Kentucky Board of Education discusses state’s path to Profile of a Graduate

Vsion statement describing what a learner should know, be able to do before graduating high school

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) is working to create a statewide Profile of a Graduate, described as a vision statement on what a learner should know and be able to do before they graduate high school.

The board heard an update from David Cook, director of the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Division of Innovation, during its Feb. 9 meeting at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB).

According to KBE, the effort to build a statewide profile began under then-Commissioner of Education Stephen Pruitt as part of revising Kentucky’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan in 2017.

KBE Chair Lu S. Young expressed her strong support of the Profile of a Graduate saying, “These measurable skills are the outcomes we want for all Kentucky kids.”

One of the KBE’s current goals is a desire to “promote the creation of a statewide profile of a learner/graduate, identifying the knowledge, skills and dispositions all Kentucky learners need to become successful citizens.”

“These (Profile of a Graduate) rubrics are as helpful to creating independent learners as they are documenting the outcomes of instruction and helping to scaffold instruction,” said KBE Vice Chair Sharon Porter Robinson.

According to KBE, before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the consortium had expanded to 11 school districts: Allen, Boone, Corbin Independent, Frankfort Independent, Jefferson, Logan, Mason, Metcalfe, Shelby, Trigg and Trimble.

“The intent now is to keep going with that work, adding more districts to think about it,” explained Cook.

“When you walk into a school that has an operationalized Profile of a Graduate, kids don’t just talk about their math score. They talk about, ‘This is what I did with my team the other day, we collaborated on this project.’” said Cook. “They know that they’re working towards being a collaborator, a communicator and a critical thinker.”

Solyana Mesfin, KBE’s student member and senior at Eastern High School (Jefferson County), has experienced first-hand a form of the Profile of a Graduate through Jefferson County Public School’s Backpack of Success Skills.

The Backpack of Success is a digital platform for students to enter pictures, videos and a written reflection of what they have learned in five key areas: prepared and resilient learner; globally and culturally competent citizen; emerging innovator; effective communicator; and productive collaborator.

“Being in this process now where you have to cultivate what you’ve learned, it’s really reflective,” said Mesfin.

According to KBE, the board voted to charge its curriculum committee with the development of a plan – possibly a taskforce appointed by the committee chair – for the purpose of further studying the Profile of a Graduate data information, engaging stakeholders for feedback and reporting back to the board with conclusions and recommendations.