Board Improvement Plan 2013-2016

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THEORY OF ACTION:
If we continue to use an asset based approach in our work with students and design effective
programming and interventions then student engagement (i.e. participation in sports and clubs, sense of belonging, attendance rates,
and intellectual focus) will be enhanced and increased levels of achievement will be evident.
SMART GOAL:
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY CULTURE AND CARING /
PATHWAYS
By June 2016, the number of positive assets, including spiritual
engagement, reported on the Tell Them from Me survey by Grade 7
and Grade 10 students will increase from 13.1 to 14 and from 11.1
to 12 respectively.
School Effectiveness indicators
2.5 Staff, students, parents and school community promote &
sustain student well-being and positive student behaviour in a safe,
accepting, inclusive and healthy Catholic learning environment.
3.1 The teaching and learning environment is inclusive promotes the
intellectual engagement of all students and reflects individual student
strengths, needs, learning preferences and cultural perspectives
according to each person’s dignity.
3.4 Students to demonstrate a wide range of transferable skills such
as teamwork, advocacy, leadership, global citizenship and witness to
Catholic Social Teaching.
5.4 Students build on in-school and out-of-school experiences
to further explore and reflect upon their interests, strengths and
education and career / life aspirations.
Targeted Evidence Based Strategies / Action for
INCREASING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Superintendents and Principals ensure that a whole school approach is used to engage all
school community members in developing and implementing practices that support safe,
accepting, equitable, inclusive, respectful, healthy learning environments which models
language and strategies reflecting a Catholic world view.
All Safe and Accepting School Teams develop Bullying Prevention and Intervention plans.
School staff implement Healthy School policies and programs.
K–12 Teachers collaborate to provide learning experiences that are clear, meaningful,
interesting and challenging, and include ongoing descriptive feedback and opportunities
for metacognition.
K–12 Teachers ensure that instruction is differentiated and curriculum materials, digital tools,
human and a range of resources support student abilities, interests, backgrounds and needs.
All Principals work with school teams to increase opportunities for students to participate
in peer leadership and social justice initiatives that allow for faith connections and foster
faith development.
First Nations, Métis, Inuit Lead develops self-identification strategies & resources.
Secondary School Principals establish Peer Mentoring programs in all secondary schools.
Secondary Principals ensure that SIPSA Teams include a minimum of 3 student members.
Student members must represent diverse needs backgrounds and interests; students give input
and respond to school improvement goals and strategies.
Student Success Lead and Pathways Team will develop strategies to:
Resources
Accepting and Inclusive Schools Resources
Canadian Education association research: What did you do in school
today?
Caring and Safe Schools Resources
• Strengthen FOS Cross Panel Team structures and processes that improve the transition
of students from elementary to secondary school.
• Increase awareness of available specialized programs (Co-operative Education, SHSM, dual
credit, apprenticeship, IB, AP and other program pathways) and opportunities (e.g. after
school programs) among elementary school staff, parents and intermediate students.
Community Care Access Centre
• Develop a communication tool to improve communication with students at the
system level.
Crown Ward Leadership Committees
• Utilize the students as researchers model at the secondary level.
Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools;
• Support student career / life planning through the development of an Individual Pathways
Plan (Gr. 7 - 12).
HCDSB Welcome Centres
Halton Police Services
Professional Learning
Halton Regional Health Services
Ministry of Child and Youth Services Ministry of Education Resources
on Safe and
MyBlueprint
Our Catholic Schools: A Framework for Reflection
• Chief Research Officer & Superintendent of Special Education coordinate system-wide
Developmental Assets Training and develop an understanding of the multidimensional
framework of student engagement.
• Mental Health Lead coordinates interdepartmental training on Mental Health Literacy.
Our Kids Network
• Equity and Inclusion Lead coordinates Equity and Inclusion Training.
Reach Out Centre for Kids
• Student Success Lead provides training of MyBlueprint, Tell Them From Me & Individual
Pathways Plans.
Student Success Initiatives
Tell Them From Me Survey
The SMART Goals and Strategies outlined in this Board Improvement Plan for Improving Student
Achievement and Wellbeing are based on a Comprehensive Needs Assessment, which can be accessed
at: www.hcdsb.org/Board/bip
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THEORY OF ACTION:
If we consistently implement evidence based assessment and instructional strategies that differentiate and
meet student learning needs in all subject areas and we engage students in the creation of learning goals, success criteria, descriptive feedback and
metacognition, then more students will be better able to access the curriculum. We will reduce the achievement gap between specific clusters of
students and increased levels of student achievement will be evident.
SMART Goal:
Literacy / Numeracy
Targeted Evidence Based Strategies /
Action for Action for REDUCING THE GAP
By June 2016, a) the gender gap on the EQAO Junior Assessment
of Writing will be reduced from 11 % to 3% and b) the gap for
students with Special Education Needs on the EQAO Junior
Assessment of Writing will be reduced from 32% to 28% through
a cross-curricular emphasis on topic development, organization
of ideas and metacognition.
Program Services Superintendents ensure that instructional coaching explicitly and intentionally
focuses on a tiered response to intervention approach which includes: Universal Design for
Learning, differentiated instruction, small group instruction, particularly Guided Reading and
Writing, and a tiered approach to prevention and intervention in all areas of program planning.
By June 2016, we will reduce the gap from 27% to 17% between
FTE Academic and Applied program students through a cross
curricular focus on higher order thinking skills in Reading and topic
development and organization of ideas in Writing.
School Effectiveness INDICATORS
1.4 During learning, timely, ongoing, descriptive feedback about
student progress is provided based on students’ actions and
co-constructed success criteria.
Principals will ensure that each school improvement plan will identify gaps and set and monitor
specific targets in achievement for specific clusters of students (i.e., boys, girls, First Nations
Métis, Inuit, English Language Learners, and students with Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals.
Teachers differentiate and adapt curriculum for English Language Learners and students
with Special Education needs.
Based on the analysis of student data, elementary teachers plan and implement instructional
pathways; secondary teachers develop and implement cross curricular Professional
Learning Cycles.
K–12 teachers establish high expectations combined with clearly articulated learning goals,
co-constructed success criteria, and timely descriptive feedback to scaffold student learning.
K–12 teachers involve students in assessing, tracking and setting goals for their own learning.
1.5 Students are explicitly taught and regularly use self-assessment
skills to monitor, improve and communicate their learning within
the context of the Ontario Catholic Curriculum, the Ontario Catholic
School Graduate Expectations and / or IEP.
Professional Learning
2.2 Processes and practices are designed to deepen content
knowledge and refine instruction to support student learning
and achievement.
Program Services and Student Success Superintendents assist K – 12 teachers in the
enhanced understanding and use of:
4.5 In recognition of each student’s dignity, instruction and
assessment are differentiated in response to student strengths,
needs and prior learning.
4.7 Timely and tiered interventions, supported by a team approach,
respond to individual student learning needs & well-being to develop
each student’s God-given potential.
Resources
HCDSB Core Program Resources including Principles of Practice
Ministry Documents including: Growing Success, Learning for All,
Me Read and How, Many Roots Many Voices, Adolescent Literacy
Guide / Alerts, Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6,
Volumes 1, 2, 6
• Differentiated Instruction in Writing.
• Response to Intervention approach to Instruction.
• Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools guidelines
in all subjects, with an emphasis on assessment FOR and AS learning, trigangulation of
data including observations, conversations, and student products, desciptive feedback
and co-constructon of learning goals and success criteria.
• Instructional Pathways / Professional Learning Cycles with a focus on Grade 9 and 10
Applied Teachers.
Special Education Superintendent supports:
• Attendance of Special Education staff at DI & LD Conference (2 days) & LD Complex Needs
Sessions at ASD / DD CARE Conference & Complex Needs.
• Release time to facilitate Secondary GLE SERTs in regular CLC Meetings and collaborative
inquiry.
Special Education team to use First Steps in Literacy, Canadian
Edition; When Readers Struggle, Teaching that Works
Paying Attention to Literacy LNS Monograph
Financial
Funds to support professional learning opportunities
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THEORY OF ACTION:
If we provide students with tasks which include critical thinking, real world problem solving, communication
and collaboration and students are connected using a variety of technologies, we should see enhanced student engagement, improved conceptual
understanding of literacy / numeracy skills and continuous improvement in student achievement.
SMART Goal:
Literacy / Numeracy
By the June 2016 EQAO assessment, there will be an increase:
a. From 80% to 85% of Primary and from 85% to 90% Junior students
who achieve the provincial standard in reading for meaning
expectations through an emphasis on extending understanding,
analyzing / evaluating texts & identifying
a point of view.
b. From 88% to 90% of Primary and from 85% to 90% Junior students
who achieve the provincial standard in Writing through a focus on
topic development and organizing ideas using a variety of writing
forms and styles.
c. From 80% to 85% of Primary and 72% to 80% Junior students
through an emphasis on solving and justifying solutions to openended tasks with precise supporting details particularly in Number
Sense & Numeration, Patterning and Geometry.
d. From 91% to 93% of students will achieve the provincial standard
in Academic Math and from 58% to 68% of students will achieve
the provincial standard in Applied Math through a focus on student
ability to justify their solutions to open-ended tasks with precise
supporting details, particularly in Proportional Reasoning, Geometry
and Measurement.
e. In ELL EQAO results by 5% across all categories.
School Effectiveness Indicators
2.4 Job-embedded and inquiry-based professional learning builds
Targeted Evidence Based Strategies /
Action To attain higher levels of achievement
Program Services Superintendents will implement Instructional Coaching Framework to enhance
understanding and the consistent use of expected HCDSB evidence-informed strategies
in all teaching and learning spaces.
Curriculum Services and Student Success Departments will assist K–12 teachers
in the enhanced understanding & use of:
• Mathematics tasks that include multi-strand problems and Mathematics process expectations.
• Manipulatives, concrete materials and technologies for investigating mathematical concepts.
• Three-part lessons: Before (Minds-On) —› During (Action) —› After (Consolidation)
to promote learning.
• Strategies identified in the HCDSB 21st Century Blueprint including:
»» Inquiry-based tasks that emphasize critical thinking, real world problem-solving,
communication, collaboration to develop a global perspective in content areas, where
appropriate.
»» Accountable student talk and active listening.
»» Meaningful integration of diverse technologies to support effective literacy
numeracy instruction.
»» Teaching through Big Ideas i.e. integrate Focus on Faith themes, catholic social teachings
and Catholic Graduate Expectations across the curriculum.
»» Instruction includes the ethical / legal use of information and communication technologies.
• ELL teaching and learning strategies across the curriculum.
capacity, informs instructional practice and contributes to a culture of
learning.
Professional Learning
4.2 In recognition of each student’s dignity, a clear emphasis
on high levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy is evident
throughout the school.
4.3 Teaching and learning in the 21st Century is collaborative, innovative
and creative within both a Catholic world view
and a global context.
4.4 Learning is deepened through authentic, relevant and meaningful
student inquiry.
Resources
Curriculum Services and Student Success Superintendents will support K to 12 staff and
school leadership participation in job-embedded professional learning opportunities with System
Staff developers (Program Services Consultants and itinerant Coaches, IT, Special Education
Resource Teachers and ELL Resource Teachers) will focus on the School Effectiveness
indicators with an emphasis on:
• Principles of Practice.
• Focus on Faith Themes and Questions / Catholic Graduate Expectations.
• Critical Thinking and Critical Literacy.
• Desire 2 Learn / Blended Learning Training / variety of learning technologies.
K–12 Ontario Curriculum Documents; Ministry Collaborative
Inquiry Projects
HCDSB 21st Century Blueprint; digital technologies
Growing Success; HCDSB Pre-approved Diagnostic Assessment List
HCDSB Principles of Practice; Our Catholic Schools Document
School Library Strategy and Information
Ontario Catholic Leadership Framework (2012)
HCDSB Program Services Resources e.g. Focus on Faith Grade Level
Themes;
• Inquiry based instruction particularly in Kindergarten and the Primary Division.
Program Services and Student Success Superintendents will support staff and school
leadership participation in:
• Collaborative teacher inquiry especially in Math and 21st Century teaching and
learning skills;
• Math Additional Qualification Course Part 1 to enhance content knowledge for teaching.
• Mathematics (P/J and Grade 7 & 8);
• Optional Afterschool workshops in numeracy, literacy and 21st Century teaching
and learning skills.
EQAO Educator resources OSSLT
Staff Development and Curriculum Services Superintendents will facilitate Leadership
learning about:
Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat resources; EduGAINS Website
a) Ontario Leadership Framework b) School Effectiveness Framework c) Learning Walks
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MONITORING
System Level
• Family of School Superintendent school visits in the fall, mid-year & spring will include:
»» meeting with administrators and SIPSA Team / Student Success Team to review progress of implementation of selected improvement plan strategies
»» discussion includes evidence of student learning
»» review progress of students, particularly those who are achieving below standard
»» learning walks with administration to observe strategies in practice in classroom settings
• Board personnel and school leaders observe implementation of strategies learned during coaching and co-planning sessions.
• Academic Council reviews aspects of BIPSA accompanied with evidence of implementation on a monthly basis as part of Academic Council.
• School Superintendents review Student Engagement & Student Achievement Data with Principals throughout year.
• Academic Superintendents share evidence of implementation of selected strategies and FOS student achievement data with Director.
• School Superintendents and Student Success Lead monitor implementation of safe equitable and inclusive education bullying prevention plans.
• School Superintendents and Superintendent, Faith Formation reviews implementation of Faith Formation Plans and that it is supported by a whole school approach
to creating a positive school climate.
• Mental Health Lead monitors the use of mental health resources and staff awareness of mental health resources.
• All School Improvement Plans are submitted to SEF Lead and respective School Superintendent by November 1, 2013; School Improvement Plans are reviewed
and feedback is provided to schools.
• School Improvement Plans are implemented, monitored, reviewed and revised in response to student learning needs submitted to SEF Lead and respective School
Superintendent by March 9, 2014.
• Academic Superintendents prepare and present scheduled outcome monitoring reports to Trustees.
• Director and Academic Superintendents prepare and present monitoring reports to Student Achievement Division Ministry Team in the fall and spring.
School Level
• All school teams engage in SEF School Self-Reflection Process 1x / term – September/ October and January / February (2x / year); submit SIPSA by November 7, 2014
& March 6, 2015.
• School teams identify and monitor progress of targeted student groups according to established checkpoints and timelines identified in the school improvement plans.
• Discuss the School Improvement Plan at staff, division, department and / or Catholic Professional Learning Community meetings.
• Plan professional learning based on current school and classroom data that indicate the most urgent student learning needs and on the selected actions / strategies
in the school improvement plans.
• Principals review Instructional Pathways / Professional to ensure that the Catholic Social Teachings / OCGE are embedded across the curriculum.
• Principals lead Learnng Walks/Instructional Rounds to observe instructional strategies and to look for evidence of the identified foci and student engagement.
Evaluation
On an annual basis, the following datasets will be used to study improved achievements and engagement as a measure of effective implementation:
• Report Card Data;
• EQAO – Reading, Writing and Math Achievement data; EQAO survey data reflects that increased use of manipulatives and technologies are evident in regular
teaching practice.
• Student Success Indicators including decline in credit accumulation between Gr. 9 and 10 and, increased Attendance and Graduation Rates.
• Tell Them From Me Student survey data.
• Increased number of students and teachers report increased access and experience with blended learning and use of technology in classrooms.
• Improved student achievement related to focus of instruction will be demonstrated in student work and class profile data.
• Qualitative research surveys indicate that professional learning has an impact on classroom practice.
Appreciation is extended to all Halton Catholic District School Board staff and students who gave of their time and talents to develop the 2013–2016 Board
Improvement Plan for Student Achievement and Well-Being.
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