What Does It Mean to Be an Agentic Student?
By Nahomy Mendez, Energy Convertors x Lodestar Fellow
Being an Agentic Student
My reaction to being called an agentic student would be shock and a bit of confusion. I do not know what that is or what it would mean to be an agentic student. I am not sure what powers I would have.
What Power I Have
The only thing I could think of is having power over my academic decisions and agency. What I mean by this is taking responsibility for my actions, for example, my decisions on the work I do and the work I do not do. I cannot think of any other power a student could have or what type of power an agentic student could have.
A-G Requirements
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For right now, I am not sure if I am on track to complete A-G requirements or even what they are altogether. I had just figured out what they were a few days ago, and I had only been told I was on track as a 9th grader. I do not know my reading level, but I do know my proficiency level in each class. As of now, I only know where I was in my reading since the last time we tested. The person I could go to if I were wondering these things is my crew leader, as he would have that sort of information.
The Problem
There is a problem with the information students know. Students should know whether or not they are on track to complete their A-G requirements. They should know why and how they can find out if they are on track, so they can determine whether they can do anything to change that and take control of their academics. Students should also know what A-G requirements are. Some might already know what they are and how they affect them, while others do not. Along with that, students should know their reading level and their proficiency level in each class.
A lot of people might know what each thing means, myself included. However, these are important things students should know. For example, being an agentic student means being engaged and active, taking initiative in their education, and going above and beyond to shape their learning experience.
A-G requirements determine whether or not you are on track to graduate with your A-G. This means taking four years of English, three years of math, two years of laboratory science, two years of a language other than Spanish, one year of visual and performing arts, and finally one year of electives or college preparatory electives. Along with these things, you should have a C or above in every class and a minimum GPA of 3.0. For your proficiency level in each class, that means your current grade in a class, or in this case, every class.
What can students do?
To see how many students really know whether they are on track to complete their A-G requirements, we can send out a survey. We can ask them whether they know, and how many do and how many do not. We can also ask whether they know their reading level or their proficiency level in each class.
Overall, this is something schools should work on, and it's something each student should know. One thing that students can do, however, is ask someone they know who can answer these questions, such as their crew leader or a counselor.
