PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE
The Warwick Valley Central School District presents these seven qualities that represent its Portrait of a Graduate.
Educators, administrators and staff in the Warwick Valley Central School District work every day — from kindergarten through commencement — to ensure that Warwick Valley graduates possess the skills necessary to be collaborators, communicators, creators and innovators, ethical and global citizens, resilient individuals, problem-solvers, and life-long learners.
This model was created through a multi-year effort to define and design a modern educational program that meets the needs of today’s students. It all began with students, parents, teachers, and community members taking part in a series of surveys, discussions, and meetings under the title #TheirFuture. The collaborative initiative sought to ensure that all Warwick students receive a strong foundation to learn, lead, and find success.
“This work will guide our instructional vision and our curriculum implementation efforts to ensure that all students have adequate and equitable access to education that prepares them for their futures,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Leach. “The Warwick Valley CSD Portrait of a Graduate reflects our collective vision, which was informed by stakeholders’ input, of the skills, attributes and dispositions a student should possess for successes in today’s global society.”
COLLABORATOR
Collaborators hear, acknowledge, and appreciate a diversity of perspectives in conversation. They foster strong group dynamics by remaining open to varied opinions and valuing the input of others. They solicit suggestions from others when forming ideas and solving problems, and consult multiple sources to inform their opinions and conclusions. Collaborators unite those around them to achieve a common goal.
COMMUNICATOR
Communicators connect with people who are both like and unlike them. Communicators read and listen; they carefully research and ask questions. They know their topics, know their audiences, and are able to grasp broad ideas to distill and make them digestible for others. They write, speak and present their ideas digitally in ways that advance learning by educating and empowering.
CREATOR/INNOVATOR
Creators/Innovators utilize their imagination and evidence- based knowledge. They strategize to solve problems, investigate answers to their own questions, and meet challenges with solutions to further their own learning. They often share their ideas and feelings through the arts, design and building processes. Similar to Collaborators, Creators/ Innovators consider information from different sources and apply it in new ways to make things, disseminate ideas or provide solutions. They carefully examine their sources and consider the potential impact on others.
ETHICAL & GLOBAL CITIZEN
Ethical and Global Citizens are neighbors to the world, exhibiting empathy, compassion, and respect for others. They strive to understand a variety of cultures and perspectives outside their own, including language study. They consider the issues of the day through the lens of local, national, and global perspectives – from social issues to environmental issues. Ethical and Global Citizens must act with integrity, be community-minded and understand the foundations of our nation – both rights and privileges – and the responsibilities we share to others in the global community.
RESILIENT INDIVIDUAL
Resilient Individuals make good choices that enable them to persevere when challenges arise. They choose to maintain a healthy body and mind, and surround themselves with supportive, positive people. They stay goal-oriented and tackle tasks through successful planning. Resilient Individuals understand that self-reflection and advocacy are keys to growth and self-improvement.
PROBLEM SOLVER
Problem Solvers, when faced with unique challenges, are equipped with the knowledge and drive necessary to face those challenges with understanding and ingenuity. They recognize society’s needs and come up with original ideas, offer astute alternatives, and identify unseen connections that lead to new solutions. Problem Solvers are generous with their efforts toward a positive resolution, and unselfish about the benefits those ends will deliver to the community.
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
Lifelong Learners don’t just love learning, they are dedicated to understanding themselves and their world more and more over time. They are enthusiastic and hopeful about what new knowledge they may be able to obtain from and for their global community. Lifelong Learners can be professionals dedicated to their research, artists committed to expression, or anyone who has made self-directed learning an essential part of their personal growth. They honor the work of their teachers by embracing and continuing their own education beyond the classroom for their lifetime.
ORIGINS OF THE PORTRAIT…
#TheirFuture
In 2016, more than 2,250 students, parents, teachers and community members took part in the #TheirFuture initiative, a series of surveys, discussions and meetings organized to define and design a modern educational program to meet the needs of today’s students.
#TheirFuture was a collaborative initiative that involved the entire Warwick Valley community that sought to ensure that all our students receive a strong foundation to learn, lead and find success. It was an exercise that examined the knowledge, skills and character strengths a Warwick Valley graduate will need to achieve purpose and success community and family life. It also defined how learning should take place in our classrooms.
The North Star
The input we received from our students, parents, teachers and community members were used to create our North Star, a 1,015 word vision statement that specifies the cognitive, personal and interpersonal competencies we want our students to have when they graduate.
The North Star helped us reveal and affirm the culture of learning, growth and enjoyment that we seek to develop in our district. It connects overtly to our district’s mission, vision, unique school environment and academic program. It places an emphasis on relationships, experiential learning, student choice, group collaboration and the development of enduring academic, interpersonal and critical thinking skills.
By working together to think about the attributes and habits that should be developed by a Warwick Valley education, our community created an important touchstone that will be used for years to come.
Portrait of a Graduate
Warwick Valley teachers and administrators have designed a “Portrait of a Graduate”, an illustration that articulates the community’s aspirations for all students. Inspired and informed by feedback from #TheirFuture, the Portrait of a Graduate is the district’s visual representation of its priority goals for teaching and learning.
Ongoing Assessments
Data is used to help our educators improve and achieve to meet our students’ specific needs. Each school is supported in the district’s efforts through ongoing professional development. Key benchmarks related to academics, social and emotional wellness and career and life skills are also used to monitor progress.