What It Does
Establishes a new vision for high school success by creating a “Portrait of a Graduate” or “Profile of a Learner”— a competency framework that captures a broad set of skills and competencies.
These should include real-world skills like self-discipline, initiative, resilience, creativity, and problem-solving, which research has confirmed are critical for success after high school.
Why It Matters
Strong academic knowledge and skills will always be important. But, in order to thrive in the modern workforce, today's graduates need an expansive toolkit—one that includes timeless, transferable skills like problem solving and critical thinking that transcend specific roles or titles and enable them to continuously evolve and adapt as the economy changes. Accordingly, states need a new North Star—a vision for what students need to know and do in order to be fully equipped for college or career.
To meet the criteria for this policy action, states must have identified the core competencies that students should develop before they graduate from high school, as evidenced by adoption of either a:
Portrait of a Graduate
Profile of a Learner
Similar College-and-Career Competency (CCR) framework or standards
Download our frontier guide to see what the gold standard looks like for this policy action.
