The Portrait of a Graduate is New York State’s new framework that defines essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions students should develop by the time they graduate high school. The Portrait of a Graduate:

• Articulates a shared vision for student success beyond test scores,
• Centers culturally responsive and inclusive education practices, 
• Promotes integrated development of academic, interpersonal, and cognitive skills,
• Guides schools toward real-world, equitable learning experiences.

There are six attributes of the Portrait of a Graduates – qualities that students develop over time, from early childhood through high school graduation. Under the Portrait of a Graduate, a New York State high school graduate will be:

• Academically Prepared
• A Creative Innovator
• A Critical Thinker
• An Effective Communicator
• A Global Citizen
• Reflective and Future Focused

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework

At the core of the Portrait of a Graduate is the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. The Culturally Responsive‑Sustaining Education (CR‑SE) Framework is a New York State approach that helps schools create learning environments where every child feels seen, valued, and supported. It recognizes that students come from many different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences—and that these are strengths that help enrich our schools. For the past five years educators in Penfield have been learning about the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and aligning curriculum, instruction, and resources to the framework.

What does it mean to be Culturally Responsive?

• A New York State high school graduate who is culturally responsive builds strong, respectful relationships, valuing diverse perspectives as essential to a rigorous, inclusive learning community.
• New York State students who embody cultural responsiveness and academic readiness – demonstrating creativity, critical thinking, communication, reflection, and global awareness – will be prepared to learn, grow, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to society.
• These graduates will be equipped with the interpersonal and intellectual skills needed to thrive in an interconnected, ever-changing world.

The redefining of credits will focus on student proficiency and expand the ways students demonstrate their proficiency in the learning standards and the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. While specific details are forthcoming from the State Education Department, the goal is to maintain all of the current options, while also adding new options to provide multiple means for students to demonstrate their proficiency in the desired learning outcomes prior to graduation. 

New Requirements

• Expand Career & Technical Education
• Financial Literacy – Penfiled will begin offering this course to nineth graders in the 2026-2027 academic year
• Climate Education – Penfiled will begin offering in the 2027-2028 academic year

Instead of solely having to earn 22 credits, under NY Inspires, these are possible opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency and could count towards students earning their high school diploma:

• Approved Work-Based Learning Experiences
• Capstone Learning Experiences
• Early College High School
• Earning NYS Credentials or Seals
• High School Courses…so what is currently in place
• Career & Technical Programs
• Participation in the Arts
• Passing Approved Assessments

Under NY Inspires, students would not be required to pass specific diploma assessments, including Regents Exams or the +1 Pathway Assessment, to earn a high school diploma. The key word is “required.”

What does +1 Pathway Assessment mean?

Currently, students must take and pass four required Regents Exams (one in each of the following subjects: English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) and pass a fifth assessment requirement for graduation…the +1…for most Penfield students this is accomplished by taking an additional Regents exam. This will no longer be required under NY Inspires.

Are Regents exams being eliminated?

No. The Regents Examinations are used not only to satisfy the state’s current diploma requirements, but specific Regents Exams are also used to satisfy federal assessment requirements mandated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Regents Exams also provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of the learning standards in a specific course.

In the future the Regents Exams will still be administered, but students will not be required to pass Regents Exams to earn a high school diploma; rather, students may use the passing of a Regents Exam to meet a graduation requirement.

The Education Department intends to move to one New York State High School Diploma.

However, districts will still be able to officially recognize students’ achievements through additional seals or endorsements on a student’s diploma. For example, in Penfield students currently have the option to earn the Seal of Biliteracy and starting in fall 2026, students will also have the opportunity to earn the Seal of Civic Readiness.