Goodbye, High School Transcripts?

Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed discusses a proposal by a coalition of elite private schools to abolish the traditional letter-grade high school transcript. Instead, the coalition touts a new approach that it argues would give colleges a more in-depth look at what applicants know and are able to do. The Mastery Transcript Consortium, made up of over 100 private schools, wants to use competency-based measures, including academic knowledge and “soft skills” like decision-making and critical thinking. Will public high schools sign on to this approach? What resources are needed to make it work?  And how might this influence state requirements for tracking student achievement and for admission to public colleges and universities?