Vision of the Graduate
The NEASC Standards for Accreditation for public schools ask that a Vision of the Graduate be developed along with a school's core values and beliefs about learning. This vision should center on the transferable skills, knowledge, understandings, and dispositions necessary for future success. For students to think critically, work collaboratively, and learn deeply, these important attributes must be defined clearly by the schools and systems of assessment must be shifted to adequately measure student progress toward proficiency. We are excited to offer a series of comprehensive workshops created to assist schools and districts in developing and implementing their own Vision of the Graduate.
The Vision of the Graduate embeds essential life skills into expectations of our public schools. It’s not just content and academics. It’s about building transferable skills needed for our students to be successful in their future.
— Erin Palonen, Principal, Griswold High School, CT
Part 1 - Designing the Vision of the Graduate
View upcoming dates / register
Designed for group participation, this two-day workshop is ideal for teams from public schools/districts to work collaboratively to understand the importance and implications of developing a Vision of the Graduate, create and/or revise their Vision, and start to understand the importance of authentic assessment for that Vision. Participants will conclude the workshop with valuable collaborative experiences and Vision documents to take back to their school communities for further feedback and implementation.
Day 1 - Intro to the Graduate Profile
On the first day of the workshop we will explore what a Graduate Profile (Vision of the Graduate, Portrait of a Graduate) is and why it is an important shift for schools, districts, systems, etc. as well as what it means to situate the Graduate Profile as your organizing principle. Participants will brainstorm the skills they believe would be ideal for their graduates, then have an opportunity to check that brainstorm against quality criteria, ideate and revise again. Participants will leave with a draft prototype of a Vision of the Graduate as well as a plan to engage stakeholders in a vital input/feedback process in order to move toward a more finalized draft.
Day 2 - Defining Your Graduate Profile
Once you have a draft of a Graduate Profile (Vision of the Graduate, Portrait of a Graduate) that includes larger skill categories, the next step is to define what you actually mean by those categories in the form of Performance Outcomes. During this session, we will clarify what Performance Outcomes are, determine the scope of the Outcomes that you are drafting (individual school, district-wide, etc.), and practice creating high quality Performance Outcomes for your Graduate Profile. This language will then be used to design shared assessment tools and much much more. Participants will leave with a much more fully defined set of skills for their Vision of the Graduate.
Part 2 - Implementing and Assessing a Vision of the Graduate
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Pre-requisite: Completion of Part 1 Workshop, "Designing the Vision of the Graduate"
This two-day workshop asks participants to consider, "What kind of culminating exhibition experience would we create to ensure that learners thrive when we implement our current vision/profile of a graduate?”
In various groups, participants will explore different types of exhibitions (student-led conferences, capstones, portfolio defenses, etc.) and design a prototype of a culminating exhibition that will provide evidence of student learning/thinking of essential competencies. In addition, participants will gain experience and aptitude in designing high-quality Performance Tasks that elicit evidence of student performance in the skills of their Graduate Profile.
Registration Fees
The workshop fee covers attendance and materials for a maximum of either 6 or 8 participants from one school or district:
$800.00 - maximum 6 participants from one school or district
$1000.00 - maximum 8 participants from one school or district
Contact:
Misha Larson
Accreditation Workshop and Events Manager
781-425-7734 | mlarson@neasc.org
Contact:
Alyson Geary
Director for Accreditation and School Improvement
NEASC Commission on Public Schools
781-425-7736 | ageary@neasc.org
Vision of the Graduate Workshop Facilitator
Deeper Learning Coach; Founder, Core Shifts