Garfield Re-2 Takes the Next Step in Bringing Its Portrait of a Graduate to Life

Four years ago, when Garfield Re-2 asked students, families, staff, and community members what every graduate should know beyond reading, writing, and math, the answers were consistent.

The community wanted graduates who could communicate effectively, solve problems, work well with others, adapt to change, lead with confidence, and persevere through challenges.

Those conversations helped shape the district's Strategic Plan and, more importantly, the Portrait of a Graduate - a community-defined vision of the knowledge, skills, and characteristics every Garfield Re-2 student should develop before graduation.

Three years later, the district is investing deeply in the Portrait of a Graduate.

At its June 24 meeting, the Garfield Re-2 Board of Education approved the adoption of Wayfinder, a districtwide framework that will provide counselors and educators with a common approach for helping students intentionally develop those skills from preschool through graduation.

"This ties directly to our Portrait of a Graduate and all of the work we have been doing with ICAP (Individual Career and Academic Plan)," said Superintendent Kirk Banghart during the discussion. "It's what our community said they want our students to be when they leave us."

Rather than creating a new set of expectations, Wayfinder was selected because it closely aligns with Garfield Re-2's Portrait of a Graduate. The framework reinforces the qualities identified by the district's students, families, staff, and community, including being Academically Prepared, Strong and Determined, Empowered Individuals, and Community Connected.

School Board President Fathom Jensen added that a common framework provides something equally important: consistency.

"It sounds like talking about the skills related to the Portrait of a Graduate has looked different in each grade and each classroom," Jensen said. "The one thing that I like is that it's going to create consistency across the board. I think if we adopt a curriculum, we will have a clear model and clear expectations that are given to the counselors and the teachers that will definitely help create that consistency."

Instead of every school using different lessons or resources, counselors across Garfield Re-2 will now have a common framework, shared language, and aligned resources while maintaining the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their students and school communities. That consistency helps ensure students build the same foundational skills as they move from one grade level to the next.

The program will begin at the elementary level and, over time, expand into the district's middle and high schools.

Elementary Curriculum Director Simone Richardson said the framework is designed to strengthen the skills students will need throughout their lives:

Communication.

Leadership.

Problem solving.

Adaptability.

Collaboration.

Resilience.

These are the qualities employers consistently say they value. They are also the qualities Garfield Re-2's community identified as essential through the Portrait of a Graduate process.

"We want a diploma that is valuable to employers," Banghart added. "In addition to reading, writing, and math, our community has said they want graduates who can work with a variety of people and solve problems independently. These skills have a variety of names - soft skills, durable skills - and for Garfield Re-2, they are Portrait of a Graduate skills."

The framework also supports Garfield Re-2's Strategic Plan by strengthening student success, promoting student well-being, and preparing students for future college and career opportunities.

The program is funded through the Colorado Department of Education's Counselor Corps Grant and begins in the six elementary schools where these habits are best developed early and reinforced throughout a student's educational journey. Lessons are designed to provide universal support for all students while allowing counselors to deliver additional small-group or individual support when needed through Garfield Re-2's existing multi-tiered system of supports.

Families will also have access to resources in both English and Spanish, including family guides, at-home activities, and presentations that reinforce the same skills students are learning at school. Every student, regardless of which elementary school they attend, will have intentional opportunities to develop the communication, leadership, collaboration, adaptability and problem-solving skills the community said matter most. 

Anyone who has questions about the new wayfinder platform can contact Elementary Director of Curriculum at srichardson@garfieldre2.net.