Dinowitz recounts state review that led to Portrait of a Graduate
Dinowitz describes the seven-year state review of graduation requirements, the Blue Ribbon Commission on graduation measures, and the July 2025 adoption of Portrait of a Graduate. He says the review found graduation measures were not serving students of color, students with disabilities, English language learners, or low-income students well.
Seven years ago, the Board of Regents and the New York State Department of Education, or NYSID,
announced a comprehensive review of the state's high school diploma requirements.
The review concluded that the state's graduation measures were not serving all students well, and in particular were not serving students of color, students with disabilities, English language learners, and students from low-income households.
I will add that the graduation requirements don't even ask what we want our students to do and be, that same questions.
Students who engage in rigorous educational experience and use their skills to better their communities.
And all the elements that we see in the schools, from journalism to music and arts,
photography, to debate team, the debate team and math clubs, things that we know involve rigorous education, community-mindedness, civic engagement, they're not meaningfully measured by the department.
Yet they are the things we are most proud of.
In our school system and when I come visit a school.
It's what the teachers and the principals are most proud to share.
In the years that followed NICE's decision, they gathered stakeholder input, convened a Blue Ribbon Commission on graduation measures in 2022, and received the commission's recommendations in November of 23.