What It Means
Students, educators, and families have a clear, shared understanding of what it will take for students to succeed in the future.
Why It Matters
Strong academic knowledge and skills will always matter. But to thrive in the modern workforce, today's graduates need a more expansive toolkit that includes timeless, transferable skills like communication, problem solving, and critical thinking. States can adopt a “Portrait of a Graduate” or similar readiness framework that integrates academics with these “durable competencies”—the real-world skills that employers demand, families value, and research confirms to be critical for lifelong success.
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 a:
Portrait of a Graduate
Profile of a Learner
Similar College-and-Career Competency (CCR) framework or standards
