From the desk of the Superintendent:
Envisioning success for our Bloomfield Graduates
Dear Bloomfield Public Schools Community,
As part of our ongoing efforts to prepare students for college and meaningful careers, Bloomfield Public Schools has launched a collaborative, town-wide initiate to help sharpen the district’s vision of a successful high school graduate. The vision has been developed in collaboration with our greater Bloomfield community, who helped answer three important questions:
- What are the hopes and dreams that our community has for our young people?
- What are the academic skills and habits of mind our children need for success?
- What are the implications for the learning experiences we provide in our schools?
As part of this initiative, district staff, families, students and community partners evaluated thirty different competencies that represent qualities needed to succeed in the 21st century global economy. Through identifying the top competencies from our various stakeholders, our instructional staff will work to develop a detailed roadmap of learning needs for students from preschool through high school graduation to be successful in any career path.
The Portrait of a Graduate project began in earnest the week of March 29, when Board of Education members shared their hopes and dreams for our young people and their thoughts about the academic skills, mindset and achievements expected when a student graduates from Bloomfield.
In April and May 2021, the Design Team engaged in discussions with district staff, Bloomfield Town Council, community members, town and district partners, families, faith-based organizations, business leaders and institutes of higher education.
The goal of this initiative is to identify and align, within our curriculum, ideal learning experiences needed for our students to prosper in a 21st century global economy. This process will help the district define how we prepare students for the challenges ahead. Bloomfield is a school district with clear aspirations for excellence in academics, athletics and the arts. This Portrait of Graduate work moves us closer to achieving this goal.
A Portrait of a Graduate is a collective vision. I thank the Bloomfield community for their valuable feedback and support of this initiative.
Warm regards,
Superintendent of Schools
Painting our Portrait with vision and mission
Vision
Graduates will be academically, socially, emotionally, and technologically equipped to gain access, adapt, and graduate from the most competitive colleges, universities, and/or training programs to pursue purposeful professions and careers in order to become civic-minded and service-oriented citizens in a pluralistic society.
Mission
To prepare every student to become a life-long learner, who reads closely, thinks critically, asks questions, solves problems, and communicates effectively.
Key Steps and Timeline
Our process for gathering the voices of Bloomfield has been defined by five steps that we have worked through in 2021.
Plan
February 2021
- Built understanding and ownership among our district's leadership and school board
- Created a Portrait of a Graduate Design Team that was involved across all phases to build a sense of urgency and create excitement across community
- Defined an overall timeline
Activate
March 2021
- Convened the Portrait Design Team
- Studied the implications for our students in light of the changing economy, workplace, and society
Create
April 2021
- Drafted a prioritized set of competencies, including 21st century skills, mindsets, and literacies
- Drafted visuals that convey a compelling story
- Reached consensus about a selected visual to share with the broader community
- Continued to discuss this work in the broader community and elicited their ideas for the Portrait
- Collected feedback from the community about the societal conditions and shared with the Portrait Design Team as they drafted the Portrait
Share
May + June 2021
- Shared vision of the Portrait to the Board of Education
- Published and leveraged the adopted Portrait as the North Star for subsequent strategic planning, and the design of educational experiences for students
Implement
Ongoing
- Strategic planning
- 21st century learning and assessment design
- Systems design, including alignment of district processes for streamlined education
The implementation of the Portrait will help to drive strategic planning. As part of the systems design we will intentionally align all aspects of our organization. We will recruit, grow and retain talent who models 21st century learning and creates meaningful experiences for all students. Finally, we will design curriculum and lessons that create meaningful learning for all students.
Portrait of a Graduate Design Team
Our Design Team had representation from every school in Bloomfield and support from the community.
Parents
- Kimberly Walker, WECMS
- Lynn Wiesel, Laurel
- Donnette Williams, Metacomet
- Nadia Cunningham Reid, Metacomet
- Tiffany Glanville, CAIS
- Jackie Weaver-Bey, CAMS
- Kelly DeNardis, GEMS
- Jennifer and Jason Smith, BHS
- Tara Baldwin, BHS
Principals/Administrators
- Samantha Straker, WECMS
- Jennifer Dwyer, Laurel
- Paul Guzzo, Metacomet
- Sarah Williams, CAIS
- Dr. Trevor Ellis, CAMS
- Jeffrey Bernabe, GEMS
- Daniel Moleti, BHS
- Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey, BHS
- Jesse White, BHS
BEA
- Susan Sumberg
- Ashley Barton
- Allison Borowski
BFEP
- Susan Hawrylik
- Kyle Mansfield
Parent Outreach
- Quishema Jones
Business/Community
- Angelica Thompson
- Jose Giner
Support Services
- Suzanne Shippee
- Tracy Stead
Cabinet Members, Resources and Support
Community Forums: All voices welcomed
Through a series of forums, we gathered the feedback from Bloomfield. Below you'll find a list of these events.
Board of Education
- Tuesday, March 30, 2021
- Monday, April 5, 2021
Staff
- Thursday, April 8, 2021 (C/O)
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021 (WECMS)
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021 (LES)
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021 (META)
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021 (CAIS)
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021 (CAMS)
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021 (GEMS)
- Wednesday, March 24, 2021 (BHS)
Organizations/Partners
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021 (TOWN-BASED)
- Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (NON-PROFIT)
- Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (FAITH-BASED)
- Tuesday, April 27, 2021 (CORP-BUS.)
- Wednesday, April 28, 2021 (HIGHER ED)
Town Council
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021
- Wednesday, April 7, 2021
- Thursday, April 8, 2021
- Thursday, April 8, 2021
Families
- Thursday, April 22, 2021 (WECMS)
- Wednesday, April 21, 2021 (LES)
- Tuesday, April 27, 2021 (META)
- Thursday, April 21, 2021 (CAIS)
- Thursday, April 21, 2021 (CAMS)
- Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (GEMS)
- Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (BHS)
Students
- May 17, 2021 to May 28, 2021
Gathering design input
- A Seat at the Table
- Surveys
- Virtual Workshops
- Zoom Meetings
- Roundtable Discussions
- District Meetings:
District Data Team Meetings 2021-2022 School Data Team Meetings Weekly/Monthly Leadership Meetings Weekly/Monthly Summer Retreat 2021
Our Portrait of a Graduate: Envisioned through community involvement and contribution
A broad array of stakeholders were brought together to create Bloomfield’s Portrait of a Graduate. Input was gathered from educators, town council, business and community leaders, parents, and students. With buy-in from stakeholders across the community we can:
- Build understanding and lasting support from the community.
- Gain a sustainable impact for students.
- Formulate a plan that is locally developed, but globally positioned.
Listening to the experts and preparing our graduates for the 21st century workforce
To prepare students for the 21st century workforce, we must involve stakeholders who understand the work of the future. By listening and learning, we can:
- Transform the educational experience for all students
- Equip students with what knowledge and skills they need to fill the jobs of the future
- Advisory groups have strong representation from:
- Town-based partners
- Non-profit partners
- Corporate and business leaders
- Faith-based organizations
- Institutes of Higher Education
Our Portrait of a Graduate will always improve and evolve
By continuously examining and redefining the traits of our graduates, we will be empowered to lead the district on a continuous journey that transforms opportunities for all students. This includes:
- Aligning curriculum to foster 21st Century skills, mindset, and literacies
- Shifting role of educators in providing 21st Century learning experiences for students
- Designing learning experiences that afford students opportunities to use technology to connect to a global world and engage in higher order thinking tasks that foster critical thinking skills
- Building resilience by embracing assessment “as” learning
To best define our graduates, we continue to ask:
What hopes, dreams, and aspirations do we in Bloomfield have for our young people?
Family Responses
Certified Staff Responses
Community Responses
Non-Certified Staff Responses
Student Responses
To best define our graduates, we continue to ask:
What are the skills and habits of mind that our children need for success in this rapidly changing world?
Family Responses
Certified Staff Responses
Community Responses
Non-Certified Staff Responses
Student Responses
To best define our graduates, we continue to ask:
What are the implications for the learning experiences we provide in our school systems?
Family Responses
Certified Staff Responses
Community Responses
Non-Certified Staff Responses
Student Responses
Turning our feedback into desired competencies
Through Bloomfield's generous contributions of time and vision for our graduates, we were able to collect the following attributes of a Bloomfield graduate. Below please find these results.
| Rank | Competency | % |
| 1 | Critical Thinking | 85.13% |
| 2 | Communication | 79.55% |
| 3 | Problem Solving | 78.81% |
| 4 | Adaptability | 75.84% |
| 5 | Responsibility | 69.89% |
| 6 | Empathy | 69.14% |
| 7 | Perseverance | 65.80% |
| 8 | Integrity | 62.08% |
| 9 | Collaboration | 60.59% |
| 10 | Conflict Resolution | 57.62% |
| 11 | Confidence | 57.25% |
| 12 | Technology Literacy | 56.13% |
| 13 | Self/Goal-Directed | 56.13% |
| 14 | Financial Literacy | 55.02% |
| 15 | Creativity | 48.70% |
| Rank | Competency | % |
| 16 | Learner's Mindset | 44.24% |
| 17 | Resourceful | 43.49% |
| 18 | Leadership | 37.92% |
| 19 | Content Knowledge | 32.34% |
| 20 | Curiosity | 30.86% |
| 21 | Global Citizen | 30.86% |
| 22 | Conscientious | 28.62% |
| 23 | Civic Literacy | 26.77% |
| 24 | Environmentally Responsible | 26.02% |
| 25 | Innovation | 25.65% |
| 26 | Courageous | 25.65% |
| 27 | Contributors | 17.47% |
| 28 | Entrepreneurial | 17.47% |
| 29 | Media Literacy | 16.36% |
| 30 | Rational Optimism | 11.90% |
It all adds up to our Portrait of a Bloomfield Graduate
Graduate in Bloom
Bloomfield’s Portrait of a Graduate program: Our priorities to adopt and implement
Collectively, we all want graduates to be strong of mind, heart, and spirit. We want them to be skilled for the real world and ready to make a positive change. Our priorities to make this vision a reality are below:
Priority 1: Holistic Accountability
This process ensures that 100% of staff will be informed of and actively monitoring student progress through the school year. The staff will have a collective vision for student success based on a Portrait of a Graduate.
Priority 2: Rigorous Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
This priority focuses on realizing ELA, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies performance goals through curriculum, instruction and assessment, while ensuring students meet the expectations identified by our Portrait of a Graduate.
Priority 3: Positive School Climate
This priority supports the implementation of social and emotional learning curriculum and answers this question: What traits, qualities or characteristics should every graduate embody?
Priority 4: Family and Community Engagement
This priority invites us to be inclusive of families and community organizations as collaborative partners in effectively preparing graduates for college and meaningful careers.
Thanks for taking the time to learn about Bloomfield’s Portrait of a Graduate program.
Please continue to visit www.graduateinbloom.com
for the latest updates.