CA BOCES Success Stories
Stories of Success from School Districts and CA BOCES Instructional Support Services
 Recently, Cattaraugus County music teachers gathered for professional learning and I was invited to share how music standards align with the six elements of the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. At the end of this article is a link to my presentation, but for those who would like a brief overview, here it is:
Element 1 – Academically Prepared: Successfully playing or singing through a piece during practice and performing in front of an audience builds confidence and helps students manage anxiety. Continuing to play or sing despite mistakes strengthens resilience and learning how to receive feedback for continued improvement helps students focus on what they are personally responsible for, which contributes to stronger mental well-being. Element 2 – Creativity and Innovation: Music is inherently creative. Early learners can use body percussion to create rhythms through claps, stomps, or hand taps. Teachers can provide opportunities for students to explore creativity through a variety of instruments, technology, and nontraditional sound sources. A capstone project might include full song production (recording, editing, mixing, and basic mastering), film scoring, songwriting, or digital portfolios. Element 3 – Critical Thinking: In music, students analyze patterns, structure, and meaning, whether through decoding rhythm, interpreting lyrics, or composing. Ensemble work requires real-time problem-solving, such as adjusting tempo, tuning, and balance. This type of thinking is reflected in Stripling’s Model of Inquiry where investigation, analysis, reflection, and evaluation are essential components of the research process. Element 4 – Communication: Music is a language that communicates emotion, narrative, and cultural meaning through performance and composition. In collaboration with the school librarian and content-area teachers, students can analyze how authors and musicians tell stories, create playlists that represent characters or plot development, and explore cultural traditions through literature and music. Collaboration with social studies teachers can also highlight how music was used to communicate during key historical eras such as the Renaissance, Civil War, and Civil Rights Movement. Students also develop nonverbal communication skills by following a conductor or choral director. Element 5 – Global and Cultural Awareness: Music exposes students to traditions from around the world. Studying diverse genres and musical styles helps build understanding and appreciation. Exploring a variety of instruments (such as the sitar, bagpipe, and ukulele) and vocal traditions (such as zaghrouta) supports the development of global and cultural awareness. Element 6 – Reflective and Future-Focused: Band, orchestra, and chorus are built on collaboration. Students learn to listen, adapt, and contribute to a shared goal as part of an ensemble. Developing musical skills requires discipline, goal-setting, perseverance, and the ability to apply feedback for continuous improvement. These habits extend beyond the music classroom. Whether pursuing a skilled trade, higher education, a career, or personal goals, students carry the ability to collaborate, solve problems, remain committed to long-term objectives, and continue learning throughout their lives. Additionally, music performances, community concerts, and collaborative arts events connect students to their communities and demonstrate how music can contribute to civic life. These experiences foster engagement, build a sense of belonging, and can inspire students to pursue music-related careers. The session ended with four resources that ALL districts have access to through our Learning Resources page at resources.caboces.org: Fine Arts database via GALE (Articles on art history, music, drama, filmmaking, and related fields), Soundzabound (wide variety of royalty free music, audio themes, and sound effects for grades K-12 and universities), Clickview (13,000+ curated standards-aligned K-12 videos across all subjects, including some on music theory), and BOCES Collaborative Music Library which offers members access to a wide variety of music charts to borrow and participation in purchasing music for the collection. Not a member? Ask [email protected] how to become one! Feedback from the session was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers appreciated the practical framing, the relevance to their daily instruction, and the recognition of music as a core contributor to district-wide graduate expectations. Ultimately, the session affirmed a shared vision: music education is not separate from the Portrait of a Graduate, it is a vital pathway through it. To access the full presentation, click here: More Than a Performance By: Cece Fuoco, Senior Coordinator for School Library Services   In March, elementary students in Ellicottville stepped into the future of creativity and technology through Code.org’s Mix and Move with AI. This engaging activity blends coding, artificial intelligence, and dance, giving students the opportunity to choreograph routines powered by algorithms they design themselves. More than just a fun classroom experience, it reflects key elements of the New York State (NYS) Portrait of a Graduate, helping students build the skills and mindsets needed for success in a rapidly evolving world.
As students worked with Mix and Move with AI, they explored how simple code can control movement. Using block-based programming, they sequenced steps, tested outcomes, and refined their digital choreography. They also incorporated AI elements by using training models to recognize patterns and make decisions that influenced their characters and routines. The result was a unique blend of human creativity and machine learning, where each project became a personalized expression of both technical and artistic thinking. This work aligns closely with the NYS Portrait of a Graduate competency of being an Innovative Problem Solver. Students were challenged to think critically as they debugged code, adjusted movement sequences, and refined AI behaviors. When a routine didn’t perform as expected, they analyzed the issue, tested new approaches, and iterated—mirroring real-world engineering and design processes. In doing so, they experienced firsthand that failure is not an endpoint, but a step toward improvement. The activity also supported the Lifelong Learner mindset. Students engaged in self-directed exploration, experimenting with different coding strategies and AI inputs. The open-ended nature of the experience encouraged curiosity and persistence. Many students went beyond the basic requirements, adding complexity to their dances or exploring new features simply because they were motivated to learn more. By integrating coding and AI with art and music, Mix and Move with AI offers a strong example of how technology education connects to the NYS Portrait of a Graduate. It prepares students not just to use technology, but to think critically, create, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them. By: Rob Griffith, Senior Coordinator for Curriculum and Professional Development  Image of NY's Portrait of a Graduate model. On Friday, March 20, regional administrators gathered to discuss, share, and brainstorm ideas related to the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. The state is currently in Phase 1 of this work, which focuses on preparation— including training, curriculum alignment, and the development of tools for professional learning and stakeholder engagement.
The Portrait is a cornerstone of a broader initiative known as New York Inspires, which includes four major shifts:
The Portrait emphasizes culturally responsive-sustaining education, ensuring students are prepared for careers, college, and civic life. Much of the conversation centered on identifying current practices that already align with this vision and building from those strengths to expand student and teacher agency. While this was not a NYSED-sponsored event, it provided a valuable opportunity for regional collaboration. Districts discussed next steps, including forming stakeholder teams and conducting assessment surveys to gather information on both formative and summative practices. There is interest in offering this session again in the fall. If your district was unable to attend or send a team, be sure to check our CA BOCES Registration System for future opportunities. By: Sarah Cartmill, Coordinator for Curriculum and Professional Development   MathLink Cubes and Numberblocks I was invited to work with the PreK Collaborative Learning Community and at our session in January, we put our heads together to develop new kits for the warehouse. The teachers had already been working with Science Everywhere, which is a New York State initiative to foster and emphasize the importance of Inquiry-Based Learning. The initiative seeks to foster a love for science and nature in young children through hands-on learning experiences. Indeed, we already have a Science Everywhere kit available on our Insignia page.
To expand that initiative and involve more subject areas, the PreK teachers began to develop ideas for new kits that involve another New York State initiative; play-based learning. Two of the kits that were proposed were fairly easy lifts, and are now on the shelves, ready to be booked: Games That Teach and Hand2Mind Number Routines. We’re excited to add them to our warehouse shelves, especially because both align beautifully with the NYS Portrait of a Graduate as well as play-based learning. The New York State Portrait of a Graduate defines the attributes students should demonstrate by the time they graduate: Academically Prepared, Creative Innovator, Critical Thinker, Effective Communicator, Global Citizen, and Reflective & Future-Focused, all grounded in culturally responsive and inclusive practice. Games That Teach align with these goals in several ways, some of which are:
In Addition, Hand2Mind Number Routines supports Critical Thinker & Creative Innovator. Hand2Mind routines, such as "What’s Missing" and "Guess My Number," encourage students to analyze information, evaluate evidence, and think flexibly about numbers. This resource also supports Effective Communicator. The routines are designed to promote mathematical discourse, where students share and justify their strategies. This practice aligns with the NYS goal of students articulating ideas clearly and engaging in active listening. We are excited to support our teachers and our districts as they encourage play to meet the Portrait of a Graduate attributes. Please check out our Insignia page to book these new kits! By: Alexandra Freer, Coordinator for Digital Resources and Technology  At our most recent Summer Tech Camp, presenter Laurie Guyon highlighted a variety of engaging tools. Some connected directly to the Computer Science and Digital Fluency (CSDF) Standards, while others supported play-based learning. Although many of these resources were already available in our warehouse, one notable exception was Clixo. Clixo is an innovative, creative tool for kids to click and construct 3D creations from flexible 2D shapes and powerful magnets. The pieces fit in your hand and can be bent and connect in many different ways. We’re excited to add it to our warehouse shelves, especially because it aligns beautifully with the New York State Portrait of a Graduate. The New York State Portrait of a Graduate defines the attributes students should demonstrate by the time they graduate: Academically Prepared, Creative Innovator, Critical Thinker, Effective Communicator, Global Citizen, and Reflective & Future-Focused, all grounded in culturally responsive and inclusive practice. Clixo’s learning experiences can align with these goals in several ways: Creative Innovator: Clixo’s open-ended design encourages students to invent, test, and revise original structures, which builds creativity and innovation—core aspects of the Portrait’s vision. Critical Thinker: Students must plan, experiment, and troubleshoot while building, which fosters analytical thinking and problem-solving behaviors that mirror the Portrait’s emphasis on thoughtful decision-making. Effective Communicator: Collaborative builds, discussions about design, and shared project presentations help strengthen communication and teamwork skills, echoing the Portrait’s call for clear expression and active listening. Designed for hands-on learning across K–12 settings, the Clixo kit supports STEAM education by strengthening critical thinking, spatial reasoning, collaboration, and fine motor skills. Ideal for schools, libraries, maker spaces, workshops, and group learning environments across grade levels. Hop on Insignia and book Clixo today!! By: Alexandra Freer, Digital Resources & Technology Coordinator  In this episode of CA Today, we sit down with Tim Cox, Deputy Superintendent of Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES (CABOCES) and Tim Clarke, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Support Services of CABOCES, to dive into the upcoming changes to graduation requirements and the creation of the "Portrait of a Graduate".
We explore how the "Portrait of a Graduate" aims to shift graduation requirements away from traditional exams and credits, focusing instead on the essential skills and competencies students need to succeed in life beyond high school. From culturally responsive education to hands-on learning experiences like capstone projects and community service, Tim shares how the new vision will shape students’ educational journeys and better prepare them for their futures. If you like this episode, please subscribe so you can listen to more! |
Our TeamStories come from school districts within the CA BOCES region and are authored by our Instructional Support Services Team. Archives
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