In today’s rapidly changing world, schools are rethinking how they define student success. Instead of focusing solely on academic achievements, many are adopting the ‘Portrait of a Graduate’ framework. This approach takes a more holistic view, emphasizing the development of key life skills and competencies students will need to thrive in the real world. By outlining critical qualities and abilities that go beyond technical knowledge, schools are preparing students not just for college and careers, but for lifelong success.
A Portrait of a Graduate, also known as a graduate profile, is a framework that outlines the key skills, competencies, and attributes a school or district believes students should develop by the time they graduate. It’s typically a document, or series of documents, that moves beyond traditional academic subjects to include a broader set of competencies—such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and other social-emotional skills—essential for thriving in college, career readiness, and life in the 21st century.
This framework serves as a guiding document for schools, influencing curriculum design, teaching practices, and how students are evaluated. It’s often referred to when making decisions about instructional strategies, ensuring that the experiences provide opportunities for students to cultivate the desired skills and attributes laid out in the Portrait. The Portrait of a Graduate helps schools focus on developing both academic knowledge and essential life skills that are necessary for long-term success.
Portraits of a Graduate are not static— they often evolve over time as schools assess which competencies resonate most with their students and community. As schools gain real-world experience using the framework, they may update or refine the list of competencies and their definitions to add clarity or adapt to the changing needs of students. This continuous iteration ensures that the framework remains relevant and effective.
The specific form of a Portrait of a Graduate can vary from school to school. Some schools may create detailed lists of competencies, complete with definitions and examples, while others might use visual tools like infographics or diagrams to make the framework more accessible. Regardless, the goal remains the same: to provide a clear, shared vision of what student success looks like.
While each school or district will tailor their Portrait of a Graduate to their unique needs and community values, there are several common themes that often appear:
Students are expected to analyze complex issues, evaluate information from multiple sources, and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Effective written and verbal communication skills are emphasized, including the ability to articulate ideas clearly, listen actively, and adapt communication styles to different audiences.
The ability to work effectively in teams, respect diverse perspectives, and contribute productively to group efforts is highly valued.
Students are encouraged to think outside the box, generate original ideas, and approach challenges with an innovative mindset.
Many Portraits of a Graduate emphasize the importance of cultural awareness, ethical decision-making, and active participation in local and global communities.
As technology continues to shape our world, the ability to navigate digital tools and platforms effectively is increasingly important.
Skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and resilience are recognized as crucial for personal and professional success.
Adopting a Portrait of a Graduate framework offers several benefits to schools, students, and communities:
By expanding the definition of student success beyond traditional academic measures, schools can better prepare students for the complex challenges they will face in the future.
The skills and competencies outlined in a Portrait of a Graduate often reflect the needs of employers and the demands of higher education, helping to bridge the gap between school and post-graduation life.
A well-designed Portrait of a Graduate can help ensure that all students, regardless of background, have equitable access to the skills and experiences needed for future success.
The framework provides a collective vision for educators, helping them align their teaching practices and curriculum choices with the desired outcomes for students.
Creating an effective Portrait of a Graduate involves several key steps:
Successful Portraits of a Graduate are developed through collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including educators, students, parents, local employers, and community partners. This inclusive approach ensures that the vision reflects the values and needs of the broader community.
Based on input from stakeholders and research on future trends, school systems and district leaders can identify the core skills and attributes that will be most valuable for their graduates.
Many schools and districts create a visual representation of their Portrait of a Graduate, often in the form of an infographic or diagram, to make the concept more accessible and memorable.
While the Portrait of a Graduate focuses on the end goal, many schools and districts are rethinking education at all levels in their strategic plan, from elementary through high school, to ensure that students are developing these skills throughout their educational journey.
A Portrait of a Graduate is never truly “finished.” Schools must regularly revisit it to ensure both relevance and clarity. Engaging stakeholders like educators, students, and community leaders is key to ensuring there’s a shared understanding of each competency. Without this shared understanding, the Portrait can’t effectively guide learning. Regular check-ins keep the competencies clear and relevant, ensuring the Portrait evolves to meet the needs of students and the broader community.
While the Portrait of a Graduate concept offers many benefits, there are also challenges to consider:
Many of the skills and attributes outlined in a Portrait of a Graduate, such as creativity or global citizenship, are challenging to assess using traditional methods. To better evaluate student progress, schools can adopt new approaches, like digital student portfolios, which allow for a more comprehensive and authentic assessment of these competencies.
While focusing on 21st-century skills is important, schools must also ensure that students continue to develop strong foundational academic knowledge.
Implementing a Portrait of a Graduate often requires significant changes in teaching practices. Providing adequate support and training for educators is crucial for success.
To make the concept more tangible, let's look at a few examples of Portrait of a Graduate frameworks from different states and districts:
The San Gabriel Unified School District's Portrait of a Graduate includes six key areas:
South Carolina's Portrait of a Graduate outlines several competencies, including:
New York's proposed Portrait of a Graduate describes a successful graduate as someone who is:
At Hillbrook School, the “Portrait of a Graduate” is more than just an aspirational vision—it is a dynamic framework that shapes every aspect of the student learning experience. Through an iterative process involving administrators, teachers, and trustees, Hillbrook identified seven key competencies that define what success looks like for their graduates:
These competencies were refined through multiple rounds of feedback and grounded in standards from organizations like Learning for Justice and CASEL to ensure relevance and rigor.
Hillbrook’s innovative approach ensures that these competencies are not just ideals but practical skills students engage with daily. Teachers use the competencies as a north star to design assignments, courses, and experiences that help students develop these essential abilities.
One key tool that helps bring Hillbrook’s portrait of a graduate to life is Unrulr, a digital portfolio platform. With Unrulr, students document their learning journey in real time, capturing pivotal moments of reflection, decision-making, and growth. This empowers students to take ownership of their learning and link their work to the portrait competencies, allowing them to reflect on how they are developing as 'global citizens' or 'creative problem-solvers'. This learner agency also encourages students to share evidence of their learning beyond the classroom, fostering a culture of continuous growth and meaningful engagement with the Portrait of a Graduate competencies.
While many guides emphasize the basics, like ‘involving stakeholders’ and ‘communicating your Portrait of a Graduate,’ we want to share practical, actionable tips we’ve developed through real-world experience working with schools that use Unrulr to implement their Portrait of a Graduate:
Borrowing from lean startup methodology, think of your initial Portrait of a Graduate as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). It doesn’t need to be perfect from the start—launch a draft version within your learning community to gather real data, feedback, and insights. This early experimentation will allow you to make informed adjustments and iterations to the framework.
Launch your portrait and run it through R&D cycles. See which competencies resonate with your community and which feel aspirational or unclear. Focus on what aligns with your school’s culture and values, and refine those that don’t.
Form a Professional Learning Community (PLC) made up of teachers and administrators from different grade levels or departments. These are your “boots on the ground,” responsible for implementing the portrait and evaluating its impact. This team is your key to ongoing iteration and success.
Build summative student portfolios filled with multimedia evidence of portrait competencies. These portfolios become "artifacts of excellence”, as Ron Berger calls them, making each competency tangible and setting a clear standard for others.
Don’t wait until the end of the year to celebrate student progress. Use classes, programs, and events to highlight and showcase student growth throughout the year. This reinforces the importance of the portrait to your community.
End each school level with capstone projects that serve as performance spaces for your portrait competencies. This project-based learning approach provides a natural way to assess students against your Portrait. Check out our guide to Capstones in K-12 Schools for more details.
K-5 schools excel at making their "Portrait of a Graduate" part of everyday learning. You’ll see posters in classrooms and hear teachers referencing competencies throughout the day. Students don’t just recite competencies—they can show where they appear in their work. Our tip? Approach your PoG like a K-5 classroom—make it visible, active, and integrated into your school culture.
Assessing students against a Portrait of a Graduate involves a multifaceted approach that considers a range of assessment methods. Schools employ diverse strategies to gauge students' development in alignment with the Portrait. These methods include:
Equally vital is the notion of ongoing assessment, which ensures that the development of these essential competencies is a continuous process throughout a student's educational journey. By employing a variety of assessment methods and emphasizing continual assessment, schools can effectively measure and nurture students' growth in relation to the Portrait of a Graduate.
Unrulr, a digital portfolio app, aligns seamlessly with the concept of a Portrait of a Graduate. It empowers students to document and reflect on their educational journey, making it learner-centered and engaging. Unrulr is an invaluable tool for schools and educators to support and document student progress as they develop the skills and attributes outlined in their Portrait of a Graduate.
The adoption of Portrait of a Graduate frameworks represents a significant shift in how we think about education and student success. As more states and districts embrace this approach, we can expect to see continued evolution in the curriculum design process, teaching methods, and assessment practices.
By focusing on developing a broader range of skills and competencies, schools can better prepare students for the complex, rapidly changing world they will enter after graduation. The Portrait of a Graduate concept encourages educators, students, and communities to think critically about what truly matters for long-term success and fulfillment.
As we move forward, it will be crucial to continue refining these frameworks based on emerging research, changing workforce needs, and feedback from students and graduates. The Portrait of a Graduate is not a static document, but a living vision that should evolve along with our understanding of what it means to be successful in the 21st century and beyond.
By embracing this holistic approach to student success, we can create educational experiences that are more relevant, engaging, and effective in developing the leaders, innovators, and citizens of tomorrow.
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