Woodstock Union Middle/High School

Demographics

Percentage of students*

Why Woodstock Union Middle/High School was nominated

The Windsor Central leadership team began the process of developing a Portrait of a Graduate and related strategic plan during the 2018-2019 school year. This effort allowed students, parents, educators, and community members in the newly formed Windsor Central Modified Unified Union District to collectively construct a vision of their graduates and a plan for enabling learners to meet those expectations. The strategic plan that was developed provides a clear roadmap with the Portrait of a Graduate being their �north star.� Leadership recognized the importance of engaging multiple stakeholders in a meaningful process to achieve positive change. I was fortunate to be able to attend sessions and observe the high-level of commitment by all involved. A systems perspective is also evident in Windsor Central�s strategic plan through intentional connections between strategies and the Portrait of a Graduate competencies. For instance, Strategy 1.2 states, �Achieve a high level of math proficiency for all students through curriculum review, classroom instructional practices, professional development, and robust interventions so that all students reach their full potential.� The related Portrait Competency, Academic Excellence, is identified in order to ensure coherence between strategies and competencies. At the classroom level, the Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) is driving K-12 deeper learning. A variety of modes, such as project-based learning, are used to enable students to meet the competencies described within the Portrait. The focus on deeper learning within project-based learning is a clear motivator for educators. A deeper learning group created a booklet to support high-quality projects. This �Teacher�s Toolkit� is aimed at providing strategies for fostering skills and dispositions within the PoG. It was developed by educators as a resource to bring the PoG to life in classrooms. The three strategies include: 1. Increasing student voice and choice in our classrooms; 2. Infusing learning with robust routines of critique, revision, and reflection; and 3. Creating public products for authentic audiences. Additionally, professional learning opportunities designed by educators were provided for classroom teachers. The intent was to provide a collaborative space for deeper learning and design in the spring that would enable participants to plan for the new school year and build capacity within schools. The foundational goals included: ? Create a culture of �Deep Learning� in tone, vibe, excitement across age groups; ? Foster collaboration between participants across grade levels; ? Understand that Deep Learning is a RESULT of teacher choices; ? Connect Deep learning to the PoG; ? Develop a list of �instructional lenses�; ? Reflect on current practice: How am I already promoting the PoG; and ? Develop a sense of remote AND deep learning. A collaborative effort between the Marsh Billings National Historic Park, the Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative, and Windsor Central has resulted in opportunities for place-based education with the goal of connecting students to place, culture and social-historical connections to place. One project has been focused on Naturalist Backpacks. Naturalist Backpacks� tools allow children to take a close look at the world around them. Place-based learning supports the development of a sense of wonder, grows students� social-emotional skills, increases engagement, and builds a better understanding of the world. Windsor Central Unified Union School District has engaged in racial equity work with the support of Writing Wrongs, LLC. The Windsor Central School Board�s anti-racist work is focused on creating anti-racist policy. They have received a grant to dig further into current anti-racist efforts, starting with school board members and leadership within the system. An equity audit will be used to gather data regarding the current status. The Leadership Team commits to adopting a more visible stance of active listening, collective learning, internal reflection, and critical evaluation of current practice. This stance and any action plans will be developed with the help of partnerships with individuals and organizations centered on this work to expose systemic racism embedded in our educational system. Leadership commits to providing students with an education that is explicitly anti-racist and refuses to turn away from the hard truths of our history.

Student experience design

Our District Portrait of a Graduate Portrait of a Graduate guides innovative learning opportunities so that students have the opportunity to demonstrate learning in the areas of Skillful Communication,. Self Direction, Critical Problem Solving, Academic Success, and Stewardship. Our key innovation point is with the Stewardship aspect of our Portrait. With new programming in our Flexible Pathways C3 (Center of Community Connections) and CRAFT (Climate Resilience through Agriculture, Forestry and Technology) programs.

Core Practices

Core Practices	Length of Use
Assessments For Deeper Learning	3-4 years
Project-based Learning	5+ years
Restorative Practices	3-4 years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

AI For Learning Materials

AI For Teacher Productivity

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Co-leadership

Community And Workforce Partnerships

Competency/mastery-based Education

Culturally Responsive Practices

Early College High School

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Individual Learner Profiles

Individual Learning Paths

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multi-age Classrooms

No Tracked Classes

Peer To Peer Support

Performance Based Assessment

High Quality Instructional Materials

SEL Integration School-wide

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Self-paced Learning

Students Develop Projects

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

Universal Design For Learning

key reasons for innovating

Artifacts

CRAFT Program District Annual Reports WUHSMS Profile