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Plum Borough SD board moves Portrait of a Graduate design forward after yearlong community process
Summary
After a year of community workshops and a design team of 83 participants, the Plum Borough School District board voted to move the Portrait of a Graduate visual and competencies forward for inclusion in the district's comprehensive planning and implementation work.
The Plum Borough School District Board of Directors on Feb. 11 voted to move forward the district's Portrait of a Graduate design after more than a year of community meetings, citing broad participation and plans to embed the competencies into curriculum and staff development.
The Portrait of a Graduate initiative seeks to define the knowledge and competencies Plum expects students to have from kindergarten through graduation. The board approved sending the visual and associated materials to the next action meeting, with a five-vote majority to "move the design forward."
Dr. Boyers, the administrator who led the Portrait of a Graduate process, told the board the design team included about 83 internal and external community members, including students, teachers, alumni, business leaders and faith community representatives. "We talked about competencies and what our students should know and be able to do to prepare for the workforce or postsecondary education," Dr. Boyers said. He described the work as research-based and rooted in employer-identified skills.
Dr. Walsh said the district's goal is not to create a document that sits on a shelf but to make the portrait a "living, breathing" part of K-12 classrooms. "These skills will give our students a competitive advantage when they graduate from Plum High School," Walsh said, noting plans to incorporate the portrait into the comprehensive plan, professional development and the program of studies.
Student representative Mr. Drew Thacker said the previous logo felt outdated and praised the shift toward skills such as critical thinking and adaptability. "In an age where AI is almost everything, reflecting more on critical thinking and problem solving is a way to prepare students," Thacker said.
The design team identified five competencies: communication, integrity, critical thinking, adaptability and empathy. Committee work produced age-appropriate language for K-6 and grades 7-12 bands; the district plans to refine bands further if needed. The district also plans a public landing page and communications rollout if the board approves final action in the upcoming business meeting.
Board members asked about next steps. Dr. Boyers said the immediate work is to embed the portrait into the district's comprehensive plan, align professional development, update curriculum materials, and begin community and staff communications in preparation for implementation in August. The design team's qualitative feedback was described as positive in post-session surveys.
The board's vote at the Feb. 11 discussion meeting was procedural: members voted five to move the visual and materials forward for formal action at the Feb. 25 business meeting. No implementation funding or specific program changes were approved tonight; the board is positioning the portrait to be integrated through later planning and curriculum work.
The Portrait of a Graduate materials presented to the board included a visual of the district Mustang with the five competencies and a draft web landing page for community reference. The district indicated it will bring further implementation details, including professional development plans and curriculum alignment proposals, to future meetings.
