Future Ready Fridays: Learning Beyond the Classroom - the 2.0 Version

What does learning look like when students get to explore something new, build a skill they’ll actually use, or experience a place they’ve never been before?

At Springfield-Clark CTC, it looks a lot like Future Ready Friday.

Future Ready Fridays (FRF) were created to give students the opportunity to build on what they’re learning or try something new, all the while developing skills, experiences, and connections that help them be Career Ready. College Ready. Life Ready.

Sometimes, that looks like learning how to strategize by playing chess, changing a tire on a car, exploring an art museum, visiting a college campus, or navigating how to file a first tax return.

Students Design Their Day

Since Future Ready Fridays began in 2021, students have had the opportunity to choose from a huge variety of experiences—from flying drones to preparing for the ACT, practicing interview skills, creating art using new materials and techniques, learning self-defense, foraging in the woods, and participating in all types of sports.

Students have traveled off campus to visit local colleges, museums, and employers. They’ve spent time in the community to clean up the Snyder Park Gardens & Arboretum, raised money through the SkillsUSA Bowl-A-Thon, and rolled up their sleeves at the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Students also use Future Ready Fridays to participate in their Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO). Every CTC student is a member of a CTSO, a professional student organization that connects what they learn in class to real-world careers through hands-on competitions, leadership conferences, and networking experiences.

The most recognizable CTSO—FFA—provides hands-on learning experiences to our Veterinary Science and Forestry & Parks Management students. Other CTSOs include SkillsUSA, Business Professionals of America, Educators Rising, and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.

What’s Next for Future Ready Fridays

Over the past five years, Future Ready Fridays have created hundreds of opportunities for students to step outside of a traditional classroom to learn a new skill, give back to the community, explore colleges and tech schools, and develop soft skills.

Along the way, CTC has been learning, too.

While flexibility has always been an important part of FRF, over time that flexibility could sometimes make the purpose of the day less clear. Feedback from students and staff has reinforced the value FRF sessions bring and helped identify ways to make FRF more intentional, increase accountability, and ensure every student has access to meaningful opportunities.

Beginning this school year, students will see a revamped Future Ready Friday with clearer expectations, shorter sessions, a new way to document off-campus experiences, and a small number of required, on-campus FRF days. It’s a new way to experience the five-day week of learning. It is FRF 2.0.

FRF will continue to offer a wide variety of sessions that fall into six categories: academic or career-tech support, career ready, college ready, life ready, wellness and community, and student-led offerings. There will be two types of Fridays: Regular FRF Days and Mandatory FRF Days.

Regular FRF Days

These days will look familiar to returning students. Students design their day by choosing how they participate: On Campus or Off Campus.

On Campus, students can select from a wide variety of sessions. Off Campus, students must complete and document an approved off-campus experience.

“The new Off-Campus Experience option recognizes something CTC already knew was happening on FRF: many students were using that time to work and we want to recognize the value of that experience,” shared CTC’s Executive Director, Chad Mossing. “Students are learning communication, time management, customer service, and teamwork. Those are skills that will serve them well no matter where their future takes them.”

Mandatory FRF Days

These days will be designated for either Level 1 & Jaguar Academy students or Level 2 students. Level 1 students are in the first year of their career-tech program, while Level 2 students are in the second year of their program.

Students in the designated group will report to campus and participate in FRF sessions that day. Students not required to attend on campus will have an asynchronous assignment to complete. Each student will have two Mandatory FRF Days during the school year.

Mandatory FRF Days are designated on the Academic Calendar available at SCCTC.org/Calendar.

Whether it’s a Regular or Mandatory FRF Day, the changes are designed to continue to offer choice and flexibility, while providing opportunities to learn and grow and clearer expectations.

“Future Ready Friday was never intended to be a day away from learning. We’ve seen how beneficial FRF is when students participate,” shared CTC’s Superintendent, Michelle Patrick. “This evolution of Future Ready Friday keeps the voice and choice of the students at the core, while making the expectation clear that every Friday has purpose.”

That purpose may look different for every student—getting extra help, discovering a new interest, learning a life skill, visiting a prospective college, volunteering in the community, taking a deep dive into a topic, or simply connecting with fellow students and staff over a game of chess.

Each Future Ready Friday is an opportunity to prepare students to be Career Ready. College Ready. Life Ready.