Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the District Goals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wissahickon board reviews draft 2025–26 goals and a community-driven 'portrait of a student'
Summary
The Wissahickon School District board reviewed an initial draft of its 2025–26 goals, including a proposed "portrait of a student" to guide curriculum and equity work, and directed administrators to convert the draft into measurable performance indicators.
Wissahickon School District board members on Aug. 26 reviewed an initial draft of the district's 2025'1 goals, which center on school safety and belonging, communication and transparency, academic excellence and equity, and a 10-year facilities plan.
Superintendent (name not specified) told the board the goal list grows from months of community, staff and student engagement undertaken as part of the superintendent's entry plan. "These haven't changed in at least the few years that I've been here, but they've been helpful to help us to keep centered what the district priority areas are," the superintendent said during the meeting.
The board was asked to provide feedback that administration will use to write SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals and key performance indicators for monitoring through the school year. Assistant Superintendent Sean Gardner described the proposed "portrait of a student" as a community-driven vision that will outline essential skills, knowledge and character traits the district expects by graduation.
"What we would look at is each transition point," Gardner said, naming typical checkpoints such as fifth-to-sixth grade and eighth-to-ninth grade. "Based on that plan, we would look, are we hitting those benchmarks for what we see as a portrait of a student going from fifth grade to sixth grade, ending their elementary experience, then transitioning from eighth to ninth grade." He said the district will begin with transition points and can extend the benchmarks to earlier grades if needed.
Board members asked for clarity about measuring the portrait over time and whether a single document that couples "academic excellence and educational equity" might present competing priorities. One member urged that the portrait remain dynamic rather than static to reflect changing needs. Superintendent (name not specified) and administrators said the next steps will include more detailed drafting and the development of indicators so the board and public can track progress.
The superintendent said a summary of the superintendent's entry-plan work and a fuller presentation will come during the next board cycle in October.
Why it matters: The portrait and linked performance indicators are intended to shape curriculum, instruction and student supports across grade levels and to provide a common language for tracking students' transitions and needs over time. The board did not adopt final goals on Aug. 26; it provided feedback and directed administration to return with developed measures and language for eventual approval.
The board's discussion was advisory; no final vote on the 2025'26 SMART goals was taken during the Aug. 26 meeting.
