FabFolio Could Change the Future of Student Readiness
- Michael Stone
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
The gap between what schools measure and what employers actually need is wider than ever. For decades, student success has been defined by standardized tests—a maligned approach that relegates many academic experiences to the crushing assessment mechanisms that suffocate the joy out of learning. Meanwhile, employers have been clamoring looking for students who can demonstrate real-world skills, technical fluency, and adaptability.
Here’s the question that keeps coming up:
If employers care more about what students can do than what they know, why does education continue to measure the latter?
We are at a tipping point. Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules, and education must evolve to catch up and keep pace with workforce demands.
On April 6 at 12:00 PM (Room 10, Exhibit Hall E, ASU+GSV AI Show), we will explore a groundbreaking approach to bridging this gap: AI-powered micro-credentials informed directly by educators AND local employers.
Standardized Tests vs. Real-World Readiness
What Schools Measure: Content mastery, memorization, and test scores.
What Employers Want: Problem-solving, communication, technical fluency, adaptability.
Of course academic knowledge plays a central role, but when that is the only information we assess, the only data we collect, inevitably, content becomes king and anything else that might matter gets shoved so far down the priority list, it fades into a distant mirage. The modern workforce requires more:
Technical Capacity – The ability to navigate emerging technologies and the confidence to learn new skills and apply them in different contexts
Essential Skills – Critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability...Tony Wagner's "Survival Skills for the 21st Century" that ubiquitously transcend any specific tool or career path (and a large part of what makes us uniquely human and separates our value from the prolific and robust capabilities of AI systems)
Practical application – The ability to demonstrate competencies, not just recall facts.
The reality is that most school systems still use metrics designed for an industrial-age with predictable roles and relatively stagnate needs, while businesses are hiring for the skills required in a technology-driven economy. This disconnect leaves students unprepared for (and often unaware of) the career paths they might enter.
AI-Powered Micro-Credentials
Instead of grading students solely on traditional tests (content knowledge), what if we validated their skills in real time?
Imagine this:
A student earns a micro-credential in data visualization by building an AI-generated interactive dashboard.
Another student proves problem-solving skills through a design challenge scored by AI-driven feedback.
Instead of just seeing an "A" in Computer Science, an employer sees proof of technical skills through an AI-powered portfolio.
T
his is not a future concept. It is already happening in forward-thinking schools. And at The AI Show at ASU+GSV, we will demonstrate how students are using FabFolio to document essential and technical skills directly informed by local business and industry partners.
What You Will Learn in This Session (April 6, 12PM, Room 10)
Live Demo of FabFolio – A micro-credentialing system that tracks and validates skills in real-time.
The Shift to Skills-Based Learning – How leading schools in Hamilton County, TN are integrating AI-driven credentialing.
AI as a Formative Assessment Tool – Providing real-time feedback on essential workforce skills.
Aligning Education & Industry – Ensuring students graduate with employer-validated competencies.
This session will not be theoretical. It will be a hands-on, practical look at what is already working in schools today with specific strategies to bring these opportunities to students across the country.
The Future of Learning is Here – Will You Be Part of It?
Education is at a crossroads. Schools can continue measuring what is easy, or they can start measuring what matters. If you are passionate about future-proofing education, building workforce-ready graduates, and leveraging AI for student success, this session is for you.
Session: Skill Development Meets AI: Accelerating College and Career Readiness
When: April 6, 12:00 PM
Where: Room 10, Exhibit Hall E
It is time to rethink what readiness really means. Let’s discuss the path forward.
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