Portrait of a Graduate

What is Portrait of a Graduate? 

A Portrait of a Graduate, or 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.

Why are we doing this?

Portrait of a Graduate has the potential to enhance student readiness for college, careers, and life, particularly as "human skills" become increasingly critical in an era shaped by AI and automation.

“We're in the era of AI. And artificial intelligence is going to be taking the place of a lot of the technical skills that people need. And what's going to be left? What's going to be left are these human skills,” Tucker says. “So we have to, as a society, and as an education system, and as a broader workforce system, we have to define these things in ways that there's a common language.”   - Andrew Tucker, Researcher

Preparing Students for their Personal Best!

What is a portrait? The idea behind a portrait is simple. Rather than deciding that a student is a successful graduate based on the amount of time they've spent in the classroom, the portrait presents a more well-rounded view of what success looks like.

"States and districts and schools are redefining success and thinking about what it is that young people need to be prepared for success, both in post-secondary education, the workforce, and in civic life and society.” - Laurie Gagnon, Program Director of CompetencyWorks at the Aurora Institute, a nonprofit organization that advocates for competency-based education.

The Process

Eastern Carver County Schools is in the feedback collection process, presenting and getting responses from all facets of our community, including:

  • Students
  • Staff
  • Parents
  • Elected officials
  • Local Business Leaders
  • Community Members

We want to hear from you!

Join the Portrait of a Graduate Thought Exchange.  Click on the link or grab the QR code on your phone, watch Dr. Rathke’s video, and take a few minutes to share your thoughts and provide feedback on others shared from our community. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue through the process.