Redefining the High School Graduate: Arizona’s Blueprint for a Changing World of Work
Educators across Arizona are preparing students for a future that’s anything but predictable. Career paths are less linear, technology is reshaping even small and rural economies, and students will likely move between college, work, service, and entrepreneurship over their lifetime.
The State 48 Graduate Profile is Arizona’s attempt to respond to that reality. Rather than adding new requirements, it offers a shared blueprint for what a graduate should be ready for - no matter where they live or what comes next .
For teachers, the Profile isn’t about doing more. It’s about being more intentional with the work already happening in classrooms.
What the Profile is really saying...
At its core, the State 48 Graduate Profile shifts the definition of success:
Graduation is about readiness, not just credits
Knowledge matters when students can use it beyond school
Digital skills require judgment and ethics, not just tools
“Human skills” are essential workforce skills
There is no single right postsecondary path
What this can look like in middle and high school classrooms:
Building readiness, not just completion
Students explain their thinking and problem-solving process
Learning shows up in projects, labs, performances, or applied tasks
Connections across subjects are made visible and intentional
Developing digital fluency - even with limited tech
Students practice evaluating information and media
Classes discuss how technology and AI affect local industries and jobs
Technology is used to create, communicate, or solve problems when possible
Strengthening human skills students already practice
Group work that builds collaboration and communication
Reflection after challenges, projects, or setbacks
Opportunities for student choice, goal-setting, and ownership
Preparing students for more than one future
Learning connects to local careers, community needs, or real issues
Students hear from adults whose paths weren’t linear
Teachers help students name the skills they’re building - and why they matter
The State 48 Graduate Profile isn’t a mandate or a checklist. It’s Arizona’s shared attempt to redefine what it means to be “ready” in a world of work that keeps changing.