Post-Graduation Readiness

BVSD’s new Grad Plus framework expands opportunities for students to graduate with more than just a diploma, empowered with the additional skills and the competitive advantage to contend for the college and career of their choice, including jobs that haven’t even been imagined yet. Grad Plus bolsters opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school, participate in work-based experience, achieve industry certifications and become invaluable to companies locally and internationally by becoming fully bilingual and biliterate.

A high school diploma isn’t enough anymore. We must provide expanded access to work based learning for all students. This means learning about work from the youngest age through guest speakers and field trips. As students mature, the focus moves to learning through work through opportunities to shadow professionals and then participate in industry aligned classes, apprenticeships and internships, and ultimately develop transferable skills that are invaluable regardless of what path a student chooses to take.

To support this effort, we know that we will need to build learning environments and provide tools that match those found in cutting-edge labs just miles away in both the premier state university and companies that are in our backyard. BVSD classrooms must be places where students can use the latest equipment and techniques. Whether they’re looking to learn how to solder electronics, monitor vital signs or operate a high-powered laser, our students need space outfitted for that work.

These facilities also must be flexible enough to adapt to the speed of change and meet the needs of new, developing industries. 

Today, we are limited by our facilities and resources. Currently BVSD is unable to meet the demand for Career and Technical Education classes, in part due to the rigidity of the traditional school building design of most of our secondary schools and Boulder Technical Education Center (TEC).

The renovations laid out in the 2022 Facility Critical Needs Plan at our PK-8, middle, and high schools, as well as Boulder TEC will build a stronger bridge between education and the world of work, so that our students are ready and nimble to make the transition from learner to producer. By revolutionizing the spaces, BVSD students will have the optimum environments to gain real-world, hands-on experiences in in-demand fields such as Cybersecurity, Biomedical Science, Creative Media Production, Computer Science, Engineering, Healthcare, Culinary Arts, and more.  

If these plans seem a little aspirational, that is by design. Through our strong partnership with our local chambers of commerce, we know a lot about what is needed by business and industry. The next step will be to ensure these new learning environments meet the needs of our students and community. BVSD will engage in a collaborative process that includes local employers, school leaders and faculty, students, and parents. The process will be informed by input from students and families regarding career pathway interests, discussions with local industry partners about collaborative programming, and ideas from district leaders, principals, and faculty about the feasibility and appropriateness for where to locate various programs. There will be opportunities for communities to provide input as well. When projects move into the design phase, school design advisory teams will work with the architects to guide what the renovations will look like at each school.