(WBNG) – The New York State Department of Education accepted a new initiative called “The Portrait of a Graduate” at a Board of Regents meeting in July 2025. The initiative outlines six requirements for what should be represented by a New York state high school diploma.
The portrait is part of a larger effort called New York Inspires and is the culmination of years of work where public schools and parents have fought to accommodate different learning styles statewide.
Six requirements for graduation
According to Broome-Tioga BOCES, the Portrait of a Graduate serves as the state education department’s guide for evaluating graduates alongside traditional Regents exams.
Students will need to demonstrate academic readiness, creative innovation, critical thinking, effective communication, global citizenship, and being “reflective and future focused” to qualify.
Dr. Rebecca Stone, district superintendent of Broome-Tioga BOCES, said the goal is to actively engage students by tending to their different learning styles.
“So the vision of the portrait of a graduate is to help all students find their passion. If you ask students in middle school right now, 40% of the kids say they like school. The other 60% don’t. Why don’t they like school? Because they don’t see that it’s relevant to them. This is going to help students find that relevance and the passion of something that they want to do,” Stone said.
Still in planning phase
While the portrait was accepted in July 2025, it is still in its planning phase.
“We’re working through that stuff. How you can be evaluated currently is through Regents. And that still can happen for students who test well and they want to take that path,” Stone said.
Once complete, there will be one statewide diploma for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Kerri Bullock, assistant superintendent for instructional support services with Broome-Tioga BOCES, said the portrait will give students a chance to show what they have learned while not being limited to tests.
“So I think, you know, we’re looking at a lot of rubric samples to say no matter how students can show that they have these skills, we can ensure that they have these components. So if that’s a student presentation of their portfolio, how are they communicating that information? How are they showing their critical thinking skills, you know, through that process?” Bullock said.
Bullock said the initiative will not be fully implemented until 2029, when current fifth graders become high school freshmen.
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