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New Hampshire Durable Skills & Career Readiness Alignment
Renzulli Learning is the K-12 platform that measures and develops the seven durable skills New Hampshire’s career readiness framework wants every graduate to master — critical thinking, creativity, executive function, leadership, collaboration, communication, and self-direction. These are the durable skills behind New Hampshire’s competency-based diploma framework (Ed 306), the five Work Study Practices, the NHLI Portrait of a Learner, every local district Portrait of a Graduate, the NH College and Career Ready Standards, Extended Learning Opportunities, the Learn Everywhere program, and the state’s 28 regional CTE centers.
The Seven Durable Skills at the Center of New Hampshire’s Career Readiness Framework
New Hampshire’s career readiness framework names the durable skills it wants every graduate to master — critical thinking, creativity, executive function, leadership, collaboration, communication, and self-direction. These are the same skills employers, the military, postsecondary educators, and the New Hampshire Department of Education describe as the strongest predictors of long-term success. They are easy to name across the Ed 306 minimum standards, the five Work Study Practices, the NHLI Portrait of a Learner, every local district Portrait of a Graduate, the NH College and Career Ready Standards, Extended Learning Opportunities, the Learn Everywhere program, the 28 regional CTE centers, and active NH CTSOs — but harder to measure and develop systematically across grades K-12.
Renzulli Learning is the only K-12 platform that does both. The Cebeci Test of Creativity measures creativity (US Patent 12,087,176) — the durable skill behind New Hampshire’s “creativity” Work Study Practice and the NHLI Portrait of a Learner’s “critical thinking and problem-solving” essential skill. The Executive Function Assessment measures planning, working memory, and self-regulation — the durable skills behind sustained competency-based learning, ELO completion, Learn Everywhere program success, and CTE concentrator progression. The Leadership Assessment measures leadership, collaboration, communication, and work ethic — the durable skills behind every NH CTSO and the Portrait’s “communication” and “collaboration” essential skills. The Profiler captures interests, learning styles, and expression styles in 20+ languages — the foundation of personalized, competency-based learning that NH pioneered nationally.
Durable Skills, Defined: What Renzulli Learning Measures and Develops
Each durable skill has a specific Renzulli instrument that measures it and a specific platform feature that develops it. These are the same skills behind every New Hampshire requirement — and the same skills the Cebeci Test of Creativity, Executive Function Assessment, Leadership Assessment, Profiler, Personal Success Plan, Project-Based Learning tools, and Enrichment Database produce evidence for:
Critical Thinking
Measure: Cebeci Test of Creativity
Develop: Project-Based Learning
Creativity
Measure: Cebeci Test of Creativity (US Patent 12,087,176)
Develop: Enrichment Database + Project-Based Learning
Executive Function
Measure: Executive Function Assessment
Develop: Personal Success Plan cycles + project planning
Leadership
Measure: Leadership Assessment
Develop: CTSO-aligned projects
Collaboration
Measure: Leadership Assessment
Develop: Group Project-Based Learning + peer feedback
Communication
Measure: 21st-century skills rubrics
Develop: Project presentations & portfolios
Self-Direction
Measure: Profiler + Executive Function Assessment
Develop: Personal Success Plan year-round goal cycles
The NHLI Portrait of a Learner — Plus Local District Portraits Across the Granite State
The New Hampshire Portrait of a Learner (NH PoL) was developed by the New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI), a nonprofit dedicated to competency-based education. Important context: the NHLI Portrait of a Learner is not part of state graduation requirements or the Ed 306 minimum standards. New Hampshire emphasizes strong local control, and at least eight districts — including Conway, Hampton, Milford, Nashua, Newport, Franklin, and others — have crafted their own local Portraits of a Graduate. Renzulli Learning supports both the statewide NHLI PoL and any local district Portrait.
The NHLI Portrait names five essential skills. Each is a durable skill — and Renzulli Learning is the K-12 platform that both measures and develops them. Each Portrait essential skill has a specific Renzulli instrument that produces evidence of growth and a specific platform feature that builds the underlying skill:
Measure: Cebeci Test of Creativity (US Patent 12,087,176)
Develop: Project-Based Learning + Enrichment Database
Measure: Leadership Assessment + 21st-century skills rubrics
Develop: Project-Based Learning presentations & portfolios
Measure: Leadership Assessment
Develop: Group Project-Based Learning + peer feedback cycles
Measure: Profiler + Executive Function Assessment
Develop: Personal Success Plan year-round goal cycles
Measure: Profiler + Executive Function Assessment
Develop: Personal Success Plan reflection cycles
Measure: All four Renzulli assessments
Develop: All Renzulli development tools
How the Seven Durable Skills Map to New Hampshire’s Career Readiness Framework
New Hampshire’s career readiness framework is led by the New Hampshire Department of Education and the NH State Board of Education. New Hampshire was the first state in the nation to fully transition to competency-based diplomas. Ed 306 Minimum Standards for Public School Approval (the “306s”), most recently updated in December 2024, establish that the local school board awards a regular high school diploma to students who demonstrate achievement of competencies in at least 20 credits. Credits are awarded for achievement of competencies, not seat time.
Ed 306.02 defines five named Work Study Practices: collaboration, creativity, applied learning, logic, and rhetoric. Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs), required by Ed 306.27 since 2013, allow students to earn credit through learning outside the traditional classroom. The Learn Everywhere program (Ed 1400, passed by the NH Legislature in 2018) lets the State Board of Education credential courses and programs offered by approved providers, with NH public schools required to accept their certificates for credit. NH operates 28 secondary regional Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers serving over 10,000 students, with seven postsecondary CTE centers.
Each component pairs with the Renzulli instruments and content that measure and develop the durable skills behind it:
Measure: All four Renzulli assessments
Develop: All Renzulli development tools
Measure: All four Renzulli assessments
Develop: Project-Based Learning + Personal Success Plan + Enrichment Database
Measure: All four Renzulli assessments
Develop: Project-Based Learning + Personal Success Plan
Measure: Cebeci Test of Creativity + Executive Function Assessment
Develop: 40,000+ Enrichment Database
Measure: Profiler + Executive Function Assessment
Develop: Personal Success Plan year-round
Measure: Profiler + Cebeci Test of Creativity
Develop: Project-Based Learning + Personal Success Plan
Measure: All four Renzulli assessments
Develop: Project-Based Learning + Leadership Assessment + Personal Success Plan
What New Hampshire Counselors & Career Readiness Coordinators Struggle With
These are the durable-skills-and-career-readiness challenges we consistently hear from New Hampshire district leaders, school counselors, CTE coordinators, and Extended Learning Opportunity coordinators:
Building durable-skills evidence for competency-based diplomas
NH’s Ed 306 establishes competency-based diplomas where credits are awarded for achievement of competencies, not seat time. Each district sets its own graduation competencies. Districts need durable-skills measurement and development tools that produce comparable evidence across content areas and the five Work Study Practices — supporting locally defined competency portfolios.
Documenting Extended Learning Opportunities at scale
Ed 306.27 requires NH high schools to create and support ELOs. Coordinators need year-round interest, learning-style, and executive function data to match students to ELOs — and structured documentation tools to capture competency achievement so ELO learning counts toward graduation.
Coordinating Learn Everywhere program participation
NH’s Learn Everywhere program (Ed 1400) lets the State Board credential 30+ approved providers, with students earning up to 1/3 of credits through external programs. Schools need durable-skills data to advise students on which Learn Everywhere programs match their interests — and continuity tools that keep the school’s record of student growth coherent across in-school and out-of-school learning.
Connecting students to NH CTSOs and the 28 regional CTE centers
Active NH CTSOs include SkillsUSA NH, NH FBLA, NH DECA, NH HOSA, the Granite State FFA, NH FCCLA, and NH TSA. Counselors need year-round interest, learning-style, and strength data to guide CTSO participation and connect students to the 28 regional CTE centers and 7 postsecondary centers across the state.
Operationalizing local Portraits of a Graduate
At least eight NH districts — Conway, Hampton, Milford, Nashua, Newport, Franklin, and others — have crafted local Portraits of a Graduate. Districts need standardized instruments to produce defensible evidence of growth in each named PoG attribute — turning the Portrait from poster on the wall into year-round measured practice.
Renzulli Learning Tools That Measure and Develop Each Durable Skill
Each Renzulli tool maps to specific durable skills and to specific New Hampshire requirements — producing concrete, exportable evidence of growth:
Durable Skills Alignment to New Hampshire’s Career Readiness Requirements
How the seven durable skills map to each core New Hampshire requirement — with the Renzulli instruments that measure and develop them:
The NH Portrait of a Learner was developed by the NHLI, a nonprofit. Important: the NHLI PoL is not part of state graduation requirements or Ed 306; New Hampshire emphasizes local control. At least eight districts — Conway, Hampton, Milford, Nashua, Newport, Franklin, and others — have crafted local Portraits of a Graduate. NHLI’s 5 essential skills: critical thinking and problem-solving, communication, collaboration, adaptability, and learner’s mindset.
- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving → Cebeci Test of Creativity + Project-Based Learning
- Communication → Leadership Assessment + PBL presentations
- Collaboration → Leadership Assessment + group Project-Based Learning
- Adaptability → Profiler + Executive Function Assessment
- Learner’s Mindset → Profiler + Personal Success Plan reflection cycles
- Renzulli also supports any local district Portrait of a Graduate
Ed 306 Minimum Standards for Public School Approval (the “306s”), most recently updated in December 2024. The local school board awards a regular high school diploma to students who demonstrate achievement of competencies in at least 20 credits. Credits are awarded for achievement of competencies, not seat time. Each district sets its own graduation competencies aligned to state academic standards. NH was the first state in the nation to fully transition to competency-based diplomas.
- Renzulli’s four assessments produce comparable competency evidence across content areas
- Project-Based Learning generates capstone artifacts that serve as competency evidence
- Personal Success Plan documents student progression toward graduation competencies year by year
- 40,000+ Enrichment Database supplies activities mapped to Common Core, NGSS, C3 Framework, and National Core Arts Standards
- Executive Function Assessment develops persistence behind sustained competency evidence accumulation
Ed 306.02 defines five named Work Study Practices: collaboration, creativity, applied learning, logic, and rhetoric. These are the durable skills NH high schools must develop alongside academic content. They run through every competency-based course, ELO, Learn Everywhere program, and CTE pathway in the state.
- Collaboration → Leadership Assessment + group Project-Based Learning
- Creativity → Cebeci Test of Creativity (US Patent 12,087,176) + Project-Based Learning
- Applied Learning → Project-Based Learning capstones + 40,000+ Enrichment Database
- Logic → Cebeci Test of Creativity + Executive Function Assessment
- Rhetoric → Leadership Assessment + Project-Based Learning presentations
Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) are NH’s term for the primary acquisition of knowledge and skills through instruction or study outside the traditional classroom. Ed 306.27 mandates that NH high schools “create and support extended learning opportunities outside of the physical school building and outside of the usual school day.” ELOs may include independent study, internships, apprenticeships, community service, online courses, or private instruction.
- Profiler in 20+ languages surfaces interests and strengths informing ELO selection
- Executive Function Assessment develops persistence behind sustained ELO participation
- Personal Success Plan documents ELO progression and reflection year by year
- Project-Based Learning generates ELO artifacts that demonstrate competency achievement
- Cebeci Test of Creativity measures creativity behind ELO capstone projects
Learn Everywhere (codified in Ed 1400, passed by the NH Legislature in 2018) lets the State Board of Education credential courses and programs offered by approved providers. NH public schools are required to accept Learn Everywhere certificates for credit toward graduation. Students may earn up to one-third of total credits via Learn Everywhere (more if approved by the superintendent). 30+ approved providers as of 2026.
- Profiler in 20+ languages identifies which Learn Everywhere programs match student interests
- Personal Success Plan documents Learn Everywhere certificate accumulation alongside school-based credits
- Executive Function Assessment develops persistence behind Learn Everywhere program completion
- Project-Based Learning complements Learn Everywhere with school-based capstone artifacts
- Renzulli provides the K-12 durable-skills measurement layer students bring across in-school and out-of-school learning
New Hampshire operates 28 secondary regional CTE centers + 7 postsecondary CTE centers serving over 10,000 high school students + 6,500 community college students. Overseen by the Office of Career & Technical Education (OCTE). Annual funding: ~$6-7M Perkins V federal + $9M state allocation. Sending district pays 25%, state pays 75% of tuition for out-of-district CTE concentrators.
- Executive Function Assessment develops persistence behind sustained CTE concentrator success
- Leadership Assessment measures the communication, collaboration, and work ethic CTE employers expect
- Project-Based Learning produces documented Work-Based Learning artifacts
- Personal Success Plan documents CTE concentrator progression year by year
- Cebeci Test of Creativity measures creativity behind capstone projects feeding CTSO competition portfolios
Active CTSOs in New Hampshire include SkillsUSA New Hampshire, New Hampshire FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), New Hampshire DECA (chartered association serving 21+ NH high schools), New Hampshire HOSA (Future Health Professionals, chartered 1980), the Granite State Association of FFA, New Hampshire FCCLA, and New Hampshire TSA. Note: unlike some states, the NH DOE does not publish a centralized CTSO charter list, reflecting NH’s tradition of local control.
- Leadership Assessment measures these durable skills directly
- Project-Based Learning produces competition-aligned artifacts
- Executive Function Assessment develops sustained leadership and competition success
- Personal Success Plan documents CTSO progression year by year — evidence districts attach to Perkins V concentrator reporting
What Implementation Looks Like in New Hampshire Districts
“New Hampshire was first in the nation with competency-based diplomas, and our local Portrait of a Graduate has guided our work for years — but the question of how to measure the durable skills behind the five Work Study Practices and our local Portrait competencies has remained the hardest piece. With Renzulli’s Profiler in 20+ languages providing the strength-based foundation for ELO matching and Learn Everywhere program selection, the Executive Function Assessment showing us which students need scaffolding to persist through competency evidence accumulation, the Leadership Assessment measuring the durable skills behind our CTSO chapters, the Cebeci Test of Creativity producing standardized evidence aligned to the ‘creativity’ Work Study Practice, and Project-Based Learning generating capstone artifacts for our competency portfolios, our pioneering competency-based system has finally become evidence-driven from kindergarten through senior year.”Director of Curriculum · New Hampshire SAU
New Hampshire Durable Skills & Career Readiness: Common Questions
Questions New Hampshire curriculum directors, school counselors, ELO coordinators, and CTE directors ask most often:
How does Renzulli Learning fit New Hampshire’s career readiness framework?
How does Renzulli Learning align with the NH Portrait of a Learner?
How does Renzulli Learning support New Hampshire’s competency-based diploma (Ed 306)?
How does Renzulli Learning align with NH’s Work Study Practices (Ed 306.02)?
How does Renzulli Learning support Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs)?
How does Renzulli Learning support the Learn Everywhere program?
How does Renzulli Learning support NH CTE and the 28 regional CTE centers?
Which Career and Technical Student Organizations operate in New Hampshire?
How much does Renzulli Learning cost for New Hampshire districts?
New Hampshire Durable Skills & Career Readiness Resources
All compliance decisions should reference these primary New Hampshire sources. Renzulli Learning complements — not replaces — New Hampshire’s competency-based diploma framework, Ed 306 Work Study Practices, the NHLI Portrait of a Learner, local Portraits of a Graduate, College and Career Ready Standards, Extended Learning Opportunities, Learn Everywhere, Career Technical Education, and active NH CTSOs.
- New Hampshire Department of Education
- New Hampshire State Board of Education
- Ed 306.23 Graduation Requirements (Cornell LII)
- NH College and Career Ready Standards (NH CCRS)
- NHLI Portrait of a Learner (5 essential skills)
- Learn Everywhere NH (Ed 1400 program)
- Approved Learn Everywhere Programs
- NH DOE Learn Everywhere page
- Office of Career & Technical Education (OCTE)
- 28 NH CTE Centers Directory
- NH CTE (NHCTE/NHCTA)
- SkillsUSA New Hampshire
- New Hampshire FBLA
Custom District Alignments
Need a custom durable-skills alignment for your district’s local Portrait of a Graduate, Ed 306 competency portfolio implementation, Work Study Practices evidence rollout, ELO documentation, Learn Everywhere coordination, or CTE concentrator support?
Explore Renzulli Learning’s alignment for other states:
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