Reinvest in Virginia’s Education Workforce
Foundational Models to Promote Education Modernization
Central to Virginia’s efforts to modernize its public education system has been the creation, adoption and promotion of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, a major milestone for both educators and students across the Commonwealth. This updated framework for high school graduation provided the foundation for school districts to offer students a deeper, more personalized learning experience that develops the skills and competencies necessary for success beyond the classroom.
As part of the Virginia is for Learners campaign several years later, several nonprofit organizations and schools of education endeavored to align the professional expectations and resources of educators and education leaders with the revised expectations for Virginia graduates. The results facilitated three unique frameworks to inspire professional learning programs and new resources for Virginia’s educator workforce. Alongside the Profile of a Virginia Graduate, the Profiles of a Virginia Classroom, Educator and Education Leader have been used as driving forces and guidelines for education reform across Virginia, leading to positive changes for educator pre-service and in-service learning programs.
You can read more about the four profiles below. For more information regarding the interdependence of these pieces, check out our interactive graphic found under Crosswalk Analysis of the Four Profiles. You can also learn more by reading our white paper that examines the relationships between these profiles.
Profile of a Virginia Graduate
The Virginia Board of Education developed the Profile of a Virginia Graduate to fulfill legislation passed by the General Assembly and enacted by the Governor. The profile emphasizes the importance of deeper learning and recognizes that, in order to succeed, students must be capable in both content knowledge and social skills that will translate to post-graduation circumstances.
Profile of a Virginia Classroom
The Profile of a Virginia Classroom considers the components of a learning setting that enable all students to graduate having had the experiences and developed the content and competency mastery articulated by the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. Led by the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (VASCD), this profile developed through discussions and co-design work around the Commonwealth with educators and education organizations. It provides educators with resources and prompts to guide creation of a productive and deeper learning environment for students that prepares them for the future. It addresses topics related to: deeper learning, quality instruction, respectful culture, assessment and feedback, and student and teacher roles.
Profile of a Virginia Educator
The Profile of a Virginia Educator describes the knowledge, skills and dispositions an educator should exemplify in order to cultivate student preparedness. The rubric was borne out of research conducted by EdPolicyForward: The Center for Education Policy at George Mason University, who organized in-person focus groups with educators across the Commonwealth to determine the factors that contribute to educator success.
Profile of a Virginia Education Leader
The Profile of a Virginia Education Leader considers the professional knowledge, skills and dispositions that position school administrators to support peers and cultivate productive learning communities for students and educators. This profile was developed through efforts by William & Mary’s School-University Resource Network (SURN) and has been reviewed by Virginia educators, superintendents, higher education faculty members and other education stakeholders.