Career, College and Life Ready

Our community and industry partners helped identify important skills students need for future success. At every age, students practice these skills while learning subjects like math, science, social studies and language arts.

Students develop skills in:

• Self-direction
• Collaboration
• Digital literacy
• Civic and cultural awareness
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Creativity and innovation

These skills are important at every age. As students grow, they take on more complex challenges and continue building these skills.

Students learn best when they understand how their learning connects to their lives and future goals.

Teachers use their knowledge of each student’s interests, strengths and needs to design meaningful learning experiences. Students are not just preparing for a test — they are learning how to think, solve problems and apply what they know.

Students have opportunities to show their learning in different ways. The goal is not how much time a student spends on a topic. The goal is that students can demonstrate what they know and use their learning in meaningful ways.

Throughout the learning process, teachers provide feedback to help students understand what they have mastered and what they need to continue working on. Students and families can see progress and know the next steps for growth.

Spring Lake Park Schools uses Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) programming in grades 5–12 to help students build college and career readiness skills.

AVID focuses on five key skills, known as WICOR:

• Writing
• Inquiry
• Collaboration
• Organization
• Reading

AVID is available in two ways:

• Schoolwide AVID: Students in grades 5–12 practice AVID strategies in their classes.
• AVID Elective: Students in grades 7–12 can take an elective course focused on building these skills, exploring colleges and careers, and applying strategies to their current classes.