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Moving beyond test scores

Get your team ready for ‘Portrait of Graduate’ with this 4-part framework

Instructors: Ken Kay & Suzie Boss

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Overview

Student achievement has always amounted to more than test scores. But moving beyond compliance has proved easier said than done. Join author and education provocateur Ken Kay and educator and writer Suzie Boss, as they walk your leadership team through a practical four-part framework that you can apply to design your first true Portrait of a Graduate in collaboration with community stakeholders.

Anchored in their seminal work on 21st-Century Skills, and coming on the heels of their latest book, Redefining Student Success, Ken and Suzie’s program prepares your team to engage in community-based conversations about the shift from compliance to student-centric performance and provides a practical blueprint to transition from a rear-facing snapshot of test-based accountability to a holistic portrait of academic and career success for every student.

Dates

Dates TBD

Cost

Teams of 5 start at $2,500 for the Learning package and $3,500 for the Learning & Doing package.

Who should attend

Superintendents, Assistant superintendents, Administrators, Board members, Building principals, Team leaders

Meet your instructors

Ken and Suzie’s most recent book, Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching, and Learning, was published by Corwin in 2021.

Ken Kay

Ken Kay has worked for almost two decades as an “education provocateur” promoting a new model of K-12 education for the 21st century. Most recently, he served as CEO of Edleader21, a professional learning community of more than 200 school districts around the United States. Prior to his work with Edleader21, Ken was the founding president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and executive director of the CEO Forum on Education and Technology.

suzie boss

Suzie Boss

Suzie Boss is a nationally recognized writer and educational consultant who uses the power of teaching, learning and storytelling to improve lives and transform communities. Suzie’s commitment to education has taken her across the country and around the globe in support of schools that want to shift away from traditional instruction and engage students in real-world problem solving. Suzie is a PBLWorks National Faculty emeritus and a long-time contributor to Edutopia.

Ken & Suzie's New Book

Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching, and Learning

Learn more
Redefining Student Success by Ken Kay and Suzie Boss

The experience

Here’s what to expect when you, or members of your team, sign up to learn about redefining student success for the 21st century with Ken Kay and Suzie Boss.

Structured group learning conversations

This 4-part interactive professional learning series runs from May through August and features a set of 4, 90-minute virtual group learning sessions to give your team the vocabulary, skills and a practical blueprint for designing a Portrait of a Graduate for every student. Start the work this spring and finish this summer, just in time to launch all-important community conversations for the next school year.

Monthly collaborative workshops

In addition to group learning sessions, school and district teams that choose the Learning + Doing package (see below) receive access to monthly collaborative workshops. During these intimate sessions, school leaders will have an opportunity to collaborate with their peers, as Ken and Suzie answer practical questions, provide implementation advice and present problems of practice.

Add-on stakeholder buy-in sessions

Want to get other members of your stakeholder community engaged and supporting this work? Choose to add customizable learning sessions for key stakeholder groups, including school board members, parent groups, principals, business community and more. Each customizable learning session features a 30-minute planning session with your leadership team and a 60-minute workshop for the full stakeholder group. A la carte pricing below.

Plus, get a copy of Ken and Suzie’s new book!

BONUS! Everyone who signs up for either package will receive a copy of Ken and Suzie’s latest book, Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching, and Learning, featuring:
• Concrete guidance on how to create a Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait of an Educator
• Reflection prompts
• Online companion guides to 21st century learning to share with parents and students

The outcomes

Changing the culture around student success in schools starts with a committed approach to developing a student-centered Portrait of a Graduate and a willingness to think big.

School leaders who enroll in this cohort experience will:

  • Understand the vocabulary around student-centric accountability and success skills
  • Develop practical strategies to create buy-in among board members and other leaders
  • Cultivate the practical skills required to effectively engage parents and students in this important work
  • Emerge with a practical 4-part framework to develop their first true Portrait of a Graduate

What educators are saying

aaron spence

"Ken Kay and Suzie Boss show us how to engage parents, teachers, students, and leaders in a critically important conversation about what learning must look like now and for our future."

Aaron Spence, Superintendent

Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia

"Ken Kay and Suzie Boss bring home the point that leadership matters in promoting transformational change in school organizations."

David W. James, Deputy Superintendent for Operations

Columbus City Schools, Ohio

"Ken Kay and Suzie Boss offer a powerful North Star of immense value to educators, parents, and concerned citizens around the globe."

Ted Dintersmith, Founder & Author

What School Could Be

The schedule

Dates TBD | Redefine student success with Portrait of a Graduate

Take a hard look at test-based vs. student-centric accountability. Master the vocabulary, explore the differences, and discover why developing a Portrait of a Graduate is the best thing you can do to boost student performance next school year.

Dates TBD | Get the buy-in you need to succeed

Redefining student success takes time. It also requires the support of your broader school community. In this session, Ken and Suzie show you how to build support with board members, parents, teachers, students and other stakeholders to sustain the work.

Dates TBD | Sync your ‘system’ to your ‘portrait’

Now that you’ve defined what your POG process looks like, and you’ve got the support, you need a plan to help you move from theory to practice. We’ll help you create a timeline, set critical milestones, align your system to your POG, and evaluate the core skills that work for your community.

Dates TBD | It’s ‘go’ time

The time for planning is over. It’s time to see what your team can do. Our closing session helps you launch and sustain your first Portrait of a Graduate. Learn what needs to happen next and anticipate pitfalls, so you can keep the momentum going.

Package details

Learning

$2,500

(2-5 team members)

(4) structured 90-min. Virtual group learning conversations

Plus, a copy of Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching and Learning for each team member

Sign up now
Learning + Doing

$3,500

(2-5 team members)

(4) structured 90-min. Virtual group learning conversations

(4) once monthly collaborative workshops

Plus, a copy of Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching and Learning for each team member

Sign up now
Add-on stakeholder buy-in sessions

$1,250

(per session)

(up to 25 group members of the chosen stakeholder group)

(1) 30-minute planning session with your leadership team

(1) 60-minute moderated workshop with the chosen stakeholder group

Sign up now

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    Cancellations must be submitted electronically here no less than 10 days before the start of this program. No-shows do not qualify for refunds. We reserve the right to cancel this program due to low enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. In the event of this program being canceled, any money paid would be immediately refunded via check to the school district.



    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the Moving Beyond Test Scores: Develop Your First Portrait of a Graduate Cohort?

    Created by Ken Kay, author, speaker and “education provocateur” Ken Kay and author and international educational consultant Suzie Boss, the Moving Beyond Test Scores cohort is a four-session interactive virtual learning experience designed to help school district leaders and their teams redefine student success and school-based accountability by developing their first Portrait of a Graduate. In addition to the four learning sessions, educators can choose to enroll in a Learning + Doing option that includes monthly collaborative workshops, where attendees work with Ken and Suzie to do problems of practice. Customizable sessions for specific stakeholder groups are available a la carte.

    Why do this as part of a cohort?

    The cohort model is designed to give school district leaders an affordable and convenient way to facilitate difficult but necessary strategic conversations about student success and accountability at a time when school leaders need both additional support and flexibility in their schedules. Districts can register up to five members of their building or central-office teams for open cohorts. Cohort participation represents a cost-effective way for district leaders to experience the program before rolling it out on a larger scale as/when needed. All participants will emerge with the knowledge, skills and frameworks to execute on this work.

    What’s included in this program?

    Delivered over four consecutive months, the program includes (4) scheduled structured leadership conversations and, depending on your level of investment, a series of (4) monthly hands-on collaborative workshops. School district teams can choose to add customizable stakeholder workshops on an a la carte basis, as needed. Every participating team member, regardless of package or level of investment, receives a copy of Ken and Suzie’s latest book, Redefining Student Success: Building a New Vision to Transform Leading, Teaching and Learning.

    Who should participate?

    The Moving Beyond Test Scores cohort is designed specifically for school district and school building leaders considering developing a Portrait of a Graduate. Recommended participants include superintendents, assistant superintendents, administrators, board members, building principals and team leaders. The multi-month program is designed to work with leaders’ busy schedules. Should your team find value in the experience and want to invest in the work more deeply, a full-district model can also be created.

    How will this help my team?

    The cohort experience provides a unique opportunity for school district leadership to have candid conversations with two nationally recognized student success and learning experts, while engaging in practical training based on proven practices. Unlike one-off seminars and keynote speeches, the cohort provides a clear opportunity for sustained development and provides the basis for a framework that school leaders can use to develop their first real Portrait of a Graduate.

    What is the schedule?

    The first session kicks off in May 2022 and the full program runs through August 2022, giving your team just enough time to host all-important community conversations for the next school year.

    How can I participate?

    If you’re interested in joining an upcoming Moving Beyond Test Scores cohort, you can save your spot by following the button on this page. Once you sign up, you’ll receive more information about the program — plus, an invoice that you can use to reserve your district’s spot and submit payment. You’ll also receive a detailed follow-up email with information about your cohort, including session dates and times. Should you have questions any time throughout the process, you’ll receive the phone and email of our project coordinator to ensure a positive experience.

    Still have questions? Send us a note.