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District unveils 'Vision of a Graduate' emphasizing adaptability, communication and integrity
Summary
A steering committee of students, educators and community members presented a draft ‘Vision of a Graduate’ that lists five competencies — adaptability, communication, collaboration, intellectual curiosity and integrity — and outlines next steps for integration into strategic planning.
A district steering committee of students, educators, parents and community members presented a working "Vision of a Graduate" to the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee, identifying five competencies the district intends students to develop: adaptability, communication, collaboration, intellectual curiosity and integrity.
Committee members said the document grew from a year-long engagement process that included a ThoughtExchange with more than 2,400 participants, more than 2,700 ideas and over 58,000 ratings, and in-person workshops. The steering committee said it intentionally wrote competency statements in a student's voice so learners can use the language themselves.
Under the competency titled "adaptability," the draft reads in the first-person: "I can demonstrate physical and mental wellness by developing my self-confidence and self-awareness through understanding my strengths, passions, emotions and needs." The committee placed mental-health language up front after repeated community feedback that named it a priority. The intellectual-curiosity competency emphasizes critical thinking and ethical use of resources, and the integrity competency highlights personal responsibility and contribution to communities.
Presenters said the vision is intended for all learners, with multiple pathways to achievement for students with diverse needs: "The pathways that we will develop to help diverse learners and all of our students achieve these competencies may vary," the steering committee said in the presentation.
Next steps identified by the group include creating student-generated visual art to represent the vision, integrating the competencies into the district strategic-plan work, auditing current practices that already support the vision, and developing measurable pathways and assessments to track student progress.
Committee members and presenters described the work as a foundation for the district’s broader strategic planning: the "Vision of a Graduate" will inform curriculum, professional learning and future measures of student growth rather than create a separate checklist.
The committee did not vote on adopting the document at the meeting; presenters asked the school committee and district staff to incorporate the vision into the ongoing strategic-planning process.
