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.