Portrait of a Graduate. |
Strategic Planning for Nipmuc & MURSD:
Determining the Future of Learning
Nipmuc and MURSD are currently involved in parallel processes to update our guiding principles. Over the course of recent weeks, we've worked together to determine a vision for the future of learning at Nipmuc. Let's explore some of the work
Portrait of a Graduate: Bringing a Vision for Learning to Life
Locally developed, but globally positioned, the Portrait of a Graduate serves as a North Star for system transformation. Providing strategic direction for the redesign of the overall educational experience for students, this collective vision reinvigorates and re-engages students, teachers, and community stakeholders." portraitofagraduate.org
Much of the work of the district strategic planning committee has been focused on establishing a portrait of a graduate. As referenced in the quote above the portrait of a graduate captures the skills, dispositions, and knowledge needed by students in order to thrive in the world beyond high school. As part of the committee members' work, they have established a draft of this document and the capacities that a Nipmuc graduate should have.
Working in groups, review the portrait of a graduate and be prepared to share with the group the following:
- A description of your assigned skill
- An explanation of why this skill will be important, relevant, or meaningful for our students
Expanding our definition of success.
What does it mean to be a successful school? Most schools answer this question through results on standardized tests such as MCAS, SATs, or Advanced Placement exams. These assessments are important...but they are only one measure of success. When we tap into our aspirations for our students, test scores are only a portion of what it means to be successful. As we expand our criteria for being a successful school, let's take a moment to think about the experiences we want all students to have before graduating from high school.
Working in groups, add examples of learning EXPERIENCES that you think all students should have prior to graduating high school to the Padlet below. Here are some reflective questions to help you in your work:
Working in groups, add examples of learning EXPERIENCES that you think all students should have prior to graduating high school to the Padlet below. Here are some reflective questions to help you in your work:
- Can you take a picture of it? Your answers should be an actual activities that students can experience. By asking yourself if you can take a picture of it, you'll be ensure that you're focused on experiences and not skills.
- If you were an incoming freshman, would it make you excited about high school? Having a focused, standards-based curriculum and making school awesome are not mutually exclusive. Don't be afraid to make them fun!
- Is it active? Consider opportunities for students to be moving, collaborating, creating and/or doing.
- Would it help you to be a confident, creative, and curious adult? Keep your focus on the future. Think of learning experiences that will help students to be successful in their life beyond high school.
Next Steps: Connecting to the Portrait of a Graduate
Now that we've established a list of learning experiences that all students should have before they graduate high school, let's see if we can connect them to the portrait of a graduate. Working in your original groups, review the list of experiences. Answering as a group, complete the following:
- Put a "thumbs up" next to the ones that you are most excited about.
- If your experience aligns with you assigned competency from the portrait of a graduate, write that competency in the comments.