Professional development for teachers and administrators will be needed as a school's graduation portfolio system is developed, implemented, reviewed, revised, and maintained. Faculty and staff must be made aware of state regulations regarding graduation by proficiency, the Rhode Island Diploma System, and a school's options for responding to these. Schools that have chosen graduation portfolios as a method for their students to demonstrate proficiency may want to identify schools that are already successfully implementing graduation portfolio systems and arrange to visit and observe them in action.

Several professional organizations and regional collaboratives also offer professional development opportunities focused on graduation portfolios. Schools should consider school-wide professional development opportunities provided by nationally recognized consultants or experts in this field. Professional development should focus on curriculum, instruction, and assessment in support of student exhibitions and graduation portfolios.

This step is a critical one. Using a graduation portfolio as a School-Wide Diploma Assessment will require a new set of skills for teachers. It cannot be assumed that a school's teachers and administrators can successfully design and implement a system for graduation portfolios without professional development and training. Numerous local and national organizations exist to provide the support that districts/schools will need. For most schools, the curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are in place will not be to support successful graduation portfolios. Professional development must be consistent and ongoing as the process of development, implementation, review, and revision continues.