FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – As graduation season begins, the Fort Bend Independent School District says it is introducing new technology aimed at making one of the biggest moments of a student’s academic career more personal and accurate.
The district announced this year’s graduation ceremonies will incorporate a name pronunciation platform designed to help ensure students’ names are announced correctly as they walk across the stage.
Fort Bend ISD says the platform allows graduating seniors to record the pronunciation of their own names ahead of commencement. During the ceremony, the system then automates the name-calling process using the student-provided pronunciation.
District leaders say the move reflects the district’s diversity and its effort to make students feel recognized and respected during graduation ceremonies.
“As one of the most diverse school districts in the nation, Fort Bend ISD is committed to ensuring every student feels respected, valued, and recognized with dignity,” the district said in a statement. “Correctly pronouncing a student’s name is an important part of honoring their identity and celebrating their achievements alongside family, friends, and classmates,” said a district spokesperson.
According to the district website, more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken in the school community.
The district says the technology is becoming more common at colleges and universities across the country, and vendors report more K-12 districts are beginning to adopt similar systems for high school graduations as well.
Plano Independent School District in the Dallas area will also be using similar name pronunciation technology during graduation ceremonies to help ensure students’ names are read accurately, according to WFAA.
Fort Bend ISD emphasized that graduation ceremonies will still be led by campus and district staff, with the technology serving as a tool to assist with pronunciation accuracy.
The platform will be used during all 12 Fort Bend ISD graduation ceremonies this year.