Victoria ISDโs Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability (CIA) department hosted a Student Forum - Profile of a Graduate event for a group of VISDโs fifth and sixth-grade students on December 15.
The event, located at the Victoria College (VC) Emerging Technology Center, is the second part of a multi-part project, beginning last year with the Student Leaders - Portrait of a Graduate event.
Last year, current and former VISD Student Leaders were asked to share the characteristics and skills which helped them achieve the highest levels of success in school and allowed them to find their โANDโ. In addition to the student events, VISD asked alumni and students to participate in a Thoughtexchange asking, โWhat characteristics and skills helped you become the learner and person you are today?โ to help create the Profile of a Graduate of Victoria ISD.
At the Dec. 15 event, students were provided the opportunity to experience a conference-style student development forum. Students heard and participated in various breakout sessions aimed at helping them with finding their โANDโ. Students also provided valuable input, which will be combined with the previously collected information to help the district clearly define the communityโs definition of a successful graduate.
โOver the last several years, VISD has continued working to achieve the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan,โ said Tammy Sestak, assistant superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability. โListening to the voices of our students and using their experiences to plan for the future is critical to our work. To ensure all students are successful in achieving their โANDโ, we must first create a profile detailing how we, as a school district and community, define success.โ
This event is the first of two that will complete the second phase of this multi-part project. VISDโs goal is to hear from different groups of students, specifically groups who are in the process of transitioning from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. Events like this weekโs student forum provide valuable information to assist the district in defining success, Sestak noted.
โA Victoria ISD graduate would be someone who pays attention,โ said Taylor Roundtree, 6th-grader at Howell Middle School, when asked what makes a Victoria ISD graduate. โSomeone whoโs kind, someone who listens, and someone whoโs helpful to others would fit the Profile of a Graduate.โ
The next event which will focus on eighth and ninth-grade students will be held in February. Following Februaryโs event, VISD Student Leadership members will come back together to compile the information and create a draft of the Profile of a VISD Graduate.
These events support the Districtโs โDesigning Our Futureโ work moving forward as we continue developing our Community-based Accountability Plan.