By Carol S. Young, Ph.D., Director, BCHF Accountability and School Improvement
I watched a student struggle to answer questions on her iPad. It was painful. She tried and tried to punch in the right answers. She saw I was watching and said, “See, I’m just not smart.” As I watched some more, I saw that she knew the right answers but struggled with dexterity. “You ARE smart,” I assured her. “We just need to get you a larger keyboard.”
Being smart is relative. As a teacher, I always wanted my students to be and to feel smart and savvy. But our operational definitions of “smart” are ever-changing. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a standard measure of “smartness,” changed dramatically in 2024. Check it out—if you took it over 10 years ago, it is much harder, and it is all digital! Frequently used intelligence and academic achievement tests are also periodically re-normed. As times change, different societal needs and values determine “What is smart?”
Approximately ten years ago, Ohio redefined “smart” for all K-12 students in public schools. Ohio’s “new” standards and their aligned assessments (next-generation Ohio State Tests) diverged from traditional ideas and norms. The standards did not define what students were doing, for example what a typically educated third grader knows. The new standards defined what students “should be doing.” The definition of “smart” shifted to “being prepared for the future.”
Ten years later, educators still struggle with the shift. What does it take for our students to be “smart” today? “Smart” extends beyond basic education and factual knowledge. Mathematics and science students need to comprehend and apply conceptual underpinnings of these disciplines. Students in English Language Arts need to master the foundations of learning to read and write early, so they may apply these skills to learning content. Students in social studies need to be able to view history in context, interpret data, and apply knowledge to current events. And all students need to master technology. Knowledge, critical thinking, application, technology skill, and reasoning cut across all subject areas of Ohio’s learning standards today.
Take a practice state test and you will see. On Ohio’s fifth-grade science test, for example, students read a chart and determine which species will increase or decline if the population of salmon declines. The question presents a level of uncertainty; there is more than one correct answer. Students must use the knowledge they gain from the chart and must make accurate entries into the chart using technology (ODEW, 2025).
We as educators want our students to be smart and prepared for the world they will join as adults. To do so, our operational definitions of teaching and learning must keep up with the times. Specifically, we must ensure early mastery of foundational skills, wise technology use, development of critical thinking and reasoning strategies, and increased student agency in learning. These components are simple to understand but more difficult to act on.
- Early mastery of foundational skills. Despite controversy surrounding it, the Third Grade Guarantee is based on strong research. It is urgent for young students to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills early in their school careers. Without this foundation, students struggle and continue to fall behind. Schools must have strong programs in place for young students that include high-level core instruction and targeted interventions. Students who enter school without the readiness skills need more practice and exposure to high quality instruction, not less. Foundational skills need to be practiced in authentic contexts (Rablin, 2025).
- Wise technology use. Technology is everywhere but its wise use makes students “savvy.” Students must be able to use technology purposefully and selectively as a tool for learning.
- Critical thinking and reasoning strategies. Students today have access to abundant information. They need to be able to sift through it, thinking critically about information, claims, and arguments. Weighing information against its supportive evidence is a clear focus in Ohio learning standards. Critical thinking is also a life skill, one that enables students to make smart decisions about their own goals and plans. Employers rate critical thinking at the top of the list for desirable job applicants. To be “smart,” students must analyze complicated situations, make decisions, and propose solutions.
- Increased student agency. Educators are hesitant to allow students to struggle. The operational definition of learning today, though, includes the ability to struggle through problems with little or minimal help. Unfortunately, the average student in a U.S. classroom will work on a challenging mathematics problem for just a few minutes. Fearing failure or the embarrassment of an incorrect answer, too many students become quiet or passive in their engagement in learning. To be prepared, our students must invest in their own learning, set goals, and pursue knowledge on their own. Educators assume the role of teaching students how to learn, not what to learn. Educational experiences must then allow for guided choice, independent study and research, and student-led activities.
One of my family members is “smart” because he can recite many passages from classical literature, often in different languages. Another can remember everyone’s phone numbers, including those from twenty years ago. These skills, though fascinating, are not as “smart” as they used to be. Educators today must use a larger keyboard than an array of basic skills and useful facts. We must prepare our students for today’s definitions of “smart” and for the changing definitions yet to come.
References:
Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (2025). Spring 2025 released test items and scoring guides. Item Release Scoring Guides.
Rabin, T. (2025). Four ways to guide disengaged students to try again. Edutopia, Guiding Disengaged Students to Try Again | Edutopia.