for VISION and TEACHING LEARNING
Dr. Jan Chynoweth Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Vision for Teaching and Learning
A Message from the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
For years, the District Strategy Map helped guide and align our work across the District. It provided structure and direction. As we begin the 2025–2026 school year, we are moving forward with a more connected approach to teaching and learning. This shift builds on our strengths while preparing us for the future our students will inherit.
Three key tools now guide our work together: our Vision for Teaching and Learning Framework, our Strategic Goals, and A Cardinal’s Journey. A Cardinal’s Journey describes the mindsets and life skills we want every student to develop to succeed in school and in life.
These three tools work together to ensure that whether you are a teacher planning a lesson, a parent supporting learning at home, or an administrator making decisions, we are all moving in the same direction.
Our Vision for Teaching and Learning Framework focuses on six key areas that directly impact what happens in classrooms every day and tie to our Strategic Goals:
Grade-Level Standards-Aligned Curriculum and Instruction and challenges all learners.
Highly Effective Professional Learning Communities where educators collaborate regularly with a focus on instructional design that meets the needs of all learners.
Universal Social-Emotional Learning for all Students is essential for academic success and overall well-being.
Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy recognizes and celebrates the rich diversity and experiences of our students, and actively incorporates teaching practices that foster intercultural understanding.
Data-Driven Decision Making that considers a variety of data sources to inform our instructional decisions.
Ongoing and Personalized Support for Staff through instructional coaching and structures to support their collaboration.
This framework reflects the excellent work happening in our classrooms and provides a common language and shared focus as we continue growing together. It was created to bring clarity and alignment to our instructional practices, focusing specifically on what happens in classrooms, learning spaces, and collaborative teams each day.
The Future-Preparedness Framework: A Cardinal’s Journey ties everything together. It is deeply connected to our instructional framework and strategic goals and supports our shared vision of helping every student grow. Stakeholders including high school students, parents, community members, educators and administrators designed this framework, which outlines the key skills and attributes we believe each student should develop by the time they graduate.
When students walk into our schools, they should experience learning that is both rigorous and joyful, that challenges them to think deeply while supporting them as whole people. They should see themselves reflected in their learning and feel prepared to make a positive difference in the world.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our students and to each other as we embark on this important work.
Dr. Jan Chynoweth Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning
Ca r d i na l’s
na l’s
Introducing A Cardinal’s Journey
We’re excited to introduce MCPASD’s Future-Preparedness Framework: A Cardinal’s Journey! This framework is designed to equip students with the essential skills, mindsets, and competencies they need to succeed in an ever-changing world.
It consists of two main components: Cardinal Foundations: Four skill areas that form the educational foundation (Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, and Adaptability)
Four mindset qualities that shape student character and perspective (Self-Aware, Accountable, Curious, and Community-Oriented)
A Cardinal’s Journey reflects our strong belief that all students have their own pathways to success. We developed the framework to ensure that our students are prepared academically, as well as with the life skills and mindsets needed for future success – with transferable skills that will serve students regardless of their chosen
Our teachers and staff are critical to each student’s journey and to enabling our students to find the path that’s right for them. Teachers are incorporating the Cardinal Foundations and Mindsets into their classroom practices, instructional approaches,
A Cardinal’s Journey was developed by a team of stakeholders – including high school students, parents, community leaders, educators and administrators – who collaborated to develop a “portrait of a graduate” system for MCPASD. The team’s extensive research and development culminated in A Cardinal’s Journey, which the Board of Education approved after careful review and deliberation.
Finally, A Cardinal’s Journey replaces our District Strategy Map, which was a comprehensive plan outlining the District’s mission, vision, core beliefs, and strategic
We’re grateful for your support as we implement this important initiative District-wide. A Cardinal’s Journey will make a meaningful impact in our students’ and educators’ lives, and we’re excited for how it will shape everyone’s academic journey.
Understanding Our Mission and Vision
How the District and Teaching and Learning Visions Align
District
Mission: To educate all students to be contributing members of a community and global society by inspiring them with a lifelong love of learning, challenging them with rigorous and innovative curriculum, and empowering them through inclusion and collaboration.
Vision: Inclusive, innovative, and inspiring schools where every student thrives.
Teaching and Learning
Mission: We know our students’ stories and build upon their strengths to inspire them locally so they are prepared globally.
Vision: Engage. Empower. Evolve.
Our vision is to cultivate deeply rooted learners who draw strength and wisdom from their local community, while developing the adaptability and global perspective needed to thrive in an interconnected world. To achieve this, we cultivate a dynamic and inclusive learning environment where every student thrives academically, socially, and emotionally. We ground our practices in equity, innovation, and collaboration, ensuring that each student is empowered to achieve their dreams.
This vision is built on the following core principles:
1. Grade-Level Standards-Aligned Curriculum and Instruction:
We provide a rigorous, grade-level standards-aligned curriculum that challenges and engages all learners. Instruction is collaboratively and intentionally designed to connect learning to real-world experiences, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and problemsolving skills. We prioritize depth of understanding over breadth of content, empowering students to apply their knowledge in meaningful and innovative ways.
2. Highly Effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs):
PLCs are grounded in the principle of collective efficacy with the understanding that everyone has strengths and contributions to make, and we are more effective when we work together. The primary focus of PLCs is on high-quality instructional design that meets the needs of all learners. PLCs engage in collaborative, data-based conversations, learning, and problemsolving with colleagues. They engage in cycles of inquiry that focus on data-informed differentiated and intentional instructional planning and the design of learning opportunities for all students. Teachers will implement progress-monitoring cycles when students are not meeting benchmarks, with support provided by educational specialists.
3. Universal Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for All Students:
We believe that social and emotional learning is essential for academic success and overall well-being. We implement a universal SEL framework that teaches students essential skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
4. Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy:
We recognize and celebrate the rich diversity and experiences of our students. Our teaching practices are culturally responsive, acknowledging and valuing students’ unique backgrounds, experiences, and languages. We create a safe and inclusive classroom environment where all students feel seen, heard, and respected. We actively incorporate diverse perspectives and materials into our curriculum, fostering intercultural understanding and empathy.
5. Data-Driven Decision-Making:
We use data from a variety of sources, including formative and summative assessments, student work samples, and social-emotional indicators, to inform our instructional decisions. Data is used to identify student needs, monitor progress, and adjust instruction to maximize learning for all. We engage in ongoing cycles of inquiry, using data to continuously improve our practices and ensure equitable outcomes for all students.
6. Ongoing and Personalized Support for Staff:
Through a commitment to coaching and classrooms that are resourced to meet the needs of all students, we empower our educators to work together to help every student belong and grow.
Vision for Teaching and Learning: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Vision for Teaching and Learning and why was it created?
Our Vision for Teaching and Learning is a new framework that outlines six instructional focus areas to guide our daily work. It brings clarity and alignment to how we teach, collaborate, and support students across all learning environments. We developed it to better connect our classroom practices to our District’s larger goals.
How is this different from the District Strategy Map?
While the Strategy Map guided us for many years, we’re now using a more connected approach centered around three tools:
The Vision for Teaching and Learning
Our Strategic Goals
Future-Preparedness Framework: A Cardinal’s Journey
Together, these help align efforts across classrooms, grade levels, and departments to support student success more intentionally.
What
are the key components of A Cardinal’s
Journey?
The two main components of A Cardinal’s Journey are meant to be integrated into classroom instruction and student interactions:
Cardinal Foundations – Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Adaptability
Cardinal Mindsets – Self-Aware, Accountable, Curious, Community-Oriented
How does this affect my role as a teacher or staff member?
This vision helps clarify how we approach teaching and learning and why we do it. It supports collaboration within PLCs; guides lesson design; and reinforces inclusive, responsive, and data-informed practices. As a teacher and staff member, you are not expected to do something entirely new; you’re being supported to do what works, even better.
What are our District’s Strategic Goals and how do they connect to this work?
Our Strategic Goals guide everything we do. They align daily classroom instruction, professional learning, and District-wide priorities. The goals are:
Create a Culture of Learning and Belonging – We focus on high-expertise, inclusive instruction, social-emotional learning, and professional collaboration. This is directly supported by our Vision for Teaching and Learning and A Cardinal’s Journey.
Align Resources – We use data to make smart, equitable decisions about how we allocate time, funding, staff, and space to support student success.
Engage Our Community – We foster trust and transparency through open, two-way communication and partnerships with families, staff, and the broader community.
Each goal includes a four-stage progression – Acclimate, Advance, Amplify, and Ascend – to help schools understand where they are and how to grow. These goals are intentionally connected to the instructional focus areas and mindsets in A Cardinal’s Journey, making them more relevant to educators’ day-to-day work.
How were these frameworks developed?
We created A Cardinal’s Journey through a District-wide collaboration with input from high school students, families, educators, community leaders, and administrators. This committee helped define the mindsets and skills our students need to thrive after graduation.
That same committee also helped inform the development of the District’s Strategic Goals. District leadership, including building principals, worked alongside the committee to shape and refine the goals so they reflect the needs and aspirations of our entire school community.
The Vision for Teaching and Learning was developed by District and school leadership to build on that foundation and bring clarity to what effective teaching and learning looks like across classrooms. Together, these tools provide a cohesive, student-centered vision that supports every learner’s journey from kindergarten through graduation.
Will there be professional learning on this?
Yes! You’ll see these ideas embedded into professional learning, team meetings, and ongoing coaching. This work is meant to support you as an educator and staff member in MCPASD.
Questions? Here’s Who to Contact
If you have questions about the Vision for Teaching and Learning or A Cardinal’s Journey, reach out to any of the these leaders based on your role or area of focus.
Dr. Jan Chynoweth Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning jchynoweth@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Dr. MaryBeth Paulisse Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment mpaulisse@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Chris Mand Director of Student Services cmand@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Mandi Sersch-Morstad Director of Multilingual Services msersch-morstad@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Kenneth Metz Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment kmetz@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
Cindy Malcheski Director of Special Education cmalcheski@mcpasd.k12.wi.us
You can also connect with your building principal or instructional coach for support specific to your school.
