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Board hears multi-year "Portrait of a Graduate" plan to align competencies K—2
Summary
District leaders updated the board on a multi-year Portrait of a Graduate initiative that maps grade-level competencies ("four C's" and supporting dispositions), will be woven into curricula and Genesis report cards, and may include senior capstone coursework and AP seminar/research options.
Pequannock officials presented a multi-year Portrait of a Graduate update on June 22, describing how the work has evolved from a one-year pilot into an ongoing five- to six-year plan to align district curriculum, assessments and classroom "look-fors" around future-ready competencies.
Why it matters: The Portrait of a Graduate is intended to unify varied classroom work under shared competencies (the presenters described four foundational "C" competencies and supporting dispositions) and to make expectations explicit from kindergarten through Grade 12 so that students build toward demonstrable defenses of learning at grades 5, 8 and 12.
What the presentation covered: Mr. Hasler and Mr. Reiner reviewed the process: committee formation, stakeholder surveys, subcommittees, faculty engagement and grade-level one-pagers that describe what each competency looks like in primary, upper elementary, middle and high school settings. Mr. Hasler said the effort "is not one more thing, it is the thing," summarizing the intention to make competencies the organizing principle for instruction.
Instructional and assessment implications: Presenters said the district plans to add a "profile of the graduate" section into curriculum documents, align Genesis report cards so competencies appear for families, and consider a senior-level course or capstone for students not in academies or AP pathways. They noted that AP Seminar and AP Research can serve as capstone models for students in AP tracks.
Board questions and next steps: Board members asked for implementation timelines and rubrics. Presenters said they will include a detailed implementation plan in summer administrative meetings and use retreat time in July to set district goals and identify "defenses of learning" at Grades 5, 8 and 12. The presenters described the work as a "labor of love" and said teachers and administrators will continue to refine rubrics and pilot defenses of learning.
(Reporting based on the board presentation to the Pequannock Township Board of Education, June 22, 2026.)
