Imagine a report card that not only measures academic success but also highlights who a student is as a thinker, collaborator, and global citizen.

The IB Learner Profile offers a dynamic way to showcase what students are truly capable of, transforming it into a personalized report card that goes beyond grades. This approach allows students to demonstrate their achievements across a range of skills, using various forms of evidence like projects, reflections, and multimedia presentations.

Challenges we face

Traditional exam-based assessments are increasingly being scrutinized for their inability to capture the full range of students’ skills and abilities. These assessments often contribute to stress and mental health issues among young people.

Traditional assessments are often criticized for their narrow focus on academic attainment, which does not reflect the diverse skills and strengths of students. This limitation is not only detrimental to students’ well-being but also misaligned with the needs of the modern workforce. According to a survey by The Times in 2022, 89% of employers believe that students should be assessed on more than just academic performance, highlighting the demand for a more rounded school-leaver profile.

The promise of learner profiles

Learner profiles are digital, student-owned records that showcase a learner’s strengths, achievements, and skills across multiple areas. These profiles offer a more complete picture of a student’s abilities, moving beyond the constraints of traditional exams. Globally, there is growing interest in learner profiles as a means to capture the full breadth of students’ strengths and prepare them for an uncertain future. The World Economic Forum (2016) emphasizes the importance of foundational literacies, competencies, and character qualities, while the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile extends beyond academic success to encompass diverse human capacities and responsibilities.

The IB learner profile is an excellent example of how learner profiles can be used to demonstrate what a student can do. It includes attributes such as being inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. To truly capture these attributes, we must consider multimodal evidence of learning.

Multimodal evidence of learning

Each component of a learner profile can contain various forms of evidence, including oral, written, and audiovisual artefacts, curated digital portfolios, testimonials, and student reflections on their learning. Achievements can also be accredited through formal qualifications, awards, or micro-credentials, such as the HPQ/EPQ. By incorporating these diverse forms of evidence, we can create a more personalized and inclusive assessment system that better reflects students’ unique skills and experiences.

Learner profiles offer a promising path towards more equitable and meaningful holistic assessment. By embracing this approach, we can better support our students’ diverse talents and help them thrive in an ever-changing world.