{"id":19502,"date":"2020-05-19T16:51:32","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T16:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.xello.world\/blog\/maquoketa-high-school-virtual-learning\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:23:33","slug":"maquoketa-high-school-virtual-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.xello.world\/en-ca\/resources\/customer-stories\/maquoketa-high-school-virtual-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Maquoketa High School Gets a Future Readiness Boost and Administrative Efficiency with Xello"},"content":{"rendered":"

Administrative efficiency and future readiness learning is not on hold at Maquoketa High School\u2014even though school is.<\/h2>\n

When school counselors Julie Kinrade and Amanda Dewulf transitioned Maquoketa High School from Career Cruising to Xello last fall, they had no idea what a profound effect this decision would have in the spring.\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs the spread of coronavirus sent students home to learn remotely<\/a>, the counselors found themselves with an important tool to continue to engage students in future readiness activities and keep class scheduling on track.<\/span>
\nMaquoketa High School, located in Maquoketa, Iowa, officially closed on March 16. Kinrade and Dewulf had been in the middle of scheduling fall classes for all 500 students and registering 8<\/span>th<\/span> graders from neighboring schools.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cWe had to do all registration virtually and it was such a relief knowing that we didn\u2019t have to come up with another solution from scratch,\u201d says Dewulf.<\/span>
\nAll the information was already in Xello, so we didn\u2019t have to create a form and go through hundreds of responses. When I think about if we didn\u2019t have this and were doing it by hand somehow\u2026 it would be difficult.
\nThe counselors managed to register everyone for next year in the same timeline they would have had everyone been in school. In the process, Kinrade and Dewulf created opportunities to hold individual Zoom meetings with parents and students to go over course selections and their original four-year plans. <\/span>
\nWith everyone logged into a student\u2019s Xello account, they were able to have meaningful discussions about the short and long-term future of individual students. <\/span>
\n\u201cIt was great for parents to see which classes their child had planned, and we were able to update and change things too,\u201d says Kinrade.<\/span>
\nDewulf says this communication with parents allowed them to share more information than the usual newsletters they used when school was in session, facilitating meaningful family discussions. <\/span>
\nParents have definitely been able to see the value of Xello firsthand in a way that they probably wouldn\u2019t have if the school wasn\u2019t closed.
\n“I could see us offering a webinar-type Zoom session on Xello in the fall. It\u2019s one-stop shopping for future planning,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Xello fuels future readiness\u2014before and after school closures<\/b><\/h3>\n

When Maquoketa High School made the switch from Career Cruising to Xello in October, they noticed immediate benefits for future readiness preparation.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cThe juniors in particular were doing a lot of career research. They got more excited and engaged in Xello than they ever did before in Career Cruising. Doing things like the Matchmaker, personality and learning style quizzes and getting their 10 career matches and related careers really sparked their interest,\u201d says Kinrade.\u00a0<\/span>
\nNot wanting to lose momentum when Maquoketa transitioned to virtual learning, Kinrade quickly posted how-to videos in Google Classroom. The videos walked students through completing the course planner for next year and doing other future readiness activities in Xello.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cSome students set up Zoom meetings with us so we could share our screen and go through the course planner with them and talk it through,\u201d says Dewulf.\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe district policy is that all academic activities are voluntary from March 16 through the end of the school year. To keep future readiness top-of-mind for students, the counselors have assigned Xello lessons for each grade level as voluntary or enrichment opportunities.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cSometimes when students are sitting at home, they forget what they could be doing. We send out an email blast every week and sometimes we\u2019ll say, \u201cDon\u2019t forget about Xello!\u201d and include some of the features and visuals. We sent one out recently and we saw on the Xello dashboard that 36 kids popped in. That\u2019s been really neat to see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Free Guide: Unlock Strategies to Engage Your K-12 Students Remotely with Future Planning<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

The future of Xello at Maquoketa High School<\/b><\/h3>\n

Some of the important ways Kinrade and Dewulf are integrating Xello throughout the school, administratively and academically include:<\/span><\/p>\n