PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
PoG �SPOTLIGHTS
March 15-17, 2024
FOR PEER LEARNING
During the convening you will have an opportunity to share more information with colleagues, this is simply a summary �to orient everyone to your spotlight.
PoG SPOTLIGHTS
The Portrait of a Graduate community has engaged in the process of communicating and designing with their Portraits �in mind. A spotlight is our opportunity as a community to highlight key work and to engage in peer learning.
WHAT IS A SPOTLIGHT FOR PEER LEARNING?
CREATE YOUR SPOTLIGHT SLIDE
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School Name
HEADLINE (orient people to what your spotlight is)
QUOTE
(or image to highlight �the work)
Our work this year
Write 1-2 lines about the work you did this year that was most impactful in your portrait implementation process.
What we learned?
1-2 line summary. We encourage a student co-designer impact statement AND a statement about adult mindset shifts.)
Where we’re going next?
1 line.
Link to artifact, tool or resource
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
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KEEP IN MIND
It is important to �be brief on your slide.
You will have time to �share more details during the convening .
TIPS
Please feel free to include images and share links to artifacts as it makes sense.
When you link an artifact make sure to change ‘Share’ permissions to ‘Anyone on the internet can view’.
HOW DO WE CREATE OUR SPOTLIGHT CELEBRATION SLIDE?
FIND THE SLIDE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
and add the following, replacing the instructions on that slide:
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SPOTLIGHT QUICK LINKS
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The Berkshires Collaboration
DEEPER INTEGRATION AND INTERVISITATION
Our work this year
Focusing on our integration efforts and reflecting on feedback from The Berkshires fall convening, we’ve been working to elevate and make our competencies more explicit. Through school based work and intervisitations we’ve continued to strengthen our integration and bring in new strategies from our peers in The Berkshires and beyond.
What we learned?
We learned that students are a critical element to fostering investment in this project within and beyond our organizational walls.
Our educators, from teachers to school leaders, make greater change and significant reforms when they work together across organizations and experience models outside of their own learning communities.
Where we’re going next?
Expand our community outreach efforts, further develop look for tools to integrate our Portrait competencies, and develop our own Berkshires Student Voice Summit.
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
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Boston Preparatory Charter
THE PHOENIX RISES: Back to the Future
Our work this year
We streamlined our core documents, including our PoG, to create a more actionable litmus test for programmatic decisions. We are also moving forward with 4 key student experiences aligned to our PoG (Ethics Defense, Service Learning, Student Showcase, and International Trip
What we learned?
While we have glimpses of our Portrait in action, we need to leverage historical knowledge AND make new changes for all students to achieve the PoG.
Where we’re going next?
We are incorporating Ethics & Service Learning into our curriculum and schedule; piloting a Student Showcase, and traveling to Spain; our adult team is revising our rubric and instructional vision as well as engaging in PD aligned to our PoG.
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
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Danbury High School
Cultivating a Culture of POG
Our work this year
This year we launched a POG Portfolio and Exploration Seminar in 9th grade. The POG Portfolio will follow students throughout their four year journey, and enables them to dig deep into each attribute of the POG. Meanwhile, the Exploration Seminar encourages students to develop an understanding of their own career aspirations and aptitudes. We also aligned our Hatters' Heroes for students and staff with the attributes of our POG.
What we learned?
In PLC’s, teachers have begun learning walks to note the implicit and explicit implementation of our POG in classrooms and around the school.
We also held a career fair in the fall and learned that the community is excited to engage in the Portrait of the Graduate and the implementation of the academies.
Where we’re going next?
We purchased a tracking system called SchooLinks that will allow us to track POG attribute submissions, and are working on developing POG rubrics for Pre-k-5.
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
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Franklin High School
HEADLINE: COMMUNITY IS OUR CAMPUS
"This year project-based learning has allowed me to acquire new skills through more creative means, collaborate with my teachers and peers more so than I have been able to in the past, and overall enjoy a more positive experience in FHS" Student, Zoe Nagle
Our work this year
We changed the schedule which has made more opportunities available to our learners including College Courses, Extended Learning Opportunities and Off Campus Learning as part of Project Blocks.
What we learned?
“It seems like a lot more people are participating and having a lot more fun at school. You still hear some kids not liking school, but not as much.
Teachers have stopped giving so many lectures and are providing more interactive and project based learning. My favorite class was Mindfulness. I also learned how to crochet this year.” Abby Pitman
Where we’re going next?
Refining, Refining, Refining: In the next few months, we are refining our signature tasks and our Project Block classes.
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
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Lowell High School
FOUNDATIONAL FLIGHT TO SOARING HEIGHTS
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
Poetry Showcase
Our work this year
What we learned?
Direct Feedback from faculty member that attend Dr Hollie PD session: “I really appreciated the modelling - these are techniques that I feel prepared to implement. I don't expect it to be easy, but I do feel like I have a roadmap.“
Where we’re going next?
Continue to strengthen alignment across the district, leadership and policy makers as we bring master schedule proposal forward and student portfolios as part of our path to graduation.. Creation of POG student ambassadors for the 24-25 SY.
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Margarita Muñiz Academy
Digger Deeper Into Practice and Implementation
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We restructured our exhibitions for Grades 9 to 11 at the end of every quarter instead of the end of the year so we can better integrate our Portrait, create deeper student engagement, and develop presentation skills.
We are also in the first year of El Centro - our model for a cross functional initiatives table that asks every member to focus on the Portrait and equity.
What we learned?
Staff are deeply engaged in thinking about the connections among rigor, personalization and purpose as we improve our strategies for teaching and learning.
Students are lifting up their voices as student leaders creating many opportunities and events for driven by and for students.
Where we’re going next?
Deepening our practice… big updates in our curriculum maps and resources…widening who is at the table!
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Stratford Public Schools
Making Meaningful Connections
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
QUOTE
(or image to highlight �the work)
Our work this year
Work that was most impactful in our portrait implementation:
What we learned?
Staff member- “I've learned the importance of getting to know the students in my Advance period. Also the importance of the students getting connected to the portrait and that the students need to understand that the portrait of a graduate is a true vision for them.”
Student- “I learned the inner workings of the curriculum within the district and how it's tied to Portrait of a Graduate. It has been a great experience knowing what's going on behind the scenes and having the ability to have an impact and a voice within our education system.”
Where we’re going next?
Support teachers in gaining fluency with Stratford’s PoG Competencies
to make logical and meaningful connections between their course content, assessments, and the skills within the five Competencies; Support principals and committees in clarifying and strengthening their PoG messaging/rationale so communications are consistent, uplifting, and forward-facing for school culture, teachers, and students
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Springfield Public Schools
From Poster to Practice to Practice to Progress
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2024 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
This year we created three pathways for the Cohort Schools to support their reimaging efforts. PoG Schools were given the choice between the following topics Primary Person Model, Project Based Learning or Equity Mindsets. 40 SPS Art teachers and their students, working in collaboration with Common Wealth Murals, will paint and install 15 murals based on student artwork created for Portrait of a Graduate. The School Improvement Plans, Learning Walk and Data days are all connected to the PoG which created greater alignment for all schools. Grading changes underway, PoG Survey Success, and Pathway Expansions
What we learned?
We learned that the Student Summits were powerful and we needed to have more voices added to the table. Springfield Public Schools is now conducting mini-summits at schools so that schools can receive feedback from their students based on what they are doing and then adapt and adjust plans as needed. Equity focused. Posters with QR codes with student voice are posted in all schools.
We are making changes to district grading practices to ensure that they are equitable and meaningful to students. Our approach involves gathering input from teachers and principals, initiating pilot programs in schools, and carefully assessing the outcomes before implementing any comprehensive changes.
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Where we’re going next?
Link to artifact, tool or resource
From Practice to Progress: We will be rolling out the PoG across all schools! Full K-12 Implementation next year! WE CANNOT WAIT!
PoG SPOTLIGHTS
From Spring 2023
(for reference)
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SPOTLIGHT QUICK LINKS
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The Berkshires Collaboration
CROSS SCHOOL SITE VISITS
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We are consistently collaborating across sites to share learnings and ways in which we are implementing aspects of the portrait. Visiting the different schools in our network provides a deeper understanding of how the portrait is put into practice and prompts opportunities to go deeper.
What we learned?
Our schools are doing significant work to incorporate and integrate the portrait in meaningful ways. Students in our design teams, experiences, and site visits have been energizing to our thinking of how this work has - and will continue to have- significant impact. In our work this year, we’ve learned that deep integration takes time and thoughtful planning is essential - especially as we engage our full school communities.
Where we’re going next?
Deeper integration of portrait competencies and more cross-school professional learning experiences on incorporating competencies and project based learning strategies.
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Boston Prep
Culturally Responsive And Rigorous Teaching
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We analyzed extensively on how to integrate the Portrait of a Graduate more cohesively into our mission and anti-racism statements. We conducted listening sessions with key stakeholders - educators, families, students and board members - on how to best take progressive steps for PoG to become a natural component of educators’ framework and compass with our students.
What we learned?
Our students are Born to Fly! “The PoG philosophy means so much in our school community. Boston Prep encourages me to live up to the 4 principles on a daily basis. As we are learning how to connect the dots more and more, practicing in real time is helping me to define what a PoG looks like and how to be one.” - 8th grade Middle school student
Our teachers recognize that they are the catalyst for bridging the gap between the PoG artifact and actually practicing the tenets in the classrooms; it will take a new commitment. The messaging and guidance will be aligned across all classrooms with a detailed building block on how students get there.
Where we’re going next?
We are excited to develop a guiding rubric that will outline a learner profile progression visual to which teachers can build into their rigorous curriculum and messaging. Workshopping this new roadmap will shape into very specific expectations for how our kiddos will achieve to become a PoG.
Portrait of a Boston Prep Graduate
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Danbury High School
Building a POG Based School Culture
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We held a convocation to begin the school year centered on introducing POG to over 1200 district staff and teachers. We promoted our values and mission of building a culture of excellence for our students through our POG attributes. We also focused on implementing a number of staff working groups including grading for equity and standards-based grading.
What we learned?
Planning and flexibility are essential. Due to construction delays, the plan to open our second campus has been delayed until 2025; however, we still plan to launch the academy introductory course, Exploration Seminar, in the fall of 2024. Throughout this process, we have learned to be flexible and are taking advantage of the extra time to continue strengthening our academy curriculum and training teachers to be academy leaders.
Where we’re going next?
Our next phase will focus on promoting student involvement and engagement through school sanctioned activities, implementing relevant curriculum, and creating a culturally responsive school environment centered around the POG attributes.
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Franklin High School
Imperfection Inspires
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We expanded the teacher led competency based assessment pilot to a school wide endeavor to shift the conversation about teaching and learning. Defined a credit by naming Signature Tasks up front.
Made PLCs a focus of adult learning and FINALLY got to leave to learn to visit schools and programs in 6 states!
What we learned?
“I’m really excited to get out of the school to learn. I would love free campus. I would also love, and know a lot of students would love to take a History of Franklin class where we could walk and explore the history of our city” Lizzie St. Cyr, student
“All teachers are doing formatives differently, but everyone is considering how they are used and useful towards helping students demonstrate competency.” Block 2 PLC Notes
Where we’re going next?
We’re changing the schedule to make room for meaningful and engaging project based learning. Here was our process!
Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong.
Ted Lasso
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The Found Project
Lowell High School
BRINGING THE PLAN INTO ACTION
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
What we learned?
Students are hungry for this change! In a recent TLE pilot in a Genetics classroom one student stated: “I enjoyed how exploratory this unit was. Rather than focusing on ethics only in biology and the medical field, we were able to develop a foundation of what ethics was and how it could be applied to other branches”. When asked what the students will be taking away from this unit, another student replied, “From this unit, the ideas that will stay with me are the bioethical principles which are respect for persons, maximizing benefits/minimizing harm, and justice. I feel like it stayed with me because we did a lot of practice with it and I feel it is important to know in the future”.
Where we’re going next?
In SY 23-24, it is our hope to build out more TLE experiences, pilot domain rubrics, re-examine the master schedule, primary person model,, expand on Culturally Responsive Teaching practices, and design PoG Success Criteria.
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Margarita Muñiz Academy
Learning Cycles: Feedback, Revision, Try It Out, Reflection
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
Last April, SpringPoint visited and offered great feedback that we used to create our Instructional Vision. We have been piloting the work this year, focusing on Rigor and Purpose and our Dual Language Model.
What we learned?
We framed our professional development time around our Instructional Vision including Learning Walks and looking at student and teacher work in teams. As we engaged in this collective team work, we realized that rigor and purpose are a dynamic duo that lead to engagement. We are about to revise the current version of our Instructional Vision for SY 2023-24. The ISoQ has been a super helpful guide!
Where we’re going next?
Taking a hard look at our expedition plans; Revising our Instructional Vision; Aligning our Portrait skills and dispositions.
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Meriden Public Schools
Elevating Rigor and Student Voice
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
We have multiple areas of focus this year. We created instructional Look Fors of teacher actions that support student ownership of developing the PoG competencies, our Empowered Learner model. We are also building student leadership and community involvement through our PoG Student Ambassador program.
What we learned?
We are shifting from a focus on post-secondary enrollment to a focus on positioning students for lifelong success. To do this, we need to elevate rigor and consider alignment to make an impact. We have to be intentional about how activities are integrated through the PoG while building a shared focus and understanding of rigorous instruction. Also, the continued inclusion of student voice brings an energizing perspective that builds more authenticity and excitement around the work.
Where we’re going next?
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Stratford Public Schools
REIMAGINING and EXPLORING!
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
Our work this year
Most impactful: Working with students and having their voice and input as a main driver in this process. Talking about and redesigning the primary person model.
What we learned?
We learned our students are CAPABLE!
Importance of communicating the work at all different levels and especially to the teaching staff so everyone understands it and what their part would be in it.
Where we’re going next?
Rewriting curriculum to reflect the Portrait attributes; implementing the plan for students to earn the Mastery Based Credit required for graduation; reimagining advisory to reflect the Primary Person model, exploring.
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Springfield Public Schools
HEADLINE From Poster to Practice to Practice to ??
PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
2023 SPRING CONVENING
“Let students teach, and let the students help the students. Activities when I have to teach others make me learn more. Students should have more ownership in the classroom and learning. Students can present their own equation and break it down to the class.” -SPS High School Student
https://www.springfieldpublicschools.com/cms/one.aspx?portalId=494689&pageId=26875188
Our work this year
Our work this year is twofold. We are examining our grading and assessment system and supporting our 24 PoG Cohort Schools. Cohort schools have self-identified as early adopters and have committed to implementing specific strategies aligned with the PoG. We are learning from these schools as we implement the Strategic Plan across all 70 schools. We are also researching Primary Person Models that meet our students' identified needs.
What we learned?
We learned that we needed to purposefully engage students in the development of key strategies such as our Primary Person Model and Re-imagining Learning. We invited students from all of our middle and high schools to a full-day summit to hear directly from them. They said…... link to summit data
We also learned that we needed to move from the technical work (creating
documents) to focusing on the adaptive changes needed to move the work
forward. This learning was the genesis for our theme of “Poster
to Practice.”
Where we’re going next?
District leaders are working with diverse teams of stakeholders to create modify and enhance pacing guides to allow for deeper learning and to develop a standards based report card to ensure equitable grading K-12.