School administrators meet to brainstorm local innovations aligned with NY Inspires |
On Board Online • September 21, 2026
By Sara Foss
Special Correspondent
In mid-August, school officials from across New York attended a two-day meeting near Albany to discuss the practical implications of NY Inspires, the State Education Department's ambitious plan to change how students can earn a high school diploma.
Throughout the event, called the Redefining Ready Summer Institute, school administrators and at least one school board member broke into small groups to brainstorm ideas on creating new pathways to graduation and developing new ways of assessing students.
Held at the headquarters of the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) near Albany International Airport, the event was part of an ongoing training program called Redefining Ready NY. The Council's website describes Redefining Ready NY as "a statewide learning network helping New York school districts define, measure, and make student readiness visible."
Redefining Ready NY launched during the 2025-26 school year with a cohort of 28 participating school districts and BOCES. School leaders attend monthly virtual meetings where districts share what they're doing to give students opportunities to demonstrate the attributes of the Portrait of a Graduate, which was approved by the Board of Regents in July 2025 as a vision statement for all public schools in New York State.
Participants also hear from guest speakers and visit model schools to speak with staff and students and observe hands-on learning.
"Don't navigate this work alone," the Redefining Ready NY website states. "This is a network of leaders building the future of readiness in New York."
Randy Squier, retired superintendent from the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District in Greene County, moderated the Summer Institute and serves as program lead for Redefining Ready NY.
He noted that the term "Redefining Ready" originated with AASA, the national School Superintendents Association. The national effort is focused on "research-based metrics to more appropriately assess that students are college-ready, career-ready and life-ready," according to its website, www.redefiningready.org .
Squier is a strong believer in SED's effort to transform K-12 education in New York. "There should be a lot more ways for students to demonstrate who they are as a person instead of just test scores," he said. "We need more ways for students to demonstrate the skills, experiences and competencies that show they are ready for what comes next."
While he was superintendent in Coxsackie-Athens, the district started using new metrics to measure readiness. Students found to be life-ready must demonstrate that they are self-directed, which they can do in a number of ways: for example, by completing a portfolio by first-term senior year or creating a post-secondary plan.
"As New York moves forward with NY Inspires and the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, districts across the state are asking an important question: How do we turn this vision into meaningful experiences for students?" Squier told On Board. "Redefining Ready NY brings school district teams together to work through that question collaboratively."
The Summer Institute was open to all New York districts. About 15 districts and BOCES participated. While some are involved in the Redefining Ready initiative, others were not.
"The [Redefining Ready] cohort is built around a simple belief: Our kids are more than a test score," Squier said. "Academic achievement remains essential, but being ready for life beyond high school also means being able to communicate, collaborate, think critically, solve problems, demonstrate agency and apply learning in authentic settings."
The Summer Institute was "a microcosm" of the work the Redefining Ready cohort does regularly, Squier said. The idea, he said, "is to help districts along, so they can create their own ways to demonstrate to their communities that their graduates are ready for college, career and life after high school."
At the Summer Institute, attendees received an 83-page District Leadership Playbook with information, exercises and other guidance on how to begin implementing the Portrait of a Graduate and NY Inspires.
One graphic, titled The New Readiness Equation, contrasted "traditional thinking" about readiness, such as courses completed and grades earned, with "emerging thinking" that emphasizes competencies demonstrated, authentic evidence and other alternative measures of readiness. Squier asked school officials to break into small groups and take three minutes to think about which shift in thinking "will be the heaviest lift" in their district.
One goal of the Summer Institute was to inspire school officials to start planning for and talking about the changes that are coming to public schools with parents, teachers and other members of their communities. Squier said it is understandable that some districts may want to wait for additional guidance from the State Education Department, but cautioned against putting the work on hold entirely. Districts can use this time to clarify what readiness means locally, examine what they are already doing, and begin building the foundation for what comes next, he said.
"It's important that you have these conversations now, because they're the right conversations to have," Squier said.
At the end of the Summer Institute, Squier encouraged attendees to invite other districts to join the Redefining Ready NY cohort, which will resume its regular monthly meetings in September. Districts can join at any time; the cost per district is $1,850. BOCES aid is available through Questar III BOCES.
For more information, go to www.redefiningreadyny.org .