7;a77#b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fdia7;a77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,o7 as subparagraph 7,p72 and 7#b7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,n7 the following3 7,o7 ,the extent to which fusing core academic subjects and higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure that students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside content knowledge in real-world contexts leads to readiness for postsecondary education and careers4 4 #e4 ,school reform through #bast century readiness initiatives ,section #afjf7;a7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #feaf7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and at the end of paragraph 7#aj72 7#b7 by redesignating paragraph 7#aa7 as paragraph 7#ab72 and 7#c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#aj7 the following3 7#aa7 includes a #bast century readiness initiative designed to fuse core academic subject knowledge and higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside content knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts2 and 4 #f4 ,school dropout prevention strategies through #bast century readiness initiatives ,section #ahbb7;b77#a7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fefa;a7b77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,i71 by striking and after the semicolon2 7#b7 in subparagraph 7,j71 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,k7 implementing #bast century readiness initiatives1 such as initiatives that fuse core academic subject knowledge and higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside content knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts4 4 #g4 ,high-quality professional development initiatives around #bast century skills ,section #bajb of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffjb7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating paragraphs 7#d7 through 7#f7 as paragraphs 7#e7 through 7#g71 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#c7 the following3 7#d7 ,high-quality professional development ,the term high-quality professional development means professional development that incorporates an aligned system of teaching and learning that includes #bast century skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation71 standards1 curriculum1 instruction1 and assessments1 such as high-quality professional development that-- 7,a7 ensures that educators understand the importance of #bast century skills and how best to integrate such skills into daily instruction2 7,b7 enables collaboration among all participants2 7,c7 allows educators to construct their own learning communities2 7,d7 uses expertise within a school or local educational agency through coaching1 mentoring1 and team teaching2 7,e7 supports educators in their role as facilitators of learning2 and 7,f7 uses #bast century skills technology tools4 4 #h4 ,high-quality professional development application ,section #babb7;b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbb7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#ab7 ,a description of how the local educational agency will provide high-quality professional development to enable educators to-- 7,a7 deliver instruction on higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure that students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside core academic subject knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts2 and 7,b7 use the latest available technology to deliver instruction on higher-order thinking skills4 4 #i4 ,high-quality professional development training ,section #babc7;a77#c77;,b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffbc7;a77#c77;,b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in clause 7iv71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in clause 7v71 by striking the period at the end and adding 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7vi7 provide training on how to deliver instruction on higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 so that students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside core academic subject knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts1 which may include effectively integrating technology into curricula and instruction4 4 #aj4 ,expanded #bast century community learning center activities ,section #dbje7;a7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gage7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#aa71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#ab71 by striking the period at the end and adding 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#ac7 initiatives that allow students to apply a range of skill competencies 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 alongside core academic subjects1 and do so in real-world contexts1 which may include effectively using technology to improve student achievement4 4 #aa4 #bast century readiness assessments ,section #faaa7b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gcja7b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,i7 ,developing or improving assessments that use technology to measure core academic subject knowledge and higher-order thinking skills 7such as critical thinking and problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation7 to ensure that students can apply a range of skill competencies alongside core academic subject knowledge1 and do so in real-world contexts4 4 #ab4 #ba,st century readiness initiative definition ,section #iaja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#dc7 as paragraphs 7#b7 through 7#dd71 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting before paragraph 7#b71 the following3 7#a7 #bast century readiness initiative ,the term #bast century readiness initiative means any initiative that-- 7,a7 embeds core academic subjects with critical skills2 and 7,b7 is focused on ensuring that students are prepared for postsecondary education and careers1 upon graduation from secondary school4 4