HISD staff collaborated with leaders in business and post-secondary education last week to create a graduate profile that reflects expectations the district wants all high school graduates to meet in order to be successful in college, career, and life — and the public and board of trustees will soon have a chance to weigh-in on this important benchmark.

“We want to make sure that our graduates leave with skills that are required to be successful in colleges and careers of the 21st century,” said Assistant Superintendent for Linked Learning Adam Stephens.

During the graduate profile session, representatives from Memco, A.C. Brooks Consulting, One Goal, Tech for All, University of Houston, and Texas A&M University discussed what a HISD graduate should “look like” including what important skills students need to master before heading to college and the workforce. The group noted the importance of shaping students into critical thinkers and effective communicators with organizational, interpersonal, and soft skills.

A draft of the HISD Graduate Profile will be refined and open for public comment and input from July 28 to Aug. 18. A final draft will then be presented to the HISD board of trustees in late August before adopting an official profile.