As we grow up, we learn the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and of course Why. The ‘why’, though typically listed last in the sequence, is more often than not the most important ‘W’ of them all. As community members, educators, students, staff members, and moreover as human beings, we seek to understand the ‘why’ behind everything we do in our daily life. We have a need to understand a rhyme or reason for the way something happens, works, or is done.
Oftentimes, looking forward and creating a vision of the future helps our ‘why’ become clear. For VISD, the ‘why’ behind everything we do is our students. Our goal is to ensure every student who walks across the stage as a VISD graduate has earned an “AND” along with their diploma and is prepared for success beyond high school. In order to paint a clear vision of this goal, VISD has embarked on a journey to create a Portrait of a Graduate, a collective vision that articulates the community’s aspirations for its students.
This work originated with the VISD Strategic Plan which was developed through the collaborative efforts of community members, students and staff. The Strategic Plan describes the vision guiding the district’s work and paints a picture of the pathway opportunities which will be afforded to VISD students. To further solidify the vision outlined in the Strategic Plan, VISD began working with our community to create a Portrait of a Graduate.
Over the course of the last two years, information has been gathered from community members, students, parents and staff members. Current and former VISD Student Leaders were asked to share the characteristics and skills which helped them achieve the highest levels of success in school and allowed them to find their ‘AND’. Student forums were also hosted for students transitioning into middle school and high school. At these events, students were provided the opportunity to experience a conference-style student development forum. Students heard and participated in various breakout sessions aimed at helping them with finding their ‘AND’.
Students also provided valuable input, which will be combined with the previously collected information to help the district clearly define the community’s definition of a successful graduate.
In addition to the student events, VISD asked the community to participate in a Thoughtexchange asking, “What characteristics and skills helped you become the learner and person you are today?” and collected input from staff members.
Our next step in the journey to create a VISD Portrait of a Graduate is to bring community members, parents, students and staff together to synthesize all of the information collected and create a list of the most important skills students must develop for future success. On Wednesday, April 13 at 1 p.m. VISD is hosting a Portrait of a Graduate Community Event.
Why are we doing this? What is the purpose of creating the Portrait of a Graduate? These two questions could warrant many different answers. However, for us, it all roots back to the end goal we have for every graduate of VISD: to graduate with their high school diploma AND leave us prepared for a successful launch into a career, military, college and life to be a contributing member of society.
As a school district, we know it is our responsibility to prepare every student who walks our halls and sits in our classrooms for what’s next, whatever that may be.
Since 2016, the district has seen an upward trend in graduation rates each year, surpassing the state graduation rate during the 2020-21 school year by 5.6%, but we don’t want to settle for merely graduating our students and throwing them out into the world. We want them to hit the ground running.
As we continue to increase our graduation rates, we are also constantly seeking the best ways to prepare our students for life afterward. Join us in our mission of successfully preparing the next generation of VISD graduates.
Tammy Sestak is the assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability for Victoria ISD.