About Portrait of a graduate (POG)

The Portrait of a Graduate defines the key competencies and skills students need to thrive beyond the classroom. Co-created with community stakeholders, the POG reflects a shared vision of what success looks like for all Reeds Spring graduates. It is more than a poster--it is a living guide that shapes our curriculum, instruction, assessment, and student support systems. 

About The instructional practice guides

Our Instructional Practice Guides are designed to provide educators with focused, research-informed strategies that elevate teaching and learning. Each one-pager offers clarity around high-impact practices, aligned with our district’s strategic priorities and goals for instructional excellence. These guides are not checklists—they’re conversation starters, planning tools, and a foundation for coaching, reflection, and collaboration. 

FOundational strategies

These strategies establish the essential conditions for learning. Without a safe, organized environment and clear routines, even the best instructional strategies can fall flat. These practices are the starting point for any classroom, particularly for new teachers, and must be solidly in place before deeper or more complex strategies can be successfully implemented. They create the foundation upon which all effective instruction is built.

other high-impact teaching strategies

These strategies represent research-based practices that most significantly accelerate student learning. Once foundational elements are established, these strategies become the instructional "power moves" that help all students engage deeply, think critically, and grow. They are appropriate for teachers at all levels of experience and are a primary focus for instructional coaching, professional learning, and continuous improvement.

assessment and feedback for learning

These strategies focus on how we gather evidence of learning, interpret it, and respond to it--- in real time and over time. They are the tools that help us make instruction responsive and ensure that feedback loops between teacher and student are timely, specific, and actionable. These practices are essential for monitoring progress, guiding instructional decisions, and helping students reflect and grow.

ABOUT strategic priorities

The instructional priorities outlined in this section are grounded in our district's strategic plan and represent the direction we are intentionally working toward. These priorities are aspirational by design, meaning we do not expect every classroom to reflect these practices immediately. Instead, they serve as guiding principles for our professional growth, instructional conversations, and system-wide learning. As we deepen our understanding and build capacity over time, these priorities will gradually become more visible in our classrooms and learning experiences. Our strategic priorities reflect our commitment to deeper learning, equity, and instructional excellence. In the sections that follow, we define each priority to provide clarity and direction for implementation. 

Effective teaching and deep learning requires student engagement with content both inside and outside the classroom.  John Hattie's Visible Learning research concluded that one of the most important influences on student achievement is how teachers think about learning and their own role.  The practices above are effective, evidence-based practices instructors can use to facilitate meaningful learning for students.