Spring ISD CTEÂ Receives Empowered Seal for Programming and Outreach Efforts
The Career and Technical Education department at Spring ISD has received another recognition, this time from a digital educational company — the EVERFI Empowered Seal, a recognition that only ten percent of school districts in the United States receive.
EVERFI is a digital platform that partners with Spring ISD to provide access to online educational opportunities for district students. The Empowered Seal was created to recognize school districts that meet certain criteria, including effective programming, meaningful staff training, high student usage, and excellent student outcomes.
Spring ISD Director of Career and Technical Education Cynthia Williams helped oversee the implementation of EVERFI’s online lessons in the district’s CTE classrooms.
“When EVERFI showed us the different programs they offered for learning real-world skills, we decided that we would develop particular modules for different grade levels, and that’s what we utilize for our middle and high school students,” she said. “The success with the program was really great, with strong participation from the teachers and active engagement from the students.”
In bringing EVERFI to Spring ISD, administrators and CTE teachers mapped out ways to align the platform’s online lessons with stages of student development and grade-appropriate content.
For instance, sixth graders begin with lessons on digital wellness and staying safe online, then move on to explore STEM career ideas to help them develop their college and career readiness skills as they proceed through middle school and into high school. High school students begin with programs on financial literacy, then, as upperclassmen, complete modules related to alcohol awareness and underage drinking prevention, substance abuse, and prescription drug safety.
On top of the Empowered Seal designation, Williams believes the partnership with EVERFI has helped teachers by equipping them with a way to empower students and provide them with real-life skills relevant to an ever-changing world.
“It’s been a really good partnership for us,” Williams said. “EVERFI empowers our educators to teach and reinforce real-world skills, and that’s what CTE is all about.”
Source: Spring ISD
