1. President, Virginia Board of Education
Opportunities to Increase Success in Higher Education and Improve Degree Attainment
Dr. Billy Cannaday
President, Virginia Board of Education
Dr. Steve Staples
Superintendent of Public Instruction
April 12, 2017

2. Timeline of Current State Board of Education Reform Work
2014
Major changes to the state’s accountability system were made, including the General Assembly’s elimination of five Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments with a move to local alternative assessments, and the legislative formation of the SOL Innovation Committee.
The Board expressed a recommitment to conducting a comprehensive review and revision of regulations governing student achievement and graduation requirements.

3. Timeline (continued)
2015
Through the work of its Committee on School and Division Accountability, the Board engaged with a wide variety of stakeholders to assess the outcomes for current high school graduates and begin to shape and expand student achievement expectations for graduation.
In September 2015, a draft framework for these new expectations, entitled The Virginia Profile of a Graduate, was publicly introduced. Stakeholder meetings continued as well as 4 public hearings across the state to solicit comments and perspectives from staff, “consumers” of high school graduates, and community members to further inform the Profile’s development.

4. Timeline (continued)
2016
In the spring the Board held a full day work session to review, amend, and confirm a draft Profile of a Virginia Graduate. At the work session, Board members emphasized the need to express the Profile in straightforward and easy-to-understand language and provided suggestions for further clarity and revisions.
In November, the Board reached consensus on revisions to Parts I-VII of the Standards of Accreditation (SOA), the regulations which include the requirements for the Profile of a Graduate.
The Board adopted those revisions in January 2017.
The Governor and 2016 General Assembly further supported the development of a Profile of a Virginia Graduate through the introduction and adoption of legislation to place the above recommendation in the Code of Virginia’s Standards of Quality.

5. Why did the Board develop the Profile?
The Profile of a Graduate was developed to articulate the knowledge, skills, and competencies students should attain during their K-12 education experience to be “life-ready”.
Our current K-12 system was built to prepare young people to work in a manufacturing dominated economy, with structured and uniform roles and expectations. Stakeholders were almost unanimous in noting this system was not working for 21st century expectations.
In discussions with higher education, employers, military representatives, business owners, school staff, parents, and community members, new skill sets for success were articulated, including strong communication, collaboration, creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
The State Board reformed Virginia’s graduation requirements to more closely align with the expectations of “life-readiness,” whether a graduate is entering a two- or four-year college, the workplace, or military service.

6. What is the Profile of a Graduate
The Board of Education’s Profile of a Graduate is the framework for preparing students to leave Virginia high schools ready for further study, work, responsibilities, and life.
The Profile is the foundation for the alignment of state graduation requirements with assessment of student learning and evaluation of school accountability and quality.
The Profile has been developed by the Board of Education to describe the knowledge, skills, competencies, and experiences students should attain during their K-12 education to make them “life-ready.” The Profile presents and describes four overlapping areas for student learning and achievement considered essential to success beyond high school. These are knowledge of subject areas based on statewide standards and their application (content knowledge); demonstration of personal skills and behaviors required for productivity, effective relationships, and problem-solving within one’s workplace (workplace skills); understanding of the opportunities within civic organizations for service and decision-making and responsibility for respectful interaction with others (community engagement and civic responsibility); and individual participation in career exploration, planning, and preparation, based on understanding of personal interests, skills, and abilities and the needs of the economy (career exploration). Foundational skills for students to acquire and use in each of these areas are critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and citizenship.

7. In Virginia, the Life-ready Individual will,
During His or Her K-12 Educational Experience:
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Achieve and apply appropriate academic and technical knowledge
Attain and demonstrate productive workplace skills, qualities, and behaviors
“WHAT” Students Need to Know
Different Types of Assessments
Blended Content
5 C’s Approach
Connections to Real World Issues
Elementary Exposure
Middle Exploration
HS Focus on Career Clusters
Aligned Program of Study
Multiple Pathways
All Students
Transitions from School to Worksite
Continuum of Options
More than Learning About
Work on a Real World Community Problem
Research and Present
Capstone Project
CAREER PLANNING
WORKPLACE SKILLS
Align knowledge, skills, and personal interests with career opportunities
COMMUNITY &
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
Build connections and value for interactions with diverse communities

8. Board Actions on the Profile
In November 2016, the Board reached consensus on revisions to Parts I-VII of the Standards of Accreditation (SOA) which include the requirements for the Profile of a Graduate and adopted those revisions in January 2017.
The Profile of a Graduate presents and describes four overlapping areas of student learning and achievement considered essential to success beyond high school. Those areas of student learning and achievement are content knowledge, workplace skills, community engagement and civic engagement, and career exploration.
A Virginia high school graduate will:
achieve and apply appropriate academic knowledge;
align knowledge, skills, and personal interests with career opportunities;
attain and demonstrate productive workplace skills, qualities, and behaviors;
value and build connections with diverse communities; and
understand personal responsibility to himself and to others.

9. Selected Collaborative Initiatives in Place
AP/IB/Dual Enrollment courses
Virginia Wizard and other Planning Tools
College Nights
RVA Future Centers
UVA College Advising Corps

10. Potential Questions/Points of Discussion
What is “college ready”? How might K-12 assess this readiness?
How well aligned are “college level” experiences such as AP/IB and dual enrollment?
What “other” skills (beyond academic preparation) are important for degree attainment?

11. Potential Questions/Points of Discussion
How might the K-16 system better capture data from graduates on perceptions of readiness for college and the workforce?
How might the K-16 system capture data from employers and higher education faculty regarding this “readiness”?
How might K-12 better prepare graduates for the college experience?

12. Discussion and Input from the SCHEV Council