Advocates say academic achievement alone won’t prepare young people to keep up with the changing society and technology.
In the months and years ahead, public school communities across the nation might be buzzing about the “Five Cs.”
Those Cs are not letter grades in a handful of core subject areas, although critics of this growing initiative say that less academic rigor would reflect such mediocrity. The concept—also referred to as the new North Star for academic achievement—prioritizes Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Citizenship.
An increasing number of states are phasing in these “Portrait of a Graduate” frameworks that advocates say will better prepare young people for future careers and adult life, especially considering rapid technological and societal changes brought on by artificial intelligence. In many cases, testing and assessments are deprioritized, raising questions about suitable metrics and rubrics for measuring academic achievement at a time when reading and math scores are declining or remaining stagnant across K-12.
“Both very blue and very red states have undertaken the effort,” Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest, a nonprofit organization that advocates fair and open testing, said in a 2025 report. He estimates that at least 20 states and hundreds of school districts have adopted a Portrait of a Graduate framework.
“Having young people prepared to contribute meaningfully to society and the economy seems a fairly universal goal.”
Where, Why, and How
FairTest’s list of 20 states with a plan implemented or in progress includes states in every region of the country, plus Hawaii. Florida and Texas are not on the list. California is not listed as a state participant yet, but several of its districts have adopted Portrait of a Graduate guidelines.
The first states to adopt these policies were South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Virginia, according to the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). These changes took place before the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of learning that followed.
In South Carolina, business leaders provided the state with descriptions of employable skills. In Utah, the Department of Education designed a “Talent Map” that recognizes academic mastery in subject areas while also encouraging students to develop and demonstrate character traits such as integrity and resilience. Washington State’s Portrait of a Graduate framework is centered on diversity and “cultural competency.” Virginia’s, which codified the “Five Cs” into a state law, promotes project-based learning, according to the NASBE.
New York State’s plan, adopted last summer, would eventually eliminate the Regents exams that require passing scores for high school graduation. The exams will still be administered as a requirement for federal funding, but students in the Class of 2028 and beyond won’t need passing grades.
Instead, diploma candidates must demonstrate a strong foundation in the state learning standards as well as “the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life,” the Department of Education website says. It also says that Regents exam scores, presentations, projects, and portfolios are the options candidates can include in their “portraits” for graduation.
The department hasn’t yet announced what changes, if any, will be made to core subject completion requirements and elective courses.
The California Department of Education announced on March 2 that it’s planning workshops to develop statewide Portrait of a Graduate guidelines focused on deeper learning for 21st century skills and innovative uses of technology.
Hezekiah Herrera, a San Diego K-12 education consultant who has worked on this initiative with districts in several states, including New York and California, said Portrait of a Graduate is a conceptualization of what schools should be producing, as opposed to measuring student success based on standardized tests and content mastery. So far, schools have struggled to develop a subjective system for evaluating student portfolios.
“When you take a math test, there is one correct answer. When you assess a capstone project that demonstrates civic engagement, you are making a subjective decision each and every time,” Herrera told The Epoch Times. “We are being asked to eliminate accountability mechanisms in the midst of a learning crisis that has yet to be resolved.”
