Shared Valued Outcomes (SVOs)

The second 2018-19 District Goal adopted by our Board emphasizes the implementation of our North Shore School District’s Shared Valued Outcomes (SVOs). This school year, we will develop skills, dispositions, and learning progressions for Shared Valued Outcomes in the two areas of  Problem-Solvers and Committed Individuals. It is very important for our community to get a better understanding of what the SVO’s are, what has been done thus far districtwide in the past, and what areas we will focus on in the future. I hope that the Q&A below helps clarify our SVOs as we continue to integrate them across each grade level at the District now and in the future.

What Are Our Shared Valued Outcomes (SVOs)? 
Thinkers, Problem Solvers, Communicators, Collaborators, Innovators, and Committed Individuals are the six key attributes that the North Shore School District has outlined in our districtwide learning initiative. The Shared Valued Outcomes (SVOs) is a long-term plan developed by our District leaders in combination with our core constituencies to improve the quality of education for our K-12 students. Overall, they are the Necessary Skills and Associated Dispositions/Behaviors that Contribute to Being Successful in School and Beyond 
What Areas Will We Focus On Now And In The Future?
In 2018-19, we will continue to focus on key components outlined in the SVOs with emphasis on two specific areas including problem-solvers and committed individuals. Our students with their teachers in grades K-12 will explore learning progressions and create work primarily in these two areas to build developmentally appropriate strands so that our students can demonstrate that they know and are able to demonstrate their mastery of each. Our administrators and faculty have worked on refining the definitions and descriptors of all six SVO attributes to make sure that they reflect a common understanding of our current goals. Additionally, “child-friendly” versions have been developed for our schools and classrooms.

\What Has Been Done To Date Districtwide?
The SVO’s began in 2015 when North Shore administrators, faculty, staff, parents, and students were asked the question, “What do you value most in a child’s education?” It was agreed that we did not want traditional and/or standardized exams to be the only factor in determining a child’s learning skills. After reviewing the combined outcomes represented by our core constituencies, District leaders introduced the six key attributes of the SVOs (Thinkers, Problem Solvers, Communicators, Collaborators, Innovators, and Committed Individuals) that were felt to best prepare our students for college, work, and life. The primary goal of the SVOs is to provide our students with the necessary skills to not only be successful in school, but even more importantly to be successful citizens in the world for the rest of their lives.  

Throughout the years, the SVO’s have been implemented in all five of the North Shore Schools in grades K-12. Their definitions and descriptors have been incorporated into the lessons of our faculty. Districtwide, our students have had many opportunities to practice them and create classwork around them. During each summer, administrators collect and document samples of the K-12 work in an effort to conduct benchmark analysis and further determine what needs to be improved within the SVOs.

Last but not least, we will continue to make a greater effort in our integrated school communications to ensure that the Shared Valued Outcomes are known and understood by all of our constituents in the North Shore community. We will be communicating about the  SVOs on our school website at www.northshoreschools.org, in our newsletters and print materials, in parent meetings, and in our Board meetings.