Seward Public Schools Graduate Expectations
Developed Spring 2004
December 12, 2006
Seward Public Schools embarked in August of 2003 on a new School Improvement Cycle. During its summer 2003 team retreat, the districts Administrative Team studied the book, Good to Great (Collins, 2001), and the theme for our School Improvement Process was born. The Good to Great School Improvement Process is based on these assumptions as set forth by Collins:
- Good is the enemy of great./li>
- Good to great entities focus on what NOT to do, and what to STOP doing.
- Greatness is not a function of circumstance.
- Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.
The Good to Great School Improvement Process, coordinated by the Good to Great Team (operating as a steering committee), encompasses many facets, all designed to improve student learning. Teachers and administrators worked with student learning data during the 2003-2004 school year to analyze academic strengths and concerns, and building upon that information, developed building Action Plans to address the concerns.
Community input was gathered through a series of three sessions in November, December, and January of the 2003-2004 school year. This Good to Great Community Group was comprised of a cross section of community, certified staff, support staff, and board members. Two outside facilitators conducted the sessions, with the administrative team members acting as small group facilitators, rather than active participants. The purpose of the Good to Great Community Group meetings was to help establish district priorities, provide information for making decisions about resources and budget, and gather information about what is important about education and the schools. The objectives for the sessions:
- Build trust with the stakeholders (internal and external
publics). Build trust and connections between a variety of people
- When people talk with each other face to face, they get to know each other, respect one another, and may consider different points of view on complex issues. New ideas and plans are born and people find common ground for solutions and actions
- When people know their voice counts, they are more likely to take part in creating and carrying out ideas for change. Community change is stronger and deeper when people work together
- Determine what education should look like in Seward (what graduates should know and be able to do)
- Determine what is valued in education in Seward.
- Determine some of the strengths, priorities, needs, and nice to havesin the district.
Participants of the community group responded through a variety of activities in five small groups called study circles. The types of response activities included individual reflection, small group discussion, review of data, prioritizing, elimination, and weighted voting to the following issues or questions:
- What do we want our graduates to know and be able to do?
- What does the community value in education?What are mustsfor Seward Public Schools?What are we currently doing that we want to keep doing, but we could do better?
- What do we want to add that would make us a better school and improve student achievement?
- What is nice to havebut we may be willing to stop doing or give up?
This document deals with the issue of graduate expectations. The springboard for its development was the list of graduate expectations that was built using group results that combined similar statements, only when all five groups (study circles) agreed. That list was then classified, clarified, and expanded upon by members of the Good to Great Team (steering committee), using individual study circle responses as an additional source of detailed data, and was placed into our selected format.
Although several common topics emerged from the community group, there are two major themes that encompass the more detailed expectations: 1) Life Aspirations and 2) Basic Fundamental Skills. Those themes follow, with specific areas and explanations included.
Life Aspirations
Students need to understand that they can think outside the box./span>
- Transition to Life After High School
Participants in the community groups want graduates to be prepared to pursue their individual career passions and have as diverse a set of postgraduate options as possible. Students should have knowledge of available resources to help them adjust smoothly to the avenues they choose: college, vocational school, military and/or the work force.
- Civic Involvement
Participants voiced a need for community awareness and civic involvement. Our graduates should have an appreciation for what the community, parents and teachers have provided for them, thus leading to an understanding of their rights as citizens, but also their responsibilities. Opportunities to serve in their communities will allow students to develop leadership and organization skills, practicing their adult roles of being viable members of the community.
- Personal Abilities/Lifelong Learner
Students must learn to take risks and recognize that failure is a part of the learning process. The ability to set goals based on an understanding of their strengths is important. Participants hope that lifelong learners will see the relevance of past education and how it impacts their daily lives, both personally and professionally. Throughout life, there is always the opportunity to pursue additional knowledge.
- Diversity
The ability to get along with others and respect their backgrounds and perspectives is crucial within our global community. Participants stated that students should be able to accept and work with people of diverse backgrounds and belief systems.
Basic Essential and Fundamental Skills
Students need to know that motivation and belief in themselves is more important than IQ."
- Academic Skills
Participants in the community groups identified skills and competencies that stretched across many academic and social categories. Basic math, reading and writing were the skills mentioned most often by the various community groups. The following academic skills were recognized as vital to basic education.
- Read and comprehend a variety of materialso
- Access, retrieve, integrate and apply information
- Apply mathematical concepts, principles and procedures
- Write, listen and speak in a manner that effectively communicates thoughts and perceptions
- Life Skills
Participants want students to show initiative and be able to represent themselves. Community members listed the following as examples of life skills.
- Money management, including checkbook and insurance issues
- Negotiating skillso
- Decision-making
- Completion of applications
- Time managemento
- Keeping commitments
- Following rules
- Technology
Community participants believe that technology skills are crucial. Using technology in an effective manner, including knowing how to use it to access information for various reasons is important. Being computer-literate will assist students in knowing how to be good consumers of information found electronically. Continued courses in the technology area will help students learn how to adapt to the many facets of technology in our society.
- Interpersonal Skills
Students must be able to function in multiple contexts. The community groups stated that the ability to communicate effectively is of utmost importance. Additionally, knowing how to deal with people and the ability to resolve conflict were high on the list of priorities for our graduates.
