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District unveils four 'portrait of a learner' competencies as strategic planning work begins
Summary
District officials presented a draft 'Portrait of a Learner' and four student competency buckets — independent and adaptable; connected and collaborative; critical and creative thinkers; engaged and responsible — and said they will finalize the portrait by the end of June with a strategic plan to follow.
District staff presented the draft 'Portrait of a Learner' at the April 14 school committee meeting and described next steps to turn the competencies into measurable expectations and an operational strategic plan.
"This work is truly about serving every student every class in every classroom every day — no exceptions," Carrie Purcell said as she introduced the four competency buckets the district proposes to define for learners from pre-K through grade 12.
Purcell said the portrait grew out of extensive listening — surveys, small-group sessions, one-on-one conversations and a steering committee — and distilled into four outcomes the district wants every graduate to demonstrate: independence and adaptability; connection and collaboration; critical and creative thinking; and engagement and responsibility. The district plans to define what those competencies look like at each grade span, create rubrics and align instructional resources.
Officials said the work will move from definition to action: once the portrait is finalized they will identify the actions, data measures and resource alignments necessary to support it. Purcell said the portrait should be finalized before the end of June so a strategic plan can be launched July 1.
Committee members asked how the portrait will overlay with curriculum design and whether it will function as a "curriculum overlay" or as outcome expectations that curriculum must support. District leaders said they intend to define grade-level indicators, create rubrics that demonstrate "what good looks like" for each grade span, and coordinate with ongoing curriculum reviews (literacy, math and history) so the portrait and instruction are aligned.
The presentation included an operational note: district staff plan to keep visibility on progress by forming subcommittees and relaunching listening sessions with families, staff and community stakeholders before the next public update in June.
