Profile of a Virginia Graduate
The Profile of a Virginia Graduate describes the knowledge, skills, experiences and attributes that students must attain to be successful in college and/or the work force and to be “life ready.”
In developing the profile, the Board of Education determined that a life-ready Virginia graduate must:
- Achieve and apply appropriate academic and technical knowledge (content knowledge);
- Demonstrate productive workplace skills, qualities, and behaviors (workplace skills);
- Build connections and value interactions with others as a responsible and responsive citizen (community engagement and civic responsibility); and
- Align knowledge, skills and personal interests with career opportunities (career exploration).
The Profile of a Virginia Graduate provides the framework for the requirements students must meet to earn a Standard Diploma or Advanced Studies Diploma.
Background
The Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, in its 2015 report to the General Assembly, recommended that the Board of Education develop a Profile of a Virginia Graduate and adjust Virginia’s diploma requirements to conform with the profile.
The 2016 General Assembly subsequently approved House Bill 895 and Senate Bill 336
, which directed the Board of Education to:
- Develop and implement a Profile of a Virginia Graduate identifying the knowledge and skills that students should attain during high school in order to be successful;
- In developing the profile, give due consideration to the “5 C’s”:
- critical thinking,
- creative thinking,
- collaboration,
- communication and
- citizenship;
- Emphasize the development of core skill sets in the early years of high school; and
- Establish multiple paths toward college and career readiness for students to follow in the later years of high school, which could include opportunities for internships, externships, and credentialing.
Additional Information
- 2017 SOA: Graduation Requirements (Class of 2022) – Easy-to-understand overview of new graduation requirements applicable to students entering the ninth grade for the first time in fall 2018
- Standards of Accreditation – Information about the 2017 revisions to the Standards of Accreditation, including communications resources and full text of the revised regulations