California SBE’s Portrait of a Graduate/Learner
Eighteen states and many California districts have created Student Portraits that emphasize skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Once developed, a Portrait of a Graduate/Learner serves as a lever for change that leads to a renewed vision and definition of the college and career-ready student, supports the whole child approach to learning, serves as an impetus for shifting instructional practices and engaging students in deeper learning, and requires a shift in assessments that provide students authentic ways to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. The result of this transformation is a learning process that is more equitable, student-centered, and competency-based.
California State Board Portrait of a Graduate/Learner: The California State Board of Education (SBE) is developing a Portrait of a Graduate/Learner to set a vision of what every California student should know and be able to do when they leave school. Any Portrait adopted by the State Board would NOT create new requirements for local school districts. It would solely inform and guide the State Board’s own decision-making and policy about curriculum, assessment, and accountability.
The State Board is launching a community survey to collect input on a Portrait of a Graduate/Learner for what students need to succeed in school, career, and life.
In addition to the survey effort, the State Board will be collecting feedback from in-person and virtual conversations with a diverse set of stakeholders from across California. If you have questions or comments about this effort, please reach out to a team member of the State System of Support at [email protected].
Resources
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Christine Olmstead, Secondary School Redesign & DTA Lead (via OCDE Agreement with CCEE) at [email protected].
