LITE RAC IE S D EFI NE D

21ST CENTURY

Language literacy, including reading, writing and verbal communication The ability to read and write purposefully, critically and artfully The ability to communicate formally and informally across networks The ability to present persuasively, informationally, and argumentatively in a contextually appropriate fashion The ability to use language to inuence, as well as to communicate The ability to critically analyze text, to do deep readings, and to derive meaning from linguistic context and nuance Visual and spatial literacy The ability to use a map or other geographic representation tool The ability to view, create, analyze and process visual representations of data The ability to comprehend aesthetic principles, and to make decisions based on them when appropriate Historical and cultural literacy The ability to understand historical context, bias, and intent The ability to understand and appreciate cultural similarities and differences The ability to be able to analyze and draw inferences based on historical documents and artifacts Technological and information literacy The ability to not only use technology, but to be a producer of technological solutions to real-world problems The ability to access and analyze large quantities of information in a world where information is free and the ability to creatively use information is among our most valuable skills Political and news media literacy The ability to consume news media and not only understand what's being said, but also what's not The ability to advocate passionately for valuable causes The ability to comprehend and appreciate nuance, intent and bias in political speech Scientic literacy The ability to read a scientic article and understand its implications and relative value The ability to conduct a meaningful experiment and contextually report the results The ability to participate in important deliberations about policy issues informed or affected by science Social and interpersonal literacy The ability to communicate with others in meaningful ways The ability to understand the actions of others, and to handle conict in an appropriate, productive fashion The ability and inclination to always act as a "mensch, even (and especially) when its difcult to do so Mathematic literacy The ability to make thoughtful decisions informed by quantitative data The ability to make wise decisions based on an understanding of probability and statistics The ability to meaningful use each mathematic domain: construction and deconstruction of numbers; sorting into sets, and sets of sets; measuring with different measuring instruments; calculating progress over time; and thinking algorithmically.