By Jeff Simmons
“College and Career Ready” is a term used frequently in education, but what does it really mean? Starting in the 2018-19 school year, Buckeye Union High School District (BUHSD) undertook the journey to ask stakeholders what being “college and career ready” meant in our district. Over a few years, and through a variety of formats (including surveys, brainstorming activities with students and staff, parent forums, community meetings that included business officials, politicians, and educators of all levels), the vision of what BUHSD wanted for its graduates came together with the more encompassing term of “Future Ready.”
BUHSD strives to provide our students with an education with purpose. Our System of Learning personifies graduates who are Future Ready and prepared for their next steps after high school graduation and their choice of career training options – be it college, trade school, military service, apprenticeships, or a host of other opportunities that graduates may pursue.
In BUHSD, we believe students need to be prepared for life in a dynamic world. We believe that Future Ready Learners need to be:
- Responsible Citizens: Personally, Locally, Globally;
- Inspirational Leaders: Strategic, Futuristic, Inclusive;
- Resourceful Connectors: People, Ideas, Communities;
- Empowered Learners: Driven, Passionate, Committed;
- Critical Thinkers: Intentional, Analytical, Persistent; and
- Creative Innovators: Imaginative, Curious, Collaborative.
As BUHSD has embraced this idea of Future Ready and preparing learners for their futures, some of the indicators of success we saw with the senior class of 2022 district-wide are:
- 53% of our seniors met the Arizona Board of Regents course requirements for university admissions without any deficiencies.
- 34% of seniors passed a college level course in a core academic area while in high school, with another 33% passing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) college level course.
- 31% of seniors earned an industry recognized credential, certification, or licensure through a CTE program while still in high school, with another 34% completing a CTE course sequence and passing the state skills assessment for that sequence.
- 76% of seniors completed other CTE courses outside of a completed program sequence where they at least got exposure to a potential career area.
- 31% of seniors completed some type of work-based learning/internship while in high school.
BUHSD is proud of the opportunities that our students have to be Future Ready.
To learn more about the characteristics of a Future Ready Learner, visit our website at https://www.buhsd.org/families/future_ready.