Pathway to Graduation
Phoenix Central School District · The Firebird Framework
Every student has a story to tell.
This guide explains how Phoenix helps every child discover who they are, prove what they can do, and graduate ready for what comes next. It also explains what New York State is changing about the diploma, and what that means for your family.
- Discover
- Develop
- Demonstrate
- Communicate
Start here
What would you like to know?
Each link jumps to a short, plain-language answer. Most families start with the first one.
Does this affect my child?
Pick your child’s grade and see which state rules apply.
Graduation requirements
Credits and exams required today, and what changes in 2028.
What is NY Inspires?
New York’s official timeline, what changes, and what stays the same.
Diploma options & pathways
The 4+1 pathways, diploma types, and help if an exam is hard.
Course guidebook
The JCB Program of Studies: every course, prerequisite, and credit.
Portrait of a Graduate
The six qualities New York wants every graduate to have.
The Pre-K to Grade 12 journey
What it looks like at MAM, EJD, and JCB, with three student stories.
Strengths: Grade 6 to Grade 10
StrengthsExplorer, CliftonStrengths, and finding the career cluster that fits.
Career clusters & planning
Explore the 14 career clusters and how a plan gets made.
High school seminars
Freshman Seminar through the senior capstone at JCB.
Digital badges & credentials
How real work becomes verified evidence your child keeps.
Questions families ask
Regents exams, colleges, workload, privacy, and more.
Video series · 15 parts
The Firebird Framework, one week at a time
Each week, Superintendent Dr. Ryan Lanigan explains one piece of the plan in plain language. Watch them in order, or jump to the topic you care about most.
Each video has a matching one-page summary. New videos are added here as they are released.
Why now
The world now asks graduates to show what they can do
Grades and test scores still matter. More and more, colleges and employers also want evidence of skills.
of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030.
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025
of employers now use skills-based hiring for new graduates. Only 42% plan to screen by GPA, down from 73% in 2019.
NACE, Job Outlook 2026
students in grades 6–12 say school gives them the chance to do what they do best.
Gallup and Walton Family Foundation, Voices of Gen Z, 2025
New York State is changing the diploma
Does this affect my child?
New York calls its plan NY Inspires. Students are grouped by the year they first enter Grade 9, called their cohort. Choose your child’s grade this school year (2026–27).
This is a general guide based on NYSED announcements through September 2026. Your school counselor can confirm your child’s exact requirements.
- 2019Graduation Measures Initiative begins
- Nov 2023Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations
- Nov 2024NY Inspires plan released
- Key milestone: Jul 2025Portrait of a Graduate adopted
- Jun 2026Competency-based diploma plan presented
- Key milestone: Sep 2026Regents authorize one diploma
- Feb 2027Proposed regulations expected
From the New York State Education Department
What is NY Inspires?
NY Inspires is NYSED’s plan to change what a New York diploma means. It grew out of the Graduation Measures Initiative, which began in 2019 and gathered input from families, educators, and employers across the state. The plan has four transformations.
Adopt a Portrait of a Graduate
Six statewide attributes. Adopted by the Board of Regents on July 14, 2025.
Redefine credits
Move from seat time toward showing proficiency, with more ways to earn credit, such as CTE and work-based learning.
End separate exam requirements
Regents exams stay, but passing them is no longer required for a diploma.
Move to one diploma
One New York State diploma replaces local, Regents, and Advanced Designation. Achievement is shown through seals.
NYSED’s planned timeline
Dates from NYSED’s NY Inspires FAQ and Board of Regents announcements. NYSED notes that changes are not final until the Board of Regents approves the regulations.
| When | What NYSED plans |
|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2024 | NY Inspires plan presented to the Board of Regents. |
| Jul 14, 2025 | Portrait of a Graduate adopted. |
| Jun 2026 | Plan for a competency-based diploma presented. |
| Sep 2026 | Regents authorize the next phase: one diploma and the end of separate exam requirements. |
| Feb 2027 | Proposed regulations expected, followed by a 60-day public comment period. |
| Summer 2027 | Guidance on redefining credits expected to be complete. |
| Fall 2027 | One diploma begins. Students graduating in January 2028 and later receive the New York State High School Diploma. |
| 2027–28 | Students entering Grade 9 need at least one CTE credit. Financial literacy and work-based learning may count. |
| 2029–30 | Students entering Grade 9 (today’s sixth graders) are the first class aligned to the Portrait, with a statewide transcript. |
- Current diploma requirements stay in effect until the Board of Regents approves changes.
- Regents exams are not being eliminated. If your child is scheduled for one this year, they take it.
- Students are still assessed in class and on required state tests.
- Instruction still follows the New York State learning standards.
- The +1 pathways, such as the Seal of Civic Readiness and the CTE pathway, are still supported.
Families can comment
When NYSED proposes the new regulations, there is a 60-day public comment period. You can also send questions directly to the State Education Department.
NYSED Graduation Measures email:
GradMeasures@nysed.gov
NYS graduation requirements
What it takes to graduate today
Every current requirement stays in effect until New York approves new regulations. Students earn credits by passing courses: 22 credits in all.
| Subject | Credits |
|---|---|
| English | 4 |
| Social Studies Global History & Geography (2), U.S. History & Government (1), Participation in Government (½), Economics (½) | 4 |
| Mathematics | 3 |
| Science Life science (1), physical science (1), and one more of either | 3 |
| World Language Students with a disability noted in their IEP may be excused but still need 22 credits | 1 |
| The Arts Visual art, music, dance, or theater | 1 |
| Physical Education Participation every semester | 2 |
| Health | 0.5 |
| Electives | 3.5 |
| Total | 22 |
Regents exams
Students currently pass four exams, one each in English, math, science, and social studies (a Regents exam or an approved alternative), plus one “+1” pathway. This is called the 4+1 model.
One diploma. No prescribed set of Regents exams to pass.
That is New York’s plan. Regents exams continue as statewide measures, and Advanced Designation is expected to become a seal. In Phoenix, Regents exams stay a graduation requirement until the State’s rules are adopted and Phoenix has built assessments just as rigorous.
Seals your child can work toward now include the NYS Seal of Biliteracy and the NYS Seal of Civic Readiness. Phoenix adds its own Firebird Distinction Seal for students who complete the full credential ladder.
Today’s options, for students graduating through 2027
Diploma types, +1 pathways, and extra help
These are New York’s current rules. They apply until the move to one diploma. Your child’s counselor can tell you which apply to them.
Three diploma types today
Meets the credit requirements and uses an appeal, a safety net, or Superintendent Determination to meet the exam requirements.
Meets the credit requirements and passes all required exams. One exam scored 60–64 can be appealed.
Regents diploma plus two more math exams, one more science exam, and a sequence in a world language, the arts, or CTE. Expected to become a seal under one diploma.
The six “+1” pathway options
After the four core exams, students choose one pathway that fits their interests.
STEM
Pass one more Regents exam or approved alternative in math or science.
Humanities
Pass one more Regents exam or approved alternative in English or social studies.
Arts
Pass an approved arts pathway exam.
World Languages
Pass an approved world language pathway exam.
CTE
Complete an approved CTE program and pass the three-part technical exam. CiTi BOCES programs fit here.
CDOS
216 hours of CTE coursework, including at least 54 hours of work-based learning, plus a career plan and employability profile, or an approved CDOS exam.
If an exam is hard: appeals and safety nets
Appeals (any student)
A student who scores 60–64 on a Regents exam may appeal if they have taken the exam at least twice, used the school’s academic help, passed the course, and have a teacher or department recommendation. English language learners may appeal a 55–59 on the English exam.
Safety nets (students with an IEP or a 504 plan that allows it)
The Low Pass Safety Net accepts scores of 55–64, or 52–54 with a district appeal. The Compensatory Safety Net lets a score of 65 or higher on one exam make up for a score of 45–54 on another (not English or math). These lead to a local diploma.
Superintendent Determination (students with an IEP)
For students with disabilities who earn their credits and take all required exams but do not pass one or more. A parent or guardian makes a written request, and the district reviews the student’s classwork and other evidence that they have met the learning standards.
Seals and endorsements your child can earn
The NYS Seal of Biliteracy recognizes proficiency in English and another language. The NYS Seal of Civic Readiness recognizes civic knowledge and participation and can serve as a +1 pathway. The CDOS Commencement Credential recognizes career readiness. Phoenix adds the Firebird Distinction Seal for students who complete the full credential ladder.
Source: NYSED, Diploma Requirements (Section 100.5) and Appeals, Safety Nets, and Superintendent Determination. Details and deadlines vary, so confirm with your school counselor.
NYS Portrait of a Graduate
Six qualities every graduate needs
The Board of Regents adopted these six attributes on July 14, 2025. They become the framework behind future diploma requirements. Phoenix’s six Firebird attributes match them one to one, and each grows from a value Phoenix already holds in its Blueprint for Excellence.
Academically Prepared
Has a strong foundation in the NYS learning standards, with the knowledge and skills for college, careers, civic life, and life.
Grows from our value: Integrity
Critical Thinker
Analyzes information, evaluates evidence, and connects ideas across subjects to work through complex problems.
Grows from our value: Perseverance
Creative Innovator
Uses imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems and develop new ideas, and adapts when things change.
Grows from our value: Innovation
Effective Communicator
Communicates clearly through speaking, writing, and media, engages different audiences, and listens to other points of view.
Grows from our value: Respect
Global Citizen
Acts responsibly and ethically in local, global, and digital communities.
Grows from our value: Compassion
Reflective & Future-Focused
Reflects on strengths and areas for growth, sets goals, keeps supportive relationships, and makes healthy, responsible decisions.
Grows from our value: Self-Awareness & GrowthAt Phoenix, each attribute comes with student-friendly “I can” statements and one common four-level rubric, used in every course and every building.
Pre-K to Grade 12
One journey, three buildings
The same six attributes grow across thirteen years. Your child’s portfolio starts in Pre-K and follows them. Nothing resets when they change buildings.
Discover
Students learn the language of the Portrait, notice their own strengths, and start a digital portfolio of drawings, recordings, and projects.
Milestone: the Discover Credential at the end of Grade 4.
Deepen
StrengthsExplorer in Grade 6, career-cluster exploration, student-led conferences, and the first real stack of badges.
Milestone: the Deepen Credential and a draft four-year plan in Grade 8.
Transform
Seminars, CTE pathways, a workplace placement, an ePortfolio, and a senior capstone defended in public.
Milestone: the Transform and Capstone Credentials.
Three student stories (composite examples)
Jonah
Grade 4. His first year with a portfolio celebration, and his first badge.
A paper bridge, three tries
His class builds a bridge to hold a toy car. Jonah’s team fails twice, redesigns, and succeeds. His teacher scores it on a simple two-level rubric: his first Creative Innovator badge.
He presents to his family
At the spring portfolio celebration, Jonah walks his parents through his portfolio: a recorded book talk, science journal pages, and the goal he set in September next to the one he met in May.
He leaves MAM with a record
His portfolio shows evidence in all six attributes. He earns the Discover Credential and arrives at EJD with a story already started.
Maya
Grade 7. Her strengths become evidence, and then a plan.
She learns the words for who she is
StrengthsExplorer in Grade 6 names Maya’s top 3 themes: Discoverer, Presence, and Futuristic. Advisory uses that language all year, and her goals are written in it. She will take CliftonStrengths and get her Top 5 in Grade 9.
She runs her own conference
At her Grade 7 student-led conference, Maya, not her teacher, presents her evidence to her family: a TED-style talk badge from ELA and an inquiry project from science.
She plans before she arrives at JCB
A Grade 8 service project with a community partner earns a Global Citizen badge. She earns the Deepen Credential and drafts her four-year plan before her first day of high school.
Ava
Grade 10, Class of 2029. Her strengths point toward teaching and nursing.
Her strengths have names
In Grade 9 she learned her CliftonStrengths Top 5: Developer, Empathy, Focus, Harmony, and Relator. In Sophomore Seminar they point her toward two career clusters, Education and Healthcare & Human Services, while she keeps exploring others she is curious about.
She earns a gold badge in Global History
For the Preservation Project she designs a plan to protect a World Heritage Site and pitches it to a panel. It earns a gold Creative Innovator badge that lives in her digital wallet.
Her plan has next steps, with dates
This year: ACT WorkKeys, a decision about her Earth & Space Regents score of 63, and an application to a CiTi BOCES CTE program. Next year: a workplace placement in the Career Experience Course.
Who am I?
Strengths: words for what your child does best
Every child has natural talents. Phoenix uses two Gallup assessments to help students name theirs, then use them to choose courses, activities, and careers to explore. The goal is not to make every student the same. It is to help each one see what makes them different, and how those differences become strengths.
- Grade 6 · EJD
StrengthsExplorer
Gallup’s assessment for ages 10 to 14 measures 10 talent themes. Each student learns their top 3, and advisory uses that language all year.
- Grade 9 · Freshman Seminar
CliftonStrengths Top 5
Students take CliftonStrengths and receive their Top 5 themes. They use them to explore courses, extracurriculars, and careers that fit their natural talents and abilities.
- Grade 10 · Sophomore Seminar
The cluster that fits best
Students explore the career cluster that best matches their strengths and build their plan around it.
- Every year after
Revisit and grow
Strengths come back in seminar, conferences, and the yearly plan, so the plan changes as your child does.
Strengths point to a place to start, not a fence. A student can still explore any career they are interested in. Counselors and seminar teachers help them see how their strengths could help in that path, and what it would take.
Grade 6: the 10 StrengthsExplorer themes
- Achieving
- Caring
- Competing
- Confidence
- Dependability
- Discoverer (Maya’s top 3)
- Futuristic (Maya’s top 3)
- Organizer
- Presence (Maya’s top 3)
- Relating
Marked with a star: Maya’s top 3 in Grade 6.
Grade 9: the 34 CliftonStrengths themes, in four groups
Executing
Turning ideas into action
- Achiever
- Arranger
- Belief
- Consistency
- Deliberative
- Discipline
- Focus (Ava’s Top 5)
- Responsibility
- Restorative
Influencing
Taking charge and moving others
- Activator
- Command
- Communication
- Competition
- Maximizer
- Self-Assurance
- Significance
- Woo
Relationship Building
Holding a team together
- Adaptability
- Connectedness
- Developer (Ava’s Top 5)
- Empathy (Ava’s Top 5)
- Harmony (Ava’s Top 5)
- Includer
- Individualization
- Positivity
- Relator (Ava’s Top 5)
Strategic Thinking
Analyzing and planning ahead
- Analytical
- Context
- Futuristic
- Ideation
- Input
- Intellection
- Learner
- Strategic
Marked with a star: Ava’s Top 5. Students receive their own Top 5, not all 34.
How students use their Top 5
Courses
Choose classes and electives where their talents can grow, and stretch into ones that build new skills.
Extracurriculars
Find clubs, teams, the arts, and service where their strengths fit and where they can lead.
Careers
Explore jobs and career clusters that use what they naturally do well.
Tip: help your child describe a strength
A strength is most useful when your child can name it and back it up with an example. Try this at home.
Instead of“I’m a people person.”
Try“My Empathy strength helps me notice when a classmate is struggling, so I check in before they fall behind.”
Instead of“I work hard.”
Try“With Focus, I set a goal for my project and finished every step on time.”
Where am I going?
The 14 National Career Clusters
Clusters group careers that share skills. In Sophomore Seminar, each student explores the cluster that best matches their strengths. Nobody is locked in: students can explore any career they want, and we help guide them. Select a cluster to learn more.
Cross-cutting cluster: its skills are used in every industry. Source: Advance CTE, modernized National Career Clusters® Framework (October 2024), 14 clusters and 72 sub-clusters.
The Phoenix planning funnel
From strengths to one written plan
Modeled on Brockport High School’s pathway planning. The funnel is revisited every year, and the plan changes when your child does.
CliftonStrengths Top 5, Grade 9
Sophomore Seminar, Grade 10, plus any others they want to explore
How the six attributes show up in those careers
Courses, electives, clubs, jobs, and volunteering
Reviewed and signed by the school counselor
JCB High School
Course guidebook
The Program of Studies lists every course at JCB High School, with prerequisites, credits, and the graduation requirement each one meets. Use it with your child’s multi-year plan when choosing courses each spring.
What’s inside
- Every course by department, with credit value and prerequisites
- Which graduation requirement each course meets
- Advanced Placement and dual college-credit courses
- CiTi BOCES Career and Technical Education programs
- Suggested courses by career cluster
- Course selection timeline and how to request a change
Questions about choosing courses? Contact the JCB Counseling Office.
JCB High School
Every grade has a course and a goal
The high school seminars are planned to launch in 2027–28, after a planning year with staff and families. Choose a grade.
Uncover: self-awareness and exploration
Students meet their strengths and start the portfolio they will defend as seniors.
- CliftonStrengths: each student receives their Top 5 themes
- Use the Top 5 to explore courses, extracurriculars, and careers that fit their natural talents
- An introduction to the 14 career clusters
- Launch an ePortfolio website that lasts through Grade 12
- Goal-setting and reflection routines
Earns: first badges in Critical Thinking, Communication, and Reflection
Best-fit careers and professional skills
Students find the career cluster that fits their strengths best, then build the tools to pursue it: a résumé, an ePortfolio, and interview practice.
- ACT WorkKeys career-readiness credential
- Explore the career cluster that best matches their strengths, and any others they want to look into
- ePortfolio and personal brand
- AI literacy: ethical use and the future of work
- Mock interviews, résumé, and cover letter
Earns: WorkKeys, Digital Literacy, Professional Communication, and AI Literacy badges
Real work in a real workplace, for every junior
Placements with CiTi BOCES, Oswego County agencies, local employers, and district departments.
- Fall, in school: workplace expectations, safety, résumés, interview practice, and a placement matched to strengths and interests
- Winter–spring, on site: a supervised placement with a workplace mentor
- Spring, back in class: students document and present what they learned
Earns: Professional Communication, Global Citizen, Academically Prepared, Reflective & Future-Focused
Four years of evidence, one professional identity
Seniors defend their portfolio before a panel of educators, employers, college partners, and community members.
- Curate the strongest evidence from four years
- Build an ePortfolio, résumé, and LinkedIn profile
- CTE Year 2 and industry certification
- NYS Seals: Civic Readiness and Biliteracy
- A public capstone defense
Earns: the Transform and Capstone Credentials and the Firebird Distinction Seal
How can I prove it?
Digital badges: real work, verified
A digital badge is an online record of a skill your child has shown, with the work attached. Colleges and employers can verify it with one click, and it stays with your child after graduation.
The medal shows the level: gold for 85% or higher on the rubric, silver for 65–84%. A score of 3 or higher on the common four-level rubric earns the badge.
Not a badge for showing up. Every badge needs all four:
Badges stack into bigger credentials
Every year, PK–12Micro-credential
One attribute, shown once in a single task or experience.
Grade 4 and Grade 8Grade-band credential
Discover at MAM and Deepen at EJD, reviewed by a team of educators.
Grades 9–12Transform credential
Mastery in all six attributes, plus depth in a career cluster.
Grade 12Capstone credential
A public portfolio defense before an outside panel.
Learning outside school can count, too
A job, a team, a service project, or a hobby can earn a “Beyond the Classroom” badge, the same way classwork does.
- Your child documents it in their ePortfolio, with a reflection tied to one attribute.
- A mentor confirms it: a coach, employer, or community leader fills out a short form.
- A teacher scores it on the common rubric in advisory or seminar.
- The badge is issued at a 3 or higher.
A season of varsity soccer is not automatically a badge. A documented, rubric-scored example of leadership during that season can be. Outside learning does not automatically earn academic credit. Phoenix will set clear rules for how it is recognized.
Sample “Beyond the Classroom” badge: JV Team Captain, Effective Communicator.
What can I do?
One real-world task each quarter
In Regents courses, students complete one performance task each quarter. Each task checks the course standards and one Portrait attribute. Four tasks at 3 or higher, covering every standard, earn a course proficiency badge.
| Course | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra I Grade 9 | Phone Plan Showdown | Fundraiser Planner | Viral Growth Lab | Rocket Launch Lab |
| Biology Grade 10 | Heart Rate Experiment | River Ecosystem Study | Genetic Counselor Case | Antibiotic Resistance |
| English 11 Grade 11 | Community Argument | Author’s Craft Study | Podcast Investigation | Seminar Defense |
| US History & Government Grade 11 | Constitution Debate | Muckraker Newsroom | Oral History Project | Civic Action Project |
Feedback in time to help
Four checkpoints a year, so teachers can reteach before the course ends.
Every standard covered
A coverage map shows each standard is assessed, not just a sample.
Regents exams continue
Course badges are local evidence alongside the Regents exam. They do not replace a state test.
What comes home
A plan for every student, in plain language
Phoenix will use Panorama Solara, a district-managed tool that meets federal student-privacy law (FERPA), to draft a personal plan from information the district already has. A school counselor reviews, edits, and signs every document before it comes home.
Student Profile
One page, written for your child: strengths, progress, and evidence.
Multi-Year Plan
Courses, credentials, and career steps through Grade 12, with a reason for each course.
Family Letter
The same plan in plain language, with dated next steps you can help with at home.
Conference Guide
A shared agenda that names who does what: your child, your family, and the school.
What the software does not do: it never scores student work, never issues a badge, and student data never trains outside AI models. Teachers score. Counselors sign.
The timeline
Built together, one year at a time
Plan & Design
A planning year with no changes in classrooms. Listening sessions, student focus groups, and drafting the rubrics and “I can” statements, ending with Board adoption of the Phoenix Portrait of a Graduate.
Build & Launch
Freshman and Sophomore Seminar begin at JCB. Digital badges and the planning tool start. EJD designs its Deepen model.
Scale & Lead
Full Pre-K to Grade 12. MAM begins the Discover model. The Class of 2029 graduates with defended portfolios.
Your voice shapes this. Watch for listening sessions and surveys during the 2026–27 planning year.
Questions families ask
Straight answers
Will my child still take Regents exams?
Yes. Regents exams are not going away. New York has announced a new direction, but the State must still adopt the rules that make it official. Until those rules are adopted, and until Phoenix has built real-world assessments as rigorous as a Regents exam, Phoenix will keep Regents exams as a graduation requirement. A Firebird badge is local proof of what a student can do. It does not replace a State exam.
Is Phoenix creating a second diploma or a new grading system?
No. There will be one New York State diploma. Teachers keep grading the way they do now. The framework adds an attribute label and a common rubric to work students already do, and records it as a badge.
Does my child have to choose a career early?
No. Career clusters are for exploring. Strengths fit many pathways, the plan is revisited every year, and students can change direction any time.
What if my child wants a career that doesn’t match their strengths?
They can absolutely explore it. Strengths show where a student is likely to thrive, but they never limit choices. Counselors and seminar teachers help your child see how their strengths could help in that career and what it would take to get there.
Will colleges and employers understand badges?
Each badge links to the actual work and the name of the educator who verified it. New York is also working with colleges on the new statewide transcript. The traditional transcript and diploma remain.
Does a job or sport automatically count?
No. Outside experiences count only when they are documented, confirmed by a mentor, and scored on the common rubric. They do not automatically earn academic credit.
Is a computer grading my child or writing to me?
No. Teachers score every task. The planning tool drafts documents from information the district already has, and a counselor reviews, edits, and signs each one before it comes home. Student data never trains outside AI models.
Is this more work for my child?
The framework is built into courses your child already takes. Most badges come from assignments teachers already give. The new pieces are the high school seminars, the junior-year placement, and the senior capstone.
Does my child need a CTE credit?
Under NYSED’s plan, students who enter Grade 9 in 2027–28 or later need at least one Career and Technical Education credit. Financial literacy may count, and work-based learning can earn CTE credit. At Phoenix, the Grade 11 Career Experience Course is designed with this in mind.
Will the Advanced Regents diploma go away?
Under one diploma, NYSED expects advanced designation to be recognized as a seal or endorsement on the New York State diploma, so high achievement is still recognized.
What changes this year?
Nothing in classrooms. 2026–27 is a planning year. Current graduation requirements stay in effect until New York approves new rules.
Who can I talk to?
Your child’s school counselor can review their requirements, strengths, and plan with you. You can also share ideas during the planning-year listening sessions.
Glossary
Words you will hear
- Authentic assessment
- Showing what you know by doing real work, such as a project, pitch, or experiment, not only a test.
- Cohort
- The group of students who entered Grade 9 in the same year. Rules are set by cohort.
- Competency-based
- Students move forward by showing they have mastered skills, not only by time spent in class.
- CTE
- Career and Technical Education, such as CiTi BOCES programs in nursing or early childhood.
- Digital badge
- An online, verifiable record of a skill, with the student’s work attached.
- Micro-credential
- A badge for one specific skill. Many of them stack into bigger credentials.
- ePortfolio
- Your child’s collection of work, badges, and reflections, from Pre-K through graduation.
- NY Inspires
- New York State’s plan to change what the high school diploma represents.
- Portrait of a Graduate
- The six qualities New York wants every graduate to have.
- Rubric
- A scoring guide that describes each level of quality. Phoenix uses one common four-level rubric.
- Seal
- A recognition on the diploma for extra achievement, such as the Seal of Biliteracy.
- StrengthsExplorer
- Gallup’s talent assessment for ages 10 to 14. Phoenix students take it in Grade 6 and learn their top 3 of 10 themes.
- CliftonStrengths
- Gallup’s assessment of 34 talent themes. Phoenix students take it in Grade 9 and receive their Top 5.
We want graduates who know their future does not simply happen to them. It is theirs to shape. Every student has a story to tell. In Phoenix, we will help them tell it, with proof.
Sources
- NYSED: Board of Regents adopts the NYS Portrait of a Graduate (July 14, 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Next phase of NY Inspires authorized (2026) (opens in a new tab)
- NYS Focus: How NY plans to change graduation requirements (June 19, 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Graduation Measures and NY Inspires FAQ (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Diploma Requirements (Section 100.5) (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Diploma requirements flyer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Appeals, safety nets, and Superintendent Determination (opens in a new tab)
- NYSED: Endorsements and seals (opens in a new tab)
- Advance CTE: National Career Clusters® Framework (opens in a new tab)
- World Economic Forum: Future of Jobs Report 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- Gallup: Voices of Gen Z (2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Model: Brockport High School Academic and Career Pathway Planning (opens in a new tab)