2018-19: A Year in Review

Filed Under: Blog

Congratulations to Washington students, families, and educators for reaching the end of the 2018-19 school year! And a special congratulations to the Class of 2019! Whether this month marks the end of your high school journey or if you’re graduating from college, an apprenticeship, or certificate program, we applaud your hard work and diligence. You should be proud of all you’ve accomplished!

READY WA HIGHLIGHTS: 2018-19

As summer begins, the Ready Washington coalition is reflecting on the accomplishments of this past school year. We are thrilled to share some highlights with you!

High School and Beyond Plan Resources

Ready Washington produced materials this year to enable students to better plan their education to career pathways. Our primary focus has been the High School and Beyond Plan process, a graduation requirement designed to help students explore their interests and connect those interests to their coursework, post-high school goals, and career aspirations. Ready Washington created several resources for educators, families, and students, including a webpage in both English and Spanish, animated videos, fact sheets for counselors, resources for educators, and a High School and Beyond Plan 101 blog post.

Storytelling Through Video

In two video series this year, Ready Washington has told stories of successful students, teachers, and schools. In “Ready for the Future – Personalized Learning at Manson High School,” staff and students describe a successful effort that is enabling students to explore their interests in high school to prepare for a clear path into and through education and training after high school. The second series features 2019 Washington Teacher of the Year Robert Hand, who focuses on getting to know his students individually and supporting them to find and prepare for a path after high school that fits their interests and goals.

#PlanYourPathWA Student Voices Video Contest

In February, Ready Washington launched its fourth annual student voices video contest, with a new theme encouraging students to talk about their plans after high school: What are your education and career dreams, and how are you going to get there? The goal of the contest was to elevate students’ voices and ignite students’ thinking and conversations about their education and career goals. Based on the quality and quantity of the videos we received, we achieved our goal! The five winning students, who each won a $500 scholarship, plan to pursue careers in video production, broadcasting, nursing, teaching, and social entrepreneurship. And they are all taking steps today to prepare them for their futures. Watch all the winning videos at planyourpathwa.com.

#WAScienceForAll Campaign Supports Science Learning Standards

Ready Washington launched a campaign in 2018 to communicate with students and educators about the value of the Washington State Science Learning Standards and the aligned assessment. In partnership with the State Board of Education, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Washington STEM, we launched a fact sheet for school administrators and held an event to recognize the value of the science standards in creating high-quality learning opportunities for every Washington student. We partnered with families in the Northshore School District to create a fact sheet, available in both English and Spanish. And we are grateful for business and education leaders like Barbara Hulit, Fortive Corp. Senior Vice President, and Gary Cohn, retiring Everett Schools Superintendent, for authoring an op-ed about the standards in the Everett Herald.

‘Discover Your Path with Science & Math’ School Poster

To spark students’ thinking about their future career paths and how science and math skills are valuable in any career, Ready Washington released a new poster last fall with a letter addressed to principals from the State Board of Education and the Association of Washington School Principals. The poster came in two versions — one for elementary schools and one for middle schools and high schools. We mailed about 4,000 posters to schools and skills centers across the state and encouraged recipients to post a picture of the poster hanging in their building. About 30 schools published pictures of the poster and tagged @ReadyWA on social media, including this post from a teacher at Coulee City Elementary!

Website Redesign: ReadyWA.org

Ready Washington redesigned our website to better serve our core audiences of students, families, and educators. The new site has dedicated sections for these key audiences complete with tailored information and resources. Thank you for visiting our site!

Teacher Voices: CORElaborate

Since 2016, Ready Washington has partnered with the Puget Sound ESD on a statewide teacher voices network called CORElaborate. The program serves to empower teachers to leverage digital communications to share their classroom experiences in support of college and career ready learning standards and assessments. The 2019 cadre – comprised of 10 teachers and two mentors, representing all nine of the state’s Educational Service District regions – kicked the year off at Puget Sound ESD on January 26. The group will host its third annual EdCamp #WATeachLead on Saturday, October 5 in Renton. Check out all the latest blogs at CORElaborateWA.org.

Classroom Snapshot Series Continues

Ready Washington continued the Classroom Snapshot series, blogging about how Washington educators are preparing students for success after high school. We produced seven blog posts, covering a range of topics — from goal setting to career pathway opportunities and planning to a Student Stories Club. Here is a list of the Classroom Snapshots from this school year:

New Initiative: #InstaClassroom

To gain unique insight into a day in the life of Washington educators and students, Ready Washington launched the #InstaClassroom series in the fall. Each of the last four quarters, we have turned over the keys to our Instagram account to a new guest host who captured and shared photos and videos about their daily experiences. Thank you to Auburn teacher Jill Woodruff, Yakima teacher Karen Foley, Highline teacher Calvin Allan, and Seattle University student Emma Zucati for letting our audience into your world for a day!

If you’re a K-12 public school teacher, academic coach, administrator, or counselor in Washington, and are interested in participating in either our Classroom Snapshot or #InstaClassroom initiatives, please let us know!

THANK YOU!

Thank you to each and every one of our partners and friends for your collaboration and support during this past school year. You make the work we do possible! Together, we can continue to improve students’ ability to pursue the education and career pathway of their choice. We hope you enjoy your summer!