Why the School District of Osceola County Chose Xello to Empower their Students to Become Future Ready
The Challenge
The School District of Osceola County is intent on ensuring their students find appropriate pathways that set them up for success when they finish high school.
In fact, one of the district’s goals includes ensuring 100% of their students graduate with a confirmed postsecondary plan, enabling them to be ready for the next phase of their life.
Anthony Cook, coordinator of College and Career Counseling at the School District of Osceola County, said a platform that put the student experience first and addressed life skills learning was at the top of the list when they were choosing a future readiness solution.
District
Location
Problem
Solution
The Solution
From the very beginning, Xello was a front-runner that offered everything the Osecola team was looking for in a college and career readiness tool.
“When our focus group was evaluating programs, what really jumped out about Xello was the student component. The platform is very student-driven, modern, and intuitive. Ease of access and usage was also a really big thing that stood out for us,” said Cook.
The Osceola team noted Xello’s custom lessons that empower students to engage in self-exploration and planning and encourages them to record and reflect on their skills and interests.
“With the custom lessons, students are not just checking off boxes but are truly immersed in self-exploration, answering questions and diving deeper to reflect on their own interests.”
They were also interested in the life skills learning components of Xello.
“As counselors, we love that there are both life skills and college and career components in Xello because we know that life skills is so important to the overall health of a student.”
The Results
Almost immediately, Xello became a tool students and counselors could use to make those important future readiness plans.
Cook appreciates that the Xello platform operates as a one-stop shop for meeting students’ college needs. He can now direct students with questions like, “Where can I go for scholarships?”, “How can I register for SAT and ACT”, and “How can I search for colleges?” straight to the Xello platform.
“That’s important because there are so many options out there for students, and we want to be able to direct them as much as possible to one place,” said Cook.
With life skills and college and career readiness available in one platform, the district is now able to bridge the gap between school counselors and college and career counselors.
“For us, whether it is high school, middle school, or elementary, if the counselors have anything that’s life skills related, they’re head over heels about it. Having that life skills component within a platform like Xello was really important to us.”
Even when the district was forced to switch to virtual learning in March 2020, Xello continued to be a tool that all students and counselors could use to further future readiness plans and learning.
“Even… in a virtual setting… the Xello lessons are so intuitive and already built into the ELA curriculum unit plans.”
With Xello’s engaging lessons and a full suite of elements for Grades K-12, the School District of Osceola County has a partner that can support them in their quest to ensure their students are future ready.
That was the Osceola County School District’s success story—now it’s time to write yours. Learn how Xello can help students at your district get college and career ready. Book My Demo
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