Hiding in Plain Sight: A Procedure for Making Implicit Skills Explicit

Twenty-first century skills (21CSs)—such as critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaboration—are widely recognized as essential for success in education and work. Despite their importance, these skills are often assessed only implicitly within educational and workforce assessments. As a result, examinees, educators, and employers lack actionable information about individuals’ strengths and weaknesses in these skills, limiting opportunities for targeted development and informed decision-making. In this study, we propose and illustrate a procedure for making implicitly embedded 21CSs explicit by applying cognitive diagnostic modeling (CDM) to existing assessments. Using an operational workforce assessment, we demonstrate how a theoretically grounded framework of 21CS attributes can be linked to assessment items via a Q-matrix and analyzed using CDMs to estimate individual mastery profiles. The proposed approach yields fine-grained diagnostic information about 21CSs without requiring the development of new assessments. We conclude by discussing methodological challenges, interpretive considerations, and opportunities for future research.