Kentucky’s United We Learn initiative represents a future-focused approach to public education, built on three core principles: vibrant learning experiences, fostering innovation, and collaborating with communities. At the heart of this vision is the Portrait of a Learner (PoL) framework, which ensures that students develop essential skills and competencies needed for success in a rapidly evolving world. The Portrait of a Learner highlights six key competencies–Effective Communication, Productive Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creative Contributions, Empowered Learning, and Engaged Citizenship–that guide curriculum design and instructional goals, preparing students for college, careers, and active community participation.

The Kentucky Department of Education's "Portrait of a Learner" framework.

How SpacesEDU Supports Kentucky’s Portrait of a Learner

To help district and school leaders implement this vision, SpacesEDU offers a powerful solution. SpacesEDU’s platform aligns seamlessly with Kentucky’s PoL framework by enabling educators to track, assess, and nurture these core learner competencies. The digital platform supports the development of critical skills and provides robust ways to measure and monitor student progress in these areas.

Designed to enhance personalized learning, SpacesEDU empowers educators to capture evidence of student growth and engage learners in meaningful reflection. With tools for competency-based assessment and portfolio building, SpacesEDU facilitates ongoing growth and adaptability, ensuring that learning is continuously tailored to each student’s needs. This flexibility allows educators to foster deeper learning experiences that go beyond traditional grading models and focus on developing essential skills.

By providing educators with the tools for personalized feedback and competency-based assessment, SpacesEDU enables them to easily identify areas where students need additional support and adapt instruction based on real-time insights from student portfolios. This dynamic approach ensures that all learners, regardless of their starting point, have the opportunity to grow and succeed.

A post showcasing a Kentucky student's work in their SpacesEDU portfolio.

SpacesEDU and Portrait of a Learner: A Perfect Match

SpacesEDU offers features that align perfectly with Kentucky’s PoL framework, enabling schools and districts to seamlessly integrate these competencies into their instruction.

1. Competency-Based Portfolios

The Portrait of a Learner emphasizes the development of skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and self-direction. SpacesEDU’s Portfolio feature allows students to showcase their progress in these areas over time. School districts can create custom templates aligned with their local PoL competencies, where students upload evidence of their learning–projects, photos, reflections, videos, audio recordings, and even full presentations.

For example, during the 2023 to 2024 school year, students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade in Logan County, Kentucky used SpacesEDU to document their learning. They regularly uploaded evidence of learning and community involvement, along with detailed reflections on their experiences, to their portfolios. This reflective process empowered students to take ownership of their learning and fostered a growth mindset essential to self-directed learning. The artifacts they created provided tangible evidence of competency development, helping teachers assess student progress clearly and systematically.

2. Collaborative Learning Spaces and Personalized Education Experiences

Collaboration and communication are key competencies in the PoL framework. SpacesEDU facilitates these skills through collaborative learning spaces, allowing students to work together on group projects, share resources, and offer feedback to one another, simulating real-world teamwork environments. Additionally, the platform empowers students by allowing them the freedom to share their learning through their preferred medium and device, promoting both voice and choice in their educational journey.

For Kentucky educators, these collaborative tools align with the state’s vision of cultivating learners who can effectively work with others and meaningfully communicate ideas–both through vibrant classroom learning experiences and in their future careers. Students’ ability to express themselves authentically was on full display during Logan County’s District Exhibition of Learning, where students used SpacesEDU in various ways to showcase their achievements from the 2023 to 2024 school year.

3. Holistic Assessment and Clear Insights into Student Competency Development

Kentucky’s United We Learn vision emphasizes holistic assessment models, which go beyond academic performance to evaluate critical competencies like creativity, citizenship, and collaboration. SpacesEDU supports this approach by enabling educators, administrators, and district leaders to track student growth across a broad range of skills central to the PoL framework.

Through qualitative feedback and learning artifacts, teachers can align assessments with Kentucky’s broader educational goals, ensuring that students develop the full spectrum of competencies. SpacesEDU provides educators with the tools to monitor student progress across the six PoL competencies, allowing for personalized instruction that meets individual needs and fosters a well-rounded learning experience.

Beyond the classroom, SpacesEDU offers school and district leaders valuable insights into how well students and schools are meeting the PoL goals. The platform’s data helps inform instructional decisions, identify areas for growth, and guide targeted professional development for teachers. This holistic approach ensures that key competencies are developed and provides educators with the information needed to support student success.

Achieving the Vision: SpacesEDU’s Impact

With the implementation of SpacesEDU to document Kentucky’s PoL, schools and districts can expect meaningful outcomes that directly align with the state’s United We Learn vision. By enabling students to showcase growth in essential competencies such as critical thinking, communication, and engaged citizenship, SpacesEDU helps cultivate well-rounded learners who are invested in the educational environment and are eager to prepare for college, careers, and community participation.

The platform’s ability to document student progress with evidence-based portfolios, combined with personalized feedback and holistic assessment, empowers educators to deliver targeted instruction that addresses individual needs. Additionally, district leaders gain valuable insights into school-wide progress on the PoL framework, allowing for data-driven decisions that enhance learning environments and support ongoing professional development. SpacesEDU not only helps districts meet their goals, but also fosters a generation of learners equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in an ever-evolving world.