[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”20868″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1683771294971{padding-right: 10% !important;padding-left: 10% !important;}”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n
SHELBYVILLE \u2014 It\u2019s nine years before high school graduation (May 2032) for Elijah Mabrey and his third-grade classmates at Heritage Elementary on the eastern edge of Shelby County. However, that distant horizon hasn\u2019t stopped Elijah or Heritage from getting ready. Efforts to meet Shelby County\u2019s new goals for graduates are in high gear across the elementary grades.<\/p>\n
In front of a hallway display their class created last year \u2014 as second graders \u2014 Mabrey and classmates Stella Franklin and Dallas Husband explained the district\u2019s hexagon-shaped “graduate profile” diagram in terms that would make sense to even the youngest Heritage students.<\/p>\n
Stella said that young students need to know that part of becoming a lifelong learner means knowing that people grow from their mistakes.<\/p>\n
Elijah pointed out the blue wedge on the poster that says \u201ca global citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community would get worse if we didn\u2019t make good choices like being involved, like picking up trash,\u201d the eight-year-old explained. \u201cWe can grow up to be really good. Like getting people to share.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dallas, also 8, noted the wedge that symbolizes \u201can effective communicator.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the reporter intently, speaking slowly. \u201cOne thing that\u2019s important is eye contact,\u201d he said without blinking. \u201cYou have to make eye contact so a person knows that you are talking to them<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Preparing students to use what they know is driving districts across Kentucky to rethink the skills that students should gain in their school years. The emerging graduate profiles often involve districts seeking increased input from educators, community members, employers, and students themselves. The process is also calling attention to measures of achievement that go beyond state test scores or basic credit hours earned.<\/p>\n In Shelby County, priority outcomes now include developing all students as critical thinkers, responsible collaborators, lifelong learners, effective communicators, global citizens, and inspired innovators.<\/p>\n That focus was evident as fourth grade teacher Taylor Shaver posed warm-up questions ahead of a reading assignment.<\/p>\n The whiteboard at the front of the room showed the day\u2019s academic standards: Reading text with attention to what the characters desire and obstacles they face. Also, analyzing characters\u2019 actions, thoughts, and words throughout the text.<\/p>\n Shaver projected a photo on a screen \u2014 a statue of the explorer York. He stands facing the Ohio River on the downtown Louisville Belvedere. York, an enslaved man on the Lewis and Clark expedition, is depicted in bronze. He holds a rifle and carries a brace of ducks. He is outfitted with a hatchet and hunting pouch.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat inferences do you make from the character in this statue?\u201d the teacher asked.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”20873″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text single_style=””]A FOURTH GRADE STUDENT AT HERITAGE ELEMENTARY in Shelby County prepares to respond to a question in teacher Taylor Shaver’s class.<\/span><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]One student said the man looks brave. The teacher asked what skills the class could use to analyze the image. \u201cWe can be critical thinkers by asking questions, like what it means to be brave,\u201d one student said. Classmates noted that being brave can mean someone is fearless or confident.<\/p>\n The teacher said it is important to be on the lookout for telling details in reading and to think critically about how characters respond to situations and surroundings.<\/p>\n Xander Kleiner, one of the fourth graders in the pre-reading discussion, said that the Shelby County graduate profile is a common source for school discussions. \u201cWe use it to see that by asking questions, we are thinking flexibly. We know we are responsible collaborators when we talk to each other and share each other\u2019s ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we think in creative ways, it helps us be a well-rounded person,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n \u201cIn math we use critical thinking a lot,\u201d added Julia Swinford, another fourth grader. \u201cIt\u2019s what happens when we try again, or know we need to find a stronger justification.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shelby County graduate profile now influences classroom work and serves as a focal point for the district\u2019s public outreach.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was created by the community,\u201d said Sally Sugg, the Shelby County superintendent. A series of community forums, input from families and students, and in-school conversations produced the profile’s goals. As administrators have connected in-school experiences and new workplace learning to the skills, continuing community meetings are used to monitor how well progress is being communicated and understood.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody involved values these competencies to a great degree,\u201d Sugg said of the profile. \u201cWe\u2019ve heard repeatedly how people don\u2019t lose jobs because they don\u2019t have knowledge, they lose them because they don\u2019t have skills.\u201d<\/p>\n Based on community connections, the district has created a work-based learning liaison position, career workshops for students, and more support for high school students working in local jobs.<\/p>\n At the state level, increased community collaboration is one of three priority areas in the education department\u2019s new strategic priorities known as United We Learn, introduced in late 2021. \u00a0Community partnerships are also a focus of a deeper learning grant initiative by Kentucky\u2019s education cooperatives.<\/p>\n \u201cOpportunities to engage communities and create deep and meaningful learning experiences for students abound in our Commonwealth,\u201d Education Commissioner Jason Glass wrote in 2021.<\/p>\n Mike Hesketh, owner of an industrial powder coating company in Shelby County, said it was more than six years ago that local employers and Shelby County education leaders began realizing independently that important skills were missing in the local workforce.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]\u201cIt was a challenge filling new positions, and several business owners started discussing our challenges in finding the workforce we needed. We learned that the school district was working on those same areas in its graduate profile, and we said, \u2018Boy, this is timely,\u2019 \u201d he recalled. \u201cThey were willing to listen and update their strategic plan.”<\/p>\n \u201cA high school diploma is nice, and we understand the big push for assessment and accountability with state testing or the ACT, but we see plenty of extremely bright, motivated students who don\u2019t test well,\u201d Hesketh said. There are also many honor roll students who struggle outside of school because they lack an ability to communicate or adapt to changing circumstances.<\/p>\n Hesketh said that the most impressive sign he\u2019s seen in his recent work with schools was a third grader in a school board meeting presenting his \u201clearning defense\u201d \u2014 an activity taking hold in many schools focused on deeper learning. In front of a panel of adults, students share their best work and describe how they\u2019ve grown. They explain what skills have become strengths and areas where they want to improve .<\/p>\n \u201cThis third grader was telling how he was a critical thinker. He talked about projects he\u2019d done and about solving a problem \u2014 ‘this is what I found out’; ‘this is what I did’ \u2014 it was amazing,\u201d Hesketh said.<\/p>\n Learning defenses and electronic portfolios of students\u2019 best work from real-world projects are growing as a way to measure students\u2019 skills.<\/p>\n In 2018, Jefferson County launched its Backpack of Success Skills program (its own graduate profile) and a partnership with Google to create a digital backpack for every student to collect student work. Students in 5th, 8th, and 12th grade make official presentations to a panel of educators and community members to showcase their work and describe gains on the \u201cBackpack\u201d skills. Panelists also get time to ask students questions.<\/p>\n Through the pandemic, Jefferson County\u2019s emphasis continued with virtual presentations. Last school year, 20,625 student defense presentations were held across Jefferson County. In the first six weeks of this school year, district officials said that about 40,000 examples of school work were loaded by students into individual digital backpacks.<\/p>\n Many schools and districts have used the last decade to make impressive gains in overhauling learning environments to focus more on student input, local economic connections, and more engaging work.<\/p>\n The single-campus Eminence independent district in Henry County is a pioneer in student-driven learning experiences dating back to 2010. It increased high-tech connections and more rigorous classes after interviewing students about how school could improve. The district\u2019s makeover also emphasized \u201csurprise and delight\u201d as qualities that inspire effort and creativity from staff and students, boosting achievement.<\/p>\n The vibe permeates. The elementary dining space at Eminence looks more like a cafe than a lunchroom. A looping slide connects the second floor with the ground-level cafeteria. An airy, multi-purpose addition resembles a high-tech corporate training retreat more than a school.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing for us was we wanted our diploma to mean something,\u201d Superintendent Buddy Berry explained in a June webcast for superintendents held by the state education department. \u201cWe thought we needed something bigger than a program. We needed \u2026 something for our town to rally around.\u201d He said the outcome was \u201ca completely personalized, technology-rich, authentic, passion-based learning environment where kids couldn\u2019t wait to be at school every day.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]Over about the same timeframe, districts across Eastern Kentucky have embraced the connection between education and economic development. The emphasis has prompted courses and career training that offer creative responses to needs in Appalachian communities and local resources.<\/p>\n Active, applied learning approaches have been championed and spread by the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative, which promoted enterprising Appalachian school programs as part of a renaissance \u201cto lift the region out of generational poverty and historically poor educational outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n Teachers have eagerly shared creative learning opportunities.<\/p>\n >\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0At a KVEC regional conference four years ago, for example, a Knott County elementary teacher explained how she added software coding lessons for her third grade math class, allowing students to program robots. She explained seeing the connection between coding and math after learning that computer science jobs were growing far faster than the qualified workforce.<\/p>\n >\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Under carpentry teacher Don Page, Phelps High School in Pike County has become well-known for annually designing and selling new \u201ctiny houses,\u201d an enterprise now popular in area technology centers.<\/p>\n >\u00a0<\/strong> At Belfry High School, also in Pike County, the STEAM Lab led by science and engineering teacher Haridas Chandran, known as \u201cDoc,\u201d has gained a reputation for in-depth projects with local applications.<\/span><\/p>\n His class resembles an inventor\u2019s workshop. Students have examined chemical compositions that exist in coal, measured water quality in local wells, examined local medical trends and needs, even testing kudzu for medicinal qualities and as a building material.<\/p>\n \u201cI want my students to learn more than what I have learned \u2014 I want them to be No. 1 in the world and compete with anybody,\u201d Chandran said in a 2020 interview. \u201cWe\u2019ve built a program where students can gain knowledge that fits the 21st century workforce \u2014 where they can take initiative, and they gain motivation to want to start something to help in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n Hesketh of Shelby County has high hopes for what business leaders and deeper learning proponents can accomplish to equip students with skills that match the times.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is definitely having an impact,\u201d he said. \u201cOur industries are not the industries of the old days. Everyone is reluctant to change, but we need to take this message out to everyone in the county.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”18794″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text single_style=””]TEACHER HARIDAS CHANDRAN AT BELFRY HIGH checks on students in his STEAM Lab as they work on a prototype biodigester which will convert manure and food scraps into fertilizer. 2020 photo.<\/i><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text single_style=””]Charlie Reeves, now a sixth grader at East Middle School in Shelby County, said that his experience with graduate profile skills that connected to classwork helped him become a better student. He said that the learning defense presentation he made last year at Heritage Elementary allowed him to stand out in a way tests couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really shy, but I got to show myself. It was just me,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI\u2019ve become more responsible. I\u2019m five times more confident. I\u2019ve grown a large amount.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaver, the fourth-grade teacher, said that he has been impressed at how thoughtful students have been about connecting graduate profile skills with life beyond school.<\/p>\n “I have found it extremely powerful when a child can tell me how they’ve been a responsible collaborator during scouts, on their baseball team, or in church,” Shaver said.<\/p>\n J.J. Black, principal at Heritage Elementary, said the graduate profile presents students with important new challenges. The district\u2019s expectations encourage students to make their voices heard and to recognize their roles as contributors to the school and their own success.<\/p>\n \u201cThe profile has given kids license to be an advocate for themselves and push us at times,\u201d the principal said. \u201cIt\u2019s been about educating the whole student to realize that their world isn\u2019t in these four walls.\u201d<\/p>\n Black said the district now has a thorough plan for stressing the graduate profile and challenging academic work.<\/p>\n \u201cThe skills aren\u2019t something we see in a silo or as an extra,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are naturally a part of who people are and what we should work toward.\u201d<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n TOP PHOTO: Stella Franklin, Dallas Husband and Elijah Mabrey stand in front of a poster that their second grade class at Heritage Elementary in Shelby County created last year. It explains the district’s “graduate profile” skills in language young students can understand.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner background_color=”#fdfaa6″ css=”.vc_custom_1673437777931{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-color: #fdfaa6 !important;}”][vc_column_text single_style=””]<\/p>\n A FOUR-PART 2. UPDATING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Adjusting to new methods \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>As more schools work toward engaging learning experiences and preparing students with durable skills, some thoughts about understanding the changes involved:<\/p>\n Local priorities<\/strong>\u00a0 School districts across Kentucky have developed \u201cgraduate profiles,\u201d their own ambitions and priorities for equipping all graduates for adult success. In 2022, the Kentucky Board of Education adopted a statewide profile, its Portrait of a Learner<\/a>. That portrait includes six areas that are similar to many school district profiles. The Kentucky Association of Educational Cooperatives maintains links to more than two dozen profiles<\/a> from across the state.<\/p>\n Growing skills<\/strong>\u00a0 Kentucky was the starting point for the Center for Innovation in Education, founded by former state education commissioner Gene Wilhoit. In 2015, the Center partnered with the Oregon-based consulting group Educational Policy Improvement Center, now known as Inflexion, to create Essential Skills and Dispositions<\/a>, a detailed framework for how to view and increase student skills in creativity, communications, collaboration and self-direction. The guide breaks each skill area into component parts and describes how individuals progress from beginners to emerging experts in each.<\/p>\n Workplace needs<\/strong>\u00a0 An Internet search for \u201cbuilding workers\u2019 communication skills\u201d yields a very specific set of guidance: the importance of improving communication skills for construction workers. The results are a good example of how \u201csoft\u201d skills are essential even in hard labor: \u201cA construction worker needs to be able to effectively read and interpret the blueprints to know how to meet engineer or code specifications,\u201d one site says. \u201cBeing able to listen and take instruction are critical to the construction worker,” adds another. Technical vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing skills and verbal communication are all essentials. A 2022 article<\/a> from the Indeed job-posting site, details skill needs for existing workers looking to land and keep jobs.<\/p>\n Explaining the need<\/strong>\u00a0 A LinkedIn Learning Blog post<\/a> from a Wisconsin instructional designer and former teacher summarizes skills needed to be successful in the modern economy and workplace. The advice can be helpful as educators work with parents, community members, and non-educators to launch a productive conversation about the need for schools to deliver a more meaningful diploma.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner background_color=”#fafbb9″ css=”.vc_custom_1673438254176{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;background-color: #fafbb9 !important;}”][vc_column_text single_style=””]This special report on durable skills and deeper learning showcases emerging issues and school efforts to better connect school work and adult success.<\/em><\/p>\n ABOUT THE SERIES<\/p>\n 1. RETHINKING NECESSARY SKILLS & ENGAGING EXPERIENCES<\/a> <\/strong>to better prepare students for challenges to learn, work, and thrive beyond high school.<\/p>\n THIS STORY:<\/strong> 2. UPDATING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0with local graduate profiles, greater student voice, and new connections to employers and communities.<\/p>\n 3. RENEWING PROFESSIONAL POSSIBILITIES<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>as educators explore creative options for learning experiences and personalized connections that spark student interest.<\/p>\nGRADUATE PROFILES REFLECT LOCAL NEEDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
We\u2019ve heard repeatedly how people don\u2019t lose jobs because they don\u2019t have knowledge, they lose them because they don\u2019t have skills.<\/h2>\n
\u2014 Sally Sugg, Shelby County superintendent<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
SKILLS UPDATE GROWS FROM A DECADE OF ACTION<\/h3>\n
\n
It was a challenge filling new positions, and several business owners started discussing our challenges in finding the workforce we needed. We learned that the school district was working on those same areas in its graduate profile, and we said, \u2018Boy, this is timely.\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2014 Mike Hesketh, Shelby County business owner<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
STUDENT VOICE, COMMUNITY INPUT GROW<\/h3>\n
M A Y \u00a0 2 0 2 3<\/h6>\n
\nSPECIAL REPORT<\/span><\/p>\n