The New York State Department of Education plans to replace its graduation exam requirement with a new framework by the 2027-28 school year, according to Board of Regents officials and reported by K-12 Dive. The Board of Regents sets education policies statewide, including New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school system.
The traditional graduation exam will give way to a “portrait of a graduate.” This is a more holistic approach to gauge graduation and workforce readiness. The change will broaden how class credit is defined, and require students to have one CTE credit, which could include financial literacy.
The eventual plan is to build on the shift by requiring new transcripts that include both standards proficiency and the portrait of a graduate, as well as new assessments “aligned to prioritized learning standards,” by 2029-30.
Professional learning for educators, staffing resources, a shift in curriculum and additional resources are all projected as necessary to enable the move away from the current graduation exam.
The adoption of new graduation requirements is expected to cost around $11.5 million by the time the changes are fully implemented — approximately in 2029.
A portrait of a graduate framework has become a common alternative or supplement to standardized assessments in recent years. The model identifies the durable skills and competencies students need for success in a rapidly changing, complex world, and demonstrates students’ grasp of these skills, according to Battelle for Kids, a national nonprofit and leader in developing the method.
Framework requirements are usually developed by engaging school districts, local businesses, industries and higher education providers, according to Andy Tucker, director of policy at the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). The organization advocates SEL integration in the classroom.
Twenty states had graduate portraits in 2024, according to a 50-state analysis published by CASEL and Civic, a bipartisan organization working to raise graduation rates, found that.
Tucker has studied states’ adoption of the method and suggests that states:
- Gather input from multiple stakeholders, including educators from various rural and urban, small and large, and traditional and alternative schools.
- Tap into the community, including representatives from postsecondary education providers and employers.
- Help schools and districts understand and implement the portrait of a graduate framework and explain how and why it was developed.
K-12 Dive
