Rome City Schools Build 'Portrait of a Graduate' Skills Into Everyday Lessons

The Rome City School District is weaving New York State's Portrait of a Graduate framework into regular classroom teaching this 2026-27 school year, the Daily Sentinel reports. It's part of the district's annual action plan, not a separate program.

The framework lists the skills students should leave school with. Rome is focusing on:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Communication and collaboration
• Taking more ownership of their own learning

In practice, that means students working through problems in groups, discussing different viewpoints, tying lessons to real situations, checking their own progress and setting goals, while teachers still lead instruction. Dana Benzo, the district's director of elementary programs, describes it as a way of approaching existing lessons rather than an add-on.

Teachers get support through professional development and instructional coaching. The effort falls under the first pillar of the district's strategic plan, and updates are shared through its "Rome is Home: Progress in Action" series.