Education for Employment Plan 2018-2023

Developed together with our staff, families, students and community members, our Strategic Framework describes our strategy as a district. It is anchored to a simple but bold vision – that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate from high school ready for college, career and community. Together, we have set out to close the gaps in opportunity that lead to gaps in student achievement, and to be the model of what a strong, successful public school district looks like.

Graduate Vision

Madison has a vision for all students – that they will not only graduate, but graduate with the skills and abilities to be successful in college, career and community. We want our students to master academic content, build creativity, confidence and cultural competence, gain a strong sense of self and interpersonal skills and have a growth mindset to help them continually build the skills and abilities to be successful. This vision for Madison’s graduates was developed with input from more than 2500 staff, students and community members. And it is through our students that this vision comes to life. Our graduates display the diversity of strengths, interests, skills and bright futures that exist for every child in MMSD. In each of our students, we see them for who they are and who they are becoming.

Core Values

To make our vision a reality, we must be a values-driven organization from the classroom to the boardroom. The values articulated below represent our commitment as an educational institution to anti-racism, inclusion and alliance to all children and their families. These values will drive our decision making at every level.

Excellence. We will ensure that our youth develop core competencies and engage in deep learning through rich, challenging, inclusive and culturally responsive learning experiences, in academics, the arts, and social-emotional development.

Belonging. We believe that students, staff and families of all races, ethnicities, faiths, home languages, immigration statuses, disabilities, sexual orientations and gender identities are valuable members of our community. By creating positive supportive relationships, we will cultivate a sense of belonging for all.

Racial Equity and Social Justice. We will take responsibility for the ways that our current policies and practices serve to reproduce inequities, and we will take action to close the gaps in opportunity that lead to racialized outcomes for children and youth of color.

Voice. We will seek out and elevate the voices of all in our community, with special attention to the influence and leadership of our students, staff and families of color.

Focus. We will be accountable to the community for high-quality implementation of practices that produce positive results and dedicate the time and attention necessary to manage complex and sustainable change.

Creativity. We will make space for new ideas, embracing the creativity of educators and grassroots innovation in and beyond the classroom.

Goals

To accomplish our vision, we must also strive to meet a new set of ambitious goals for the future. These goals will help us stay focused on what really matters – keeping students on track for graduation and the fulfillment of their dreams, making sure our students experience thriving cultures and climates that lead to healthy identity development and holding high expectations for all. We’ll track progress on our goals, disaggregated by all student groups, and report publicly every year.

• Goal 1 Every child is on track to graduate ready for college, career and community.
• Goal 2 The district and every school in it is a place where children, staff, and families thrive.
• Goal 3 African-American children and youth excel in school.

Strategy

To achieve our goals and make our vision a reality, we will rely on five major levers for change. Each of these levers builds on where we’ve been but proposes a shift in our strategy, one that we believe will propel us forward. Related to each lever are actions that we will further develop as we learn together over time.

We will empower school communities. We will empower principals along with school teams, providing them the resources, flexibility and integrated support necessary to collaboratively create strategies with students, staff and families that accelerate student progress.

We invest in people. We will commit to investing in and fully supporting our staff, with a focus on anti-racist, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching and powerfully aligned hiring, placement, induction, professional growth, coaching and evaluation practices.

We will streamline priorities. We will focus the work of the central office team on breaking down systemic barriers and filling gaps in access, services and resources.

We will plan for the future. We will think and plan long-term in partnership and collaboration with our students, families, staff and the larger Madison community.

We will embrace innovation. To address challenges without clear solutions, we will adopt new mindsets toward risk-taking and support people in bold, new and innovative work within the classroom and beyond.

Excerpted from Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin’s WIOA Plan

The South Central region of Wisconsin has become a driver region for the state of Wisconsin. Over the period of 2009 to 2015 the South Central region produced more than 50% of the job growth for the entire state of Wisconsin. This demographic dynamic puts this region under significant pressure to create and maintain a talent pipeline for our region’s industries.

The region’s businesses continue to express that they need a strong balance between technical skills and the foundational workplace skills of communication, motivation, teamwork, etc. Our businesses are confronted continually by the need to replace their retiring workforce with critical skills to keep their businesses financially viable and growing. Therefore, they are looking at two simultaneous strategies, grow and retain their current workforce and at the same time prepare a talent pipeline of new workers.

Existing and Emerging Industries

The following industries comprise 49% of all jobs within occupations that require training at the Associate Degree or less and offer a base wage of $15/hr. or more:

• Construction/Manufacturing
• Healthcare, health services
• Information Systems, Information Technology, Information
• Professional, scientific, technical services (finance, insurance, management of companies and enterprises)
• Tourism (accommodations, food service, entertainment and recreation)

This page is part of the MMSD Education for Employment Plan and will be updated in the fall. For the most up-to-date information on Academic and Career Planning in MMSD, please visit this page.

Madison Metropolitan School District began implementing Academic and Career Planning in Fall of 2014. The following table shows the phased implementation across grade levels:

2014-15: Grade 8 Only

2015-16: Grades 8 & 9 Only

2016-17: Grades 7 thru 10

2017-18: Grades 6 thru 11

2018-19: Full implementation Grades 6 thru 12

Transition to Xello (updated Career Cruising Tool)

Teachers and school counselors support student development of Graduate Vision skills as part of the Academic and Career Planning process. Through Academic and Career Planning students are beginning to answer these questions:

• Who am I?
• Where am I going?
• How will I get there?
• Who are we together?

Two tools that help students to answer how they have grown and what they have learned about themselves are the Portfolio and the Portfolio Presentation.

A Graduate Vision Portfolio is a place where students put pieces of work that show evidence of their growth towards the Graduate Vision and that highlight their emerging post-high school plans. Artifacts in a portfolio include resumes, personal statements, post high school plans, and career reflections in their portfolios.

A Portfolio Presentation is an end-of-the-year event where students pick key items from their portfolio to share the story of their growth with an adult or older student. Madison schools recruit volunteers to interview students, and gives them the chance to showcase all they learned about themselves over the school year. Portfolio Presentations occur at the end of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade.

The Development of Academic and Career Planning

An ACP cross-functional team has met between Spring of 2014 through today. This team has:

• Set and refined implementation expectations
• Created and refined draft curriculum
• Developed metrics for success
• Informed plans to continuous improvement
• Provided feedback on professional learning and family engagement

Although the team composition has morphed over the past few years, the team has included representation from the following roles:

• District ACP Coordinator
• District Personalized Pathways Director
• District Lead Counselor
• District AVID Coordinator
• District Experiential Learning Coordinator
• District Career and Technical Education Specialist
• Special Education Director
• School Counselors
• Curriculum and Instruction Coordinators
• Teachers
• Principals
• Instructional Coaches
• Academic and Career Planning Coordinators
• AVID Coordinators
• Students

District Goals and Metrics

The following district-wide goals have been developed in 2017-2018 through recent work from the ACP Cross-Functional Team. The purpose of these goals are to measure the progress we have made as a district towards the following components of Theory of Action that the ACP Cross-Functional team developed: “If we deepen a culture of commitment/ ownership of the Graduate Vision, align the systems of AVID, ACP, Experiential Learning, Personalized Pathways and counseling, and include families as partners in the process, our students will become more college, career, and community ready (Graduate Vision).”

What do students experience within Academic and Career Planning at each grade?

As developed through the ACP Cross Functional Team, all students districtwide minimally create the following portfolio artifacts and participate in the following grade-level experiences. This table is organized by grade-level. Each grade level has Essential Questions that frame the ACP experiences that students participate in that year. At each grade level, students complete certain required portfolio artifacts to be linked to their Xello e-portfolio. Additionally, at certain grade levels students also participate in specific experiential learning activities such as college visits, School Makes a Difference guest speakers, Future Quest Career Cluster Fair, and Portfolio Presentations. All of these events require the participation and collaboration with multiple business and community partners and are highlighted in the chart below at the appropriate grade level. Please note that several schools go above and beyond the minimum requirements below.

How students experience Academic and Career Planning

While there are minimum expectations for grade-level artifacts that students create and experiences they participate in, each school implements Academic and Career Planning differently. Schools support students to explore future options, reflect on growth, and prepare their portfolio and portfolio presentation through the following structures, depending on the school:

• Advisory/Crew
• Stand alone class
• Integrated into the classroom
• Experiential Learning activities
• Hybrid Model

The ACP Cross-Functional team developed optional curriculum resources that schools can choose to use.

Academic and Career Planning Accommodations

Students with disabilities and/or ELL students are supported to engage in the ACP Process in the following ways:

Some modifications or accommodations may be necessary for students.

• Accommodations keep standards content the same, yet change means of instruction or ways of demonstrating mastery. Accommodations may be relevant for any student, but may be particularly important for English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and students with advanced learning needs. In other words, accommodations may be good for all students but essential for some.
  • Sample Possible Accommodations for Portfolio Presentations
  • Provide students:
    • Opportunities to work independently in an area free of distractions
    • Guided cues or questions to help facilitate a student delivering oral content
    • Frequent opportunities for practice
    • Critical informational ideas using pictures and words
    • Frequent opportunities for clear and descriptive feedback on performance
    • Multiple ways and formats for presenting their portfolio
    • Opportunities for smaller group or individual Portfolio Presentations
    • Opportunities for small group or individual support
    • Examples of desired product and performance
    • Opportunities to present in student’s home language
    • Opportunities to reinforce vocabulary across environments
• Modifications mean content is significantly altered to meet student needs relative to grade level standards; typically used for students who have significant and/or intellectual disabilities. For students with significant disabilities, we encourage CC Teachers, ACP Coordinators, and other teachers to collaborate on modifying expectations for students who will require significant support to meet all or some of the expectations of the Portfolio Presentation.
  • Sample Possible Modifications for Portfolio Presentations:
    • Teacher (perhaps with student) reduces the number of rubric criteria, prioritizing the most salient
    • Teacher creates portfolio or guides portfolio creation with student assistance
    • Designated peer partner presents portfolio for a student who requires it
    • Student pre-records portfolio presentation
• Ensuring the ACP curriculum provide opportunities for differentiation for students and is translated into Spanish
• Providing guidance to staff about aligning Post-Secondary Transition Planning and Academic and Career Planning Processes

Family Communication

Each school will complete and implement a family engagement plan. Schools will have some required components of the plan and some choice. Required components of the plan include:

• Providing families brochures about College, Career, and Community Readiness
• Maintaining a school-based College, Career, and Community Readiness website
• Supporting students to share their Xello e-portfolio with families
• Emailing families at the beginning of the year about plans for 18-19 Academic and Career Planning
• Emailing families at the end of the year reminding them how to access their student’s Xello e-portfolio
• Choosing at least other two strategies for family engagement

As one of our metrics of success, we will analyze the number of family emails, school-based websites, social media, and Xello Portfolios have been sent and clicked on.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

The theory of action listed above and its associated district goals and metrics will guide the work of continuous improvement. A leadership team consisting of district leaders from AVID, Counseling, Experiential Learning, Personalized Pathways, Career and Technical Education, and ACP will continue to meet regularly to monitor progress towards our district goals and metrics and to determine future next steps. Additionally this leadership team will collaborate in planning for professional learning and support. At monthly Professional Learning Communities and individual coaching with school-based staff, we will support school teams to make progress towards the district goals and metrics. Some specific continuous improvement strategies include:

• School teams review data, which they use to develop a yearly college, career, and community readiness goal and action plan.
• Schools use a student work protocol to analyze student work via ACP Portfolios in Xello and videos of Portfolio Presentations. This student work protocol informs next steps for continuous improvement.
• The district provides schools reports related to Xello portfolio completion, family engagement, student perception surveys, and ACP process quality.
• Continue to ensure family communication around ACP is strong across the district.
• Determine if and/or when ACP Portfolio Presentations would be a graduation requirement.

MMSD school counselors play a critical role in the delivery of Academic and Career Planning and also providing wraparound services for students. Our middle and high school counseling programs are working to align all counseling programming to the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) National Model for comprehensive school counseling. In collaboration with staff, families, students, and community partners, school counselors facilitate implementation and continuous improvement of high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive comprehensive school counseling programs. These programs are delivered through the school counseling core curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services, program management and systems support.

Core Curriculum

With expertise and training in college and career development and advising MMSD School Counselors are vital to the ACP process in Madison. The core counseling curriculum (including ACP lessons) is delivered throughout the school’s overall curriculum and is systematically presented by school counselors in collaboration with other professional educators. Topics for these lessons are aligned with the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors and may focus on academic success skills, social and emotional well being, transition to high school, as well as postsecondary planning.

Individual Student Planning

MMSD School counselors meet individually with students to establish personal goals and develop future plans aligned to the students’ Academic and Career Plan. Formally, all students (families invited) participate in Junior Conferences with their school counselor. These meetings are focused on reviewing the student’s Academic and Career Plan thus far and making plans for required next steps to achieve postsecondary goals. Informally, students meet with their counselors multiple times throughout their 6-12 experience. These meetings may focus on interpreting test scores, selecting appropriate coursework aligned to their postsecondary goals, ensuring the student is on track to graduate, to connect the student to experiential learning opportunities and/or pre college programs, in addition to supporting essential developmental factors key to future success, such as self-efficacy, motivation and perseverance.

Program Management

MMSD School Counseling programs are data-driven and intentional, rather than reactive and random. School counselors complete an annual agreement with administrators each year which outlines the counseling program goals (aligned to School Improvement Plans and student data), the role the counselor will play in various initiatives as well as how the counselor will spend their time. During this time the counselor will share an annual calendar of counseling programming, including core curriculum lessons, college visits, career fairs, post-secondary planning nights, FAFSA workshops and more with their administration and other stakeholders. A key component to managing a proactive school counseling program is data analysis. School counselors review school and postsecondary data, disaggregate and identify gaps. Prevention and intervention activities and services are planned to address these gaps and results are gathered and shared following the intervention.

Systems Support

This component of comprehensive counseling enables the school counseling program to be effective through a variety of support activities including professional development, consultation, collaboration, teaming, program management and operations. Academic and Career Planning is a large component of this work as school counselors continually collaborate with postsecondary institutions, business and industry partners as well as colleagues around ACP programming for all students.

MMSD school counselors recognize that each student, regardless of background, possesses unique interests, abilities and goals, which will lead to future opportunities. Collaborating with students, families, educational staff and the community, the school counselor works to ensure all students select a postsecondary path to productive citizenry (e.g. military, career technical certificate or two-/four-year degree program) appropriate for the student.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

Comprehensive School Counseling Programming is not a static product, rather it is a continually evolving process. MMSD School Counseling programs will continue to develop and grow right alongside our students. Below is an outline of our goals for the next five years in our comprehensive school counseling delivery model.

Core Curriculum

• Scope and sequence of core curriculum will be aligned between schools by grade level. These activities will be rooted in the ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors and aligned to Academic and Career Planning curriculum.
• Through core curriculum programming all students will understand multiple pathways to achieving their postsecondary goals.

Individual Student Planning

• Juniors will lead their own conference with school counselors (and parents) articulating the steps they will take in their senior year to accomplish their postsecondary goals.
• All students and families will receive notification annually of a student’s progress toward graduation. Counselors will strategically meet with students who are “off track” to graduation and connect them to supports and resources throughout high school.

Program Management

• Counselors will develop annual data routines focused on identifying students in need of academic or social/emotional interventions early.

Systems Support

• Participate in building and district level Professional Learning Communities focused on the integration of our services to ensure that all students are college, career and community ready.
• Communicate regularly with CTE staff to ensure a thorough understanding of coursework and programming that may guide individual planning with students.

MMSD has adopted an experiential learning continuum. This continuum provides a series of experiences that span a comprehensive career development system:

• Awareness
• Exploration
• Preparation
• Training

Experiential learning opportunities “add depth and meaning to students’ education. When paired with opportunities to experience the subject matter firsthand, classroom learning becomes more meaningful and relevant to students. Students then become more engaged and excited about their education and future prospects” (linkedlearning.org).

To provide quality experiences to MMSD students, several nationally recognized work-based or experiential learning models were reviewed, including:

• ConnectEd California Center for College and Career
• Alliance for Excellent Education: Washington, DC–based national policy and advocacy organization
• Linked Learning Alliance: California statewide coalition of education, industry, and community organizations
• National Academy Foundation Work-Based Learning Center
• Junior Achievement USA
• New Ways to Work

These best practices formed the foundation for MMSD’s development of experiential learning and the subsequent Experiential Learning Continuum. Numerous MMSD cross-functional teams and advisory committees have provided feedback regarding the recommended activities, their placement on the continuum, and the definitions used to describe those activities. This feedback has been incorporated into the final document provided.

The Experiential Learning Continuum is utilized with and for students as they develop their Academic and Career Plans and programs of study to outline the instructional and experiential learning activities that will best prepare them for high school and postsecondary success. Staff, counselors, and community organizations use the continuum to build opportunities for students to connect their learning to college, career, and community. An experiential learning resource portal has been developed to assist adults in the planning, implementation, and facilitation of robust experiential learning experiences for all students.

Quality Indicators for Experiential Learning

High-quality experiential learning experiences have specific characteristics. Quality indicators support rigor, consistency, and equity when designing, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of these experiences in support of the desired student outcomes. As staff build opportunities for experiential learning into their instructional models, quality indicators, developed and vetted by a cross functional team whose membership included school staff, business and industry, and post secondary partners, guide their work.

Universal Experiences

To ensure there is coherence in the experiences across the District, we have identified a set of experiential learning experiences that all students will participate in throughout grades 6-12. These experiences are aligned to the MMSD Graduate Vision and support grade level goals identified as part of the Academic and Career Planning Process and will be in place by 2020-21. These experiences are outlined in the ACP section of this document.

School-Supervised, Work-based Learning Experiences

Experiential learning opportunities, including job-shadowing, internships, supervised, paid employment and apprenticeships, are an integral part of ensuring students graduate with skills essential for finding and securing gainful employment that is sustaining and fulfilling.

Students engaged in a school approved work based learning experience are eligible to earn elective school credit, as described in MMSD Board Policy 3150. Throughout the work based learning activity, student reflect on their experience by making direct connection to their Academic and Career Plan and the MMSD Graduate Vision.

Adoption of the State Skill Standards Youth Leadership and Employability Skills Certificate

To ensure that all students engaged in paid or volunteer work-based learning experiences have the opportunity to connect their learning to the MMSD graduate vision and their academic and career plan, all WBL experiences are aligned to either the Department of Public Instruction Youth Leadership Skill Certificate or the Employability Skill Certificate.

To assist students in making clear connections, both the youth leadership skill competencies and the employability skill competencies have been mapped to the MMSD Graduate Vision.

• Employability Skills Mapped to Graduate Vision
• Youth Leadership Skills Mapped to Graduate Vision

Youth Apprenticeship (YA)

Youth Apprenticeship (YA) integrates school-based and work-based learning to instruct students in employability and occupational skills defined by Wisconsin industries. MMSD, in conjunction with partnering organizations, provides training based on statewide youth apprenticeship curriculum guidelines, endorsed by business and industry. Students are instructed by qualified teachers and skilled worksite mentors. Students are simultaneously enrolled in academic classes to meet high school graduation requirements, in youth apprenticeship related instruction classes, and are employed by a participating employer under the supervision of a skilled mentor.

To ensure that students are prepared for the rigor or a youth apprenticeship placement, we are developing a sequence of experiential learning events and expectations for all pre-apprentices leading into apprenticeship. This way, students will be better candidates and be more prepared for placements. This will also increase the opportunities for all students in YA in addition to employment. Additionally, we are developing various informal “pathways” into Youth Apprenticeship clusters that will help students prioritize courses and experiences they should have in place to maximize their employability. For instance, students seeking a Web and Digital Media apprenticeship should have experience working with CSS or Javascript; students seeking finance positions should have cash handling and customer service experience; and so on.

To support youth apprenticeship programming, MMSD is engaged in regional collaboration with multiple entities that engage businesses in work-based and experiential learning. We are working with the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, Madison College, and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce to build better collaboration methods across all entities to increase awareness of asks being made by different entities of businesses in our region; collaborate as much as possible on particular large-scale asks, such as career expos that require asks made of many businesses across many industries in order to serve many students at once; and potentially get onto a single employer engagement platform for improved efficiency and communication. With the assistance of the other entities, we have convened a YA Steering committee comprised of representatives of all YA sectors. This committee is helping us refine our communication and engagement strategies.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

As noted in the ACP Theory of Action, efforts are in place to align the systems of AVID, ACP, Experiential Learning, Personalized Pathways, Career and Technical Education, and counseling to ensure students will become more college, career, and community ready. Beginning Summer 2018, staff supporting the aforementioned areas will begin a formal engagement process to make these important connections transparent across the District. In so doing, we will:

• Continue to ensure that all students have an opportunity to engage in a sequence of developmentally appropriate experiential learning activities throughout their secondary educational experience.
• Develop systems and structures to scale experiential learning opportunities desired as Pathways are implemented.
• Engage with a variety of business entities to determine where the optimal entry point is for them.
• Focus on identifying opportunities to create awareness and incite interest in engagement throughout the greater Madison business community to further enhance business and education partnerships.
• Create new workflows and conversations with our partners around the implementation of experiences identified on the Experiential Learning Continuum.

Since 2008, MMSD High Schools have been working steadily to improve the overall High School experience in order to improve outcomes for all students by establishing the structures and processes that would support:

1. Teacher collaboration with the implementation of professional collaboration time (PCT) at the high schools.
2. Course and curriculum alignment across the district.
3. The fostering teacher leadership and professional learning through the development of school-based professional learning communities.
4. Fostering positive school climates with the implementation of restorative practices and positive behavior supports.
5. Improving college readiness for students with the implementation of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) College Readiness System.

Since 2013, in alignment to the previous Strategic Framework, MMSD high schools deepened their work of high school improvement by:

1. Aligned curriculum to the Common Core State Standards
2. Adopting a plan for curriculum alignment across the district, which includes a course vetting and new course adoption process
3. Deepening the work of instructional collaboration through the development of teacher teams
4. Creating, implementing and monitoring school improvement plans focused on school-wide practices that lead to improving student outcomes per their annual goals
5. Establishing school-based instructional coaching system
6. Aligning and sequencing all career and technical education course work

These school improvement efforts served as a strong foundation for Personalized Pathways implementation.

Research and Rationale

In 2014, in addition to engaging numerous stakeholder groups for a full year, MMSD also embarked on a comprehensive review of the MMSD High School experience analyzing over five years of course taking trends and achievement data, and conducting focus groups with students, parents, teachers at each high school including Innovative Alternative Education and Shabazz High School. The review synthesized findings into three categories which included coherent curriculum and instruction; personalized pathways and student support.

Personalized Pathways Overview

After this review, MMSD began the initial visioning and planning process for ensuring all students were engaged in charting personalized pathways, thus a great number of stakeholders help create the definition MMSD personalized pathways:

Additionally, numerous stakeholder groups responded to three important questions:

• What should a MMSD diploma signify?
• What skills and knowledge should MMSD students gain throughout their high school experience?
• As we envision the future of MMSD High Schools, what would they look like, feel like and sound like?

Students, parents, teachers, and community members expressed a desire to create an educational system that more effectively met the needs of all students, which led to the creation of the following guiding principles which are designed to influence the planning of personalized pathways:

1. We believe it is imperative that all students graduate with a post-secondary vision and plan.
2. We believe all families have assets. All students and families should have timely access to information, supports and advising that will prepare them to collectively navigate college and career decisions.
3. We believe that all students, when provided with the resources and support, can have a clear sense of direction and develop the skills to advocate for themselves and advocate for what they need to become college, career, and community ready.
4. We believe all students should have equitable access to a high quality rigorous, relevant curriculum and flexible scheduling enabling students to personalize their pathway to college, career and community readiness.
5. We believe in high quality career and personal counseling is integral for students to actively plan for their future.
6. We believe that not all learning takes place within the walls of a classroom and we support learning opportunities occurring within our community, businesses and post-secondary institutions.
7. We believe all students need ongoing positive relationships with caring adults in order to become college, career and community ready and support the systems, structures and professional learning needed to foster and develop these relationships.
8. We believe in high quality coherent curriculum that integrates content knowledge, career awareness and life skills.

Lastly, stakeholders identified the knowledge and skills of a College, Career and Community Ready MMSD Graduate (Graduate Vision), right.

The guiding principles, definition of personalized pathways and the MMSD Graduate Vision serve as the foundation for the Personalized Pathways plan.

Why Pathways? Why Now?

MMSD personalized pathways is a comprehensive high school improvement strategy that will redesign the high school experience with the goal of closing opportunity gaps that result in achievement gaps. MMSD has adopted six elements of personalized pathways development as published by ConnectEd, a nationally recognized non-profit organization that specializes in high school pathways. Below are the research based six design elements that MMSD will use to design, plan, implement and evaluate its implementation of personalized pathways:

Equity, Access and Achievement: MMSD personalized pathways will pursue both excellence and equity as mutual goals. A personalized pathway will be equitably accessible to and serves well any interested student, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, special needs or prior academic achievement. An equity focused pathway will intentionally reflect the diversity and strengths of its school community utilizing heterogeneous, flexible and equitable groupings.

Program of Study: Each pathway will be thematic in nature and have a program of study aligned to a career cluster. Each program of study will have four core components including rigorous academics, real-world technical skills, experiential learning and personalized student supports. Learning and Teaching: A critical component of personalized pathways will be high quality instruction as outlined by the MMSD Great Teaching Matters framework focused on engaging students in inquiry and project-based learning focused on student outcomes, which are rigorous in nature.

Experiential Learning: All students will participate in a continuum of experiential learning experiences designed to help students learn, apply, and demonstrate the academic, technical, socio-emotional skills identified in the MMSD Vision of Graduate. Experiential learning will build on and extend a every pathways program of study.

Personalized Student Supports: Every pathway student is supported by pathway staff, partners and families. Personalized student support will be driven in part through a student’s academic and career plan. Beginning in sixth grade every MMSD students will engage in academic and career planning ensuring every student has the opportunity to explore who and what they want to be, by learning about their interests, possible career options, and possible post-secondary education. Academic and Career planning will allow students in consultation with their families address their academic, personal, and socio-emotional needs and goals.

Pathway Leadership and Partnerships: Implementation of personalized pathways will be a collective and collaborative effort with responsibility shared between school-based pathways teachers and staff, school and district leaders and private and public sector partners. These stakeholders will assure that the conditions are in place and are sustained to ensure equitable high quality implementation of pathways.

Personalized Pathways Model

The model is an illustration of our personalized pathway definition, our guiding principles, the MMSD Vision of a College and Career Ready Graduate and the six design elements. The model becomes operationalized through three integrated structures: Smaller Learning Communities, Programs of Study, and Experiential Learning Experiences which will be held together by the MMSD vision of a graduate at the center, enhanced by academic and career planning, and undergirded by personalized student supports.

Academic and Career Planning: Every MMSD middle and high school student will engage in academic and career planning (ACP) which will be foundational to the implementation of personalized pathways. Academic and Career Planning is a process and product by which students grades 6-12—in collaboration with key school staff, families, and community members—chart, assess and refine along their pathway to postsecondary success by exploring who they are, what they want to do with their lives, and making progress toward their short-and long-term goals. Further ACP is delineated in its own report section in the Academic and Career Planning drop down above.

Smaller Learning Communities: Students, teachers and student services staff will be cohorted into smaller learning communities organized around a theme that is aligned to a career cluster. Small Learning Communities (SLCs) are designed to create a family-like structure that enables students, staff and families to establish strong relationships that do not allow students to fall through the cracks. SLC themes (ie. Social Justice Academy, Community Wellness Academy, etc) also provide context and relevance for students to learn and apply knowledge and skills aligned to one or more career clusters (ie. Government/Public Administration) to provide connections to authentic and applied applications for students’ future aspirations. Additionally, teachers will have collaborative planning time to develop and articulate standards-aligned grade-level course and interdisciplinary project outcomes and organized the pathway program of study as well as assessment, curricular and instructional planning. Schools will identify SLC spaces/classrooms in their building that are flexible, in close proximity when possible, and include a common lab and learning spaces.

Students will have the voice and choice, in consultation with and support from their family, to personalize their pathway by selecting their SLC, its corresponding high school location, which will be driven by their ACP. Likewise, school-based Pathways teams will design criteria and processes for teachers to elect into the interdisciplinary SLC teams.

Program of Study: A Program of Study is a series of interconnected and sequenced courses and experiences, personalized for each student as part of their Academic and Career Plan Programs of study are aligned to postsecondary and industry standards that integrates technical and career skill proficiencies with academic content as well as project-based, experiential, and real-world learning and also include:

• Courses needed for graduation, including preferred electives for the pathway
• Advanced coursework options, including AP, Dual Credit, and Honors
• Elective options appropriate to the pathway
• Additional options for student selected electives based on interest or life-skills need
• Online/hybrid options appropriate to the pathway
• Integrated Community-Based and Capstone Projects
• ACP Knowledge and Skills/Portfolio Requirements (soft skills)
• Real-World Experiences (required vs. elective) aligned to continuum and pathway
• Industry Certification, where appropriate

Courses within an SLC will maintain a common set of outcomes where units, lessons, and projects may be linked to the SLC theme. Every SLC will have an articulated program of study that will provide access to an opportunity for a student to earn general coursework credits needed for high school graduation, elective course opportunities (both within and outside of their thematic SLC, ie. AVID, CTE, Fine Arts, or World Languages courses), online and/or hybrid courses, and course credits needed for post-secondary enrollment which could include dual credit, advanced placement, and/or industry certifications.

Experiential Learning Opportunities: MMSD students will have the opportunity to explore a continuum of experiential learning experiences that begins with awareness building culminating with youth apprenticeships and employment in a specific range of occupations.

Personalized Student Supports: Personalized student supports are also foundational to the model of Personalized Pathways. These may include comprehensive school counseling, Special Education services, English Language Learner (ELL) services, AVID, among other things that will help all students receive the unique supports they need to succeed.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

As a district, we believe that the systems and structures created by implementing Personalized Pathways are necessary to ensure equitable access to opportunities for students to be college, career, and community ready. Over the next few years, the district will strive to do the following:

• Ensure quality implementation across each pathway and each school by continuously reflecting and adjusting based on what we are learning
• Leverage community and post-secondary resources to provide access to a wide variety of opportunities for students to be college and career ready
• Determine scale and pace of Personalized Pathways for all students, so that schools have the autonomy and time to create the systems and structures necessary for student success

AVID provides educators a systematic schoolwide and district wide approach to support, guide, and prepare all students for college and careers.

MMSD first implemented AVID in 2007 at Madison East high school to address persistent achievement and opportunity gaps. AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness in a global society. AVID does this by AVID fosters a safe, open culture, high expectations for teachers and students, and collaboration in all classrooms. Currently 15 secondary schools are implementing schoolwide and as a district the AVID Elective course has over 1500 students enrolled in it.

AVID College Readiness System is comprised of three mutually reinforcing key elements. The AVID Elective Class, the first element, is a stand-alone elective course that targets students in the academic middle. AVID targets students in the academic middle with a 2.00 – 3.5 g.p.a, who have an interest in post-secondary education. Students targeted for AVID are typically students who are capable of completing rigorous curriculum but may need additional support, mentoring and/or information to meet the requirements for enrollment in post-secondary education. Typically, AVID students are the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families. AVID pulls these students out of their unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation. AVID Schoolwide, the second element of AVID, transforms the instruction, systems, leadership, and culture of a school, ensuring college readiness for all AVID Elective students and improved academic outcomes for all students. AVID Professional Development, the third element, provides educators in all content areas with training and methodologies to create strong college and career readiness system. Educators leverage these high quality professional learning opportunities both in their respective roles, as well as, to support the school improvement process and professional development in their schools.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

The AVID Coaching and Certification Instrument (CCI) will be a districtwide coaching tool for all secondary schools to assess college, career and community readiness in four domains: 1) instruction, 2) systems,3) leadership, and 4) culture. The future AVID goals include the following:

• Increase the number of schools recognized nationally by AVID as “Schools of Distinction for closing opportunity and achievement gaps.”
• Increase the number of secondary staff who have participated in AVID training.
• Increase students access and success in AP/Honors or dual credit courses for underserved students, as measured by 1) AP/Honors enrollment, 2) gpa in AP/Honors, 3) AP test-taking, and 4) AP test scores.
• Develop the capacity of school leadership teams to implement systems that support black male achievement and engagement, especially the academic and social/emotional transitions from middle school to high school, and from high school to postsecondary opportunities.

MMSD provides rigorous and relevant Career and Technical Education (CTE). The CTE program prepares MMSD students for entry into career and post-secondary options in a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers. MMSD CTE areas include Business, Marketing, and Information Technology/ Computer Science; Family and Consumer Sciences; Health Science; along with Technology and Engineering.

CTE also prepares students to be college, career and community ready by providing integrated core academics within rigorous and relevant curriculum, employability skills, as well as technical and career-specific skills.

Components of MMSD’s Career and Technical Education programs include:

• Academic and Technical Skills
• Experiential/Work-Based Learning
• Leadership and 21st Century Skills through CTSOs (Career and Technical Student Organizations)
• Coupled with:
  • Partnerships
  • Programs of Study
  • Career Development

Academic and Technical Skills

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs prepare MMSD students for a wide range of careers that reflect the contemporary workplace. They incorporate rigorous academic and technical standards that equip students with skills necessary for successful transition to postsecondary education or work while promoting lifelong learning in a global society. CTE programs support skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem solving, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Direct ties to community, post-secondary education, and the workforce are essential to every CTE program and allow learning to take place in multiple settings that result in students earning a local, state, or industry credential.

Career and Technical Education at MMSD is delivered through the Career Pathways model. These nationally adopted Career Clusters provide a context for learning the skills specific to a career and provide a structure for organizing curriculum offerings and focusing coursework on a common theme. Career development is also interwoven within CTE to assist students in determining and achieving their personal and career goals, aligned to ACP goals and expectations.

Nationally, on a state level, and locally in MMSD, graduates who concentrate (three or more classes) in CTE tend to graduate at a higher rate. In MMSD, that number is staggering...at 96% of students graduating.

CTE courses and programs provide students with choices and opportunities not otherwise available--including those that come with increased academic performance. CTE courses and programs are career focused. Students who choose to enroll in MMSD CTE coursework increase their post high school options because they have learned to apply their core academic knowledge and skills through multiple experiences within their career interests, and can transfer those skills to new experiences.

Dual Credit Opportunities

CTE, along with other content areas, provide students with opportunities to earn dual credit (courses that earn both secondary and postsecondary credit simultaneously) through the following programs:

• Middle College Program
• Early College STEM Academy (ECSA)
• Start College Now program
• Early College Credit Program
• Articulation/Dual Credit Coursework

The Middle College Program is a career pathway program targeted toward high school seniors who are interested in advancing their education in targeted industry sectors. Middle College students are low-income students with significant barriers to high school completion and college entry. Middle College provides students with two semesters of relevant technical college coursework to prepare them for the demands of industry. The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin partners with technical colleges to provide the technical college curriculum and training. Middle College students achieve “college status” and enrollment at Madison College to study concepts in health care, manufacturing or culinary arts during the regular school year.

The Early College STEM Academy (ECSA) will offer high school junior and senior students who are appropriately prepared and who express interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related education or careers with the opportunity to take one or more packages of STEM courses on Madison College’s Goodman South campus with access to other Madison College locations, as needed. In addition to satisfying their high school graduation requirements, the students enrolled in ECSA will either earn a significant number of transfer credits at no cost to them or their families, or satisfy the requirements of a Madison College Associate Degree program. The classes will also help prepare students for entry into a four-year institution.

Students can earn dual credit by participating in programs such as Start College Now (technical college) and Early College Credit Program (public and private universities), formerly Youth Options, by taking coursework offered either online or on physical college campuses.

Articulated or dual transcripted credit (DTC) courses are taught by high school teachers, but the curriculum is aligned to or identical to courses offered at the post-secondary level. The following courses are currently offered in MMSD for dual (transcripted) college credit within CTE:

• Accounting (Advanced Accounting)
• Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator (Graphic Design & Desktop Publishing)
• College Success
• Computer Hardware and Software Essentials
• Fashion Design (Advanced Fashion)
• Medical Terminology
• Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access (Business Technologies)
• Networking Essentials
• Wood Fabrication (Wood Fab 4)

Additionally, the following core area courses are also available to MMSD students:

• Algebra Concepts
• College Reading Strategies
• College Writing Strategies

Finally, students participating in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) programming in Engineering and/or Biomedical Sciences who achieve a Stanine Score of 7 and above, as well as a C or better in the course, are eligible for transcripted credit at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)--which easily transfers to most colleges and universities.

Industry Certifications

The aim of MMSD CTE is college, career, and community readiness for all students. CTE courses offer opportunities for students to work toward and/or earn professional industry certifications. These certifications provide evidence of learning and skill development as students transition to post-secondary education and future careers. Certifications available currently in MMSD include the following:

Youth Apprenticeship, Wisconsin Employability Skills Certificate and the Wisconsin Youth Leadership Certificate: as outlined in the Experiential Learning section of this guide.

NATEF (National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation): To help educators recruit, mentor, and train tomorrow's technicians, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) offers certification for technician training programs. The purpose of the automotive technician training certification program is to improve the quality of training offered at secondary and post-secondary, public and proprietary schools. MMSD currently has NATEF certified automotive programs at Memorial and La Follette.

SP/2: Safety and Pollution Prevention is the leading online environmental safety training system. The law states that companies are responsible for not only maintaining compliance at the shop, but also for making sure all employees are trained in the hazards they face at the shop before working in a shop.

ProStart: A career-building program for high school students who are interested in culinary arts and food service management. This program provides students with the opportunity to learn about the art of cooking and managing restaurants by training with professional chefs and getting valuable classroom instruction.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): This opportunity prepares students for careers as nursing assistants. Learning takes place in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings.

ACCT (Assistant Child Care Teacher): Wisconsin Assistant Child Care Teacher (ACCT) Certificate Program recognizes a student's mastery of employability skills valued by employers, helps students’ explore their career interests, and provides a state credential of student mastery.

IT (Infant/Toddler) Endorsement: The intent of the Wisconsin Infant and Toddler Certificate Program is an additional endorsement to the ACCT Certificate. It recognizes a student's mastery of skills valued by employers and helps students and workers document their infant and toddler teacher skills.

W!SE Financial Literacy Certification: Within the personal finance course, students take the national, standardized Financial Literacy Certification Test. Upon successful completion, this credential demonstrates to colleges and employers that students have the knowledge and skills to be financially capable young adults.

IC3 (Internet Core Computing Certification): The IC3 certification is a global benchmark for basic computer literacy, including operating systems, hardware, software, and networks. It is a way to ensure that students and employees are prepared to succeed in a technology-based world.

MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist): This MOS credential is a valuable option that is globally recognized by colleges and the modern workplace and distinguishes an individual as qualified and knowledgeable in Microsoft applications.

OSHA10: This OSHA10 (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) online training course teaches recognition, avoidance, abatement and prevention of common safety and health hazards on the job. Students receive an OSHA 10-hour course completion card at the end of the training.

ServSafe: ServSafe is a food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the National Restaurant Association. In keeping with the changing regulatory requirements for every state, the ServSafe program ensures that the certification will meet any food handler training needs as it teaches and certifies responsible food service measures.

Work-Based/Experiential Learning

One of the many goals of education is to prepare students to be college, career, and community ready. By narrowing the gap between theory and practice, experiential learning creates meaning for students. It provides opportunities for students to learn a variety of skills through rigorous academic and technical preparation with hands-on, authentic experiences.

Students seek clear connections between their current class work and their future academic and career plans. These activities are about awareness, exploration, preparation and training through relevant, real-life experiences. Students gain insight into what skills are needed, how knowledge learned in school is put into action in the workplace, and develops a student's understanding of many post-secondary and career options and pathways in a particular field.

MMSD CTE opportunities include, but are not limited to, guest/career speakers in the classroom, job shadowing (1/2 - 1 day opportunities), internships, cooperative skill standards experiences, and youth apprenticeship opportunities.

Additional experiential learning opportunities are outlined in a previous section.

Leadership and 21st Century Skills through CTSOs (Career and Technical Student Organizations)

CTSOs, as an intra-curricular activity. incorporate service, leadership, and competitive events that enhance students' classroom experiences. Direct ties to community, education, and the workforce are essential to every CTSO. According to the National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition, youth leadership development encourages healthy adolescent growth by providing young people the ability to analyze their own strengths and weaknesses; to set personal and vocational goals; and to gain the self-esteem, confidence, motivation, and abilities to carry out those goals.

This learning includes the ability to establish support networks to fully participate in community life and effect positive social change.

Positive youth leadership development also provides youths with the ability to guide or direct others on a course of action, influence the opinions and behaviors of others and serve as a role models. CTSOs provide these opportunities!

The following Career and Technical Student Organizations are offered in MMSD:

• DECA (An organization of Marketing students)
• FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
• FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America)
• HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
• SkillsUSA (An organization for students in Technology/Engineering)

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

The foundation of a high quality Career and Technical Education program consists of three main components: academic and technical skills; experiential learning; and leadership through Career and Technical Student Organizations. This foundation will guide the work and consistency is a priority across all schools for the MMSD CTE curricula. Goals for CTE include the following:

• Continue to refine CTE programs of study and course plans/end-of-course assessments while aligning programming to post-secondary and career opportunities (industry certification and dual credit)
• Increase experiential learning opportunities offered within CTE
• Reboot CTE Advisory committees to ensure quality experiences for students within CTE
• Determine scale for the Early College STEM Academy
• Decrease remediation required at the post-secondary level for MMSD students through access and success and dual credit opportunities
• Increase student participation to early college credit opportunities, with a focus on students of color

Business/Industry, post-secondary institutions, and community-based organizations play a critical role in the development, implementation, review, and refinement of the educational models outlined in this plan. The following structures are currently in place:

• Pathways Anchor Partners
• Pathways Ambassadors/Advisory Committees
• Youth Employment Network of Greater Madison
• Pathway Industry Councils
• YA Steering Committee
• CTE Advisory Councils
• MMSD Partnership Department - volunteer connections

Pathways Anchor Partners

The Madison Metropolitan School District is entering into a collaborative partnership with the City of Madison, Dane County, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Madison College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Edgewood College, UW-Health, and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin forming the Pathways to Prosperity Regional Anchor Team which will actively participate in the implementation of K-16 pathways in the Madison region. The purpose of the Anchor Partners is to work in a collaborative manner across organizations and systems to create and implement a seamless system of personalized pathways, creating equitable opportunities for students to explore their career, personal and academic interests and goals.

Pathways Ambassadors/Advisory Committees

Each of MMSD’s comprehensive high schools who are implementing Personalized Pathways have student Pathway Ambassadors who are the voice of Pathways and assist with the refinement of the implementation, as well as play a critical role in the recruitment and communication around Pathways. This role will also become part of the developing Advisory Committees for Pathways.

Youth Employment Network of Greater Madison

Over 20 Dane County community-based organizations make up the Youth Employment Network of Greater Madison (YEN). These organizations are dedicated to ensuring that youth, who traditionally have barriers to employment, have meaningful, supported work experiences. They are dedicated to working collaboratively with MMSD and the City of Madison in this effort. Together, they develop a coordinated continuum of education, volunteer and employment experiences within a tiered system of support, responsive to the needs of youth with barriers to success, that prepares youth to pursue their postsecondary educational, employment and career goals.

Pathway Industry Council

Convened to support the development and implementation of Pathways, the Industry Council is a collaborative of industry-appropriate businesses and organizations that serves as an advisory to each Pathway, assists with the co-development of integrated projects, and provides opportunities for experiential learning activities for students and staff.

• The Council is currently being asked to create a catalog of experiential learning activities that can be shared with Pathways teams across the four high schools to provide an idea of what experiences are possible.
• Future work involves deepening Council involvement in planning and development of Pathways integrated projects
• Seeking to increase the number of businesses that are part of the Industry Council

Youth Apprenticeship Steering Committee

Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) facilitates its Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program as part of a consortium with the Dane County School Consortium (DCSC) and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin (WDB). The WDB invited representatives from all YA industry clusters to participate in a steering committee that meets quarterly. At meetings, committee members provide feedback on YA at a programmatic level (that can be shared with the Department of Workforce Development) and on the level of local implementation, which MMSD and DCSC use to improve their marketing, student preparation, and business engagement strategies and tactics.

• The Committee representatives have agreed to act as YA Champions in their respective industries to help raise awareness of the program and to encourage more businesses to employ youth apprentices.
• The Committee representatives have also been asked to share information about the future of their industries, including changes in “entry-level” skills and the nature of workplace readiness, which can be used to inform student preparation.

Career and Technical Education Advisory Committees

The Advisory Committee’s purpose is to strengthen the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at MMSD. The committees exist to advise, assist, support, and advocate for career and technical education within the district and within a specific industry cluster. Members of the advisory committees are industry volunteers who share an expert knowledge of the career tasks and competency requirements for specific occupations. Each committee serves a specific CTE program area and meets twice a year per program area.

MMSD Partnership Department - volunteer connections

Strengthening community and family partnerships is one of the Madison Metropolitan School District's key strategic priorities. The district welcomes community involvement in its schools and partnership programs, and encourages interested individuals to explore the range of options available.

Future Goals/Implementation/Continuous Improvement

Engaging our business, post-secondary, and business communities will continue to be an important part of our work to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students to be college, career, and community ready upon graduation. To do that, here are a few of the goals for the next few years:

• Work to combine CTE Advisory Committees and Industry Councils, where appropriate
• Develop protocols for Industry Council meetings to allow for co-creation of activities with partners and schools/teachers
• Develop a process for onboarding new partners
• Develop a recognition program that aligns with DPI’s Business Partners of Education program

(1) An education for employment program shall include a long-range plan approved by the school board and developed by a team of school district staff and community stakeholders, which may include businesses, postsecondary education institutions, and workforce development organizations. The long-range plan shall include all of the following:

(a) An analysis of local, regional, and state labor market needs and the educational and training requirements for occupations that will fill those needs.

(b) A process used to engage parents in academic and career planning. The process shall do all of the following:

1. Inform parents in each school year about what academic and career planning services their child receives.
2. Provide parents with multiple opportunities during each school year to participate in their child's academic and career planning.
3. Update parents throughout the school year on the progress of their child's academic and career planning.

(c) A description of all of the following:

1. How, in each year of the plan, the school district will support pupils in academic and career planning, including meeting the requirements under subs. (2) and (3).
2. The career and technical education provided in the school district.
3. The professional development provided to staff to assist staff with delivering academic and career planning services to pupils in grades 6 to 12.
4. How the education for employment program will meet the requirements of s. 121.02 (1) (m), Stats.

(d) A strategy to engage businesses, postsecondary education institutions, and workforce development organizations in implementing the education for employment program.

(2) An education for employment program shall provide pupils with information and opportunities that lead to all of the following:

(a) Career awareness at the elementary grade levels, including developing an understanding of the following:

1. Why people work.
2. The kinds of conditions under which people work.
3. The levels of training and education needed for work.
4. Common expectations for employees in the workplace.
5. How expectations at school are related to expectations in the world of work.

(b) Career exploration at the middle school grade levels, including developing an understanding of the continuum of careers across work environments, duties, and responsibilities and how a pupil's personal interests and skills relate to those careers. Career exploration may also include work-based learning experiences and career research identifying personal preferences in relation to occupations and careers pupils may pursue.

(c) Career planning and preparation at the high school grade levels, which shall include the following:

1. Conducting career research to identify personal preferences in relation to specific occupations.
2. School-supervised, work-based learning experiences.
3. Instruction in career decision making.
4. Instruction that provides for the practical application of academic skills, applied technologies, economics, including entrepreneurship education and personal financial literacy.
5. Pupil access to career and technical education programs, including programs at technical colleges.
6. Pupil access to accurate national, regional, and state labor market information, including labor market supply and demand.
7. Instruction and experience in developing and refining the skills and behaviors needed by pupils to obtain and retain employment.

(3) Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, an education for employment program shall provide pupils in grades 6 to 12 with academic and career planning services, including providing each pupil with all of the following:

(a) Individualized support, appropriate to the pupil's needs, from school district staff to assist with completing and annually updating an academic career plan.

(b) If a pupil is a child with a disability, the pupil's academic and career plan shall be made available to the pupil's individual education program team. The pupil's individualized education program team may, if appropriate, take the pupil's academic and career plan into account when developing the pupil's transition services under s. 115.787 (2) (g), Stats.

(c) Access to an academic and career planning software tool that allows pupils to engage in career exploration and career planning and preparation.

(d) Access to a formal process for connecting pupils to teachers and other school staff for assistance with the development and implementation of each pupil's academic and career plan.

Madison has a vision for all students – that they will not only graduate, but graduate with the skills and abilities to be successful in college, career and community.

We want our students to master academic content, build creativity, confidence and cultural competence, gain a strong sense of self and interpersonal skills and have a growth mindset to help them continually build the skills and abilities to be successful. This vision for Madison’s graduates was developed with input from more than 2500 staff, students and community members.

And it is through our students that this vision comes to life. Our graduates display the diversity of strengths, interests, skills and bright futures that exist for every child in MMSD. In each of our students, we see them for who they are and who they are becoming. You’ll see their stories highlighted as part of this report.

Mastery of Content

Our graduates possess strong literacy and math abilities, applied across content areas and learned through meaningful work. They are able to integrate ideas and ways of thinking across areas, including science, civics, and the creative arts. They have access to language learning opportunities which prepare them for engagement in linguistically and culturally diverse communities. They demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills, including the ability to be smart consumers of information. Our graduates are technologically savvy with knowledge of up-to-date technology and how and when to use it effectively. They have learned responsibility and planning, including organization, time management, study skills, financial literacy, and goal-setting. They also possess postsecondary and career knowledge, which enable them to weigh options beyond high school. With in-depth, varied content knowledge, our graduates are ready for postsecondary education and opportunities across industries, disciplines, and careers.

Interpersonal Skills

Our graduates listen and communicate effectively both orally and in writing in various contexts. They have strong positive relationships with peers and adults, demonstrating respect, teamwork, leadership, and the ability to resolve conflict. Our graduates interact with others in ways that promote creative collaboration and problem-solving.

Confidence

Our graduates are independent and motivated self-advocates, able to articulate what they need from those around them to be successful. They trust in their capacity to make choices, exercise control over their lives, and have ownership of their learning. Our graduates believe in their abilities and take action in pursuit of their goals.

Cultural Competence

Our graduates interact adeptly in diverse settings. They build meaningful relationships with people from different backgrounds and participate in sensitive and productive conversations about identity in a way that deepens understanding. Our graduates value how the diverse assets of the people with whom they interact give them access to ideas, experiences, and perspectives to help them grow.

Community Connection

Our graduates are prepared for civic engagement around contemporary issues, including equity and eco-consciousness. They have a strong connection to their families, local community, and environment but also identify as global citizens who know their actions have far-reaching impacts. Our graduates are active participants in their communities, recognizing that they are part of something bigger than themselves.

Wellness

Our graduates can self-regulate, monitoring and adapting their behaviors, emotions, and thoughts to the demands of a particular situation. They have strategies for coping with stressful situations and know when to ask for support. Our graduates know how to make choices that promote physical, mental, and emotional health and safety, helping them to be joyful and fulfilled.

Creativity

Our graduates are creative thinkers who approach challenges with an open mind. Their curiosity and comfort with ambiguity cultivates excitement in exploration, discovery, and a lifelong love of learning. Our graduates are imaginative and flexible, able to turn new and imaginative ideas into reality.

Self-Knowledge

Our graduates possess a strong sense of self, including an appreciation for their culture, language, and heritage. They know their strengths, areas for growth, and how they learn best, realized through grappling with challenging tasks and overcoming obstacles. Our graduates understand themselves and have insight into their character, abilities and limitations.

Growth Mindset

Our graduates believe they can learn anything and that abilities are developed through dedication and hard work. They embrace challenges, take calculated risks, have high expectations, and possess resilience and grit to help them overcome setbacks and adapt. Our graduates understand that success is based on hard work and that skills are developed through the productive struggle of learning, both in success and in failure.