Portrait of a Graduate- Field Guide

Portrait of a Graduate Field Guide_August 2023

Portrait of a Graduate: Field Guide (Accessible Text Version)

How to make our vision come alive
Durango School District | Strategic Plan 2023–2025

What Is the Portrait of a Graduate?

The Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) is Durango School District’s shared vision for the essential qualities and skills our students need to thrive in life beyond school.

“This is a shared vision of what qualities our graduates need to possess in order to be positive contributors to society and have a good quality of life.”
— Dr. Karen Cheser, Superintendent

PoG is our north star for teaching powerful skills that support students in building a meaningful, purpose-driven life.

Field Guide Purpose

This guide is a resource to help educators bring the PoG vision to life by supporting:

Use of Blueprints
Student development of Portfolios
End-of-year Capstones
Integration with the Abre platform
Consistent ways to measure success

Lexicon: Key Terms

Ikigai: A Japanese term for the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
PoG Competency: A two-word phrase (disposition + skill) that defines a key graduate outcome, such as Empathetic Collaborator or Creative Problem-Solver.
Disposition: The mindset or attitude behind each competency (e.g., Resilient, Creative).
Skill: The action-oriented aspect of each competency (e.g., Risk-Taker, Communicator).
Success Criteria: Statements that describe what successful demonstration of a competency looks like.
Blueprints: Tools that define each competency with its success criteria, helping students understand and track their growth.
Badges: Recognition for demonstrating a competency, especially when linked to specific success criteria.
Portfolio: A collection of student work showing growth in PoG competencies over time.
Capstone: A culminating presentation of student growth in PoG competencies, held at key grade levels.
Curate: The act of selecting the most representative or proudest examples of student work.

Blueprints: Learning Tools

Blueprints provide clarity and structure for each PoG competency and include:

A definition of the competency
A list of success criteria
PoG wheels—classroom tools that display competencies and rotate to show one focus area at a time

Hands-on Tool:
Each classroom set includes 19 competency wheels that spin to reveal six focus areas. They help students stay centered on one goal at a time.

Portfolios: Showcasing Growth

Portfolios allow students in grades PK–12 to reflect on their growth and demonstrate PoG competencies throughout their school journey.

Guidelines:

PK–2: Use physical artifacts like drawings, videos, papers.
Grades 3–12: Submit work via the Abre platform.
6-week cycles: Each PoG competency is introduced and explored over six weeks.
Students may update portfolios anytime to reflect growth.
Teachers report PoG proficiency similarly to character traits in past report cards.

Competency Rollout Schedule 2023–2024:

Aug. 22–Sept. 29: Empathetic Collaborator
Oct. 2–Nov. 3: Resilient Risk-Taker
Nov. 6–Jan. 5: Agile Thinker
Jan. 8–Feb. 16: Creative Problem-Solver
Feb. 19–April 5: Confident Communicator
April 8–May 24: Courageous Leader

Capstones: Celebrating Milestones

Capstones are student-led presentations that summarize growth in PoG competencies at grades 2, 5, 8, and 11.

Key Features:

Involve peers, teachers, and at least one family member
Include time for feedback and affirmation
Replace previous character-based report card grades
Reflected in report cards under Reading/Writing/Communication or English

Tools:

Abre: Platform for Portfolios

Abre is the online platform where students and teachers upload, organize, and assess PoG artifacts.

Elementary: Reviewed by the homeroom teacher
Middle school: Reviewed by the crew teacher
High school: Reviewed by the advisory teacher

Abre Support:

Teachers can give feedback and track progress
Students upload evidence with step-by-step guides

Resources:

Measuring Success

Durango School District believes every student deserves the opportunity to dream big and gain the skills to make those dreams reality. The PoG competencies are our most important standards for student success.

Support and Sharing

Need help? Reach out to your school's instructional coach for collaboration and lesson planning support.

Want to share your story?
Teachers are encouraged to share highlights and successes in implementing PoG.

Contact:
Karla Sluis, Public Information Officer
📧 [email protected] | 📱 970-749-1781