(WBNG) – New York State high school graduation requirements are changing. The Board of Education is calling it the “Portrait of a Graduate,” which outlines six new goals students would have to meet to earn a diploma.
The portrait, particularly the reflective and future-focused part, will adjust the approach to topics like math, economics and other subjects to better prepare students for life after graduation.
Real-world skills in the classroom
At Newark Valley High School, teachers like Katia D’Arcy are investing in their students with lessons about real-world skills like financial literacy.
“So that when they are in the future, they know how to take out a loan. They know how to write a check,” said D’Arcy, a business teacher at Newark Valley High School.
But there’s a question of whether there’s enough time to explore the parts of lessons that are often overlooked.
“I think there’s a lot of nuances to it. In order to get the most out of it, you need to learn some of these other pieces to it,” D’Arcy said.
The Portrait of the Graduate, particularly the reflective and future-focused aspect, aims to correct this matter. D’Arcy said she thinks the basics in subjects like hers that have utility for students beyond graduation won’t be locked behind choosing an elective anymore.
“So I’m not teaching from square one anymore. I am teaching from a further point forward. So we might be able to dive into more things that students want to learn deeper about. So that’s where I’m very excited about in that regard,” D’Arcy said.
D’Arcy said that while some subjects might lend themselves to the reflective and future-focused requirement better than others, the portrait is still in its planning phase and won’t fully go into effect until 2029.
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