1 ASSESSMENT OF 21 ST CENTURY SKILLS IN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION CONTEXT Paper Presented at First International Conference of Chemistry (1-ICCHEM), Department of Chemistry Education Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science Yogyakarta State University, September 28-30, 2018. Dr. Harry Firman Department of Chemistry Education, Indonesia University of Education Jl. Setiabudi No. 229 Bandung 40154 email: harry.fman@hotmail.com Abstract The 21 st century skills have been main orientation of education practice globally, including chemistry education. It comprises three core components namely thinking skills, actions skills, and skills for living in the world. Learning chemistry in 21 st century is characterized by emphasizing higher order thinking skills, practising collaborative and communication, strengthening digital and technology literacy, as well as insisting global understanding and readiness for college and career. To make fully alignment among curriculum, instruction and assessessment, assessment practices of chemistry in schools need to be widened from single-method of testing into multi-method assessment, including performance assessment and self- and peer-assessment methods. Key word: 21st century skills, assessment, school chemistry. 1. Introduction Life complexity and competitions in the 21 st Century create challenges for education sector to equip young generation with skills needed to survive in the this century. Public Policy Research (2010) defined 21 st skills as skills that students need to thrive in today’s global economy. Global education world have responsed the challenge of 21 st century by defining 21 st skills as global education goals by infusing it into school education. Ministry of Education of Indonesia has infused some elements of 21 st skills into curriculum and instruction of school subjects, including secondary school chemistry, those are “the 4Cs” (critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication) as targets of the implementation of Curriculum 2013. In accordance with that current education policy, learning process in chemistry has been oriented to develop 21 st century skills. As a result 21 st century skills need to be dailly practiced in chemistry learning. Assessment as an integral part of education process need also respond new direction of curriculum and instruction to support the development of 21 st century skills. The traditional ways of assessment, particularly using testing that more focus on memorization and low level cognitive abilities, are viewed not suitable to be practiced (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2007). Learning assessment nowdays needs new framework and strategies that more emphasize on mastery of 21 st century skills. The rest of this paper elaborates comprehensively the construct of 21 st century skills, features of 21 st learning, and its implication for strategy and tools for assessing 21 st skills in school chemistry in particular.