• Student-Centered Course Planner Empowers Student Voice

    Posted by LaTasha Johnson on 6/4/2024

    Disengaged students are now reconnected to their education with the Xello course planner, experiencing a more personalized and satisfying educational journey. Improving graduation rates is a top priority for the Christina School District. Over the past two years, the district has seen a consistent increase in our graduation rates, from 67.23% in 2022 to 73.22% in 2023. School leaders attribute some of that success to better alignment between student interest and coursework enrollment.  

    To refine student transitions a committee was formed to improve course selection. Initial survey data revealed  that students were often placed in elective courses that they had not chosen, and were not completing pathways aligned with their career interests.  With feedback from our Superintendent’s Advisory Council, a plan to create space for personalized conversations between school counselors and students was implemented to ensure students' voice was the priority when building their schedule for high school coursework. 

    After the second year of this implementation, post-survey data shows that 78.4% of students feel their input was valued during their scheduling meetings.  A key resource used during this process is Xello, an online course planner. Xello allows students to engage in interest inventories, career and college searches, and course selection for their upcoming year of high school.  According to students, the benefits of Xello have been pleasing. Students shared, “You can see what colleges you can attend for the career of your choice.”  “Helps students discover relevant college, university, trade, military, and career options based on their personality, skills, and knowledge.” “Provides rich content, photos, and real-world interviews to offer even more insight into what it's like to be on the job.”

    The Christina School District’s vision is for every child to graduate with the opportunity to participate in a work-based learning experience, preferably connected to their pathway. Allowing students to have a strong voice in course selection will provide them with greater opportunities to take coursework in Career and Technical Education. Students completing a CTE pathway will not only earn an industry credential but will also have on-the-job experience as a high school senior to invest sooner into their career interests.  With the updated scheduling process, 72.8% of students are reporting that they are enrolled in their preferred pathway, and their likelihood for completing that pathway is high. 

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  • Empowering Paraprofessionals through a Day of Learning, Growth, and Collaboration

    Posted by LaTasha Johnson on 6/3/2024

    Christina School District has forged ahead with paraprofessional learning and growth opportunities! In 2023 the Christina School District surveyed all employees to assess their professional development needs.  Overwhelmingly, the responses indicated that our paraprofessionals as well as non-instructional staff had fewer opportunities for professional growth and advancement than our teaching staff. To address this the district dedicated two days of the school calendar exclusively to paraprofessional development aligning with its strategic goal of ensuring professional growth for all staff. 

    This is a testament to the District’s dedication to the professional development and empowerment of our invaluable paraprofessionals. Participants utilized a newly published website created for this learning day, allowing for a one-stop shop of communication and feedback.  In reviewing the feedback provided by participants, the most popular relevant sessions were around the usage of instructional technology and behavior strategies. Shared by a paraprofessional from the Brennen School, “Thank you for listening to staff feedback and giving us a professional development day with useful and interesting offerings!” 

    The planning committee tapped internal experience to provide a robust day of sessions. Workshops ranged from Google applications to Special Education hot topics. A teacher from Shue Medill Middle School commented, “Dr. Joyner's session using Strengthsfinder was really wonderful. It helped me see myself and my strengths, realize there are a whole lot of other paraprofessionals with the same set of strengths (and weaknesses), and helped me understand a specific teacher that I work with. She gave us the book with handouts that further explained the strengths and their "balconies and basements." 

    In asking Dr. Joyner, Deputy Superintendent, how her experience as a presenter was she shared, “The paraprofessional PD Day was such a joy to be a part of.  Not only did the team do an amazing job of planning strategically and intentionally, but the paraprofessionals felt valued, seen, and heard.    Most of the presenters were staff members, including teachers, administrators, and district office personnel.    Everyone working together in support of this amazing work group was the true meaning of servant leadership.   An intentional focus on the long-term needs of our paraprofessionals was our strategic intent.   We look forward to replicating this energy in the future.” 

    In addition to the dedicated learning days, the strategic planning committee recommended the investment of The Master Teacher Paraeducator Series, an online training platform that offers over 140 self-paced courses that cover both general and special education teaching strategies. Non-instructional and Paraprofessional staff now have access to a range of new training opportunities including sessions focused on enhancing skills such as parent interaction, de-escalation techniques, computer literacy, and more. Employees who utilize the system can conveniently track their professional development hours and receive certificates upon completion of training modules.  

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