Council on 21st Century Learning; Colorado Springs School District 11
Measuring ACHIEVEment in the 21st Century — Graduate Profile Rubric
Our mission is to provide excellent, distinctive educational experiences that equip students for success today and in the
future. Our students seek to embody fully the following characteristics:
Academically Prepared
Culturally Competent
Highly Skilled Team Member
Innovative Thinker and
Problem Solver
Effective, Efficient User of
Information Technology
Vital Participant in Civic
Responsibility
Effective Communicator
Revised September 2012
They identify learning goals and monitor progress toward reaching them. They possess the inquiry and research
skills necessary to do rigorous academic work and master essential content. As metacognitive learners, they
understand their learning style and needs, and routinely reflect on their experiences in order to grow as
independent learners with self-direction.
They understand and appreciate diverse cultures, and can reach across cultural boundaries to interact effectively
with various individuals and groups. They appreciate, evaluate, and apply a range of viewpoints.
They understand their own working styles and strive to become well rounded in order to contribute to collective
efforts and shared goals. They develop skills for leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, while cultivating
understanding of when to apply these skills.
They apply critical thinking and reasoning along with creative thinking skills to work and life in order to identify
and solve problems, analyze and evaluate information, and develop and apply innovative ideas (invention). They
seek alternative points of view and use multiple modes of reasoning to consider ideas. They develop their
capacities to take risks and think independently.
They use tools and information literacy skills to acquire, work with, and organize information. They assess the
reliability and value of information. They apply digital, visual, textual, and technological literacies to enhance
their understanding and use of information. They adapt to new media and technologies as they become
available.
They serve productive roles in their various communities through active, responsible participation in community
efforts. They understand and support communitarian values. They understand and incorporate the perspectives
of justice, equity, and environmental sensitivity.
They skillfully share knowledge, understanding, and ideas with others, using multiple tools and languages to
communicate. They match message, style, mode, and media to their audiences and communicative purposes.
They show empathy and respect for others.
Council on 21st Century Learning; Colorado Springs School District 11
Achieve Outcome
Elements
Academically
Prepared
 Able to do rigorous academic work, shape one’s own
learning path, and master essential content
 Skillful and eager in pursuit of inquiry
 Capacity for initiating, planning, organizing, pursuing,
and completing work
 Capacity for identifying and monitoring progress
toward learning goals
 Skills and habit of metacognitive thinking about their
learning
 Awareness of own learning styles and needs with selfdirection (persistence, adaptability, work ethic,
initiative)
Culturally
Competent
 Understanding and appreciating cultural boundaries,
and reaching across them
 Interacting effectively with diverse individuals, groups,
and cultures
 Respect for the diversity of individuals, groups, and
cultures
Highly Skilled
Team Member
 Effective participation in collective efforts
 Flexibility and adaptability in thinking, behavior, and
practices
 Capacity for collaboration (synergy, team resourcing,
leadership for new knowledge) and leadership
 Respect/Appreciation for different ways of doing
things
 Seeking multiple ideas & perspectives
 Knowledge / skill in process
 Act with maturity, civility, and politeness
 Blending leadership & followership
 Capacity for self-advocacy and awareness of own
working style and needs
Contributing to
effective,
collaborative effort
and shared goals
Revised September 2012
Personalized Learning
Connection
Possible Measures
 Rigor is encouraged by giving
incentive to master Common Core
learning targets through selfpaced pathways.
 Students shape their own learning
path by self-selecting appropriate
topics to further explore.
 Students are eager to pursue
inquiry because learning is tied to
need and interest.
 A model of constant self and peer
review are in place to monitor
progress towards learning goals
 Students exhibit awareness of
their own learning styles by selfselecting their learning tools.
 Modern technologies allow for
reaching across borders and to
diverse populations to have true
collaborative opportunities with
members of other cultures.
 Project based formative assessment
rubrics
 Math Exemplars
 Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
 Student Growth Plan
 TCAP and eventually PARCC
 ST Math
 Literacy Assessments (DIBELs,
curriculum based, etc.)
 Self and peer assessment rubrics
 Instruction models are based
around collaborative and
experiential learning
opportunities both in and out of
the classroom.
 Managing time more creatively
such as flipping the classroom
allows for more applied learning
and higher levels of Depth of
Knowledge.
 Reciprocal learning models allow
all learners (students and
educators) to seek and share
multiple perspectives.
 Peer review rubrics
 Project based evidence
 Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
 Service Learning Projects
 Math Exemplars
 Emotional I.Q. measures
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Service Learning projects
Community service logs
Projects based evidence
Aligned common assessments
Council on 21st Century Learning; Colorado Springs School District 11
Innovative Thinker
/ Problem Solver
Identifying and
solving problems;
thinking critically
and strategically;
applying creative
thought to work and
life
Problem Solver −
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Problem identification & definition
Skill in recognizing, using, & reshaping patterns
Ability to apply old information to new situations
Skillful use of problem-solving strategies
Flexibility & adaptability
Critical Thinker −
 Skillful questioning of ideas, information and
assumptions
 Discerning relevance of information
 Skillful use of critical thinking and reasoning (cause
and effect, analysis, logic) strategies
 Data and information analysis skills
Innovative Thinker −
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Effective, Efficient
User of
Information
Technology
Capacity for divergent and creative thinking
Skillful use of creative thinking strategies
Flexibility & adaptability
Skeptical curiosity
Generating new ideas, approaches
Responsible risk-taking
Invention (creativity, innovation)
Use models and simulations to explore complex
systems and issues
 Using tools to support the processes of finding, sorting,
storing, using, & evaluating information
 Knowledge/Skill in information literacy (knowledge
acquisition, source discernment, system management)
 Knowledge/Skill in assessing the reliability & value of
information
 Knowledge/Skill in using a variety of tools, media, and
forms of information
 Knowledge/Skill in adapting to new tools, media, and
Revised September 2012
 Learning is experiential, high
interest, and connected to real
world problems.
 Flipped classroom models allow
for application of knowledge at
the highest levels of Depth of
Knowledge.
 Gamification
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 Students practice self and peer
review of work.
 Students monitor growth plans
and portfolios.
 Frequent opportunities for
creation and presentation of
opposing ideas develop thinking
and reasoning skills.
 Modern technologies provide
greater access to ideas and
information that learners can
evaluate.
 Creation and collaboration areas
exist in and out of classrooms.
 Students are engaged with high
interest real world problems to
solve.
 Interactive learning models are in
place as a mode of delivery.
 Access to modern technologies
allows for variety in expression
and demonstration of learning.
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 Computing devices and platforms
allow for targeted searches for
and storage capacity of
information.
 Menus of presentation options
exist to allow for tool and
presentation choice as well as
exploration of new tools.
 Reciprocal learning models allow
 Project based learning opportunities
 Rubrics that support multiple
presentation media options
 Open/Flexible scheduling library/media
center models to allow access at point
of need
 TCAP and eventually PARCC
TCAP and eventually PARCC
Math Exemplars
Service Learning Projects
Project Based Learning samples
Menu based assignments
Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
 ST Math
TCAP and eventually PARCC
Math Exemplars
Service Learning Projects
Project Based Learning samples
Menu based assignments
Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
 ST Math
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
TCAP and eventually PARCC
Math Exemplars
Service Learning Projects
Project Based Learning samples and
rubrics
 Menu based assignments
 Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
Council on 21st Century Learning; Colorado Springs School District 11
forms of information
Vital Participant in
Civic Responsibility
Serving a productive
role in one’s
communities
Effective
Communicator
Sharing knowledge
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Active participation & responsibility in community
Understanding of role in community
Appreciation and pursuit of communitarian values
Understanding of social environmental dynamics
Knowledge/Skill in community process
Engagement in multiple, layered, interactive
communities (from local to global)
 Understanding and incorporating the perspectives of
justice, equity, and environmental awareness
 Capacity for self-advocacy
 Skill in receiving & understanding others’
communications
 Skill in articulating ideas & information
 Skill in supporting ideas & information
 Facility in more than one language and mode of
communication
 Knowledge/Appreciation of various modes and media
of communication
 Skill in matching message, audience, purpose, style,
and medium
 Empathy
Revised September 2012
learners to present new
information frequently.
 Learning is attached to student
interest and real world
connections.
 Collaborative tools allow for
exploration and communication
with stakeholders across the
globe.
 Communication tools such as
email, websites, blogs, and wikis
allow learners to advocate for
issues connected to the real
world.
 Learner email and collaboration
sites allow for focused
communications that are relevant
to curriculum and interest.
 Research technologies and
opportunities are presented to
gain knowledge of audience and
empathy for populations that
differ from the learner.
 Presentation opportunities are
frequent and varied in delivery.
 Service learning project evidence
 Community service logs
 Student Portfolio (based on Common
Core requirements)
 Project based learning opportunities
 Rubrics that support multiple
presentation media options