The 2026 Reidy Interactive Learning Series (RILS)

Career Readiness: Defining and Measuring What Matters for the Future of Work

Rapid economic and technological change has intensified concerns about whether K–12 systems are preparing students for life after high school. Employer reports of skill gaps, declining confidence in traditional college pathways, and deep concerns about the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) have elevated career readiness as a central goal of public education.

Against this backdrop, state and local education agencies face fundamental questions about how to measure career readiness. These questions include:

• What constitutes rigorous and comparable college- and career-ready expectations? 
• What role should industry-recognized credentials play? 
• How should cross-cutting “durable” or employability skills be assessed, if at all? 
• How is AI likely to reshape both the definition and measurement of readiness?

The 2026 Reidy Interactive Learning Series (RILS) centers on a guiding question:

How should measures of career readiness evolve to support students’ preparation for meaningful work and life pathways?

RILS 2026 aims to help states, districts, charter organizations, and partners make informed, responsible decisions about monitoring career readiness in ways that support all learners while mitigating well-documented risks. These risks include unintended tracking, inequitable expectations, misalignment between measures and intended uses, and the misuse of weak indicators for high-stakes accountability.

True to RILS tradition, the conference will be highly interactive, offering opportunities for participants to share experiences and engage with peers alongside presentations and panels featuring district, state, and national experts.

Whether you are a state, district, or school leader—or support others in these roles—the conference will deepen your understanding of how career readiness has been defined and operationalized across contexts, illuminate tradeoffs among measurement approaches, and provide practical guidance for selecting and using indicators responsibly. Our broader goal is to move beyond surface-level metrics toward coherent, defensible approaches to measuring what truly matters for students’ futures. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Registration is limited, and few spots are left. We will close when we reach our cap.

We can’t wait to see you in beautiful Portsmouth, N.H., on September 24-25!

Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026

8:15 am	Breakfast & check in	Breakfast is provided.
9:00	Welcome & overview	Chris Domaleski, Laura Hamilton and Erika Landl welcome attendees, describe the background and purpose of RILS, introduce the topic and outline the conference goals.
9:20	Session 1: Career readiness definitions and measurement: Landscape	Panel discussion focused on highlighting approaches used by states, districts and countries to measure career readiness, how they have changed over time and noteworthy gaps and their implications.   Panelists: Seth Gerson, National Governor’s Association Jackie Kraemer, NCEE Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE André Rupp, Center for Assessment (moderator)
10:30	Break
10:45	Session 2: Perspectives from the field:  What employability skills should schools measure, and for what purposes?	Center-moderated conversation between two policy experts with complementary perspectives on the role of K-12 schools in measuring and reporting on durable skills.  Panelists: Michael Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Tim Taylor, America Succeeds Laura Hamilton, Center for Assessment (moderator)
12:00 pm	Lunch	Lunch provided
1:00	Session 3: State perspectives on defining and measuring career readiness	Interactive panel that includes audience perspectives Participants: Lu Young, Center for Next Generation Leadership, University of Kentucky State and district leaders Lance Evans, Mississippi Department of Education Nathaniel Greene, New Hampshire Department of Education Cydnee McCarty, Utah State Board of Education Curtis Sonneman, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Scott Marion, Center for Assessment (moderator)
2:30	Break
2:45	Session 4: How is AI changing the definition and measurement of career readiness competencies?	A moderated panel and table discussions will explore how AI is reshaping the definition and measurement of career readiness competencies and the broader challenges and opportunities these shifts present.  Participants: Chad Buckendahl, ACS Ventures  Danielle Eisenberg, ETS Maggie Reeves, Urban Institute Will Lorié, Center for Assessment (moderator)
4:00	Session 5: Introduction of critical issues	Center staff provide a brief overview of the different problem-of-practice sessions participants can join on Day 2. Participants are then asked to rank the different options in order of interest/preference.  Participants: Center staff
4:30	Adjourn
5:00 – 6:15	Cocktail hour

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026

RILS 2026 Day 1 agenda

Time	Session	Description
8:15 am	Breakfast & check-in	Breakfast provided
9:00	Session 6: Designing and validating career readiness measures	Erika will welcome participants and provide an opportunity for tables to work with a resource developed by Erika and Laura to inform the design of career readiness measures. We will discuss factors that can influence the validity and utility of career readiness measures, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder involvement in the design and validation process. Finally, participants will discuss how the provided tool can be used to identify the evidence necessary to ensure the measure can be interpreted and used as intended.
10:20	Break	No additional description
10:35	Session 7: Critical issues in career readiness assessment	Participants will convene in small groups to explore one of the problems of practice introduced on Day 1. Each table conversation will be facilitated by a Center staff member and followed by a whole-group discussion of key themes and remaining questions.
11:50	Reflection & wrap-up	Chris Domaleski will reflect on key take-aways and potential next steps.
12:00	Lunch	No additional description