Portrait of a Graduate
Wyomissing Area believes that its Spartan graduates should have a set of skills, attributes, and competencies and uses vertical planning to Inspire Excellence, One Spartan at a Time!
Portrait of a Graduate In Action!
Clarify Vision and Goals: Establish a clear and shared understanding among educators, students, and the community about the outcomes of education.
Guide Curriculum and Instruction: Align curriculum, teaching practices, and assessments with the desired student outcomes.
Enhance Student Preparedness: Ensure students are equipped with essential skills for success in college, career, and life.
Promote Equity and Inclusivity: Foster an inclusive educational environment that supports the development of all students.
Engage Stakeholders: Involve parents, employers, and community members in shaping educational priorities and outcomes.
Drive Continuous Improvement: Provide a framework for ongoing evaluation and improvement of educational practices and policies.
Staff Development
The skills and dispositions that make-up Wyo’s Grads was based on a committee of administration and teachers who met over two years. WASD Faculty was exposed to its implementation over thorough the 2023-2024 School Year with various in-person and online professional development opportunities. As we enter the 2024-2025 school year, the district plans to systematic infuse key elements of our Portrait of a Graduate in all buildings and in all grades.
What our faculty is saying now!
In our first year of rolling out Portrait of a Graduate, this is what our staff is saying. . .
Empathy: “My students, working in various groups and think/pair/share partners, are constantly being exposed to various viewpoints.”
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Content Literacy: “I address content literacy in my health class by connecting the content to their life issues. We are currently discussing vaping and the nicotine phenomenon that has taken over adolescence over the last 5 years. We are currently doing a gallery walkthrough where students are researching in groups to tell of the harmful effects and the marketing strategies used by major tobacco and vape companies to promote their products to adolescents and consumers of all ages.
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Collaboration: “By utilizing the Building Thinking Classroom procedures I engage students in collaborative learning weekly, even daily. Students are placed into random groups (which change daily) and are asked to work through problems and new information. Students must work together and engage in critical thinking skills to problem solve and learn as a team.”
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Global Awareness: “My students use AI features, learn history in order to practice cultural sensitivity, read various pieces of fiction and non-fiction to be exposed to multiple cultures and viewpoints. We also have used worldwide pen pals, Model UN forums and class debates on real world problems.”
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Critical Thinking: “Self-discovery of various ways to solve a problem and let the student choose which way they want to solve the problem; classroom collaboration; real-life examples; community issues, how do we solve them? implications of history, why do we repeat it in specific situations; bills and laws and their implications.”
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Communication: “I do a lesson every year that focuses on the various types of communication. This includes several activities where the students work together to explore the types of communication and the pros and cons to each. The students are asked to consider how miscommunication can affect them.”
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Perseverance: “I teach my students to monitor their progress by chunking assignments and reteaching when necessary. We identify small goals and we conference to determine growth or progress toward goals.”
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Integrity: “The Jr./Sr. High has used GRAD tickets for years to reward variety of behaviors. The D stands for Do the Right Thing. Though this is vague, people know appropriate and kind behavior when the see it. I love that Wyo celebrates this!”