Indicator: Communication skills

Definition

Individuals have the oral, written, nonverbal, and listening skills required for success in school and at work.

RECOMMENDED METRIC(S)

  • K–12: Percentage of students demonstrating proficiency on assessments such as the College and Career Readiness Assessment (CCRA+), an assessment for grades 6–12 that measures critical thinking, problem solving, and written communications
  • Postsecondary: Percentage of students demonstrating proficiency on assessments such as the following:
    • The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) or Success Skills Assessment (SSA+) for postsecondary students that measure critical thinking, problem solving, and written communications
    • The HEIghten Outcomes Assessment for Written Communication
  • Workforce: Percentage of individuals demonstrating proficiency on a performance assessment, such as the National Work Readiness Credential Essential Soft Skills assessment

Type(s) of Data Needed

Assessments

Why it matters

Effective written and verbal communication skills can lay the foundation for other valuable workplace and life skills, such as collaboration and negotiation. Employers consistently rank communication skills among the most important—if not the most important—skills to support strong workplace performance across industries, and research suggests communication skills are predictive of employment and workplace performance. In a comprehensive review of soft skills literature, researchers found that communication skills are predictive of workforce outcomes for youth ages 15–29, as well as for the general adult population. Reflecting the importance of communication skills, four states include communication skills among their high school graduation requirements, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) includes written communication and oral communication among 16 “essential learning outcomes.”

What to know about measurement

Although there is broad consensus on the importance of communication skills, communication performance assessments are not currently administered and reported at scale. We propose using a performance-based test rather than a self-reported or instructor- or employer-reported measure to mitigate the risk of bias; however, the performance tests described above only measure written communication skills, not verbal communication skills. As alternatives to the performance test measures suggested above, the AAC&U has published scoring rubrics for both written communication and oral communication that could be used to assess students’ skills in postsecondary contexts, though they have not been validated and should be used only for formative purposes. We suggest communication skills could be measured starting in middle or high school and have suggested potential performance-based measures that can be used with youth.
 

We acknowledge that measuring “soft skills,” including communication skills, carries with it a risk of perpetuating White, Eurocentric communication norms as the standard. There is evidence of linguistic discrimination against nonnative and Black workers based on their speech—for instance, one national study found that Black workers who were perceived to “sound Black” earned 12 percent less than otherwise similar Black workers who were perceived to “sound White.” Data users should examine potential unintended consequences of soft skills assessments and proactively mitigate risks related to bias (see the Data Equity Principles section of this report for further guidance).

Source frameworks

This indicator appeared in the Urban Institute’s Robust and Equitable Measures to Identify Quality Schools (REMIQS) framework as part of the definition of “deeper learning skills.” A report on student learning outcomes by the Postsecondary Value Commission references both the CLA+ instrument and the HEIghten Outcomes Assessment recommended here. Our proposed definition is adapted from a report by Child Trends, which describes key soft skills required for workforce success.

References

The framework's recommendations are based on syntheses of existing research. Please see the framework report for a list of works cited.