Portrait of a Graduate

The Portrait ensures that North Carolina students are well equipped for the broadest range of postsecondary opportunities, be it college, career, or military.  

Now, more than ever, a student’s learning experiences must include the acquisition of rigorous academic content and the durable skills and mindsets students need to thrive in the post-secondary plan of their choice. The North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate allows for deeper student learning and skill attainment and bridges the gap between K-12 education and workforce readiness, supporting Superintendent Truitt’s strategic plan Operation Polaris Links to an external site..  

The Portrait shows that student academic success matters, but so does a student’s ability to adapt, to collaborate, communicate, think critically, show empathy, learn and take personal responsibility.  

The agency has released multiple resources to support the implementation of the Portrait in North Carolina’s schools, such as the Portrait of a Graduate Playbook, Communications Toolkit, and additional tools like Rubrics and I Can Statements, Links to an external site.Suggestions for Use Links to an external site. and, most recently, Performance Tasks Links to an external site..  

Collectively, these resources are intended to serve as a guide for developing, understanding, monitoring and measuring student progress from pre-K to high school graduation. They were created and informed by more than 120 stakeholders, including North Carolina’s very own educators, who provided their invaluable classroom perspectives with the goal of assisting students in their acquisition of durable skills to help them excel both in and outside of the classroom.  

NCSCOS Content Area Crosswalks Links to an external site.

NCDPI Portrait of a Graduate Homepage Links to an external site.