Salinas City Elementary School District
Profile of a Learner
A shared vision of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions our students need to thrive now and in the future.
What is a Profile of a Learner?
The Profile of a Learner describes the qualities we want every SCESD student to develop throughout their educational journey. It helps us create learning experiences that prepare students to be confident, capable, and future-ready.
Who are we preparing students to be — not just what do we want them to know?
Our Learner Profile
Five competencies help define the qualities we want our learners to develop.
Critical Thinking
Questions, analyzes, evaluates, and makes thoughtful decisions.
Creativity
Imagines possibilities, innovates, and approaches challenges in new ways.
Collaboration
Works with others, builds relationships, and contributes to shared goals.
Communication
Expresses ideas clearly, listens actively, and connects with others.
Character
Demonstrates empathy, resilience, responsibility, and a commitment to growth.
The Journey So Far
The Profile of a Learner has been developed through collaboration, feedback, and continued refinement.
How the Work Connects
The Profile of a Learner serves as the foundation for how we think about teaching, learning, and student success.
1
Profile of a Learner
Defines the competencies, knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need to develop.
2
Learning Progressions
Describes how students develop each competency across grade levels and stages of learning.
3
Learning Model
Helps educators design learning experiences that bring the competencies to life in classrooms.
Learn More
Explore the ideas behind the Profile of a Learner and how this work will support our schools.
Why are we creating a Profile of a Learner?
The world our students are growing up in is changing quickly. A Profile of a Learner gives our district a shared vision for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need to thrive.
It also helps us align learning experiences, supports, and opportunities across schools and grade levels.
What does learner-centered mean?
Being learner-centered means recognizing students as active participants in their educational experience.
Learners have opportunities to make decisions about what and how they learn, reflect on their progress, and take meaningful action.
What does future-ready mean?
Being future-ready means preparing students for a changing world while honoring local history, culture, community, and identity.
Students need strong academic foundations alongside skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, resilience, and curiosity.
What are Learning Progressions?
Learning Progressions describe how students develop each learner competency over time.
They help educators understand what developing, strengthening, and advanced levels of each competency can look like across grade levels.
What is the Learning Model?
The Learning Model will translate the Profile of a Learner and Learning Progressions into instructional practices and learning experiences.
It will help educators create consistent, learner-centered experiences while allowing room for creativity, context, and individual student needs.
Why does this matter for students?
The goal is for students to leave SCESD with more than academic knowledge. They should also have the confidence, skills, habits, and dispositions to continue learning, work with others, solve problems, and contribute to their communities.
Built With Our Community
Developing a Profile of a Learner is a collaborative process. The work includes voices from across our schools and community.
Students Families Teachers Counselors School Leaders District Staff Community Members Partners School Board
Our North Star
The Profile of a Learner gives SCESD a shared vision for the learners we want to develop — and a foundation for creating meaningful, future-ready learning experiences for every student.