The landscape of education in New York is evolving — and fast. With the New York State Education Department (NYSED) redefining graduation measures, schools are being asked to rethink what it means for students to be “ready” for college, career, and life.
Gone are the days when a Regents score defined a student’s success. Now, we’re entering a new era — one that values real-world skills, personal growth, and authentic learning.
Enter: The Portrait of a Graduate
At the heart of these changes is NYSED’s Portrait of a Graduate, a bold and forward-thinking framework that centres on six essential competencies:
- Critical Thinking
- Innovation & Problem Solving
- Effective Communication
- Cultural & Social-Emotional Competency
- Global Citizenship
- Content Literacy
The goal? To empower students to become well-rounded, thoughtful citizens who can thrive in an increasingly complex world.
But with this shift comes a new challenge for schools:
How do we help students demonstrate these skills in a meaningful, accessible way?
Performance-Based Portfolios that tell the whole story
That’s where Wakelet steps in.
Wakelet is an intuitive platform that lets students build digital portfolios – powerful collections of learning evidence that align directly with the Portrait of a Graduate vision.
Whether they’re documenting service learning, reflecting on a capstone project, or curating CTE credentials, Wakelet gives students the tools to:
âś… Tell a cohesive, authentic story of who they are
Why NY Schools Are Turning to Wakelet?
As New York prepares to implement performance-based graduation pathways, districts need platforms that are:
- Flexible: Works with traditional coursework, dual credit, work-based learning, and more
- Equitable: Empowers every student to share their voice and vision
- Aligned: Supports state initiatives like the PLAN pilot and statewide transcript redesign
Wakelet checks all those boxes and more with permission settings, analytics and structure set and overseen by administrators.
Getting Started: Wakelet for Your School or District
Wakelet is already being used by educators across New York, and the momentum is growing.
Whether you’re part of the PLAN Pilot, preparing for the 2029 graduation cohort, or simply looking for ways to deepen student engagement, Wakelet makes it easy to start.
New York’s graduation system is moving forward. Let’s make sure your students are ready – not just to graduate, but to lead, create, and connect in the real world.
