Portrait-Aligned Learning and Measuring What Matters

The Promise in Action: Cupertino Union’s Journey to Portrait-Aligned Learning and Measuring What Matters

Having a Portrait is only the first step. A commitment to coherence comes next.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Cupertino Union School District in California comprises 17 elementary schools, one TK-8 school, and five middle schools.

The district has established four priorities that drive their commitment to preparing students for life:

1. Future-Ready Learning
2. Community-Wide Engagement
3. Fiscal Responsibility
4. Sense of Belonging

By aligning these priorities with student-centered learning, purposeful assessment, and their Portrait of a Learner, the district is showing what it looks like when a community defines success for today’s students and builds systems to make that vision real.

A Shared Vision of Future-Ready Learners

Starting in 2018, Cupertino Union brought together students, families, educators, and community partners to answer a critical question: What does success look like for every learner? The result was the Portrait of a Learner, a forward-looking vision grounded in conceptual understanding and seven core life skills:

• Critical Thinker
• Effective Communicator
• Inclusive Collaborator
• Inspired Creator
• Global Contributor
• Resilient Learner
• Wellness

Wellness is considered foundational to the Portrait, recognizing that academic growth is inseparable from physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The community wanted a vision of success that honors the whole child, the unique child, and every child.

As Superintendent Stacy Yao noted, “Our competencies were developed districtwide with the voices of principals, staff, students, alumni, and parents. We wanted everyone engaged in defining what success means for our learners.”

Turning Vision Into Systemwide Action

Having a Portrait is only the first step. Cupertino then focused on coherence. The district launched a one-year roadmap, in collaboration with facilitators from our District Services team, to strengthen Portrait implementation and align instructional practices across classrooms and grade levels. Educators examined how feedback, reflection, and learning routines could help students understand both academic content and transferable competencies.

The district also created a Portrait of a Learner Accelerator Group, a collaborative team of educators and leaders who engage in design cycles and shared learning. Together they developed anchor documents, learner behavior indicators, and reflection tools to make learning and growth visible for students across the system.

This emphasis on coherence reflects a core tenet of The Public Education Promise: student success becomes more likely when a district aligns vision, practice, and community understanding.

Measuring What Matters

Cupertino’s next breakthrough came when the district recognized that assessment is not only a tool for measurement but a driver of deeper learning. The question shifted from how to evaluate performance to how to promote growth.

Cupertino’s goal was to build a purposeful assessment system that sends consistent messages to students, reinforces the Portrait competencies, and communicates that learning is a journey, not a moment in time. Because of their commitment to measuring what matters, Cupertino piloted Cornerstone Experiences: authentic, student-engaged assessments that blend academic content with their Portrait life skills.

At Cupertino, students see learning as a journey guided by reflection and feedback and have become active participants in the assessment process. Assessment prioritizes thinking, not recall, and students have learning experiences that connect to real life beyond school.

These efforts echo The Public Education Promise: a system that recognizes students as capable learners, honors growth, and prepares them for the future.

Aligning to The Promise

Cupertino’s story illustrates what becomes possible when a school district aligns its assessment system with a clear, community-defined vision for student success. Their Portrait of a Learner set their North Star to intentionally aligning all systems. This has resulted in purposeful assessment that helps students understand what they are learning, why it matters, and how they are growing as future-ready individuals prepared for life.

"We are committed to educating the 'Whole Child' for a lifetime of meaningful contribution rather than just a moment of remembering content for testing purposes,” offered Yao. “Our Portrait of a Learner work is our roadmap for ensuring 'Every Child' possesses the mindset and adaptability to thrive in an ever-evolving world."

This is what honoring The Public Education Promise looks like: a commitment to coherence, agency, well-being, and real skills for real life. It ensures the work of public education remains a driver of opportunity and progress for every learner.