Caon City Schools Secondary Education Task Force

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Cañon City SchoolsSecondary Education Task Force
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Youve got to be very careful if you dont know
where youre going, because you might not get
there.

• - Yogi Berra

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Secondary Education Task Force

• The original purpose was to create a vision of
  what high school education should look like and
  accomplish in Cañon City.
• We would use feedback from the business
  community.
• We would define what is different in the world
  and what that requires of future graduates.
• We would use 21C information as well as other
  literature speaking to best practices in
  secondary education.

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The future requires different skills.

• We Believe That
• Global competition is changing, creating
  different needs and job skills.
• Well-educated citizens will sustain our
  democracy, our standard of living, our way of
  life.
• 21st century learners require an eclectic,
  rigorous, relevant and dynamic learning
  environment.
• The future requires more flexible problem solvers.

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Our Vision for Secondary Education in Cañon City

• Cañon City graduates, through dynamic learning
  environments that incorporate discipline, rigor,
  and relevance, are prepared with the skills to be
  global competitors, contributing members of our
  democracy, and creative problem solvers. .

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Our Literature Review Told Us.
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Characteristics of Exemplary High Schools
Willard Daggett

• Focusing instruction around students interests,
  learning styles, and aptitudes-typically through
  small learning communities.
• An unrelenting commitment to excellence for all
  students, with emphasis on literacy across the
  curriculum
• A laser-like focus on data to make daily
  instructional decisions for individual students.

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Characteristics Continued

• Solid and dedicated leadership.
• An extraordinary commitment of resources to 9th
  grade students.
• A rigorous and relevant 12th grade year.
• High-quality curriculum and instruction that
  focuses on rigor, relevance, relationships, and
  reflective thought.
• Strong relationships driven by character
  education.

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21st Century Skills
21st Century Skills Framework

• Core Subjects

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21st Century Skills Framework
Core Subjects

• - English
• Reading or Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Foreign Languages
• Civics

• Government
• Economics
• Arts
• History
• Geography

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• Thinking Learning Skills
• Critical Thinking Problem Solving Skills
• Creativity Innovation Skills
• Communication Information Skills
• Collaboration Skills
• Contextual Learning
• Information and Media Literacy

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• Information Communication
• Technology Literacy
• Critical Thinking Problem Solving Skills
• Creativity Innovation Skills
• Communication Information Skills
• Collaboration Skills
• Contextual Learning
• Information and Media Literacy

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21st Century Skills Framework

• Personal Skills
• Leadership
• Ethics
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Productivity
• Personal Responsibility
• People Skills
• Self Direction
• Social Responsibility

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21st Century Skills Framework

• 21st Century Content
• Global Awareness
• Financial, Economic, Business and
  Entrepreneurship Literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Health Wellness Awareness

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Conclusion

• Every student in this nation must be
• An analytic thinker
• A problem solver
• Innovative and Creative
• An effective communicator
• An effective collaborator
• Information and media literate
• Globally aware
• Civically engaged
• Financially and economically literate

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So Many Choices!How Do We Choose?
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We Need a Filter!

• The recommendations of this task force become the
  parameters by which suggested actions are judged.
• The recommendations frame our vision for
  secondary education.
• The actions we take must be consistent with the
  recommendations of this task force.

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Recommendations

• Provide the big picture look of what should
  happen.
• As a decision is made regarding whether or not to
  implement a proposed action, we should be able to
  see that it fits with one of our recommendations

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Relationships, Relevance, Rigor, and Systems

• The recommendations are built around promoting
  positive and productive relationships, making
  relevance and rigor a core part of the school
  experience, and making sure our systems dont get
  in the way of progress.

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Relationships

• Rationale
• Students need to be involved in a rigorous,
  relevant, dynamic learning environment that
  supports individual growth and healthy
  relationships.
• In order to provide a school environment that
  promotes and creates a culture that is
  supportive, respectful, safe and allows students
  to be successful,

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Recommendation 1 1

• Both high schools will develop and implement
  practices that foster positive relationships.

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Rigor

• Rationale
• Students need to be held to high standards of
  performance and proficiency that will sustain
  them in a 21st century global job market.

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Recommendation 2

• Both high schools will establish rigorous course
  requirements that include aligned curriculum and
  student demonstrations of proficiency.

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Relevance

• Rationale
• Students need to be involved in a rigorous,
  relevant, dynamic learning environment that
  provides them with the skills necessary for
  success in the 21st century.

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In order to insure that our secondary schools
provide learning environments that engage
students in relevant and dynamic experiences that
develop 21st century life skills (Critical
thinking, ICT literacy, high quality
communication, work ethic, accountability, etc.
Both high schools will
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Recommendation 3

• Develop common knowledge and understanding of
  21st century life skills through professional
  development and dialogue.
• Instruct 21st century life skills in course
  offerings using common vocabulary and practices
  across the building/department/grade levels.
• Assess student proficiency of 21st century life
  skills through course work and/or exit
  exams/demonstrations of skill.
• Develop and implement grading systems that allow
  for the assessment of life skills as well as
  content knowledge and skills.

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In other words

• Staff knows and understands what 21st century
  life skills are and are held accountable for
  teaching these skills.
• All courses address 21C life skills.
• 21C skills are assessed in each course.
• Grades reflect 21C skills and knowledge as well
  as content.

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Systems

• Rationale
• As these recommendations are enacted, scrutiny
  of our current secondary education system will
  need to be thorough and proactive.
• In order to make the necessary adjustments to our
  current secondary education system to accommodate
  the skills of the 21st century

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Recommendation 4

• Secondary schools (middle schools and high
  schools) will undertake on-going discussions to
  actively review those policies and procedures
  between and among schools that impact student
  success.