St. Paul`s Catholic Elementary School

Transcription

Schools on the Move
Les écoles en action
LIGHTHOUSE PROGRAM • PROGRAMME
2007
PHARE
Table of Contents
Table des matières
Message, Dr Avis E. Glaze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Phase 1 Schools on the Move: Moving into the Future
Les écoles en action – Phase 1 Dans la voie du succès . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Phase 2 Schools on the Move: School Profiles
Les écoles en action – Phase 2 Profils
Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School • Ottawa-Carleton District School Board . . . . . 16
Arthur Ford Public School • Thames Valley District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Beverly Central School • Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Blessed Margherita of Citta Castello • Toronto Catholic District School Board . . . . . . 22
Centennial Middle School • Halton District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Copper Cliff Public School • Rainbow District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dorset Drive Public School • Peel District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
École élémentaire catholique Georges-Étienne-Cartier •
Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Félicité •
Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
École élémentaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau •
Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
École élémentaire publique Madeleine-de-Roybon •
Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
École élémentaire Ste-Anne • Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
École publique Jean-Éthier-Blais •
Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
F. H. Huffman Public School • Rainy River District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Fitch Street Primary School • District School Board of Niagara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Greenwood Public School • Algoma District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Highland Public School • Waterloo Region District School Board
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School •
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Janet Lee Public School • Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Schools on the Move: Lighthouse Program • Les écoles en action : programme phare
Levi Creek Public School • Peel District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Maryborough Public School • Upper Grand District School Board
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Oak Ridges Public School • York Region District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Oakwood Public School • Halton District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Elementary School •
Niagara Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Pierre Laporte Middle School • Toronto District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Pope John Paul II Catholic Elementary School •
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Randall Public School • York Region District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Sacred Heart Separate School • Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board
. . . . . 70
St. Andrew Catholic School • Halton Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
St. Helen Catholic School • Toronto Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
St. Joachim Catholic School • Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . 76
St. John’s Catholic Elementary School •
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
St. Mark School • Halton Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
St. Matthew Catholic School • Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . 82
St. Michael Catholic School • St. Clair District School Board
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School • Waterloo Catholic District School Board . . . 86
St. Paul’s Catholic Elementary School • Peterborough Victoria Northumberland
and Clarington Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
St. Theresa School • Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . 90
St. Thomas More Catholic School •
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
St. Vincent Euphrasia Elementary School • Bluewater District School Board
. . . . . . . 94
Sunderland Public School • Durham District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Victoria Park Elementary School • Toronto District School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
What Can We Learn from Schools on the Move?
Quelles leçons pouvons-nous tirer des écoles en action? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Staying the Course
Maintenir le cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Message
Over the last three years, the Literacy and Numeracy
Secretariat has implemented a number of initiatives to raise
student achievement in Ontario schools. The work continues
to be energized by its moral purpose – that of providing
the best possible education for students and enhancing
their life chances.
Au cours des trois dernières années, le Secrétariat de la littératie et
de la numératie a mis en œuvre plusieurs initiatives clés dans le but
d’améliorer le rendement des élèves dans les écoles de l’Ontario.
Le dynamisme constant de notre travail est principalement attribuable
à l’objectif éminemment moral que nous nous sommes fixé – fournir
aux élèves le meilleur enseignement qui soit et ainsi améliorer leurs
perspectives d’avenir.
When we established The Secretariat, we hired a skilled
and dedicated team of curriculum and instructional leaders
to work with teachers, principals, and supervisory officers
to improve our publicly funded education system. As a team,
we focused on creating a work culture that pays attention
to the human side of the enterprise. We stressed high
expectations in a learning culture characterized by innovation
and creativity. We reached out to our many stakeholders
and focused on results through capacity building and
strategy implementation.
Lors de la formation du Secrétariat, une équipe de leaders émérites et
dévoués du domaine du curriculum et de la pédagogie ont été rassemblés
afin de travailler avec les personnels enseignants, les directions d’école
et les surintendances dans le but d’améliorer notre système scolaire
financé par les fonds publics. En tant qu’équipe, nous avons ciblé nos
efforts pour créer une culture de travail positive ayant des attentes
élevées et sensible à la dimension humaine de l’entreprise. Nous avons
insisté sur des attentes élevées dans le cadre d’une culture d’apprentissage qui se démarque par l’innovation et la créativité. Nous avons
rejoint nos nombreux intervenants et cultivé une orientation fortement
axée sur les résultats, une attention concentrée sur l’accroissement
des capacités et de la mise en œuvre de stratégies.
The initial task was to establish credibility in the field and
work collaboratively with school districts to set ambitious
targets, support board-identified projects, build capacity, and
engender a sense of urgency to improve student achievement.
In our first year, we affirmed successes in Ontario schools,
built good will, and eschewed a one size fits all philosophy
in our efforts to validate and affirm local needs and conditions. We acknowledged strengths while identifying areas
for growth and professional development. We said that
business as usual would not bring about the results we
wanted to achieve collaboratively.
In the next year, we streamlined our approach. We supported
initiatives within a narrower band of strategies and reinforced
our commitment to research, evidence-based inquiry, and
data-informed decision making. Our primary focus was on
capacity building and equity of outcome, highlighting the
need to raise the bar for student achievement and focusing
on strategies to close the achievement gap.
We are now moving forward, with greater precision to
sharpen our focus. In this phase of our work, student
achievement data are being used extensively to focus
effort on underachieving schools and boards. Using such
initiatives as Schools on the Move, The Secretariat has
shared successful practices across and within districts.
We have ensured that regional, board, and school
implementation teams are in place. Monitoring progress
and capacity building continues to be a priority.
4
La tâche initiale des agentes et agents du rendement des élèves du
Secrétariat était d’établir un climat de crédibilité dans le domaine et
de collaborer avec les conseils scolaires pour établir des objectifs
ambitieux, appuyer les projets développés par les conseils, encourager
l’accroissement des capacités et mettre en évidence le caractère
d’urgence entourant l’amélioration du rendement des élèves. Au cours
de notre première année, nous avons affirmé les réussites des écoles
de l’Ontario, renforcé l’esprit de bonne volonté et avons évité la mise
en pratique d’une philosophie unique dans le cadre des efforts que nous
avons investis afin de valider et d’affirmer les besoins et les conditions
spécifiques de chaque région. Nous avons identifié les points forts et
cerné les domaines de croissance et de développement professionnel.
Nous avons affirmé que le maintien de l’approche habituelle n’entraînerait pas les résultats que nous souhaitions atteindre collectivement.
Au cours de l’année suivante, nous avons simplifié notre approche.
Nous avons appuyé des initiatives couvrant un spectre plus étroit de
stratégies et avons renforcé notre engagement envers la recherche,
l’analyse basée sur des preuves et la prise de décisions fondées sur
des données probantes. Au cours de cette deuxième phase, nous avons
décidé d’accorder la priorité à l’accroissement des capacités et à l’équité
des résultats; nous avons également souligné l’importance de hausser
la barre du rendement des élèves et de cibler nos efforts sur des
stratégies visant à réduire l’écart de rendement.
Nous poursuivons maintenant notre travail avec plus de précision et
d’intentionnalité afin de mieux cibler nos efforts. Au cours de cette
phase de notre travail, les données relatives au rendement des élèves
ont été largement utilisées afin de mieux cibler nos efforts envers les
écoles et les conseils sous-performants. C’est au moyen d’initiatives
telles que Les écoles en action que le Secrétariat a réussi à partager
Schools on the Move are a catalyst in demonstrating that high
levels of achievement are possible. With your assistance, we
will redouble our efforts to create an even more supportive
climate to increase capacity for goal achievement.
les pratiques réussies au sein des conseils scolaires et entre ceux-ci.
Nous avons veillé à mettre en place des équipes de mise en œuvre
dans les régions, les conseils et les écoles. La surveillance des progrès
réalisés et l’accroissement des capacités demeurent une priorité.
We are confident that together we will achieve our goal
with a focus on innovation, capacity building, greater
precision, and high-yield, research-informed strategies.
Les écoles en action agissent en tant qu’élément catalyseur et
démontrent qu’il est possible d’atteindre des niveaux de rendement
élevés. Avec votre appui, nous redoublerons nos efforts afin de créer
un climat propice pour accroître les capacités qui nous aideront à
atteindre notre objectif.
We thank everyone who works in our schools, and salute
those in our Schools on the Move program.
You are making a difference. Let’s stay the course.
Dr. Avis E. Glaze is the Chief Student Achievement Officer
of Ontario and CEO, The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.
Nous sommes confiants qu’ensemble nous réussirons à atteindre notre
objectif en ciblant notre attention sur l’innovation, l’accroissement des
capacités, plus de précision ainsi que sur les stratégies à rendement
élevé fondées sur la recherche.
Nous remercions toutes les intervenantes et tous les intervenants
qui travaillent dans nos écoles et saluons particulièrement tous les
participants du programme Les écoles en action.
Vous faites une différence. Maintenons le cap.
Dr Avis E. Glaze
Directrice générale du rendement des élèves de l’Ontario et
Directrice générale du Secrétariat de la littératie et de la numératie
5
Introduction
Schools on the Move: Lighthouse Program, an initiative of
Ontario’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, was launched
in 2006 to celebrate and connect schools that are making
significant and sustained progress in student achievement.
The central idea of the program is “schools learning from
other schools”. In the first year, 23 Schools on the Move
were identified; this year, another 42 have joined the group
to engage in lateral capacity building. Reflecting the rich
diversity of Ontario, schools are from all parts of the province,
from public and Catholic districts, in French- and Englishlanguage systems, and set in all types of communities.
Le lancement de l’initiative Les écoles en action : programme phare
du Secrétariat de la littératie et de la numératie de l’Ontario a été
effectué en 2006 dans le but d’honorer et de relier les écoles qui ont
réalisé des progrès significatifs et soutenus au chapitre du rendement
des élèves. L’idée centrale du programme est « des écoles apprenant
d’autres écoles ». Au cours de la première année, 23 écoles en action
ont été choisies; cette année 42 écoles se sont jointes au groupe afin
de contribuer à l’accroissement latéral des capacités. Ces écoles sont
situées aux quatre coins de la province et reflètent la riche diversité
de l’Ontario; elles font partie de conseils scolaires publics et de conseils
scolaires catholiques de langue française et de langue anglaise et
sont établies dans des communautés diverses.
This booklet presents brief profiles of each newly recognized
school, along with contact details. It also revisits the schools
profiled last year, focusing on their goals for moving forward.
The profiles will interest all those in Ontario who share
a commitment to providing the best possible learning
environment for all students – support staff, teachers,
principals, parents, trustees, supervisory officers, and
directors of education as well as the broader community.
La présente brochure dresse un bref profil de chacune des écoles nouvellement identifiées et fournit leurs coordonnées. Elle inclut également
les objectifs devant encourager la progression des écoles dont le profil
a été établi l’année dernière. Ces profils sauront intéresser toutes les
intervenantes et les intervenants de l’Ontario qui partagent le même
engagement à fournir le meilleur environnement d’apprentissage qui
soit à tous les élèves – le personnel enseignant, les directions d’écoles,
les parents, les conseillères et les conseillers scolaires, les agentes
et les agents de supervision, les directions de l’éducation ainsi que
l’ensemble de la communauté.
What is a School on the Move?
Schools on the Move are exciting places for children and
teachers, not just because everyone is learning but also
because staff members understand and can describe the
practices and strategies that make a difference to their
learning as well as to their students’ learning.
Criteria
■ Demonstrated improvement in EQAO scores in reading,
writing, and mathematics in both Grades 3 and 6
■ Ability of staff to articulate the strategies used to
improve student achievement
■ Ability of staff to provide classroom evidence of
student achievement growth
■ Strategies supported by research evidence
Schools on the Move are schools where improvement in
student learning is substantial and sustained, and where
principals and teachers are using sound, evidence-based
strategies for making sure that all students learn. Schools
on the Move demonstrate improvement in EQAO scores in
reading, writing, and mathematics in both Grades 3 and 6,
with some schools achieving impressively large gains.
Student Achievement Officers from The Literacy and
Numeracy Secretariat visited every school to meet with
administrators and teachers who described the strategies they
used to achieve improvements in learning. These strategies
6
Critères
■ Améliorations manifestes des résultats aux évaluations de
l’OQRE de 3e et 6e années en lecture, en écriture et en
mathématiques
■ Habileté éprouvée du personnel à articuler les stratégies qui
ont été utilisées pour améliorer le rendement des élèves
■ Habileté éprouvée du personnel de démontrer une amélioration du rendement des élèves dans le contexte de la salle
de classe
■ Stratégies basées sur la recherche
Qu’est-ce qu’une école en action ?
Les écoles en action offrent des milieux stimulants aux enfants et au
personnel enseignant non seulement parce que tout le monde y apprend
mais aussi parce que les membres du personnel comprennent et savent
décrire les pratiques et les stratégies qui font une différence dans
leur apprentissage ainsi que dans l’apprentissage de leurs élèves.
Les écoles en action sont des milieux où sont réalisées des améliorations
importantes et continues dans le domaine de l’apprentissage des élèves,
et où les directions d’école et les membres du personnel enseignant
utilisent des stratégies éclairées et basées sur la recherche dans le but
d’assurer l’apprentissage de tous les élèves. Les écoles en action ont
amélioré leurs résultats aux évaluations de l’OQRE de 3e et 6e années
en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques et certaines d’entre elles
ont même réussi à obtenir de remarquables résultats.
Les agentes et les agents du rendement des élèves ont rencontré les
administrations et le personnel enseignant de chaque école afin de
connaître les stratégies qu’ils ont utilisé pour améliorer l’apprentissage.
were supported by research evidence from Ontario and
beyond, although the details of implementation were always
shaped by the context of each school.
Ces stratégies étaient basées sur des données probantes recueillies
en Ontario ainsi qu’à l’extérieur de la province; les détails de la mise en
œuvre étaient toutefois adaptés au contexte individuel de chaque école.
What’s involved for the Schools on the Move?
Quelles sont les implications pour les écoles
en action?
The Schools on the Move profiled in this booklet join their
counterparts in a powerful network across the province
launched at the first annual Schools on the Move Forum
in 2006. In this year’s forum, 450 educators, including
superintendents, principals, and teachers, from both
Phase 1 and Phase 2 schools, met on June 4 and 5, 2007.
Phase 1 schools shared lessons learned. All Schools on
the Move teams began identifying and communicating
effective strategies for outreach and networking.
Les écoles en action dont les profils figurent dans cette brochure viennent
se joindre à leurs homologues d’un puissant réseau à l’échelle de la
province qui a été lancé lors du premier colloque annuel des écoles
en action en 2006. Quatre cent cinquante pédagogues incluant des
surintendances, des directions d’école ainsi que des membres du personnel enseignant des écoles de la Phase 1 et 2, se sont rencontrés dans
le cadre du colloque de cette année qui s’est déroulé les 4 et 5 juin. Les
écoles de la Phase 1 ont partagé les leçons qu’elles ont apprises. Toutes
les équipes des écoles en action ont commencé à identifier et à communiquer les stratégies efficaces pour la sensibilisation et le réseautage.
The intention is that schools in the network will connect
with each other and with other schools, sharing successful
practices and continuing the learning journey. Schools on the
Move reach out in a variety of ways both to nurture existing
relationships (within families of schools) and to cultivate new
ones. Along with presenting at conferences and gatherings of
educators, they welcome school teams, anticipating that
both hosts and visitors will learn from the experience.
Les écoles du réseau cherchent à établir des liens entre elles et avec
les autres écoles, à partager leurs pratiques réussies et à poursuivre
leur cheminement d’apprentissage. Les écoles en action s’emploient
par diverses façons à soutenir les relations déjà existantes (au sein des
familles d’écoles) et à en créer de nouvelles. En plus de donner des
présentations lors de colloques et de rencontres entre les pédagogues,
elles accueillent les équipes des autres écoles et offrent ainsi l’opportunité aux intervenantes et aux intervenants des deux écoles de tirer
profit de leur expérience.
School Profiles
Profils des écoles
The purpose of the Schools on the Move booklet is to
provide information that might help school teams see
a meaningful connection to their focus and work.
L’objectif de la brochure Les écoles en action 2007 est de fournir de
l’information en mesure d’aider les équipes d’écoles à déceler des
liens significatifs entre leurs objectifs et leurs efforts.
All the profiles follow the same format, with student art
bringing alive the two pages devoted to each school. An
introduction to the school and its community context is
followed by the approach and philosophy of the school, as
articulated by staff, parents, and students. A report on EQAO
scores gives an indication of the improvement achieved by
the school from 2003–04 to 2005–06. The section on raising
the bar and closing the gap gives more detail on the strategies
used to raise achievement, particularly for groups who are not
learning as well as their peers. Each school indicates what
they can share with other schools, what they hope to learn
from others, and finally, their ideas for moving into the future.
Les dessins des élèves égayent les deux pages dédiées à chaque école
et tous les profils suivent le même modèle. La présentation de l’école
ainsi que celle de son contexte communautaire est suivie de l’approche
et de la philosophie de l’école, tel qu’énoncées par le personnel, les
parents et les élèves. Un rapport détaillant les résultats que l’école a
obtenu aux évaluations de l’OQRE présente les améliorations qu’elle a
réalisées de 2003-2004 à 2005-2006. La section relatives aux méthodes
visant à hausser la barre et à réduire l’écart de rendement fournit des
détails supplémentaires relatifs aux stratégies que les administrations
d’école et les enseignants ont utilisées pour améliorer le rendement et,
tout particulièrement, pour accroître l’apprentissage des groupes
d’enfants qui ne sont pas en mesure d’apprendre aussi bien que leurs
pairs. Chacune des écoles présente ce qu’elle a appris, ce qu’elle s’attend
à apprendre des autres et ses idées en ce qui a trait à l’avenir.
An invitation …
Une invitation …
Schools on the Move represent the many schools in Ontario
with the qualities described in this booklet. Ideally, the stories
recounted here will inspire readers to reflect on their own
school communities and to join the momentum in Ontario
schools to improve student learning.
Les écoles en action représentent les nombreuses écoles de l’Ontario
qui possèdent les caractéristiques décrites dans cette brochure. Il est
à espérer que les anecdotes relatées dans cette brochure réussiront à
encourager les lecteurs à réfléchir au sujet de leurs propres communautés
d’écoles et qu’elles les inciteront à contribuer à l’élan que connaissent
les écoles de l’Ontario afin d’améliorer le rendement des élèves.
7
Phase 1 Schools on the Move
Moving into the Future
Les écoles en action – Phase 1 Dans la voie du succès
The Schools on the Move initiative was launched in 2006, with 20 plus Phase 1 schools. These schools were
profiled in a booklet published last year (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/schoolMove.html).
Below is a thumbnail sketch of their goals for continuing improvement and updated contact information.
Arthur Public School • Arthur, Ontario
Upper Grand District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Rhonda Gingrich
Phone: 519-848-3793
Email: [email protected]
Postal Code: N0G 1A0
• Further the understanding and use of common assessments within divisions throughout
the school to inform instruction for student success
• Continue to foster a climate of parental and community engagement focusing on literacy
and numeracy improvement
• Extend the PLC approach with a focus on differentiated instruction
• Continue to refine and expand the use of data walls
Cardinal Newman Catholic Elementary School • Brampton, Ontario
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Fred Albi
Phone: 905-792-2268
Postal Code: L6T 1X1
• Partner with new Schools on the Move in Dufferin-Peel Catholic to develop a
framework for sharing promising instructional practices
• Continue to focus on using data to drive instruction
• Provide time for teachers to plan together
• Continue to partner with the neighbouring schools that have visited our school
• Partner teachers from the same grade levels to study and work together
Don Mills Middle School • North York, Ontario
Toronto District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Doug Loosemore
Phone: 416-395-2320
Postal Code: M3C 1X6
• Continue to strive for excellence for all of our students and demonstrate our firm
belief that we have a shared responsibility for student learning
• Continue school focus on data tracking and interpretation of results to guide teaching
• Continue to explore and develop ways to use available data to make a difference for
at-risk students
• Continue to expand and strengthen the library program
• Further the collaborative partnerships with the teacher-librarians and classroom teachers
in order to improve instruction on developing students’ research skills
• Work as grade teams to outline strategies that target at-risk students
8
École élémentaire catholique St-Denis • Sudbury Ontario
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directeur : Paul E. Henry
Téléphone : 705 675-1201
Courriel : [email protected]
Code postal : P3E 1S3
• Alimenter le site web de l’école sous la rubrique « école en action » en y rajoutant
des pratiques réussies des enseignants en matière de littératie et numératie
• Poursuite de notre recherche en action (année 2) en ce qui comporte le projet
« la technologie et les cercles de lecture » (étude comparative entre les garçons
et les filles en matière de lecture)
• Nouvelle initiative et partenariat entre une agence locale, l’école et le département de
EED en matière de conceptualiser des ressources en littératie (banque de ressources,
textes écrits, etc...) en lien avec le langage d’amitié pour des élèves ayant des besoins
particuliers ou des élèves à risque
• Poursuivre l’initiative d’implanter la trousse GB+ dans la majorité de nos salles de classe
Georges Vanier Catholic School • Kanata, Ontario
Ottawa-Carleton Catholic District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Marcia Lynch
Phone: 613-592-4371
Postal Code: K2K 1G5
• Develop a mathematical literacy plan focusing on teaching and learning through
problem solving
• Continue to support teacher learning by providing opportunities for teachers to meet,
share, discuss, and refine successful teaching practices
• Develop an early literacy intervention plan for at-risk students involving community
and staff
Grey Owl Junior Public School • Scarborough, Ontario
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Liz Holder
Phone: 416-396-6290
Postal Code: M1B 1M4
• Continue to strive for excellence for all staff and students
• Expand our professional learning community and refine our use of data to focus on
appropriate interventions for all students
• Demonstrate our firm belief that we have a shared responsibility for student learning
9
H.J. Alexander Community School • York, Ontario
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Tony Ricchetti
Phone: 416-394-2359
Postal Code: M9N 1K9
• Continue to provide students with diverse opportunities to become independent
lifelong learners and global citizens
• Utilize common assessment tools to track student growth, plan focused instruction,
and provide interventions
• Use information technology to enhance and differentiate student learning
Holy Cross Catholic School • Kemptville, Ontario
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: David Guertin
Phone: 613-258-7457
Postal Code: K0G 1J0
• Provide the best learning environment for our special needs students through the use
of assistive technology
• Utilize a variety of student achievement data represented on data walls and engage in
professional discussion and study to raise student achievement
• Continue to learn research-based strategies, practise them, and evaluate them through
our PLCs
• Prioritize the strategic development of relationships with our Early Years’ parents to
better ensure a successful transition for their children from home to school
10
Holy Family Separate School • Alliston, Ontario
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Patricia Campbell
Phone: 705-435-3989
Postal Code: L9R 1B9
• Through intensive study of the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing, drive instruction in writing
across all divisions
• Develop a common vocabulary for teaching and assessing
• Use established criteria to promote student self-evaluation and to validate ongoing
teacher assessment
• Celebrate writing in our classrooms on a daily basis
• Continue focus on constructing well-organized and detailed paragraphs and emphasize
the use of graphic organizers
• Use assessment results to set goals, inform our instructional practice, and evaluate the
effectiveness of the changes we make
• Fully implement our math program materials throughout all divisions with a continued
emphasis on providing uninterrupted math learning blocks
John Ross Robertson Public School • Toronto, Ontario
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Lyn Gaetz
Phone: 416-393-9400
Postal Code: M4R 1P2
• Provide ongoing opportunities for teachers to observe, study, plan, and learn together
in our school, across the family of schools, and at board and ministry events
• Improve our practice of using data to identify struggling learners and develop effective
supports to improve their achievement
• Support integration of guided reading across the curriculum by purchasing leveled texts
for our book rooms and non-fiction literacy materials (e.g., science, social studies, math)
• Engage our parent volunteers in learning about current literacy practices in order that
their time and skills can be used effectively to improve student achievement
11
Lakewood Public School • Kenora, Ontario
Keewatin-Patricia District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Joan Kantola
Phone: 807-468-3131
Postal Code: P9N 3Y5
• Address the unique needs of our Aboriginal students and honour the Aboriginal culture
within our school community
• Ensure equitable access to curriculum outcomes to close the gap for all students
• Track student achievement from a variety of data sources to increase student achievement
in literacy and numeracy
Lancaster Public School • Mississauga, Ontario
Peel District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Marlyne King
Phone: 905-677-5844
Postal Code: L4T 2N7
• Utilize data as a tool to identify specific needs of students and study together to plan
differentiated instruction that will address their areas of weakness and strength
• Collaboratively establish common language and frameworks to create alignment in
the writing processes we use across the grades
• Increase participation and awareness of the healthy lunch program with a focus on
primary students
• Continue to develop and establish partnerships to further engage and support our
community
Maple Creek Public School • Maple, Ontario
York Region District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Paul Valle
Phone: 905-417-9177
Postal Code: L6A 2J8
• Use data to address targeted at-risk student needs as identified through a variety of
authentic literacy assessments
• Engage in professional dialogue to build a common understanding of assessment for
learning with a focus on improving reading comprehension
• Fully implement a case management approach for a sample number of high-needs students
12
Mountsfield Public School • London, Ontario
Thames Valley District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Janice Beckett
Phone: 519-452-8400 or
519-452-8409
Postal Code: N6C 2S4
• Continue a school-wide literacy focus with a specific emphasis on writing across
all divisions
• Create a literacy room which will contain reading and writing materials such as
leveled guided reading texts, big books, shared reading posters, and professional
resources about the reading/writing processes
• Develop a data collection and presentation system to visually display student progress
and achievement in reading
• Access technology resources, including computer technology, Smart boards, and
writing programs to engage and motivate students and enhance their achievement
in literacy and numeracy
Parkland Public School • Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Algoma District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: JoAnn McKenzie
Phone: 705-945-7129
Postal Code: P6A 5G1
• Share our practices for teaching writing by collaboratively creating a DVD and an
accompanying package of resources, strategies, and ideas
• Continue our work with a partner school to share promising practices to improve
oral language
• Begin a collaborative action research project focusing on comprehension strategies:
connecting, questioning, and making inferences
• Expand our professional learning communities through book study, renewed focus on
comprehension strategies, and using data to evaluate effectiveness
13
Port Elgin Saugeen Central School • Port Elgin, Ontario
Bluewater District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Liz MacPherson
Phone: 519-832-2038 ext. 527
Postal Code: N0H 2C1
• Refocus our approach to differentiated instruction and flexible groupings within the
classroom, considering gender differences
• Develop common vocabulary, common assessment, and shared program planning in
order to align our teaching strategies for improving student achievement in writing
• Continue to promote rich, authentic, relevant problem-solving strategies using
manipulatives and technology in mathematics
• Give teachers many opportunities to continue their learning
Queen Elizabeth Public School • Leamington, Ontario
Greater Essex County District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Susan Moroz
Phone: 519-326-9451
Postal Code: N8H 2E2
• Focus on explicit instruction on the question/relationship as a reading comprehension
strategy, at grade levels 1–8
• Work collaboratively to learn to model consistent reading comprehension strategies
• Explore ways to facilitate professional learning time within the school day
• Timetable 100 minute learning blocks for literacy in all classrooms JK– 8
• Collaborate on ways to ensure a balanced literacy approach for all learning
Sherwood Mills Public School • Mississauga, Ontario
Peel District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Susan Stevens
Phone: 905-812-8265
Postal Code: L5V 2B8
• Further develop our curriculum maps for deeper learning, consistency, and alignment
• Focus on data and analysis of formative assessment to create data walls, set grade level
targets, and design instruction and lesson plans
• Develop in-school structures for professional development
• Model for all staff the learning skills, assessment techniques, and instructional strategies
that have proven successful or that seem promising
• Provide all students with opportunities to be self-directed learners through portfolio
assessment and student-led conferencing
14
St. James Catholic Elementary • Seaforth, Ontario
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Joanne Lombardi
Phone: 519-527-0321
Postal Code: N0K 1W0
• Have focused and collaborative connections with other Schools on the Move
• Use an enquiry approach to strengthen our use of data to inform planning about
instructional improvement
• Integrate technology into the curriculum as a tool for supporting student learning
• Enhance the partnership with parents in order to deepen their understanding of
the St. James learning community
St. Martin of Tours Catholic Elementary School • Stoney Creek, Ontario
Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Sandy Pizzuti
Phone: 905-523-2334
Postal Code: L8G 2X5
• Use data to identify the needs of students and develop differentiated instructional
strategies to improve literacy and numeracy success across all grades
• Continue the implementation of junior literacy strategies with continued focus on the
reading/writing/word-study blocks
• Use math manipulatives daily across all grades
• Implement meaningful, focused literacy and numeracy centres in all primary grades
William Berczy Public School • Unionville, Ontario
York Region District School Board
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Clayton LaTouche
Phone: 905-477-2047
Postal Code: L3R 1Z9
• Use data to more sharply identify the critical literacy gaps of our “students on the
move” or learners at-risk and intentionally respond with focused instruction and
support in order to move them to raise the bar and close the gap
• Carefully interpret reading comprehension data from a few sources to drill beneath
the surface of a balanced literacy program for the purpose of moving all students
forward – including moving a greater percentage of students from level 3 to level 4
15
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Melanie Buchanan
Phone: 613-825-8600
Postal Code: K2G 6R2
Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School
Ottawa, Ontario
environments in classrooms. The balanced literacy program
emphasizes guided reading, literacy centres in the primary
division, and literature circles in the junior division. A literacy
coach and a literacy resource room also support the literacy
focus. Numeracy initiatives include implementing developmental math in both English and French immersion classes,
as well as using math exemplars and manipulatives to support
rich investigations and problem solving.
About the school …
Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School is a JK–6 school with
approximately 680 students enrolled in either the regular
English program or early French immersion. Located in the
city of Ottawa, the school has access to play structures and
a community rink, and is adjacent to parkland. The student
population represents many countries, languages, and
cultures and parents are active educational partners. The
school emphasizes character education and is active in
charitable fundraisers and entrepreneurial ventures such
as Earthcare. The rich extracurricular arts program is
celebrated at the annual Artrageous Fair.
Approach and philosophy …
Collaboration is a strong feature of professional life at the
school. Teachers share their ideas, collaborate in the selection
of resources to support curriculum and differentiate teaching
strategies in reading, writing, and mathematics. Teachers
plan in teams and share coordinated planning time where
possible. Professional development, often provided by peers,
emphasizes teamwork and the sharing of ideas and expertise.
High expectations for student achievement together with
consistent standards across grades and divisions ensure
a positive school climate where learning comes first.
The focus on literacy and numeracy is reflected in the school
improvement plan and in print-rich literacy and numeracy
16
Teachers help students build a learning community in the
classroom by modeling and encouraging positive interaction.
The intent is to create enthusiasm for learning and to facilitate
working on team-based tasks. Buddy activities and a variety
of extracurricular programs provide additional social
opportunities, while a focus on the arts provides creative
outlet for all students.
Student engagement is fostered through the use of varied
instructional strategies, access to interesting resources for
both teachers and students, and student-led conferences.
Student teachers are used as a valuable resource for student
engagement.
Parental involvement is encouraged in many ways.
Newsletters provide information so that parents can
support their child’s learning. Curriculum workshops
are given to parents who want to better understand the
school’s expectations for their children. Parents are invited
to volunteer and share their areas of expertise. The school
sets schedules with both parents and students concerning
homework expectations and asks parents to sign student
agendas on a daily basis.
EQAO scores …
Three years ago, none of the school’s six assessment areas
were at the provincial standard. Today, four of the six areas
are above provincial standard, with the other two hovering
slightly below. For example, in this large school, Grade 3
writing improved from 54 to 77 per cent over the past
three years, and Grade 6 reading went from 60 to 77 per cent.
Grade 6 writing went from 63 to 82 per cent.
Raising the bar and closing the gap …
Adrienne Clarkson School Elementary has improved student
achievement through joint problem-solving, the use of data,
and implementation of carefully chosen instructional
strategies.
Staff credit weekly school-based team meetings for effective
problem-solving and for identifying individual student needs
using a tiered approach to special education intervention.
Teachers review the previous year’s data to understand trends
and areas of improvement as well as recognize successes.
They use assessment strategies that include a variety of tools,
such as PM benchmarks, CASI (Comprehension, Attitude,
Strategies and Interests), CAT3 (Canadian Achievement
Test, version 3), rubrics, tests, exemplars, and self/peer
evaluation.
Teachers use exemplars and various questioning techniques
to enhance instruction. Examples of student work are
displayed to provide modelling and encouragement.
Teachers discuss levels of achievement and refer to examples
of student work at all grade levels. Debriefing after
assignments helps identify areas of progress and needs
for improvement.
Elements of cooperative learning include: think-pair-share
activities, especially when introducing a new concept;
peer-partnering seating arrangements; and heterogeneous
and homogeneous groupings.
Teachers accommodate and modify the program. They
differentiate instruction to ensure that all students, including
those with special needs, are appropriately challenged and
supported.
These strategies work together to prompt students to take
ownership of their learning. A positive discipline system is
used in all classrooms.
The role of the district school board ...
Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School is part of the
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board where monthly
superintendent meetings are used to review assessment
data and share promising practices. All principals and
vice-principals have received “walk through training”,
supporting them to work effectively with all staff and
to engage with students and staff in classrooms.
Many workshops are available for staff and inter-school
visits are encouraged. As well, board leadership programs
support the development of school leaders.
The board provides explicit expectations to all schools with
regard to literacy and numeracy. Resources include balanced
literacy materials, resource rooms, math program materials,
and support for focused professional dialogue using student
data to inform teaching practice.
What the school has to share with other
educators …
• Successful practices for professional development and
positive school discipline with a focus on character
education
• Tiered approach to special education
• Community engagement and involvement
• Strategies to deepen student thinking
What we would like to learn ...
• Promising practices from other Schools on the Move
• How to successfully share what we know with others
Moving into the future …
■ Maintain a professional learning community
■ Support a culture of respect and tolerance for all in a safe and
healthy environment
■ Collect and analyse a variety of assessment data in order to drive
focused instruction to meet the needs of all students
■ Support teachers in programming for individual students who
require intensive support
■ Provide professional development opportunities and joint planning time
so that staff can share knowledge and skills related to effective literacy
and numeracy instruction and assessment
■ Reinforce numeracy by providing in-service workshops and opportunities to
work with a math coach in the classroom
17
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Jane Boate
Phone: 519-452-8020
Postal Code: N6J 2Y4
Arthur Ford Public School
London, Ontario
• a shift in the school culture from a behavioural focus to
academic excellence.
The school has introduced proactive strategies to make
classrooms more interactive and to increase student
participation. The school uses incentive programs to
recognize academic excellence. To this end, staff members
see a shift in their work from shaping student behaviour
to invoking responsibility and helping students strive
for excellence.
Arthur Ford Public School serves approximately 270
students through a K–8 program. The school is situated
in a west London community that has experienced
changed demographics and increased diversity.
Professional development is a key to the continuous
improvement at Arthur Ford and is a major focus for staff
and division meetings. Another key is the daily informal
sharing of ideas and dialogue about students. Professional
learning and classroom instruction are tailored to meet the
needs of students. This translates into a constant questioning
of results – what’s working, what’s not, why not, what next.
The school nurtures an inclusive atmosphere that respects
parents, students, and staff.
The administration operates on the principle of distributed
leadership and grassroots planning in response to identified
challenges and directions. The primary role of the principal
is to “break the initial inertia” around change through
providing pressure and support. Resources are aligned
with growth plans, while team efforts in all areas emphasize:
• changes in instructional practice to be more inclusive
and interactive and to foster critical thinking;
• extensive data analysis;
• increasing student confidence in assessment, with
particular emphasis on EQAO; and
18
The staff strongly supports ministry and board initiatives
that promise to have a significant impact on teachers’
growth and their ability to improve literacy and numeracy
instruction. As a result of implementing early math training strategies, for example, staff report that teachers and
students are excited about and engaged in the mathematics
program.
EQAO scores ...
Whereas three years ago, scores in none of the school’s
Grade 3 assessment areas were above the provincial standard,
now scores in all three areas exceed provincial standards.
In Grade 6, the school has moved its assessment scores
from the 30s and 40s, into the 60s and 70s.
Staff members have used a number of strategies to raise
the level of student achievement at Arthur Ford. Classroom
teachers use visual organizers and other kinds of strategies
to assist learning. They team with coaches to improve
instruction and implement high-yield strategies. They take
a common approach to students and share responsibility
for every child in the school.
Staff model behaviour for students and provide a positive
environment that encourages students to take academic risks.
Teachers use a wide range of assessment data to view each
student’s progress over time and work to engage students
in self-assessment. Awards of excellence encourage each child
to set and achieve goals and acknowledge improvement.
Programs and activities are integrated at all levels. School
There are also a number of curriculum initiatives in place.
The Smarter Science initiative engages students in higherorder thinking about science. They are involved in quality
experimentation, use graphic organizers to record their
observations, and apply and integrate their literacy and
numeracy strategies. The use of mathematical vocabulary
is modeled by teachers and expected from students in all
classrooms. Students are given opportunities to practise
and hone critical thinking skills as they work in groups.
This has helped teachers to see that students can connect
their learning to the world outside the classroom and
express their own ideas.
Arthur Ford Public School is part of the Thames Valley
District School Board. School staff takes advantage of the
board’s multi-year initiative to build capacity for principals,
school teams, and classroom teachers. Board personnel
support teachers to enrich literacy instruction and act as
coaches in many schools.
❝
Thames Valley fosters sharing across schools with an
expectation that principals will take the lead in professional
learning in partnership with board staff and classroom
teachers. Leadership teams reflect the cross-section of roles
in the system, with board staff working to continuously
increase alignment within the system.
A process for reviewing school growth helps schools
sustain their focus throughout the year.
educators …
• Strengthening math instruction
• Promoting character education as an integral part of
academic excellence
• Utilizing instructional intelligence and cooperative
learning strategies
• Effectively utilizing support staff within and beyond
the school day
• Using data to drive instruction
• Layering and sequencing professional learning to
include practice, reflection, and refinement
• Integrating technology
• Establishing networks between and among schools
to learn from each other
• Refinement of interactive teaching practices and
differentiated instruction
❝
events, including EQAO testing, are seen as opportunities
to reinforce learning, rather than interruptions to it. Extra
help is provided for struggling students to motivate and
encourage learning and to build confidence. The school
engages secondary students to act as mentors in before- and
after-school tutoring. Teachers undertake systematic planning
for the transition to secondary school. The school has also
shifted to a resource model for special education that better
supports students and teachers in their classrooms.
“When we want children to work and learn together they have to be able
to get along, so we have to teach character.” Teacher
■ Utilize technology including the acquisition and use of SMART
boards and computer software
■ Refine character education and excellence initiatives within the
school and the community
■ Change school goal from reading to writing focus
19
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Janis Blimkie
Phone: 905-628-9444
Postal Code: L0R 2B0
Beverly Central Public School
Troy, Ontario
efforts, and values input from everyone. Added to this
foundation is the direct involvement of the teaching staff
in resolving issues related to student achievement and in
planning for effective implementation and intervention. Staff
members make full use of ministry and board professional
learning opportunities and they extend this support through
staff sharing. A belief that when you put your heads together
you get bigger and better ideas has led to strong working
relationships characterized by a strong sense of team.
Communication among all staff is strong and based on
a team approach.
Beverly Central Public School is a JK–5 school serving
180 students in a small rural community outside Hamilton.
It is an amalgamated school offering a special program for
developmentally delayed children and housing an early
years centre. The small size of the school allows opportunities
for building a collaborative and closely knit support system,
but also creates challenges in providing the resources to
sustain that system. Strong support from parents and families
is evident in their participation in special events, their
commitment as classroom volunteers to support learning,
the book bags that were created to facilitate the home
reading program, and the clear sense of shared goals and
direction articulated by school council representatives.
The primary focus at Beverly Central is meeting the needs
of all students. In doing so, staff members work as a team
to structure each day to help students in the classroom.
Students benefit from the emphasis on literacy and numeracy
as priorities and the integration of both into the specialized
areas of music, art, and drama. The staff pays careful attention
to scheduling and works hard to eliminate disruptions to
learning blocks. Resources are consciously and deliberately
purchased to support students and the school plan.
Beverly Central is a school of continuous learning. All staff
members share in a collective commitment that begins with
leadership that is informed and supportive, appreciates
20
The school has established a welcoming and positive
environment for families and community. Parents are
continually involved in their child’s progress in a number
of ways, including notes, phone calls, informal chats,
agendas, interviews, and parent learning sessions. Parents
note that staff members are open and tell them that literacy
and numeracy are the big priorities. They see teachers
working in a real effort for all kids.
EQAO scores ...
Being a K–5 school, Beverly Central only participates in
Grade 3 EQAO testing. During the past three years, the
school has moved all of its three assessment area marks
upwards from the 50s to the 80 to 90 per cent range. During
the two most recent years, the school has sustained its
improvements, showing that the road to improvement is
very much a part of this school’s performance culture.
Enhancing student skills in literacy and numeracy is a clear
priority for all staff at Beverly Central. As well as integrating
literacy and math across the school curriculum, the school
has adopted a number of more specific strategies, especially
in regard to literacy.
A balanced literacy model has been implemented with student
progress being monitored and analysed using DRA and other
assessment data. The principal and staff plan timetabling
and professional learning community meetings. These enable
all staff to participate in job-embedded professional development that includes dialogue, discussion and theoretical
In mathematics, the school makes use of the board’s
assessment materials for Grades 2 and 5 to monitor students
and guide instruction. Staff members are now working
to find the rich resources that would engage students
and enhance their learning in all areas of the curriculum.
School-wide priorities are to increase student confidence
and familiarity with language and question types and use
EQAO data to identify areas for further instruction. Parents
see the benefits for their children, reporting that the children
feel confident in their skills with regard to EQAO and are
not intimidated because the assessment is presented in
a low-key manner.
The school benefits from a large measure of volunteer
involvement to support students and programs. One
effective strategy is to have volunteers work with higher
achieving groups so that teachers can dedicate more time
to struggling groups.
Beverly Central Public School is part of the Hamilton
Wentworth District School Board and is one of several
❝
schools identified for literacy coach support. Teachers
also receive additional professional development weekly
so that learning is shared and supported among all staff.
Administrators and teachers credit the board for ensuring
that staff “hear new ideas, try new ideas, and implement
new ideas.”
The board’s supervisory officers use a common template
and rubric to discuss school effectiveness. Included in
these discussions are the use of data, professional learning
communities, evidence-based decision making, and the
use of professional learning days.
educators …
• Building a roadmap for learning
• Making the reading program the writing program
• Building collective commitment to engage in professional learning and to change professional practice in the
classroom
• Curriculum integration
• Improving higher order thinking – what have others
tried, resources that most effectively support higher
order thinking
• Meeting the needs of struggling students – what is
working out there
• Sharing ideas, successes
❝
knowledge for the purpose of driving the implementation
of important reading comprehension strategies. The principal
deploys staff creatively in order to ensure support for
struggling readers through reading intervention in addition
to blocking literacy time. As a team, staff will now take
further steps to enhance boys’ literacy. The school maintains
a book room to organize and increase resources for reading
comprehension strategies.
“The support was critical, it’s what we needed. It was all new to us.
Seeing the results, seeing that it worked, inspired us.” Teacher
■ Expand and refine the use of student profiles in literacy to better
inform instructional practice and set goals for improvement
■ Use assessment and teacher moderation to address student
learning needs
■ Develop the numeracy plan with a focus on teaching through
problem solving
■ Reach out to other schools with a similar focus for reciprocal learning
21
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: John Visano
Phone: 416-393-5409
Postal Code: M3L 1Z5
Blessed Margherita of Città di Castello
Catholic School
Toronto, Ontario
and sharing workshop learning. Teaching and learning are
the focus of both planned formal dialogue and daily informal
chat. Teachers are self-motivated, proactive, and willing to
learn and try new ideas.
Staff members are prepared to tap all the available resources,
human and material, to support students. Every adult in
the school – including the secretary, educational assistants,
and custodian – is part of the team sharing ownership and
taking responsibility for supporting students, along with
the principal and teachers. Teachers and administrators
are actively building parent support through constant
communication.
Blessed Margherita Città di Castello Catholic School is a
bustling school in the Jane-Finch area of Toronto. The school
serves approximately 300 students in Grades K–8, many
from homes where the first language is other than English.
As well as teaching core French, the school is part of a
heritage language program providing instruction in Italian.
The school is also a pilot for the board’s full-day/everyday
Kindergarten program. Fourteen educational assistants
support special education classes for developmentally disabled
students as well as those with multiple exceptionalities. The
school has implemented a conflict mediation/peacekeepers
program that is actively supported by parents and the
school council.
At Blessed Margherita, all staff members share the belief that
kids come first and they dedicate themselves to the wellbeing of their students. They share high expectations for
student learning, foster a passion for learning in the school,
and work together to help students achieve their potential.
With board support, the school is evolving as a professional
learning community characterized by collaboration,
mentoring, and the mutual support of all staff. Staff members
value professional learning and foster a commitment to
sharing among colleagues. They follow the motto “Try, test,
talk” so that everyone can implement and integrate new
practice. Staff meetings focus on how to improve instruction
based on data and teacher reports, identifying commonalities
22
The school improvement planning team includes division
leaders, the Kindergarten, fifth block and junior intervention
teachers, along with the principal. In addition to strategic
hiring, the principal and teachers have identified key
elements to build and support teacher collaboration as a
whole staff, in groups and one-on-one, with clear articulation
of the school’s vision and expectations. Teacher teams
collaborate on implementing goals, strategies, and assessment
techniques. Teachers plan for consistency and coherence in
language, strategies, and expectations from grade to grade.
Throughout the school, a culture of assessment is linked with
integrated instruction on test-taking skills. Planning is data
driven and results oriented, with data carefully examined
to identify patterns and to plan for specific students.
EQAO scores ...
With the provincial standard for schools set at 75 per cent
of students at or above Level 3, none of the school’s six
assessment areas was at provincial standard three years ago.
Now, four areas are considerably above provincial standard.
The other two assessment areas are only one percentage
point away from reaching the provincial standard mark.
Raising the bar and closing the gap ...
The principal and teachers at Blessed Margherita have
focused on a number of key actions in driving up student
achievement. Beginning in JK/SK, students get a strong
start with high expectations for the development of reading
and writing skills. Across the grades, reading skills are
integrated into the whole curriculum at every opportunity.
The teachers’ focus is not what has been taught but rather
what has been learned, and every opportunity is taken to
challenge students, engage them in higher-order thinking,
and encourage risk taking. Practice is aligned from K–8 and
planning ensures coherence and increasing sophistication
from year to year. Teachers never hear, “Miss, we did that
last year” in this school. The staff also devotes much conversation, thinking, and planning to transitions for children
between grades and coming into or leaving the school.
Student data are used, in context, to get more specific
information so precise instruction can be planned for
six week-long intervention blocks. Word walls and anchor
charts are used consistently to support learning. In primary
and junior divisions, at-risk students receive early and prompt
intervention. Across the school, there is constant monitoring
of learning. A master timetable ensures instruction blocks
and appropriate intervention time.
In the spirit of building professional learning communities,
the board has created and facilitated teacher committees
to connect teachers across schools. The supervisory officer
has committed to lateral capacity building through monthly
principals’ meetings that provide time for sharing and
professional dialogue among principals. The supervisory
officer also supports the school by providing resources
in a timely manner.
educators …
•
•
•
•
Building a culture of collaboration
Implementing ongoing assessment and using student data
Improving student results in targeted areas
Cross-school mentoring, connecting teachers to build
capacity
• Implementing strategies that work
• Principal practising – putting the puzzle pieces together
Blessed Margherita Città di Castello Separate School is part
of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. The school
values the board’s support through the allocation of junior
intervention teacher time and the pilot project that provides
full-day/everyday Kindergarten in community areas of
higher need. Teachers and administrators also appreciate
the rich support documents and learning sessions provided
by the board.
• More strategies for raising the bar for special needs students
• Models and structures to connect school to school
and family to family across the board, time to support
networking
• Concrete strategies to develop good lessons in writing
• Effective (results-oriented) use of technology including
SMART boards that embed the technology within effective
pedagogy
❝
❝
“We work as a team. We all get involved and we have fun.” Secretary
“We entrust our kids to the school. It’s not just safety – it’s their futures.”
Parent
■ Use technology in a consistent and focused way to effectively deliver
the literacy and numeracy curriculum to create divergent thinkers
and critical problem-solvers
■ Implement a common reading comprehension assessment that will
align all grades from Kindergarten to Grade 8
■ Use analysis of varied diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to assist in setting whole-school, divisional, and individual
teacher goals
■ Engage in reflective dialogue to explore strategies and approaches to
all areas of school life
■ Continue exploring new ways to assist parents to become more active
partners in developing a home-school partnership
23
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Carol Thompson
Phone: 905-877-6976
Postal Code: L7G 4G1
Centennial Public School
Georgetown, Ontario
The school has become increasingly centred on taking action
to address student needs. Teachers report that their focus
for changing practice comes from the students. There is a
conscious effort to tackle tough issues and find strategies
to overcome them. The school, with all of its diversity, offers
opportunities to grow and share individual interests and
strengths with activities that are responsive to the range of
student interests.
Parents feel part of the team and are able to share with staff
common goals for their children. They value that adults and
students are engaged in learning for life.
Centennial Public School, located in the growing community
of Georgetown, serves about 550 students in Grades 6 to 8.
The school’s population represents all socio-economic levels
in the community. About one-third of the students participate
in French immersion. Centennial functions as a true
community of learners, with adults and children actively
engaged in all aspects of school life. Parents share their
goals for their children with staff.
Enthusiasm for continued learning and growth is a hallmark
of the Centennial school community. School improvement
planning includes steps and strategies to engage staff and to
support school growth. Staff form a cohesive unit, planning
together and meeting frequently to talk about students
and ways to help them. They take advantage of formal
opportunities for professional learning and share what is
learned in sessions, conferences, and workshops. Teachers use
daily informal meetings to share practice and observations,
and along with administrators they support one another
as learners. All staff members seek out and appreciate the
support of board consultative staff to extend their learning
and provide feedback.
The principal is valued as a leader and as a learner with
the ability to empower others to lead and learn. Principal
practice has emphasized re-culturing the school, staying
the course, and implementing the vision for improvement.
24
EQAO scores ...
In this Grade 6–8 school, considerable improvement has
been made in each of the Grade 6 assessment areas. As
compared to three years ago, Grade 6 reading has climbed
by 17 percentage points; Grade 6 writing has climbed
by 12 percentage points; and Grade 6 mathematics has
increased by 10 percentage points.
Centennial has seen a visible and dramatic paradigm shift
from teacher-centred to student-centred planning and action.
All staff members have high expectations for student
achievement and offer a high level of support for learning.
As part of a consistent and targeted teaching approach,
teachers work to develop specific strategies such as reasoning,
questioning, and researching. Cohesive, school-wide strategies
also support students with special needs. The school’s
program includes direct instruction of character education.
There is highly consistent practice in both English and
French streams and a great deal of attention to covering
the curriculum deeply, not just broadly. Strategic planning
ensures that teachers hit the key concepts and learning.
Staff members build consistency across classes and grades,
and work closely with associate JK–5 schools and the
local secondary school to level and match their classroom
expectations.
A major overhaul of the library facility and the development
of cross-curricular teacher/student resources have resulted
in more students who are “hooked on books”. The school
Teachers encourage student involvement and discussion
so students can see and hear one another’s ideas and make
student-to-student connections. Students also contribute to
the development of rubrics and are able to distinguish the
features of student work at various levels. Recognizing that
student achievement can be measured in a number of ways,
teachers incorporate measures that encourage academic
growth and character development. Teachers engage in
regular and continuous reviews of student progress, as one
teacher put it, “to figure out what’s stopping kids from getting
where they need to be”.
Centennial Public School is part of the Halton District
School Board. Staff members value the strong support they
receive from the board’s consultative staff and the professional
learning opportunities offered to school teams within the
family of schools – opportunities that are recognized as
extending and enhancing instructional practice. The board
encourages and supports the creation of networks across
schools for sharing principal and teacher practices.
educators …
• Building consensus among teachers, consistency
in application – everyone, everyday maintaining
expectations
• Deliberate integration of literacy and numeracy across
the curriculum and across all school activities
• Supporting students to meet high expectations
• Honouring learning skills and celebrating student
achievement
• Sharing and analysing student responses at the start
and end of every learning session
• Facilitating teacher teams to engage in the change
process and identify priorities and plans of action
• Developing teacher-created documents which synthesize
and support staff learning on key strategies and approaches
• Effective middle school practices and structures
• Implementation of key assessments (DRA) at the junior
and intermediate levels
• Resources for middle years that are effective and engaging
• French Immersion resources and supports
❝
❝
librarian works in close partnership with classroom teachers.
A school-wide, focused strategy for the purchase and use of
instructional resources is further supported by an agreement
that all resources are to be shared.
“Passion is contagious. If people have a chance to share it, it grows.” Principal
“We try to figure out what’s stopping kids from getting where they want to be.”
Teacher
■ Facilitate communication with our associate schools as a means
of bridging and enhancing successful teaching/learning practices
that enrich and improve student learning
■ Continue to apply reading comprehension strategies as outlined
in our School Success Plan to problem solving across all areas
of curriculum
■ Enhance the culture of our school and the character education
of our students using the Tribes philosophy and Steven Covey’s
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens
■ Focus on the development of every student’s executive skills as they link
directly to and optimize student learning
■ Refine, strengthen, and share instructional skills and promising practices of all
staff through continued professional development and modelling
25
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Dawn Chew
Phone: 705-682-4721
Postal Code: P0M 1N0
Copper Cliff Public School
Copper Cliff, Ontario
facilitates teachers working together, taking responsibility
for all students in the school. The principal appreciates
that staff are dedicated teachers who know their craft and
care about kids. All staff members are passionate about
developing and nurturing the whole child.
The school council is a vital link in the ongoing pursuit of
the highest quality educational opportunities for students.
The council aims to work constructively with administration,
staff, and community members to find innovative solutions
that support and enhance the school environment.
Copper Cliff Public School, a K–8 school of approximately
240 students, is located in Sudbury. In addition to the regular
program, the school houses a self-contained special education
classroom and a pre-school autism program. Among its
many projects, the school is a Best Start Hub introducing
wrap-around day care and is participating in sustainable
strategies for safe schools project funded by the Trillium
Foundation. The school also runs two Roots of Empathy
programs and a school re-greening program is partnered
with a local mining company, CVRD-INCO. Parents are
very supportive of the school, but not all can provide
home support to assist in their children’s learning.
The mission at Copper Cliff is to enhance the learning and
development of the whole child and to foster an enriching
and secure learning environment. With a strong commitment
to maintaining a respectful tone within the school, staff
members set “respect” goals specific to each classroom.
The school is family oriented, with strong connections to
the community. Staff members show pride in the school
and maintain personal connections with older students
and graduates.
The staff has established a culture that is open to change,
receptive to new strategies, and highly collaborative.
A teacher-devised cross-divisional reading buddies program
26
Parents feel staff members are strongly committed to the
kids. As one parent said, “You know that if your child
needs something and it is communicated in the agenda
book, the teacher will find time to work with your child
and make the call back to the home.”
There is a common voice from the superintendent, the
principal, and teachers that reinforces the importance
of accountability and goal assessment of all students.
EQAO scores …
This school has markedly improved in Grade 6 reading and
writing, each gaining 60 percentage points during the past
three years. Grade 6 mathematics scores also improved by
an impressive 45 percentage points during the past three
years. Steady and significant improvements were also made
in all three Grade 3 assessment areas.
The school has recently placed a greater focus on oral
language. There is now a half-time K–3 literacy coach with
85 per cent of her time dedicated to direct teacher contact.
Teachers structure class groupings around particular strengths
as the need arises, explicitly teaching to groups of students
to move them forward. Much of the planning is based on
student conferencing. When there is a problem, such as
students not using their independent reading time appropriately, teachers conference with the students to resolve
the issues. In the junior division, a greater emphasis on
motivating male students to read and write is showing
results. The school is committed to working to ensure that
all classrooms have literacy resources including a classroom
library with texts organized by genre and level.
educators …
Teachers in the primary division establish common school
routines for student behaviour and achievement. This
consistency across grades minimizes September catch-up.
• Developing cross-division school routines such as readalouds, literacy centres, self-selecting “just right” books,
reading conferences, and writing projects
• Promoting home-school strategies such as “No TV” and
math problem-solving nights to assist students and their
parents in doing homework
• Building a school-wide professional learning community
• Implementing innovations like a reading club at morning
recess to work with struggling readers
• Sharing and presenting professional resources on reading
conferences on a school professional learning day
• Developing a collegial and effective primary division
through team teaching, sharing, respecting of roles
• Increasing home support through the use of a junior
math binder for parents
Copper Cliff Public School is part of the Rainbow District
School Board and takes advantage of the board’s professional
development program. The school superintendent is formally
committed to visiting the school three half-days a year
and providing explicit feedback that supports the school’s
reflections on necessary change. Staff members feel they
have huge support, including a half-time literacy resource
teacher from the board’s Early Reading Initiative, as well as
a part-time early reading intervention teacher.
• What other boards are doing to maximize time for
professional learning communities
• What other schools are doing to make a difference
• How to engage parents in their children’s learning
❝
❝
Copper Cliff staff initiated a system for assessment over
the school year that includes both oral language and
developmental reading assessment. Professional learning
communities carry out assessments and share data. Each
staff member chooses one student to highlight and focuses
efforts on supporting that student’s learning. Teachers
have high expectations for all students and collaborate
to determine what supports students need. The school
emphasizes integration support and accommodation for
students with special needs.
“We have very professional teachers who know their craft and care
about kids.” Principal
■ Continue to set high expectations for all students
■ Introduce the problem-solving approach to support numeracy
instruction
■ Strengthen professional learning communities at the school level
■ Enhance the use of assessment data to direct instruction
■ Strengthen connections between home and school to promote
student literacy and numeracy
27
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Angela Nardi Addesa
Phone: 905-793-5210
Postal Code: L6T 2Y9
Dorset Drive Public School
Brampton, Ontario
response to issues raised by staff. Teachers are active
participants in decision making with shared leadership roles
across the school. All staff members are aware of the school
budget and are consulted as grade teams about what they
need. In planning for the upcoming year, staff members use
strategies such as curriculum mapping by grade and term.
They value the resources and experiences within their own
team, as well as from the ministry and board, especially
the board’s expertise on transformational practices.
About the school ...
Dorset Drive Public School houses a JK–5 program serving
approximately 625 students. The school is dual track, offering
Early French Immersion and regular English programs.
Located in an urban area in Brampton, the immersion
program draws students from the larger surrounding area.
The school believes in nourishing both the body and mind.
Staff members are committed to providing a physical
education program that ensures students are ready to
attend and learn. The school benefits from active parent
support and volunteering.
EQAO scores ...
During the past three years, this K–5 school has more than
doubled its scores in each of its three assessment areas.
Grade 3 writing, for example, has gone from 33 to 82 per cent
of students at provincial standard. Grade 3 math has gone
from 34 to 71 per cent of students at provincial standard,
and Grade 3 reading, from 25 to 67 per cent.
Dorset Drive School is grounded in the belief that students
learn best in a caring, supportive environment in which they
are encouraged to take responsibility for and ownership of
their own learning. Staff members share high expectations
for student achievement and a commitment to ensuring
that students learn to their potential. The school is thriving
as a professional learning community, with a collaborative
model that encourages open dialogue focused on student
achievement. Staff plan together in grade teams, developing
centres that can be shared among classes. Teachers appreciate
that the benefits of working together include access to a
greater range and number of activities for all students.
Dorset Drive staff credits a number of strategies for the
achievement success of their students. Key among them is
the commitment to build the professional capacity of the
school, coupled with a shared focus on student learning.
The school is committed to providing teacher collaboration
time focused on student achievement. Teachers use a “stop,
start, continue” exercise to monitor their own activities as
they focus on the use of data, on how to use rubrics and
checklists including running records, and how to monitor
consistency across report cards.
Administrators honour the professionalism of the teaching
staff and are responsive to their needs and interests, frequently
researching articles and other sources of information in
28
Staff and parents share responsibility for student learning.
In the Early Years French Immersion track, parents support
home reading in English on a daily basis. Parents trust that
staff will address their concerns and communicate with
them promptly when issues arise. The school upholds the
value in enhancing character education to ensure a safe
environment.
The commitment to professional learning supports a number
of specific strategies aimed at increasing student success.
The school community has committed to giving each grade
team a one hour block every 10 days to collaborate on
building school success. Teachers employ a backward design
in developing a strategy to improve student writing: teams
build a common understanding of the criteria for writing
levels through moderated marking; they construct rubrics
and develop mini-lessons for targeting student needs. They
continually review and evaluate to see what is working.
Other strategies include embedding a variety of test formats
(multiple choice, open response, explanation, etc.) and
using assistive technology in classroom assessment. Both
strategies facilitate student demonstration of understanding.
Teachers also find that debriefing lessons and assessments
with students helps them reflect on their learning and the
strategies they use. Students with ISSP profiles are integrated
and supported in regular classrooms where teachers find it
easier to plan and meet their literacy and numeracy needs.
Teachers also find that students and parents benefit when
student/parent-friendly rubrics and grade level goals are
shared.
Dorset Drive Public School is part of the Peel District
School Board, a board providing leadership and capacity
building in the development of transformational practices.
A key element appreciated at Dorset Drive is the board’s
model for managing professional learning. Each teacher
has a personalized plan (My Learning Plan) and can register
for sessions online using the calendar-aligned system. The
school receives Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership
(OFIP) money to support release time for teachers to build
capacity and study student needs together. Peel also has a
side-by-side mentoring program where both mentors and
those they are mentoring benefit from working together.
Dorset Drive staff also values the resource people from the
board (e.g., Resource teacher, Early Literacy teachers), who
visit to support learning.
educators …
• Empowerment and the benefits of collaborative practice
• Taking ownership for the science of the profession –
explicit knowledge
• Use of time as a resource
• Professional learning community – open to learning
networking and exchanging ideas
• Gap analysis – identifying and tracking resources;
strategic purchasing
• How to use data walls to purposefully/meaningfully
track student progress and elicit reflection
• How to use guided reading and writing to deepen
understanding
• How to expand rubrics and explore assessment for
learning
• Student-led conferencing
❝
❝
‘It’s almost like the school has a soul, a spirit of caring where my children learned
and we become better parents.’ Parent
“It’s important to admit what you don’t know ... If you’re not comfortable learning,
you probably won’t be comfortable here.” Teacher
■ Create student and parent-friendly rubrics; support students
and parents in understanding the different levels in a rubric
and engage them in implementing strategies to move achievement
from one level to another
■ Share transformational practices with parents to strengthen
the home/school connection; strengthen parent/community
volunteer networks to support literacy centres during guided
reading and guided writing
■ Continue to build and enrich our literacy resource room
29
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directrice : Lynne Murray
Téléphone : 416 393-5314
Code postal : M4L 3C6
École Georges-Étienne-Cartier
Toronto, Ontario
L’école...
L’école élémentaire catholique Georges-Étienne-Cartier
accueille environ 265 élèves de la maternelle à la 6e année,
élèves qui proviennent d’une communauté très hétérogène,
aussi bien sur le plan socio-économique que culturel.
Située dans la région des Beaches au centre est de Toronto,
elle reçoit des élèves venant principalement de familles
exogames (un des parents n’est pas francophone), ce qui
nécessite une grande utilisation du soutien d’actualisation
linguistique en français (ALF). L’esprit communautaire
et l’engagement parental, de même qu’une stabilité du
personnel sont des caractéristiques propres à l’école.
Approches et philosophie…
Selon la directrice, la force de l’école réside en la synergie
de l’équipe qui collabore à la mise en œuvre de plusieurs
stratégies explicites visant l’amélioration du rendement des
élèves moins performants, entre autres par le maintien régulier
de profils d’élève et l’élaboration de plans d’intervention
individualisés selon les besoins des élèves. Une attention
particulière est portée aux pratiques efficaces d’enseignement
et d’apprentissage, notamment à la mise en œuvre d’un
programme d’enseignement équilibré en littératie et en
numératie, et à l’adoption d’un horaire permettant des
blocs d’enseignement continus de 120 minutes.
L’amélioration du rendement des élèves est due en grande
partie à l’équipe-école qui met l’accent sur les pratiques
efficaces d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. La réussite des
30
élèves est au cœur de toutes les décisions pédagogiques.
Les parents jouent aussi un rôle important au sein de l’école.
Certains travaillent bénévolement dans les salles de classe
selon les besoins, d’autres ont mis sur pied un club de
mathématiques ouvert à midi. Une culture de partage et
d’engagement règne au sein du personnel enseignant. Tous
ses membres participent à un projet d’accompagnement pour
apprendre et améliorer leur enseignement. Un autre facteur
de réussite est la stabilité du personnel depuis quelques
années, facteur qui contribue à l’esprit de collaboration,
bien manifeste lors des rencontres des communautés
d’apprentissage professionnelles (CAP) bimensuelles (aux
dates établies à l’avance). Ces rencontres structurées visent
à atteindre des objectifs SMART (spécifiques, mesurables,
atteignables, réalistes et en temps opportun) élaborés en
collaboration. On y discute entre autres d’évaluation, de
planification et d’intervention selon les données recueillies.
Ces moments privilégiés représentent un véritable atout
pour le cheminement professionnel.
Résultats de l’OQRE…
De 2003 à 2006, les résultats des tests des élèves de l’école
ont été améliorés dans tous les domaines en 3e et en 6e année.
En lecture, 40 % des élèves de 3e année se situaient aux
niveaux 3 et 4 en 2003 et le pourcentage est monté à 74 %
en 2006. En écriture, les résultats aux niveaux 3 et 4 des
élèves de 6e année sont passés de 62 % en 2003 à 90 %
en 2006. En mathématiques, les résultats des élèves de
3e et de 6e année ont montré une nette amélioration de
18 % points de pourcentage de 2003 à 2006.
Hausser la barre et réduire l’écart…
Le personnel enseignant attribue l’amélioration du rendement
des élèves à plusieurs facteurs. Les rencontres régulières par
cycle permettent de valider des pratiques, de discuter des
difficultés d’un élève en particulier et de partager des stratégies
d’enseignement qui sont essentielles. La différenciation de
l’enseignement est le mot d’ordre dans chaque salle de classe.
Au cycle primaire, le personnel enseignant regroupe tous
les élèves selon leurs besoins particuliers. Chaque enseignant
est responsable d’une stratégie particulière qu’il applique
deux heures par semaine. Chacun d’entre eux se sent donc
responsable de l’apprentissage de chaque élève.
Suite à l’analyse des résultats des tests de l’OQRE en début
d’année scolaire, le personnel a décidé d’élaborer un profil
d’élève et d’harmoniser certaines pratiques au sein de l’école.
On a installé des murs de mots, un leximots en littératie et
un leximaths en numératie. Ces outils, propres à l’élève, le
suivent d’année en année. L’utilisation d’un langage commun
permet à l’élève de transférer et de consolider ses apprentissages d’un niveau d’études à l’autre. Le programme équilibré
en littératie assure les quatre situations d’enseignement en
lecture et en écriture. Le personnel enseignant reçoit l’aide
d’un enseignant accompagnateur en littératie et en numératie.
Pour cela, des membres du personnel enseignant sont
mis à la disposition de leurs collègues pour les aider, les
accompagner et les guider.
Le conseil scolaire…
L’école Georges-Étienne-Cartier fait partie du Conseil scolaire
de district catholique Centre-Sud de l’Ontario et son
personnel profite d’un vaste programme d’appui offert par
le conseil au sein d’un espace virtuel permettant le partage
des pratiques réussies pour les directions d’école. Lorsqu’un
outil ou une pratique est affiché sur le site, toutes les
directions y ont accès. Cette année, le conseil a offert
un programme d’accompagnement, des formations sur
mesure et des ressources répondant aux besoins locaux.
Ce que l’école peut partager avec d’autres…
En plus des stratégies déjà décrites, le personnel enseignant
a bien d’autres expériences et d’autres approches à partager
avec ses collègues d’autres écoles, par exemple :
• la création d’une salle de littératie et de numératie, lieu
de travail où est centralisé tout le matériel;
• le modèle d’un enseignant accompagnateur qui travaille
avec le personnel enseignant pour la co-planification,
l’observation et le modelage en salle de classe, et qui
offre un appui différencié;
• la pyramide d’intervention, mise en place pour répondre
aux besoins de chaque élève et plus particulièrement
des élèves qui n’atteignent pas les niveaux 3 et 4;
• les outils de dépistage et d’évaluation communs ainsi
qu’un cadre d’évaluation qui permettent de diagnostiquer
l’élève moins performant et d’intervenir pour l’aider;
• un modèle efficace d’une communauté d’apprentissage
professionnelle.
Nous travaillerons à…
• développer davantage les stratégies d’écriture;
• développer davantage le programme d’enseignement
efficace en numératie;
• implanter un cadre d’évaluation en lecture (basé sur
l’évaluation pour l’apprentissage) comprenant un
logiciel de traitement des données.
Dans la voie du succès…
■ Approfondir les stratégies déjà en place et assurer une uniformisation
des stratégies d’enseignement aux trois cycles d’enseignement
■ Miser davantage sur les stratégies de différenciation pour la
planification, l’enseignement et l’intervention
■ Cibler les stratégies explicites à enseigner à chaque niveau en
littératie de la maternelle à la 6e année
■ Élaborer un cadre d’évaluation qui définit les outils de dépistage
préconisés à chaque cycle et cibler les moments précis pour les
administrer au cours de l’année
■ Mettre en œuvre un système informatisé pour tenir à jour les profils d’élèves
■ Poursuivre les rencontres des CAP à l’aide d’objectifs SMART qui visent
l’amélioration du rendement et qui sont spécifiques à l’évaluation, la planification
et l’intervention
■ Poursuivre deux fois par mois les rencontres des CAP par cycle, en plus d’une rencontre d’une
demi-journée tous les deux mois
■ Créer une équipe d’orientation stratégique dont les membres se rencontreront une fois par mois
■ Prévoir des rencontres des CAP par cycle avec les écoles d’une même famille, une fois par étape
31
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directrice : Jacynthe Levac
Téléphone : 613 488-2890
Code postal : K0A 1N0
École Sainte-Félicité
Clarence Creek, Ontario
l’aide spéciale d’une accompagnatrice qui travaille de plus
près avec les membres du personnel débutant. Cela permet
à tous les membres du personnel de partager un même
langage et les mêmes outils, et d’avoir une compréhension
commune des stratégies à privilégier. Les cartables de
référence regroupant les processus et les stratégies à
préconiser en matière de littératie et de numératie dans
la salle de classe sont une nouveauté très utilisée par tous
les enseignantes et enseignants.
L’école...
L’école élémentaire catholique Sainte-Félicité accueille
environ 300 élèves dont s’occupe un personnel enseignant
qui se consacre à l’amélioration du rendement de chaque
élève. Située à 40 km d’Ottawa, cette école rurale est
principalement fréquentée par des enfants provenant de
familles franco-dominantes, ce qui explique les activités
organisées au sein de l’école pour promouvoir la fierté
d’être francophone. De plus, un nouveau service de
garde permet aux enfants de maîtriser davantage la langue
avant leur entrée à l’école. Les parents et les membres de
la communauté appuient énormément l’école dans ses
projets éducatifs. La directrice attribue en partie le succès
de l’école à une certaine stabilité au sein du personnel.
Les nouveaux membres du personnel se sentent encadrés
et appuyés par un personnel expérimenté.
Approches et philosophie...
Le travail d’équipe est le fondement du succès de la mise en
œuvre de la stratégie de littératie et de numératie à l’école
Sainte-Félicité. Des rencontres des CAP (communautés
d’apprentissage professionnelles) par cycle se font
régulièrement et permettent aux membres du personnel
d’analyser les données et de prendre des décisions pour
mieux s’occuper des élèves. Les profils informatisés des
élèves et des classes sont des outils qui alimentent les
discussions lors de ces rencontres. De plus, l’école reçoit
32
L’harmonisation de l’évaluation est aussi un facteur de
réussite. L’évaluation diagnostique se fait pour chaque élève
du primaire et du cycle moyen à partir d’outils créés par
une équipe de l’école ainsi qu’à partir de GB+. Les évaluations
formatives se font sur une base régulière et chaque évaluation
sommative utilise les nouvelles grilles d’évaluation du
curriculum de l’Ontario. On retrouve dans chaque salle de
classe des textes gradués selon les niveaux de difficulté ainsi
qu’un coin de lecture. L’achat de livres pour les salles de classe
et pour la bibliothèque, ouverte aussi à la communauté,
a été une priorité au cours des dernières années.
Résultats de l’OQRE...
En 2003-2004, les résultats de 6e année ont montré que
de 61 à 73 % des élèves se trouvaient aux niveaux 3 et 4
en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques. Ces résultats
ont augmenté de 9 à 20 % dans chaque domaine depuis
deux ans. En 3e année, ces résultats augmentent constamment
sauf pour un groupe d’élèves que surveille attentivement le
personnel responsable de l’apprentissage.
Hausser la barre et réduire l’écart...
Depuis un an, le personnel de l’école s’est engagé à valoriser
l’intérêt et le goût de lecture chez les garçons. En plus de
l’achat de livres spécifiques, la création d’un journal avec
dialogue permet aux garçons de communiquer davantage
leur apprentissage après une lecture. L’impact de cette
initiative s’est traduit par des lectures plus nombreuses
et des communications plus aisées dans le journal de
bord des garçons.
Les membres du personnel enseignant tiennent beaucoup à
se perfectionner et participent donc volontiers aux initiatives
ministérielles et aux projets provinciaux. Plusieurs ont
participé par exemple à la correction des tests de l’OQRE,
aux projets de FARE (formation du personnel à l’amélioration
de la réussite scolaire des élèves) et à celui concernant les
garçons et la littératie. Ils augmentent ainsi leurs capacités
et restent à la fine pointe en enseignement.
Le conseil scolaire...
Le conseil accorde des fonds à l’école pour permettre des
rencontres régulières des CAP (communautés d’apprentissage
professionnelles), pour favoriser l’achat de ressources et
répondre ainsi aux besoins des élèves, et pour permettre aux
membres du personnel d’accroître leurs capacités. L’école
profite d’un vaste programme d’appui offert au sein du
conseil, qui comprend des occasions de perfectionnement
professionnel, des trousses et des guides d’enseignement
pour les situations de lecture et les services de conseillers
pédagogiques qui circulent dans les écoles du conseil.
Ce que l’école peut partager avec d’autres...
• la mise en place d’un programme pour contrer l’intimidation dans lequel tous les élèves et le personnel sont
impliqués. Depuis la création de ce programme, le
personnel atteste que les élèves se sentent bien préparés
si un cas d’intimidation se produisait dans la cour d’école.
• l’uniformisation des outils utilisés en salle de classe.
Par exemple, les cartes de sons et les pratiques
pédagogiques sont choisies par l’équipe de l’école
et chacun s’assure ensuite de s’en servir en classe.
• la conscience phonologique, au cycle préparatoire,
qui permet à l’élève d’être bien mieux préparé pour
la lecture.
En équipe...
■ Analyser et interpréter diverses données pour améliorer
l’apprentissage
■ Identifier et mettre en place des stratégies d’évaluation et
d’apprentissage qui ont un impact sur le rendement en matière
de littératie et de numératie
■ Partager les pratiques réussies et apprendre ensemble
■ Poursuivre le développement d’outils et de stratégies afin de réduire
l’écart entre le rendement des garçons et celui des filles en matière
de littératie
■ Mettre en place, dès la maternelle, l’enseignement explicite de stratégies
de lecture afin d’assurer la réussite de tous les élèves
■ Harmoniser les pratiques afin de continuer la mise en œuvre de blocs de littératie
ininterrompus dans tous les cycles
33
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Direction d’école : Michel Laverdière
Téléphone : 416 397-2097
Code postal : M6J 2S4
École Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau
Toronto, Ontario
leurs enfants. Ils participent aux réunions, s’intéressent au
progrès de leurs enfants et surveillent de près ce qui se fait
à l’école tout en s’assurant que leurs enfants font leurs devoirs.
L’école...
L’école élémentaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau accueille environ
340 élèves, de la maternelle à la 6e année, qui viennent
de Toronto.
Le directeur de l’école est un excellent leader pédagogique,
convaincu que chaque élève peut réussir, que le leadership
se partage et que le travail se fait en collaboration. Il a formé
une équipe gagnante qui appuie le projet éducatif de l’école
et il visite tous les jours une de ses classes. Pour que chaque
élève réussisse, l’école implique tous les intervenants, les
parents et la communauté dans la vie scolaire. Lors de
réunions des enseignants, les discussions portent sur la
pédagogie et, lors des rencontres par cycle scolaire, les
enseignants se penchent sur les pratiques d’enseignement.
Les centres de littératie (lecture et multimédia) et les centres
de mathématiques (matériel de manipulation) sont accessibles
en tout temps par les élèves.
L’école accueille chaleureusement les parents et les invite
à participer pleinement à la vie scolaire. La secrétaire de
l’école joue un rôle clé à cet égard. Les parents communiquent
régulièrement avec le personnel enseignant, se portent
volontaires aux activités scolaires et organisent des activités
en matière de littératie et de numératie à la maison avec
34
En 2003-2004, les résultats de la 6e année de l’école
Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau ont montré que 90 à 95 % des
élèves se trouvaient aux niveaux 3 et 4 en lecture, en écriture
et en mathématiques. Cette même année, 73 à 77 % des
élèves de 3e année se trouvaient aux niveaux 3 et 4. En
2005-2006, les résultats indiquent que 91 à 95 % des élèves
se trouvaient aux niveaux 3 et 4 en lecture, en écriture
et en mathématiques. Cette même année, les résultats de
3e année en écriture et en mathématiques se sont améliorés
de 2 %, sauf en lecture qui était en recul.
Les membres du personnel entretiennent d’excellentes
relations entre eux ainsi qu’avec les parents. Ils s’engagent
dans la vie de l’école, sont motivés et se respectent les uns
les autres. Le personnel de l’école attribue aussi sa réussite
collective à un certain nombre d’autres facteurs. Par exemple,
la mise en œuvre d’une pédagogie pour la réussite, la
différenciation pédagogique et le travail d’équipe.
Un horaire équilibré, permettant des périodes de lecture de
100 minutes, des cercles de lecture par thème avec l’appui
des aides enseignantes et des enseignantes-ressources ont
beaucoup amélioré la motivation des élèves. Les garçons
et les filles choisissent leurs propres livres et développent
leur vocabulaire et leur pensée critique. En mathématiques,
les élèves travaillent avec des partenaires de même niveau
ou partageant les mêmes intérêts et ils résolvent les
problèmes ensemble. Ils développent aussi leurs habiletés
en communication et en présentation en faisant de mini
expositions (p. ex. expo-mathématiques). Le projet de
correspondance par Internet permet aux élèves de rendre
visite à des amis d’une autre école et d’établir des liens
avec d’autres communautés francophones. Le portail
Cyberqu@rtier et le projet Authentique favorisent les
échanges avec d’autres écoles (p. ex. dans le cas d’une
publicité électronique sur la santé en 4e année et en
robotique avec les classes de 5e et de 6e année). Ces projets
sont un exemple d’apprentissage authentique qui motive
et intéresse les élèves. Un guide d’intervention au cycle
préparatoire « Apprendre, moi j’aime ça » favorise un
excellent début de scolarisation. Le projet éducatif CAPTER
(communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle en technologie
de l’éducation et des ressources) est un très bon exemple
de réseautage pour les élèves avec d’autres pays de la
francophonie (p. ex. Amiens en France).
Les élèves sont évalués en lecture à plusieurs reprises
afin de déterminer les stratégies nécessaires pour répondre
aux besoins de chacun. La planification se fait avec
l’enseignante-ressource, qui se rend dans la classe, selon
le modèle de différenciation pédagogique du conseil.
Le personnel enseignant utilise aussi un tableau de
dépistage pour mieux regrouper les élèves en cas
d’intervention ciblée et dispose dans sa classe de textes
gradués selon les niveaux de difficulté. Le travail en
groupe est facilité par des tuteurs.
L’école Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau fait partie du Conseil scolaire
de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest et profite d’un vaste
programme de perfectionnement professionnel et de
bien d’autres initiatives et d’appuis au sein du conseil.
L’administration du conseil appuie l’école en maintenant
une stabilité au sein du personnel et en permettant à
l’école de mettre en œuvre des initiatives.
En plus des stratégies déjà décrites, le personnel de
l’école Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau a de nombreuses approches
et stratégies à partager avec ses collègues d’autres écoles,
par exemple :
• l’expertise en direction, le mentorat pour d’autres
directions;
• CAPTER, communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle
en technologie de l’éducation et des ressources;
• le programme de tutorat;
• le tableau de dépistage;
• les centres de littératie;
• les centres de mathématiques.
■ Consolider l’approche commune en évaluation de la lecture au sein
de l’équipe afin de développer une intervention plus cohérente
selon les forces et les besoins des élèves
■ Améliorer le rendement des élèves en littératie et en numératie
par le biais de la technologie et de l’éducation artistique
■ Élargir notre communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle en TIC
■ Élaborer et mettre en œuvre une vision commune en résolution
de problèmes en mathématiques
■ Poursuivre l’appropriation des Guides d’enseignement efficace
35
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directeur : Claude Deschamps
Téléphone : 613 531-8160
Code postal : K7K 7G5
École Madeleine-De-Roybon
Kingston, Ontario
d’enseignement et de minimiser les pertes de temps. Le bloc
de littératie et celui de numératie se font de façon ininterrompue dans toutes les salles de classe. À chaque niveau,
il faut utiliser certaines ressources pédagogiques et toute
ressource non approuvée est retirée des salles de classe.
Il s’agit de miser sur la qualité et non sur la quantité.
D’autre part, chaque membre du personnel est conscient
de l’importance de documenter soigneusement les apprentissages des élèves et d’ajuster régulièrement le tir puisque
la différenciation de l’enseignement est au cœur de tout.
L’école...
L’école élémentaire publique Madeleine-de-Roybon est
située sur la base militaire de Kingston. Elle accueille
environ 205 élèves dont environ 40 % sont de familles
militaires, ce qui entraîne de fréquents changements
dans la population scolaire. Kingston étant une ville très
anglophone, une grande partie des parents des élèves de
Madeleine-de-Roybon communique surtout en anglais à la
maison. Depuis trois ans, une certaine stabilité du personnel
scolaire a nourri un bel esprit d’équipe au sein de l’école et
a instauré un climat de confiance dans les communications
entre professionnels. La priorité du personnel enseignant
est l’amélioration du rendement des élèves grâce à un
enseignement différencié de qualité. Les attentes sont élevées
et tous ressentent le besoin bien normal de performer.
Les parents reconnaissent cet engagement de la part du
personnel et apprécient la communication étroite à tous
les niveaux entre le foyer et l’école.
Le climat de travail de l’école met l’accent sur des conditions
plaisantes et saines, tout est fait pour créer une atmosphère
où il fait bon travailler. Le plan annuel d’amélioration est
élaboré par une équipe collaboratrice de façon à ce que
l’école demeure sur ce qui est essentiel pour progresser.
De plus, un horaire modifié permet de maximiser le temps
36
Les équipes se rencontrent régulièrement et se fixent des
objectifs SMART (spécifiques, mesurables, atteignables,
réalistes et en temps opportun) afin d’améliorer leur
enseignement. Cette stratégie a un impact positif sur
l’apprentissage des élèves. De plus, chaque enseignante
et enseignant de la 3e à la 6e année fait son propre
enseignement-ressource auprès des élèves ayant des besoins
particuliers. Ils sont aussi responsables de l’élaboration des
PEI (plan d’enseignement individualisé) pour leurs propres
élèves, en collaboration bien sûr avec l’enseignante-ressource.
Le programme d’aide aux devoirs après l’école est un autre
service offert à chaque élève qui désire un coup de pouce
pour réussir à faire ses devoirs.
En 2003-2004, de 50 à 68 % des élèves de 3e et de 6e année
ont réussi aux niveaux 3 et 4 en lecture, écriture et mathématiques. En 2005-2006, les résultats en 3e et 6e année
sont passés respectivement à 73 % et à 83 % dans ces
matières. Cette tendance se maintient en écriture et en
mathématiques pour les élèves de 3e et de 6e année.
Chaque cycle bénéficie d’un leader en littératie et en
numératie qui s’assure de participer aux sessions de
formation offertes par le conseil et d’en faire le suivi à
l’école. L’expertise est partagée et chacun ressent l’importance
de sa propre contribution. La mise sur pied d’une politique
de devoirs au niveau de l’école exige que les titulaires de
classe présentent en début de semaine le plan des devoirs
de la semaine aux élèves. Chaque élève doit alors gérer son
temps pour accomplir ces tâches avant la fin de la semaine.
Toute planification de l’enseignement se fait à partir du
curriculum de l’Ontario. On utilise régulièrement les tests
de l’OQRE des années précédentes et les copies-types,
et on amène l’élève à se questionner pour qu’il développe
des habiletés supérieures de la pensée. On porte beaucoup
d’attention au bien être de l’élève sur le plan émotif, et le
personnel s’assure de créer un milieu où les élèves se sentent
en sécurité et où il fait bon apprendre.
Le Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario offre
un appui constant au moyen de formations, de personnes
ressources (comme les conseillers pédagogiques) et des
ressources matérielles fournies aux écoles.
En plus des stratégies déjà décrites, le personnel a bien
d’autres expériences et d’autres approches à partager avec
ses collègues d’autres écoles, par exemple :
• un enseignement axé sur des stratégies efficaces de
communication;
• les carrousels d’activités favorisant la lecture guidée
en salle de classe et ce dès le cycle préparatoire;
• l’enseignement par la résolution de problèmes en
mathématiques;
• le centre de ressources en lecture pour tous les niveaux;
• le centre de ressources commun pour le matériel de
manipulation en mathématiques ainsi qu’une banque de
livrets de lecture traitant des domaines mathématiques;
• un programme solide de conscience phonologique au
cycle préparatoire;
• une communication constante entre les enseignants de
différents cycles afin d’établir une continuité dans les
contenus d’apprentissage enseignés;
• la mise sur pied du programme P.S.I.T (Prévention et
sensibilisation à l’intimidation et au taxage) qui a un
impact positif sur l’apprentissage de chaque élève;
• l’utilisation des profils de classe sur fichier EXCEL© qui
permet de faire des tris selon les niveaux de lecture, les
élèves identifiés, etc. Le niveau de lecture, le rendement
en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques, les résultats
de l’OQRE (Office de la qualité et de la responsabilité en
éducation), la conscience phonologique, des évaluations
psychologiques, l’ALF (actualisation linguistique en
français) et l’aide pour les devoirs sont tous des éléments
qui se retrouvent dans le profil de chaque élève;
• la politique de collation santé et éducation physique
tous les jours ainsi que l’impact de ces initiatives sur
le rendement des élèves.
• développer davantage les stratégies en écriture et en
communication orale;
• développer davantage le programme d’enseignement
efficace en numératie.
■ Partager nos pratiques réussies avec d’autres écoles de la province
■ Uniformiser les pratiques réussies auprès de tout le personnel
de l’école
■ Appuyer le nouveau personnel enseignant dans la mise en œuvre
de nos pratiques réussies
■ Étendre jusqu’en 3e année l’enseignement-ressource par la titulaire
de classe
■ Perfectionner notre tableau de dépistage électronique
■ Poursuivre les rencontres d’équipes collaboratrices tous les 2e lundi
du mois
37
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directeur : Éric Foisy
Téléphone : 705 474-2280
Code postal : P1B 7J6
École Ste-Anne
North Bay, Ontario
ayant des besoins particuliers. Depuis deux ans, ces élèves
reçoivent davantage d’appui en classe de l’enseignante,
l’enseignant, l’enseignante-ressource ou l’aide-éducatrice.
Cela permet aux élèves de former des groupes variés, de
se découvrir les uns les autres et de développer davantage
leurs habiletés linguistiques.
Aux cycles primaire et moyen, l’utilisation des guides
d’enseignement efficace a servi de tremplin pour des échanges
durant les réunions des CAP (communautés d’apprentissage
professionnelles) ainsi que pour l’emploi d’un langage
pédagogique commun. Le bloc de littératie est en place dans
ces deux cycles ainsi que les quatre situations de lecture.
L’école...
L’école élémentaire catholique Ste-Anne vient de célébrer
ses 50 ans. Elle accueille environ 185 élèves de la maternelle
à la 6e année et dessert une communauté de North Bay
dont les familles disposent de revenus divers. Il faut noter
que plusieurs élèves bénéficient d’un soutien d’actualisation
linguistique en français (ALF).
Approche et philosophie…
La direction de l’école met l’accent sur les besoins des élèves
et sur l’amélioration de leur rendement tout en tenant
compte des points forts du personnel qui reçoit un soutien
continu pour améliorer ses compétences professionnelles.
Le rythme d’apprentissage de chaque élève est respecté. On
regroupe les élèves d’ALF dès le cycle préparatoire afin de
mieux répondre à leurs besoins d’acquisition de la langue
française. Un des éléments de réussite provient de l’étroite
collaboration du personnel enseignant à la planification et
au partage des pratiques réussies. Des rencontres régulières
par cycle d’études permettent de discuter des stratégies
et des processus d’amélioration du rendement des élèves.
Chaque équipe formée en collaboration doit fixer des
objectifs SMART (spécifiques, mesurables, atteignables,
réalistes et en temps opportun) et tenir compte s’ils ont
été atteints ou non durant l’année. Un second élément de
réussite a consisté à insérer en salle de classe des élèves
38
De 2005 à 2006, les résultats des tests des élèves de
6e année de l’école Ste-Anne ont été améliorés en moyenne
de 13 % aux niveaux 3 et 4 en lecture, en écriture et en
mathématiques. De même pour les tests des élèves de
3e année, les résultats sont passés de 48 % aux niveaux
3 et 4 en lecture en 2005 à 85 % en 2006.
Les enseignantes et les enseignants attribuent leur réussite
à l’esprit de collaboration, au travail d’équipe, à l’appui de
différents intervenants et aux ressources qui sont mises à
leur disposition. Afin d’appuyer le personnel enseignant
dans son apprentissage, deux leaders en littératie et deux
leaders en numératie sont régulièrement mis à la disposition
de leurs collègues pour les aider.
Depuis un an, les enseignants ont harmonisé la circulation
parmi les élèves des textes de ces derniers pour encourager
une correction par les élèves eux-mêmes. Le petit nombre
d’élèves par classe permet la personnalisation de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. Étant donné que le nombre
d’élèves en ALF est assez élevé dès la maternelle, une gamme
de stratégies a été mise en place pour amener chaque élève
à développer davantage son vocabulaire. Depuis la mise
en œuvre de l’enseignement de la conscience phonologique,
les élèves sont mieux équipés pour la lecture en 1re année.
La stratégie qui a bénéficié de la plus grande attention cette
année est la lecture guidée. Selon le personnel enseignant,
c’est pendant l’enseignement guidé que l’on peut répondre
le mieux aux besoins individuels des élèves. De plus, dans
chaque salle de classe, les stratégies de lecture ont été
affichées et des coins de lecture ont été mis en place. Cette
année, une des priorités était de fournir une plus grande
sélection de livres pour les garçons. Dans ce but, chaque
salle de classe, ainsi que la bibliothèque, a reçu encore
plus de livres pour répondre aux intérêts des élèves.
Le conseil scolaire de district catholique Franco-Nord
fournit un appui exceptionnel et continu aux membres
du personnel. Des accompagnatrices et des conseillers
pédagogiques sont disponibles pour tous les membres du
personnel enseignant et offrent des sessions de formation
suivies d’un accompagnement. Ce modèle d’accompagnement
semble avoir eu un impact positif sur la mise en œuvre
de nouvelles initiatives. Le conseil a aussi préparé une
programmation complète en littératie pour la 1re année et en
prépare d’autres pour les autres années d’études. Plusieurs
documents d’appui sont distribués dans toutes les classes.
Ce que l’école peut partager avec d’autres
écoles…
En plus des stratégies déjà décrites, le personnel a bien
d’autres expériences et d’autres approches à partager avec
ses collègues d’autres écoles, par exemple :
• la pratique de l’enseignement explicite et l’impact sur
les élèves;
• l’approche à petits pas pour apprendre et mettre en
œuvre de nouvelles stratégies;
• l’utilisation d’outils d’évaluation pour identifier le
niveau de rendement de l’élève à différents étapes
durant l’année;
• le sac à son pour les élèves du cycle préparatoire, sac
qui aide le développement du vocabulaire et qui
implique les parents dans l’apprentissage de leur enfant;
• la place importante qu’occupe la communication orale
en numératie, et ce, à tous les niveaux.
■ Assurer la mise en œuvre des quatre situations de lecture par tout
le personnel de l’école
■ Passer d’une approche axée sur l’enseignement à une approche
axée sur le rendement des élèves dans le cadre des communautés
d’apprentissage professionnelles
■ Recueillir et analyser les données sur le rendement des élèves afin
de réajuster les pratiques et les interventions auprès des élèves
■ Faciliter la participation des parents dans les pratiques visant
l’amélioration du rendement des élèves
39
Phase 2
PERSONNE CONTACT
Directrice : Diane Gagnon
Téléphone : 705 566-1071
Code postal : P3A 2A8
École Jean-Éthier-Blais
Sudbury, Ontario
L’école...
L’école publique Jean-Éthier-Blais est située à Sudbury et
dessert les élèves provenant d’une grande région comprenant
Minnow Lake, Nouveau Sudbury, Skead, Coniston,
Falconbridge et Garson. Parmi les 211 élèves qui fréquentent
l’école, la majorité est franco-dominante. Beaucoup d’entre
eux bénéficient de services au centre d’apprentissage où
l’enseignement se fait en fonction du plan d’enseignement
individualisé (PEI) établi pour l’élève. De plus, l’école compte
environ 9 élèves de la maternelle à la 6e année qui bénéficient
de l’article 23 du Règlement de l’Ontario 152/07.
Approches et philosophie...
Lors des rencontres pédagogiques d’un cycle, les membres
du personnel enseignant font l’analyse de données pour fixer
des objectifs SMART (spécifiques, mesurables, atteignables,
réalistes et en temps opportun) favorisant une amélioration
du rendement des élèves. Au cycle préparatoire, l’enseignante
ou l’enseignant se sert d’un site Web pour dépister les
besoins des petits. Jusqu’à présent, l’accompagnement des
nouveaux membres du personnel enseignant se faisait de
façon informelle, mais depuis cette année, une personne de
l’école est mise à mi-temps à leur disposition pour faire du
modelage et de la co-planification, discuter des évaluations
des élèves et pour les aider de diverses façons à améliorer
leur enseignement et leur apprentissage.
40
On a pu ainsi harmoniser des pratiques au sein de l’école.
Par exemple, toutes les salles de classe exposent des fiches
expliquant les stratégies de lecture. Les murs de mots sont
nombreux et bien pourvus, surtout pour les cycles primaire
et préparatoire. La directrice de l’école joue un rôle
d’accompagnatrice en numératie étant donné son expertise
dans ce domaine. Elle rencontre régulièrement l’accompagnatrice en littératie afin de faire la planification avec elle,
ce qui assure une communication efficace des attentes.
Une grande partie du succès des élèves de cette école est
attribuable à la communication constante et à l’esprit
d’équipe qui règne au sein du personnel. Le tableau de
dépistage permet à chacun de surveiller les progrès de
ses élèves ainsi que des autres élèves des cycles primaire
et moyen.
L’utilisation obligatoire des documents du ministère
permet l’usage d’une langue et des attentes communes. Les
parents s’impliquent bien au sein de l’école. Les bénévoles
omniprésents appuient les initiatives de l’école. La présence
d’un tuteur dans la salle de classe de 6e année permet
aux élèves de recevoir une attention plus personnalisée
en littératie. Au cycle préparatoire, un autre tuteur aide les
élèves des centres en matière de littératie et de numératie.
Une autre stratégie gagnante en matière de numératie a été
l’utilisation du matériel de manipulation et l’enseignement
à partir de la résolution de problèmes dès la maternelle.
On encourage les élèves à jouer au mini-prof pour
développer davantage la communication orale et surtout
leurs compétences en matière de numératie. L’enseignement
explicite des différentes stratégies a aussi contribué à
l’amélioration du rendement des élèves.
Résultats de l’OQRE...
En 6e année, on constate depuis trois ans une amélioration
des résultats dans les trois domaines : lecture, écriture et
mathématiques. Cette amélioration a varié de 13 à 16 %
de 2003 à 2006. En 3e année, on constate depuis trois ans
une amélioration de 24 % en écriture et de 3 % en lecture.
Hausser la barre et réduire l’écart...
L’organisation de réunions des CAP (communautés
d’apprentissage professionnelles), une nouvelle initiative,
permet aux membres du personnel enseignant de se
rencontrer par cycle et entre cycles. C’est lors de ces
réunions que la discussion porte sur les évaluations des
élèves, des stratégies à favoriser et l’appui nécessaire
pour les mettre en œuvre. Afin d’aider les élèves à mieux
comprendre leur niveau de rendement, on utilise les copies
types. De plus, on s’efforce d’utiliser, lors des évaluations
sommatives en salle de classe, le langage utilisé dans la
formulation des tests provinciaux. L’école Jean-Éthier-Blais
désire développer l’autonomie des élèves tout en leur
fournissant des regroupements variés pendant des activités
d’apprentissage. Ceci appuie le travail qui se fait pour
le développement du caractère. Toute l’équipe des
enseignantes et enseignants s’engage à améliorer le
rendement de chaque élève. Ils partagent leurs leçons
modèles et n’hésitent pas à se remettre en question
afin de mieux comprendre des stratégies ou des
décisions pédagogiques.
Le conseil scolaire...
Le conseil scolaire appuie beaucoup les écoles en fournissant
le matériel nécessaire pour avoir des textes gradués selon
les niveaux de difficulté, des bacs de lecture, des chevalets,
etc. Il travaille de près avec le ministère de l’Éducation
grâce à la stratégie de redressement des écoles et, pour
s’occuper des écoles ayant besoin d’un tel programme,
il prend comme modèle les écoles qui ont déjà bénéficié
d’un appui. De plus, des ressources humaines sont
disponibles pour aider les écoles dans leurs projets
pédagogiques. Bien que les changements se fassent petit
à petit, les initiatives que le conseil a déjà entreprises
représentent des pas de géants.
Ce que l’école peut partager avec d’autres...
• l’importance d’établir des liens avec la communauté;
• l’intégration de tuteurs en salle de classe pour maximiser
l’apprentissage;
• l’enseignement et l’apprentissage à partir de la résolution
de problèmes;
• l’enseignement explicite de stratégies en matière de
littératie;
• des suggestions pour développer une pensée critique.
• continuer les rencontres pédagogiques des CAP;
• accompagner les membres du personnel enseignant
pour les aider en matière de lecture et d’écriture;
• continuer à aménager notre salle de livres.
■ Continuer à améliorer le rendement des élèves en lecture,
en écriture et en mathématiques
■ Aider le nouveau personnel enseignant à intégrer la culture
organisationnelle et le système de communication efficace
de l’école
■ Équiper chaque salle de classe de ressources et de fournitures
scolaires pour favoriser l’implantation des stratégies en littératie
■ Comment allons-nous mesurer l’amélioration du rendement?
■ Offrir des occasions de perfectionnement professionnel
■ Offrir une approche inclusive pour répondre aux besoins des élèves ayant
des besoins particuliers
■ Démontrer l’intégration des nouvelles technologies dans l’apprentissage
41
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Donna Kowalchuk
Phone: 807-274-6433
Postal Code: P9A 2R5
F. H. Huffman School
Fort Frances, Ontario
discuss student progress and effective strategies to further
that progress. Teachers are encouraged to ask questions,
take risks, and carry on open dialogues. They support each
other, visit each other’s classrooms, and offer support and
guidance to new teachers. The school’s PLC has established
a culture of learning. The school improvement plan is
aligned with and supported by the board improvement plan.
At Huffman, school improvement is about the improvement
of teaching practices. Thinking beyond the walls of the
classroom ensures that all children are learning and feeling
successful. Both the principal and teachers say, “It is about
learning not teaching.”
F. H. Huffman School is a JK–3 school of approximately
85 students in the town of Fort Frances. Approximately
65 per cent of the students are of Aboriginal descent, while
43 per cent live near the school in a First Nation community.
F. H. Huffman serves a transient community. The school is
part of the Rainy River District School Board’s Achievement
Schools Project which provides a small additional resource
budget. The school reports significant numbers of families
where children would benefit from resources such as
books at home.
At F. H. Huffman School, staff members believe that every
teacher is responsible for every child, that literacy and
numeracy are fundamental, and that every child can learn
when teachers are precise in their teaching. This school
improves teaching and learning by taking advantage of
board initiatives, studying together, and co-teaching.
Learning is centred on a professional learning communities
(PLC) approach and staff members report a high level of
comfort and trust for everyone on the team. Practice is
informed by the research base and data about the needs of
students. The administration promotes an environment of
working together and asking questions to identify the best
intervention model to match the needs of every student.
Staff meets monthly for PLC team meetings and weekly to
42
The use of common terminology and consistent practices
across the school make it easier for the team to be responsible
for all students and for students to feel comfortable in every
classroom. Differentiated instruction is the foundation of
teacher endeavours. The gradual release of responsibility
scaffolds learning to ensure that every child moves forward.
Teachers mobilize people and resources to provide every
child with support at an appropriate starting point.
The principal provides leadership by reaching out to the
community and to the teachers about instructional practices.
The staff makes sure students are nourished, engaged,
and motivated. There are ongoing efforts to involve the
community in school life. Parents on the school council
value the welcoming environment and good communication
that make this a place where children want to be.
EQAO scores …
This school has notable socio-economic and special
education challenges. Still, this school seems well on its
way toward higher achievement. Its Grade 3 mathematics
score has doubled since the 2003–04 assessment, and both
its reading and writing scores have now added about
15 percentage points to their 2003–04 scores.
Staff members respect the experiences and background of
community members and reach out to build relationships
with Aboriginal families. Huffman staff monitors student
well-being as well as academic progress, while teachers
stress to students the importance of learning how to listen.
The balanced day has been in place at Huffman for two
years. The school uses developmental student groupings
to ensure that all students are successful and motivated by
their success. Children are encouraged to construct meaning from what they are reading and are specifically taught
how to ask questions. Opportunities are provided for all
students to learn to use higher level thinking skills.
The school uses a tool kit of assessment strategies such as
DRA, running records, and exemplars to learn more about
student learning and their needs. A focus on data use has
led the school to target improving writing skills using
modeling and guided practice as key strategies. The shared
framework and developmental continua from the Guide
to Effective Instruction in Writing provides a road map
for evaluating children’s progress. Recognizing that a good,
oral language foundation is paramount to the success of
their students, staff members seek opportunities to learn more
about their language needs. Instruction in oral language is
supported by the board’s speech language pathologist and
communication assistant.
Huffman teachers value the resources they have gathered
and find the central book room benefits their work in
the classroom. They are learning more about resources
of interest to boys and as well as those that reflect the
images and personalities of Aboriginal students.
F. H. Huffman School is part of the Rainy River District
School Board. Teachers at Huffman appreciate working in
a board that supports long-term planning at the classroom
level and provides learning resources and opportunities
for all. People have time together to talk in a culture that
fosters open discussion. Teachers particularly value moderated
marking as an effective professional learning opportunity
and are looking forward to doing more of this.
educators …
• Use of assessment data to set up developmental literacy
groups
• Suggestions for establishing a professional learning
community centred on students’ learning needs
• Using purposeful talk as a foundation for reading
and writing
• Experience with an oral language assessment tool
for Kindergarten
• Planning and use of a three-part lesson in mathematics
• Supporting job-embedded professional learning
• Moderated marking activities
• Information about resources and assessment strategies
for media literacy
• How to gather exemplars
• How to integrate social studies and science into the
literacy block
■ Continue to embrace differentiated instruction by applying
assessment data from student work to guide personalized,
precision teaching for all students in small developmental groups
■ Strengthen the co-teaching model with the use of daily scheduled
time for school-based coaching focused on effective assessment
and instruction
■ Sustain a professional learning community. Teachers continue to
improve the quality of classroom instruction using an expanded
pool of ideas, materials and strategies
■ Collect samples of student work and through moderated marking develop
consistent assessment and evaluation practices that align with the curriculum
achievement charts
■ Initiate student-led conferencing where students can select and display the work they
are most proud of
43
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Chris McInnis
Phone: 905-732-3683
Postal Code: L3C 4V5
Fitch Street School
Welland, Ontario
offering resources and teaching supports that facilitate
planning. Each teacher’s classroom is accessible to all other
teachers and resources are freely shared.
Data analysis has played a critical role in supporting
conversations about student achievement. Teachers actively
monitor, analyse, and discuss student progress and next
steps planning.
Fitch Street School is a JK–8 school serving 300 students
in the small community of Welland in the Niagara Region.
The school hosts regional programs for English language
learners, students with general learning disabilities, and
children with multiple exceptionalities. The students in
these programs enrich the whole school through continual
integration and sharing. The school community is socioeconomically mixed. Parents are very supportive in both
the home and school association and school council. Both
groups meet together monthly.
EQAO scores …
Although four assessment areas in this school are still below
65 per cent, considerable improvement has been made in
each of these areas (e.g., Grade 3 writing improved from
36 per cent three years ago to 63 per cent today). In each
of the other two assessment areas, the school has improved
by at least 15 percentage points.
Fitch Street attributes much of the school’s recent academic
success to an approach that puts a strong emphasis on
collaborative teamwork, assessment for learning, and the
common culture and beliefs of the school community.
Staff members undertake responsibility for all students.
Fitch Street teachers attribute much of their success in raising
student achievement levels to specific strategies introduced
in instruction and assessment. Underlying teacher efforts are
the high expectations they hold for themselves and students
in every aspect of school life – academic, social, and personal.
The Principal Honour Role has shifted to explicit recognition
of student work and now displays work samples that honour
and give evidence of student success.
Staff members work effectively together in professional
learning communities (PLCs) and continually improve
their teaching practices. A high degree of collegial talk is
evident in both formally scheduled PLCs and informal daily
conversation. Throughout the school, teachers honour a
common commitment to supporting and learning with and
from their colleagues. They rely on each other’s strengths
to contribute to the greater whole. Teachers know the
curriculum inside out, and use that knowledge to teach
with great precision. They are proactive with each other,
44
Part of the school’s philosophy is to find out-of-school support
for students. Along with educational assistants, this help
includes high school co-op students, student teachers
from Brock and other universities, students pursuing
Early Childhood Education, Child and Youth Worker, or
Educational Assistant qualifications, Big Brother mentors,
grandparents, and former Fitch Street students doing
community service.
An important catalyst for teachers’ thinking and responding
to student work has been a series of workshops offered
regionally for teachers in the same division to participate
alongside their school and grade peers. This professional
learning has had a specific, practical emphasis on the
implementation of high-yield literacy strategies. Staff members
now teach Star Strategies to all students and then precision
Teachers provide peer-to-peer coaching to solve instructional
problems and employ a common language that is consistent
from class to class, thereby allowing students to see and
hear familiar things as they progress through the grades.
Teachers give students talking and thinking time, recognizing
that student talk within groups, pairs, or clusters is critical
for writing improvement.
Students build assessment rubrics and exemplars with
teachers. These are shared with parents who then know
the standards children are expected to meet. The parents
appreciate that students will be asked to think deeply and
to explain their thinking.
The classroom experience of everyone is enriched and
teaching is seen to improve by the inclusion not only of
special needs students but also English language learners
and recent immigrants who contribute to the knowledge
of the school community and its celebration of diversity.
Parent and home involvement is elicited through specific
programs such as the Back Pack Math Program and the
10-Minute Reading Club.
Fitch Street School is part of the District School Board
of Niagara which identifies and supports a common set
of high-yield strategies for enhancing student learning.
The School Achievement Team Initiative helps schools
share successful practices and exemplars, empower students,
❝
map standards, and enhance assessment for learning. The
board also mandates and supports key assessment strategies.
Superintendents lead principal professional learning within
regional clusters of schools and the board supports teacher
learning communities by division. This approach has
moved from the primary to junior division and now
engages intermediate teachers.
A monthly newsletter, Links to Literacy, is provided to all
principals and teachers. School staff members value the
mini-lessons, strategies, explanations, and practical tips
that support the classroom strategies for improving literacy.
educators …
•
•
•
•
Inclusive practices that work
Consistency in the building of literacy strategies from K–6
Commitment to continuous learning for staff and students
Integrated curriculum – teaching students to see the
connections and transfer knowledge
• Reflections on practising like a professional – everyday
in every way
• Professional sharing of student information, teaching
strategies, and learning resources
• What will continue to bump up achievement? What
more can we do?
• Ways to build mathematics portfolios that will give a
picture of a student’s learning, the milestones by grade
or age with exemplars, and assessments that will help
us understand why the student is not getting it
❝
teach by matching individual strategies to specific student
or group needs. Additionally, information about students’
learning strengths and weaknesses is transferred from one
teacher to another.
“We tap into every resource we have. We couldn’t function without our EA’s.
They have a wealth of knowledge.” Teacher
■ Improve inferring skills using common resources, language teaching
strategies, and assessments
■ Improve student achievement in writing using computer technology
and software programs
■ Implement the use of school-based moderated marking in all classes
for consistent assessment and program planning
■ Implement a School Achievement Team to monitor all of our goals
45
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Brent Vallee
Phone: 705-945-7118
Postal Code: P6A 5K8
Greenwood Public School
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
of their successes. Teachers are committed to sharing
promising practices, lateral team building, and working
to establish links between the board’s Turnaround School
and other School on the Move.
Greenwood Public School serves approximately 210 students
in Grades JK–8. Described as having a country-near-the-city
feel, the school is situated in a diverse socio-economic
area on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie. There are strong
community links because many Greenwood staff, parents,
and grandparents have been former students. Parents and
the neighbouring community are highly supportive and the
school receives volunteers from a number of community
organizations and agencies.
EQAO scores …
Staff members at Greenwood have initiated a number of
structural and instructional strategies and are already seeing
the positive impact on student achievement.
The focus at Greenwood School is on team building,
communication, and positive attitude. In planning and in
action, the school runs on a model of distributed leadership.
Teachers lead assemblies and plan professional development
with the principal as a “guide on the side”. Staff members
work as a professional team using their divisional meetings
to design formal structures and schedules for their collaborations. Together, they set goals and define focus, sharing,
and communication. School board administrators and
principals work to establish common vision and goals.
Capacity building is ongoing and central to the school
improvement plan with job-embedded learning being an
important element. Teachers continually seek and compare
strategies that will make a difference for students. The
principal, recognizing the strengths teachers bring to their
work, encourages risk taking and shares in the celebrations
46
Throughout the school, assessments are a valued part
of intentional teaching and the foundation for planning.
Drawing on Education for All as a guide, Greenwood’s
classrooms have become places of inclusion and safety for
all students. Character education is a central focus and is
reflected in school assemblies involving all students and
staff. Staff and parents form a close-knit community and
use a number of strategies to connect learning at home
with learning at school.
Starting with all six assessment scores below 60 per cent
in the 2003–04 EQAO assessment, this school has two of
its assessment scores above the provincial standard in the
2005–06 round. The other four assessment areas are well
on the road to improvement, with EQAO 2005–06 scores
within striking distance of the provincial standard.
One such strategy is a change to a balanced day with
100-minute literacy blocks. The block gives students time
to think and reflect on their learning strategies, and gives
teachers time to develop new strategies. Students also
model new strategies with each other. Teachers value that
their instruction is in a state of metamorphosis as they
focus on all the components of literacy.
Another key element in student gains is the focus on
assessment for learning and how teachers engage with data.
Assessments are now part of intentional teaching with
student data pinpointing the needs for specific strategies.
Teachers target struggling students and booster groups using
class profiles that include data from the Developmental
Reading Assessment (DRA), the Comprehension, Attitude,
Strategies and Interests assessment (CASI), and the Canadian
Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). EQAO scores also help determine
strengths and weaknesses. Data collection, based on Managing
Information for Student Achievement (MISA), also suggests
focus areas for division planning. Cross-referencing sources
of data provide a measure of assurance.
In their professional learning teams, teachers support each
other and share experiences from lead teacher training.
In division meetings, teachers build capacity and common
language and set common goals. In targeting shared reading
last year, teachers, faculty of education students, and the
principal worked intensively with Grades 3 and 6 students
in booster classes to improve reading scores.
The school is committed to a balanced literacy strategy. To
this end, administrators and educational assistants work in
classrooms alongside teachers to maximize instruction and
support. Literacy strategies are fully integrated across the
curriculum. Instruction is differentiated and students are
encouraged to connect their mathematical thinking to real-life
situations. Small group settings mean students receive more
focused attention at a level and pace that fits their needs.
Students take ownership of their own learning as teachers
release responsibility. A safe environment promotes risk-taking.
As part of the Algoma District School Board, Greenwood
takes advantage of the system’s opportunities for professional
learning. Moreover, with board support ensuring that the
school has needed core resources, staff are able to focus
more sharply on capacity building. Greenwood teachers seek
out and enjoy not only the board’s professional development,
but also opportunities to visit other schools, exchange good
ideas, and share successes. Accordingly, the board’s program
staff takes valuable professional learning out to school settings,
facilitating sharing.
Board leaders value that a growing number of schools, such
as the Schools on the Move, Turnaround Schools, and those
with Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP)
support, are creating a culture of change within the district.
Greenwood’s supervisory officer sees that more and more
teachers are sending the message out to the whole system
that new strategies are improving student achievement in
wonderful ways.
educators …
• Building a positive school climate – character education
• Teachers’ modeling team (to staff, parents, board,
community)
• Intentional teaching – comparing strategies
• Sharing – seeing it in classrooms
• Support – Outreach – Share
• Principals leading from the side – planting the seed
• Enhancing student learning and teacher learning
• Provincial instructional repertoire, implementation
• Networking
• About other models, such as interventions for students,
literacy resource teachers
• About teachers collecting and sharing data
• Using technology, the internet
• Finding out what other schools are looking for, then
matching up; learning about their promising practices
and personal strengths
• More about intentional teaching and intentional learning
within the school community
• More about outreach around the province (e.g., learning
connections)
■ Increase our effectiveness in using a variety of assessment data
as the foundation for student achievement (e.g., use of student
and class profiles to identify booster groups, monitor progress,
focus intervention)
■ Enhance our capacity to meet individual needs by strengthening the
instructional practices of all staff through the use of professional
learning communities and job-embedded professional development
■ Build on positive school culture through focused instruction/
reflection on key character attributes and develop further links
between character education, anti-bullying programs, and school-wide
discipline programs
■ Strengthen literacy achievement by implementing a school-wide focus on
enhancing writing skills and practices
47
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Liz Arbuckle
Phone: 519-621-9981
Postal Code: N1S 1J8
Highland Public School
Cambridge, Ontario
A code of behaviour, based around the much-loved mascot
SPIKE, is written in child-friendly language and provides
a common reference point for solving problems. French
Immersion and English students cooperate on grade level
activities. Specific programs, such as reading buddies and
strong start, build children’s confidence. A daily fitness
program provides leadership opportunities to older students
and enables more focused learning by all students. Finally,
two 40-minute nutritional/physical activity breaks during
the day are seen as beneficial to learning.
Highland Public School is a JK–5 school of approximately 500
students located in Cambridge. The school offers a French
Immersion program and hosts a diverse population drawn
from the surrounding neighbourhood and wider region.
Many of the students are second- or third-generation
Highland students. This school honours its history and
welcomes newcomers into the community.
At Highland Public School, staff members hold the belief
that every child wants and has the potential for success.
They model expectations and make assessment rubrics
explicit to empower children to experience success. They
generously share with one another and willingly mentor
less-experienced teachers. All staff members use the school
email system and a conferencing tool called Waterworks
to share successes and give support. They have developed
a common language approach through engagement in a book
club and discussion at divisional meetings as they reflect
and learn together. Students benefit from this collective
learning and know that every teacher in the school can
and will assist them.
The principal and vice-principal work as a team and
encourage open communication among staff. Teachers value
having effective and approachable leaders who make it
possible for them to do their work well. School planning
puts resources and time where they are most needed.
48
Parents appreciate that staff know and care about their
students and that students feel safe and ready to learn in
an inclusive school environment. Communication through
monthly school newsletters and classroom daily planners
involves parents in their children’s education. Everyone is
available so it is easy to get an audience for ideas or issues.
Highland staff value parental involvement as school volunteers
and feel honoured that they give their time so freely.
EQAO scores …
This K–5 school has notably improved in Grade 3 writing
and reading over the past three years, with increases of 19
and 25 percentage points respectively. Grade 3 mathematics
improved by 11 percentage points.
Staff members are given common planning time to devise
common assessments with clear expectations and to reflect
on instructional practice vis à vis results. Grade partners
work together to analyse student work samples to agree on
qualities of good work and levels of performance. Special
education teachers work closely with classroom teachers.
All staff members are engaged in discussions of how to best
use tools and analyse the information the tools provide.
There is continuity of expectations across the grades and
the French Immersion and English streams. Knowing that
students will better meet expectations in an environment
which is safe for risk taking, staff encourage students to
go deeper with their thinking and give them meaningful
blocks of time to talk. Instruction is differentiated and
teachers design tasks that allow access for all children to
Data-driven instruction is key to improvements in student
achievement. The primary division uses common assessment
tools to determine how to program effectively, and teachers
work together to make sense of exemplars and to make
expectations tangible for students. Staff members use
word walls (including math walls) as a high-yield strategy.
Records of reading behaviour are analysed with a focus
on comprehension. Graphic organizers are seen to benefit
learning by pushing students’ thinking, resulting in deepened
understanding. Staff members work together to set up literacy
and math resource rooms with the materials necessary for
meaningful learning experiences, resulting in a collective sense
of ownership. There are a number of intervention programs
for students who need support beyond the classroom
program. The school-based team comes together to support
classroom teachers in meeting the needs of students and
making decisions about intervention when required.
Highland Public School is part of the Waterloo Region
District School Board. Staff members have taken advantage
of the many learning opportunities the board provides,
including professional development sessions and opportunities to visit demonstration classrooms. The board has
moved to a model that allows teachers to embed professional
learning at the school and classroom levels. As schools
identify learning needs, board staff works with them to
provide capacity building activities in the school. The
principal values the mentoring and support group that
the board has organized.
School improvement plans throughout the district have
two focused goals: learning and caring. The supervisory
officer visits schools and classrooms whenever possible and
sees her prime role as supporting the learning of children
in the school. The district is fostering sharing between
schools and the supervisory officer acts as a catalyst to
broker the exchange of ideas.
educators …
• Ways of working with the parent community
• Three-part lesson in mathematics and use of manipulatives
• Early primary intervention program that supports
young readers and deals with comprehension
• Ways to expand the repertoire of strategies to take into
classrooms
• Effective use of SMART goals
• Ways for developing professional learning communities
• Using metacognition to develop student learning
• Using classroom visits to set up and deepen conversation
❝
❝
engage and participate. Teachers work to make connections
between instructional activities and real life so the work is
relevant to students and allows sense-making.
“We always know we are not solo.” Teacher
“My prime role is supporting the learning of children in the school.”
Principal
■ Incorporate class meetings into every class with common
language to empower students to problem solve and to
improve communication skills
■ Strengthen our professional learning communities by continuing
to provide a structured, grade-planning time during the school
day and continuing to meet as a division each month
■ Develop a continuum of comprehension strategies/skills
49
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Debbie Weiler
Phone: 807-767-6811
Postal Code: P7B 5X8
Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School
Thunder Bay, Ontario
finding helpful in the classroom. Teachers feel that the
principal strongly supports their needs, providing learning
opportunities and appropriate classroom resources as needed.
Holy Cross is a JK–6 school serving just over 400 students.
The school is currently being renovated and is undergoing
an expansion. The community has changed considerably –
what used to be a rural farming area on the eastern outskirts
of Thunder Bay has become urbanized with many new
housing developments. The community is now highly
residential, with active and involved families providing
good support to the school.
The school has taken the initiative in forming community
partnerships. Teachers have partnered with an early years
centre, while an agreement with the local library provides
books to supplement both instruction and a home reading
program. A parent group received a grant that allowed each
kindergarten student to be given a book to read. Strategies
for literacy and numeracy were also shared with parents.
Through a recent anti-bullying program grant, the school has
attained additional strategies that need to be implemented
to ensure a safe environment for all children.
The school has made fundamental changes in its organizational culture, practices, and beliefs related to learning
and teaching. For some staff, commitment to change is
accompanied by apprehension; others show great excitement,
providing support as they work collaboratively to make
changes. Teachers feel free to ask for critiques from their
peers and to find out about strategies that colleagues are
50
Staff learning has had a major impact on improving student
results. A professional development day early in the year
was a springboard to look at data from EQAO and then to
rethink the Senior Kindergarten program. With all the change
underway, the concept of professional learning communities,
including an emphasis on explaining actions and beliefs, is
very important to the school. Mentoring teacher candidates
in shared classrooms encourages this process of explaining
what and why as well as helping teachers relinquish old
habits that are no longer useful.
The focus on talk and explanation extends to students as
well as staff. The school encourages classroom talk, with
students asking, “What?, How?, and Why?” Independent
reading and student conferencing in junior grades has led
to deeper thinking. Teachers have been amazed to find that
if students miss conference time in class they come up during
recess and start to conference about what they’re reading.
The school is focused on meeting the needs of struggling
students. For instance, assistive technology helps students
with special education needs keep up. They are proud of
their work and take more risks. Teachers report that in the
past students were “excellent decoders” but have since
evolved into “critical thinkers”.
The teacher librarian is a strong asset to the school, actively
supporting primary classrooms, for example, by taking
responsibility of various aspects of the primary literacy
program where they very often can be seen doing a readaloud, a book walk, or, with the youngest students, oral
language development. The teacher librarian also works closely
with the primary students in developing computer literacy.
Teachers communicate constantly with parents to ensure
there are no surprises. Teachers live in the same community
or attend the same parish, so, they say, “We really know our
students.” A home reading program starts in JK, engaging
parents in their children’s learning from the beginning of
their lives in the school.
EQAO scores …
Five of the school’s six assessment areas are above the
provincial standard. Three years ago, five of the school’s six
assessment areas were below provincial standard. Grade 6
writing has improved from 59 to 82 per cent, Grade 6
reading has improved from 65 to 79 per cent, and Grade 3
reading has improved from 71 to 83 per cent.
Across the school, teachers have committed to using the
same language, routines, and procedures with students.
The use of common anchor charts and universal design
principles develops consistency across the school and help
clarify expectations for students and teachers.
In SK and Grade 1, the learning centre teacher supports
children’s transition to literacy, concentrating on developing
oral language including phonemic awareness. The primary
division focuses on comprehension. To support reading in
the junior division, students read and enjoy music, lyrics,
and poems.
In teaching writing, teachers are increasingly letting go
and fostering greater student independence. Using the
No Nonsense Approach to Writing and Nancy Atwell’s Writing
Workshop, teachers realize that this cannot be an add-on
but rather an integral part of the program. In Grade 1,
students are encouraged to express their ideas by combining
art with writing. In other grades, moving from student
journals to writer’s notebooks helped students move toward
greater independence in their writing.
In math, teachers have shifted from an emphasis on getting
the answer, the right way, to asking students to show and
support their own solutions. Teachers find that students
now understand and can explain multiple methods for
solving problems.
in reading and math has helped to remediate skills. Individual
students are supported through an effective tutoring program
and through an after-school Upward Bound tutoring program.
TBCDSB has reviewed and revised its board improvement
plan, resulting in greater alignment of initiatives and clearer
statements of core beliefs. The principal role has shifted from
manager to instructional leader. With support from board
program staff, principals are leading professional development
in schools.
Assessment for learning is a board focus. Schools are
encouraged to talk about beliefs, data, and next steps.
The board is attempting to align Council of Directors
of Education (CODE) special education work, Ontario
Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) work, and
Northern Ontario Educational Leaders (NOEL) projects.
The board’s small size makes it relatively easy to share across
schools. Principals from Turnaround and OFIP tier 2 schools
share experiences with their peers, especially strategies for
fostering literacy. Sharing promising practices is leading
to thoughtful discussion of what worked and how.
educators …
• Fostering professional learning communities
• Developing school-wide alignment of professional practice
through collaborative relationships among administrators,
teachers, support staff, and parents
• Literacy and numeracy tutoring for primary and junior
students
• Using data to inform instruction
• Cross-curricular integration
• Expand instructional repertoire
The school has a strong commitment to the use of assistive
technology, using co-writer for example. Computer software
■ Develop a school-wide common understanding of assessment
for learning
■ Demonstrate a firm belief that we have a shared responsibility
for student learning
■ Use data to address specific student needs as identified through
authentic literacy assessment
■ Strengthen the instructional skills and practices of all staff through
professional learning teams
51
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Kathryn Campbell
Phone: 905-573-9113
Postal Code: L8J 2N5
Janet Lee School
Stoney Creek, Ontario
setting of goals for the upcoming year and alignment of
resources and actions to goals.
The goal of student monitoring is to create a culture of
looking at data and acting on data in the classroom. The
building of class profiles facilitates the teachers’ focus of
attention on individual students. Throughout the school,
teachers collaborate to produce rich tasks and assessments,
use exemplars, mark together, and talk about report cards.
Weekly meeting time has been a catalyst to shared leadership
with all staff contributing. The staff enjoys coming to work
and collaboration is the key.
Janet Lee School is a JK–8 school with a current population
of approximately 350 students that is experiencing
continued growth. The school is located in the expanding
Heritage Green area of Stoney Creek, a community of
growing diversity. For a number of students, their first
language is other than English. The school is named to
honour Janet Lee, one of the founders of the Women’s
Institute organization, and the person responsible for
setting up the first kindergarten in Hamilton.
At Janet Lee School, an emphasis on learning teams is a key
element in fostering lateral capacity building among staff.
With increasing consistency in language and messages, school
staff successfully put theory into practice. Staff appreciate
that the principal provides teachers with what they need to
carry out their instructional practice well. The integration
of literacy across the entire curriculum has benefited student
learning and made a difference for teachers in terms
of greater efficiency and thoroughness in their use of
instructional time.
School improvement at Janet Lee incorporates a number
of key elements: a detailed school improvement planning
process; the divisional review of the previous year’s plan
(keep, retire, initiate); examinations of current data; links
to Seven Correlates of Highly Effective Schools; and finally the
52
In their classrooms, teachers encourage students to talk,
to be on task, and to articulate their thinking.
EQAO scores …
Significant improvement has been made across all six
assessment areas in this school. Reading and writing in
both Grades 3 and 6 have moved from below 50 per cent
of students at provincial standard to over 70 per cent in
most cases. Significant improvements were also made in
mathematics in both Grades 3 and 6.
Balanced literacy within protected language blocks is built
into the daily structure. Teachers share a school-wide
commitment to protecting instructional time and eliminating
disruptions. All agree that time-on-task commitments are to
be taken seriously. Throughout the school, special education
and classroom teachers all strive for a consistency in their
approach, expectations and instructional practices. Staff
members have seen that integrating literacy and numeracy
into all subjects facilitates deeper learning for students.
The school provides access to reading intervention and
supports guided reading in Grades 1 to 3. In Grades 4 to 8,
there are flexible leveled groupings to support the language
and mathematics programs. In addition to the school’s
strong emphasis on literacy across the curriculum, there
is now a particular school-wide focus on the vocabulary
of comprehension. Information from the Developmental
Reading Assessment (DRA) helps teachers create instructional
groupings and zone in on the key areas of comprehension.
Staff members have also taken a systematic writing approach
across the grades that includes the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing.
Student language development is tracked using the First
Steps oral language continuum.
In fostering student engagement, teachers emphasize
hands-on learning and the use of manipulatives as well as
visual organizers, and strive to respect the interest levels
of their students. One teacher noted that students benefit
from being given deep and challenging problems so that
they have something worth defending. Another teacher
articulated that she lets the kids’ interests take the lead.
Janet Lee School is part of the Hamilton Wentworth District
School Board. The director provides a clearly articulated
direction and expectations that focus on instruction and
character development. This has, in turn, fostered the
alignment of school and system planning processes. The
superintendents of schools regularly share strategies to
support schools in the implementation of rubrics, system
alignment, and data analysis.
Professional learning plans at the system and cluster level
support the work of teachers and principals and are valued
by those taking part. One teacher reported the following in
regard to a recent workshop: “I haven’t been that excited
coming out of a professional development session for a
long time. Lesson study has completely changed the way
I approach math.”
Janet Lee School has benefited from financial support from
the board and family of schools for innovation based on
school proposals. The board also provides release time for
a literacy support teacher. School visits by the supervisory
officer and central program support person help identify
and support the school’s learning needs.
educators …
• Effective learning teams – focus and ownership
• Principal planning for long-term implementation and
continuous learning
• Building your own lateral learning team
• Teaching mathematics through problem solving
• Getting on board – building collaboration and consistency
• What works, share reflections on practice, discuss
effective application of professional learning
• Integration – how to fit everything in, assessing practices
to determine priorities for instruction
• Math lesson study
• Parental engagement
• Using data efficiently and effectively to affect instruction
❝
❝
“I’m learning and I like the changes I see in the kids.” Teacher
“It is important that kids know that parents know what is expected.”
Parent
■ Focus on data collection, representation, analysis, and next
steps/actions to improve instruction and identify interventions
■ Increase knowledge and understanding of the three-part lesson,
teaching through real-life problem solving, and increased use of
manipulatives in mathematics
■ Implement a focused K–3 at-home reading program and develop
a junior and intermediate focused at-home reading program
■ Expand knowledge and implementation of differentiated instruction
53
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Barbara Gibb
Phone: 905-564-9879
Postal Code: L5N 7Z1
Levi Creek Public School
Mississauga, Ontario
Levi Creek Public School is a relatively new K–5 school
with over 750 students. The school is located in an urban
setting in Mississauga and has grown rapidly since opening
in 2001. With a population that is highly multicultural and
multilingual (over 40 languages spoken), a high proportion
of the students are English language learners. The school
symbol is the butterfly, signifying the notion of awakening
brilliance but also that conditions must be right. The school
offers arts events and opportunities to students that cannot
be provided at home. Parents are an important part of the
school community.
Literacy and numeracy have been central foci of the work
at Levi Creek since the school opened. This approach has
evolved in the last three years as staff members have become
more knowledgeable about improving student achievement
through a focus on assessment for learning. Looking more
closely at report card data, staff began to question how
the data could inform their planning and how to be more
consistent in the use of assessment tools across classrooms.
This approach has earned the staff a reputation among
the local schools for leading-edge practice in supporting
student achievement.
The principal notes that her primary role with staff is to
pose questions that assist them in sharpening their focus
and instructional practices. She asks questions like, “If that
54
is not working for students, what will we do?” The school
administration encourages cross-divisional and grade team
talk. Teachers are given opportunities to work collaboratively
with other team members. As a result, staff members are
starting to see common language and understanding coming
from school-based reflection and a level of consistency
that benefits students. This year, each grade is producing a
grade-level handbook that lists resources and assessments
so that future teams will have a foundation for planning.
Among staff there has been a differentiation of professional
learning with, among other things, teacher-initiated professional book clubs. Across the school, teachers are embedding
gradual release of responsibility as an instructional strategy.
For parents, the school is open and transparent, with easy
access to a staff that is aware of different cultures and
cultural celebrations.
EQAO scores …
This JK–5 school has nicely turned around its Grade 3
mathematics and writing scores and is well on the way
toward higher achievement in Grade 3 reading as well.
Whereas about 60 per cent of Grade 3 students were at
provincial standard in 2003–04, this figure now stands at
around 75 per cent. Its Grade 3 reading score has increased
from 45 per cent in 2003–04 to 64 per cent today.
Staff members at Levi Creek have incorporated a number
of strategies to enhance student achievement. Two of the
highest yield strategies are: ongoing assessment guiding
classroom instruction and explicit teacher feedback reinforcing learning strategies. Currently, rubrics that describe
learning behaviour and characteristics of effective student
representation are being revisited to ensure child-friendly
language. Each grade now uses the same assessments and
is building an assessment binder for next year. The primary
staff is using Alpha Kids Assessment data to diagnose reading
strengths and weaknesses and match students to materials
that will scaffold their learning. Across the school, practices
are becoming aligned.
Students across the school have a literacy folder including
a developmental continuum for reading and writing assessments. Teachers now use a variety of text forms. Students
also have writing folders. Teachers take a leadership role in
developing a common understanding of writing by grade
level and reflect on reading and writing through teacher
moderation of the writing task. Teachers push students to
think deeper by using questioning effectively (guided by
Bloom’s taxonomy), Q-charts, word of the week, and
accountable talk prior to writing.
The school has integrated learning support with classroom
teaching. Each teacher ensures they have a language block
in their timetable, with support staff going into classrooms
during this block. A data wall keeps track of student progress.
Students at risk or on watch are withdrawn for brief, focused
work before reintegration into the classroom. Through the
Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP), tutoring
dollars support phonemic awareness training.
Levi Creek Public School is part of the Peel District School
Board. School staff members greatly appreciate and benefit
from the board’s support of transformational practices for
building student skills by:
• determining important ideas;
• using graphic organizers and frameworks;
❝
• using manipulatives as thinking tools;
• developing vocabulary;
• developing skills for test-taking and preparing for EQAO.
Peel supports embedded professional learning at the classroom level and provides release time for teachers. In keeping
with the cultural and linguistic diversity of the board’s
communities, its website and Identification, Placement,
and Review Committee (IPRC) information are offered in
a variety of languages.
educators …
• How grade level teams come together, support each
other, and enhance the work they do
• How to partner with support staff to dialogue around
what’s best for each student
• How teachers self-direct their own learning and share
with others
• How to foster a love of reading and the developmental
continuum of reading
• More about differentiation in terms of capacity building
that includes all staff
• Independent practices for literacy centres
• Extending the use of word walls
• Learning how other schools do cross-curricular integration
• Doing action research
❝
Students and teachers are developing a common language
around assessment by having students explore an “assessment
word of the week” such as summary or fact. This exploration
increases student capacity to understand and apply assessment
terminology. Parents also know the word of the week and
teachers effectively communicate and explain assessment
levels to them.
“It really benefits the students when we, teachers, are on the same page.
Helps kids get a consistent message.” Teacher
■ Focus and deepen our understanding of differentiated instructional
strategies
■ Broaden our understanding of good evidence and increase our
ability to use it effectively to drive instruction and improve student
learning
■ Develop in-school structures to provide ongoing opportunities
for staff to engage in professional dialogue, teacher moderation,
and sharing of promising practices
55
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Linda Beale
Phone: 519-638-3095
Postal Code: N0G 2K0
Maryborough Public School
Moorefield, Ontario
the students and their needs. Strong parental support is
also connected to improved student learning.
EQAO scores...
Maryborough is a JK–6 school in the village of Moorefield
lying in the heart of an agricultural community. The village
is now becoming a bedroom community for the city of
Kitchener. The school serves about 170 students (about
85 per cent ride the bus to school). Maryborough enjoys
very high parental involvement, with most families volunteering in the school in a variety of capacities. Parents identify
an open door policy, welcoming environment, and respectful
culture as reasons for their willingness to become involved
in the school. They also appreciate the fact that student
achievement is celebrated.
Approach and philosophy...
Leadership is distributed throughout this school community.
The team approach ensures an environment of safety, trust,
and respect where risk taking can happen at all levels. All
staff members are involved in planning, scheduling, staffing,
and professional development. There is rich conversation
in the staff room about teaching strategies, successful
practices, discipline, individual student needs, and analysis
of data. Everyone’s voice is heard. Staff members greet
every new initiative by asking the question, “Does this
meet the needs of our students?” Ready to take on a new
challenge, teachers embrace change when they believe
a new approach will improve student learning.
Surveys, data, and questions drive Maryborough’s programs
and are at the core of the school’s success. Teachers know
56
The EQAO scores have increased dramatically since 2003–04.
Today, the Grade 3 EQAO results are higher by 33 percentage
points in reading, 27 percentage points in writing, and
22 percentage points in mathematics. These are above both
board and provincial levels – over 20 percentage points
higher in writing and mathematics. The Grade 6 EQAO
results have also increased significantly since 2003–04,
40 percentage points higher in reading, 20 percentage points
higher in writing, and 30 percentage points higher in
mathematics. The Grade 6 writing results are four percentage
points higher than the provincial level, mathematics results
are 14 percentage points higher, and reading results are
21 percentage points higher.
Staff says, “We are improving student achievement one child
at a time.” They are tracking student progress term by term
and as they move from grade to grade so that individual
needs can be consistently met. All of the teachers know all
of the students and are aware of their particular needs. As
one teacher described the ethos, “I can do that. It is never
somebody else’s problem.”
High student achievement begins in Kindergarten, where
the program is always evolving to meet student needs and
changing classroom dynamics. Supported by ongoing professional development, Kindergarten teachers continually
work to improve their program, ensuring students the best
possible foundation for learning.
In the primary and junior divisions, various standardized
assessments including PM Benchmarks and Comprehension,
Attitude, Strategies and Interests (CASI) assessments are
used to track student progress and inform instructional
practices. The Grade 1 teacher assesses students regularly
to ensure that they know and are using all decoding skills.
Differentiated instruction and universal design are common
features of all classes. Daily monitoring of progress and
flexible groupings ensure that students are learning math
skills and are able to talk about their thinking in the classroom and use their skills in independent work. Science and
social studies are integrated into language and mathematics.
High-yield strategies such as explicit instruction, shared and
guided reading, and differentiated instruction are supported
by the use of technology such as SMART boards (there is
one in every class from Grades 3 to 6 and one in the
computer lab).
Teachers have developed an extensive range of strategies to
improve the confidence and achievement of identified and
at-risk children. Teacher lessons created for use with the
SMART board can be printed for special needs students.
Students with learning disabilities use scanners and other
technological support to read content material from all
subject areas, do independent research, and take notes
independently. Such strategies have greatly increased
on-task time, student output, and self-esteem.
As important as literacy and numeracy are, good citizenship is even more highly valued at Maryborough. Students
are engaged in many activities to assist those less fortunate
than themselves, including raising money for cancer research
in the Terry Fox Run and supporting a child in Thailand
through World Vision. They also raise money for the local
hospital, and have collected money for 35 bed kits for
Sleeping Children around the World. A Fun Night organized
and run by students raised more than $1000 with games
and activities that cost only a quarter to participate in.
Children provide leadership and initiative for many of
these programs.
Parents report that students go on to be as involved in high
school as they were in elementary school; Maryborough
graduates win academic awards at high school and many
come back to volunteer at Maryborough in activities like
the Homework Club.
Maryborough is part of the Upper Grand District School
Board. Direction teams consisting of the principal and
teachers have been established at the board level to provide
school leadership. An annual learning fair allows teacher to
share ideas with schools across the board. The district also
provides job-embedded professional development, using
key teachers and junior capacity days. Professional learning
communities for teachers and administrators are an ongoing
focus for the Upper Grand District School Board.
educators...
•
•
•
•
A safe, inclusive, and caring school climate
How to make students and staff feel valued and respected
Use of SMART technology for instruction
Use of technology for supporting special needs and
at-risk students
• Parental involvement in the learning process
• Distributed leadership
• Local and global outreach providing learning and
leadership opportunities for students
• Developing Kindergarten partnerships with other schools
• Implementing peer coaching
• Developing reciprocal learning relationships with other
schools
• Implementing 6 + 1Traits of Writing
■ Increase teachers’ knowledge of one another’s programs and
increase consistency across divisions
■ Provide primary intramurals with a goal of having participation
by all primary students
■ Improve the teaching of writing using 6 + 1Traits of Writing
■ Continue to develop the use of SMART technology with a focus
on student use of technology
■ Move more students from Levels 3 to 4 and promote the use of
higher-level thinking skills
■ Use Schools Attuned program (Levine) to increase understanding of student
learning profiles and improve the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to support
all students
57
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Kim Tanaka
Phone: 905-773-5572
Postal Code: L4E 2P7
Oak Ridges Public School
Richmond Hill, Ontario
student learning. Modeling is extensively used by the
administration so that teachers see the administrators
as learners within the school.
Teamwork has evolved to the highest level in school-wide
professional learning communities. Staff shares a common
commitment and collective responsibility to give all children
what they need to continue their learning. This includes
sharing promising practices and successes specific to
individual students so that others working with them
can implement effective practices.
Oak Ridges Public School serves 740 students in a
community that is in transition from small town to growing
suburb. It offers JK–3 English instruction to approximately
one-half of its students and Grades 1–6 French Immersion
to the other half. The school houses special needs classes,
including those for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The school’s dual-stream nature has become a catalyst for
collaboration among staff, as together they address the needs
of all students with energy and enthusiasm. The school is
supported by an active school council and benefits from the
engagement of the whole-school community. Parent and
community participation are encouraged and facilitated as
a means to support student learning and achievement.
At Oak Ridges, the focus on continuous improvement is
reflected in the careful alignment between what the wider
system provides and what the school does with it. Teacher
learning is all about sharpening the focus, going deeper,
asking probing questions, and constantly revisiting and
reflecting. Teachers recognize themselves as learners at
different levels but are constantly moving forward and
increasing their skills. They express pride in that growth.
Staff members recognize the strength of the principal and
describe her as the key person in the change process and
a key provider of both pressure and support for staff and
58
Staff members share and communicate the focus on
improvement in deliberate and intentional ways. Students
know what teachers are doing and why. Parents are also
well informed, articulating the goals of the school and
actively working with the staff to support those goals.
EQAO scores ...
This K–3 school now has all three of its assessment areas
above the provincial standard, whereas three years ago all
three of these assessment areas were below the provincial
standard.
Teachers report that one key to the school’s recent success
is to embed literacy instruction into everything, everyday.
Along with this, teachers use clearly articulated targets and
measures of growth to keep running records of progress.
Accordingly, they construct and regularly review tracking
boards/walls to ensure that every child’s progress is carefully
monitored, supported, and celebrated. From these data,
differentiated instruction and strategies are developed to
meet the specific needs of individual students. Teaching
has become strategic and precise.
The actions of the administrative team support teachers in
a number of ways, including: asking challenging questions;
supporting and participating in professional learning; building
and utilizing financial resources strategically; modeling
effective practices; deploying human resources to respond to
individual student needs; providing differentiated support
for teachers; building and working with teams to plan,
implement, monitor, and reflect on improvement and
progress; and truly listening to parents and engaging them
in their children’s learning.
Students are benefiting from specific strategies aimed at
increasing their engagement and motivation. A strong focus
on the development of oral language skills in Kindergarten
has resulted in increases in Grade 1 students’ confidence
and sophistication with oral language. Across the school,
there is an increasing use of technology that is interactive and
engages students. Teacher and student resources are housed
and organized in book rooms that are readily accessible.
Oak Ridges Public School is part of the York Region
District School Board. This board is clearly focused on the
improvement of literacy throughout its schools and has
aligned that focus with the board’s mission. The board
offers strategic resources, both material and human, to
assist the school in meeting the board’s goals and aligning
school goals to them. Oak Ridges teachers credit the
board’s focus on literacy with helping the school sharpen
its own focus and build teacher capacity. The system and
school are asking the same kinds of questions.
❝
Staff members particularly value the power of the board’s
Literacy Collaborative. According to Oak Ridges’ teachers,
the professional development offered by the board is
wonderful and amazing and shows them how to be better
teachers. The board also provides specific support and
direction in regard to character education.
educators …
• Building professional learning teams that are focused
on learning more about instruction and going deeper
over time
• How to bring individual and small group learning back
to the school and for immediate sharing, implementation,
and reflection based on a case study approach using
evidence from the tracking wall
• Staff meeting model – experiencing as adults the strategies
that we are implementing with our students
• Character education – for students and staff
• How to integrate more technology into instruction, how
to hook in and reach all teachers so all kids can benefit
• More specific term-by-term clustering of expectations
with exemplars and strategies to support and enhance
the learning each term in order to expand consistency
across the school
• Supports for French Immersion instruction
❝
“The relentless focus on professional development has given teachers
permission to be learners.” Teacher
“The administration asks questions that sometimes we don’t want to hear.
Questions that push us and make us re-examine what we’re doing.” Teacher
■ Differentiate professional development for teachers on the basis
of the school’s plan for continuous improvement and individual
professional learning needs
■ Strengthen the connection between student achievement and
classroom instruction; continue to use the tracking wall and a
case management approach
■ Make the connections between reading and writing more explicit
for both teachers and students
59
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Brian Van Wyngaarden
Phone: 905-845-0412
Postal Code: L6K 3E5
Oakwood Public School
Oakville, Ontario
Parents recognize literacy as the key goal for students and
value that the principal and teachers partner with parents and
the community to make it happen. The school environment
is one of mutual respect and trust where parenting supports
teaching and teaching supports parenting. Staff members
make themselves available to parents, and parents describe
a unity of purpose that ensures that no child is forgotten.
Principal and staff not only believe they can make a difference,
they also follow through with the actions required to help
students become more effective and resilient.
EQAO scores …
Oakwood Public School houses approximately 230 students
in a JK–5 program. Located in the heart of Oakville, the school
hosts a significant population of new immigrants and students
with language (ESL) and learning challenges. The staff at
Oakwood strives to provide a secure, stable. and inviting
environment in which all students can achieve their potential
academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.
Oakwood staff focuses on the development of strong literacy
skills that will contribute to children’s future success not
only academically, but also socially, physically, and in the
wider world of work. Staff members connect with a number
of organizations to support their literacy goals and take
advantage of professional learning opportunities at the
family of schools, board, and ministry level.
Staff members articulate a willingness to share and learn from
each other and to enthusiastically engage in a common
mission and vision. The climate in the school is one of
openness that encourages questioning, risk taking, and
problem solving. The principal practises distributed leadership. Teamwork has deepened to the point that teachers trust
on another’s personal and professional judgments. The school
administration supports shared release time for grade partners
to encourage collegial conversation about student learning.
Hallways buzz with professional conversation. Open
communication exists throughout the school community.
60
A K–5 school, Oakwood’s Grade 3 assessment areas have all
improved by a minimum of 18 percentage points during the
past three years. Worthy of note is the fact that the school’s
Grade 3 reading and writing assessments have improved
by 33 and 29 percentage points respectively during the
past three years.
Staff uses diagnostic tools, pre-assessment, and differentiated
instruction to ensure the best use of instruction time. Teachers
work with students on how to explain their thinking and
how to support it with details and evidence. The learning
resource teacher models promising practices in classrooms
and teachers value seeing in addition to hearing about effective
practices and strategies. Primary teachers are now tracking
Grade 3 boys to see if their reading skills improve over time.
Employing consistent practices, common language, and
professional collaboration, teachers teach together, plan
together, and assess student work together. They have
received in-service in the area of guided reading instruction.
Word walls and intensive visual charting are used in every
classroom. Through the use of rubrics and professional
dialogue, teachers analyse student work relative to EQAO
and provincial exemplars. Data walls help teachers initiate
conversation, track improvement, and advocate for students.
Parents and teachers have established a book room that
makes leveled text, math resources, and other teaching
materials readily accessible to staff. New reading resources
are specific to student needs.
The principal provides learning opportunities for the
community through a monthly coffee session with parents
focused on current learning topics (literacy, math, Autism
Spectrum Disorder, data analysis) and issues of interest
to parents.
A strong emphasis on character development contributes
to a respectful and supportive environment in which every
voice is heard and diversity is celebrated and integrated
into all aspects of school.
Oakwood Public School is part of the Halton District School
Board. Staff members value the support they have enjoyed
from board program staff as they continue in their efforts to
❝
deepen their learning. The school has had the opportunity
to share their journey and their learning with the director
and with colleagues at the family of schools level. Staff benefit
from outreach to other schools to extend their learning.
The director has established a target of 80 per cent of
students at Levels 3 and 4 and no school with fewer than
60 per cent of students at Levels 3 and 4 by 2008. The data
provided to schools regarding their EQAO scores informs
staff on areas for focus.
educators …
• Principal’s experience with the practice of distributed
leadership
• Co-teaching and modeling in the classroom by the
literacy resource teacher
• Making language and math resource material easily
accessible to teachers
• Partnering and connecting with home and community
• How to network with people from other boards
(stepping out of your own system opens your
eyes wider)
• How to use exemplars well
• How to link math literacy and critical thinking
• More about curriculum mapping
• Models for the delivery of services such as programs
for English language learners (ELL)
❝
Providing more student choice and assigning single-gender
guided reading groups have led to increases in achievement
and engagement. As well, the use of high-engagement active
learning is balanced with structured learning. All staff
members promote inquiry-based, divergent thinking
by encouraging inquisitiveness, brainstorming, solution
generation, and the non-judgmental acceptance of ideas.
Classroom climate fosters personal accountability and
responsibility. Additional support is offered through a
Guys (and now Girls) Read club, tutoring, and after-school
programs, home reading, and book bag programs, Home
Connections Math, and a breakfast program. Senior students
from the local high school raise money to purchase books
and act as mentors for Oakwood students.
“We trust each other’s personal and professional judgment. There is
a willingness to share and to learn from each other.” Teacher
■ Strengthen our professional learning community by continuing
to provide a positive environment for professional dialogue and
collaboration
■ Use EQAO and other data to continue to inform practice,
promote critical dialogue, and create data-driven questions
to improve student achievement
■ Network with other Schools on the Move to discuss ways of
promoting effective inter-school relationships and sharing of
professional practices
■ Establish divisional approaches to common assessment tools and strategies to be
used in order to provide consistent assessment and evaluation throughout the school
61
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Franco Marchese
Phone: 905-871-6518
Postal Code: L2A 3T3
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Elementary School
Fort Erie, Ontario
All staff members in the school see themselves as members of
a learning community, continuously working on instructional
practices that are driven by effectiveness studies. The principal
and teachers collaborate in team-led professional dialogue
and action, undertaking research and inquiry in response
to questions and needs. The principal supports extensive
coaching, to the benefit of both adults and children – adult
with adult, adult with child, child with child. Teachers strive
for consistency across grades, providing a common language
and an integrated, coherent approach to support student
learning.
EQAO scores ...
Our Lady of Victory School is located in Fort Erie and serves
about 500 K–8 students in the twinned junior and senior
schools. The student population is culturally, ethnically, and
economically diverse, including recent immigrants, refugees,
and non-identified Natives. The school is energized by the
opportunity for all to share and learn from the rich diversity
in the community. The school works closely with church
support groups and the Bridge Authority to welcome and
support children as they arrive from often stressful and
traumatic circumstances. The Learning through the Arts
program provides rich experiences to support oral language
development and build self confidence in learners. Positive
energy is palpable across the school and is contagious.
A key element in the success of Our Lady of Victory School
is the highly effective and energized staff dedicated to the
success of every child in their care. The principal and teachers
share a commitment to teaching and engaging children
in ways that ensure they develop the assets they need to
become confident, competent, and contributing members
of society. To this end, teachers celebrate the successes of
every child – personal, academic, and social. Staff members
are equally committed to reaching out to the community and
eliciting and honouring the gifts, talents, and contributions
of every child, adult, and family.
62
This school has improved in each of its three Grade 6
assessment areas by more than 20 percentage points.
In Grade 6 reading, for example, the school’s assessment
score has moved from 38 per cent of its students at the
provincial standards to 70 per cent. In Grade 3, significant
improvements are also evident. For example, in Grade 3
mathematics, the school went from 57 to 76 per cent at
the provincial standard.
Staff members at Our Lady of Victory School have implemented a number of strategies that contribute to the recent
improvements in student achievement. Beginning with the
healthy snack program, the school ensures that every child
has access to the nutrition needed to facilitate learning.
Staff members have also set structures in place to ensure
that they listen deeply to students, remove barriers, and
find proactive solutions to issues affecting students’ ability
to interact and contribute. The challenge is to deal with
causes, not symptoms.
Across the grades, teachers identify essential skills from the
curriculum expectations and develop precise assessment
strategies to measure the effect of their teaching. They use
a number of methods to guide instruction, including running
records, Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), observation surveys, and classroom assessments for designing
guided reading blocks. Data walls are used throughout the
school to support greater specificity and differentiation in
Staff members are committed to operating with a high degree
of precision in tracking student progress, the selection and
use of resources, addressing learning needs, and curriculum
mapping by grade. Such precision carries over to assessment,
planning, and all aspects of instruction.
Our Lady of Victory School is part of the Niagara Catholic
District School Board, and benefits from the alignment of
goals and expectations at the level of the board, family of
schools, and school. Staff members also value the support
of the board and family of schools for the sharing of effective
practices across schools. The board has responded effectively
to input from principals to provide resources and time to
support professional and student learning. The principal of
Our Lady of Victory also contributes to the board’s Leadership
Internship Program.
In addition to allocating time for staff participation in
professional learning across the district, the board assigns
an ELL and literacy coach to the school.
❝
educators …
• Developing self-actualized children, putting children
and families first
• Building a safe, risk-taking climate for students and
teachers
• Conducting school-based research and learning in
response to local questions and issues
• Using data walls to connect strategies and resources to
the needs of students and grouping them for instruction
• Learning through the arts as an integrated driver of
learning and catalyst for creativity
• Infusing, modeling, and teaching positive attitudes to
accelerate personal and academic growth
• Building a community of learners
• How to streamline the barrage of data to attend to the
most pertinent and relevant pieces
• Strategies for dual-campus schools (two buildings)
• Mental health issues – how to respond to and support
kids who are hurting
• How to help more students, in particular students with
special education needs and junior students
• How to balance the pressure of continuous learning
while valuing and respecting the range of learners
❝
instruction. In addition, teachers survey students about what
is working for them and what they think would work better.
Teachers then build class lists for the next year based on
matching student needs with teacher strengths. The school
makes extensive use of team-based planning in developing
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for special needs learners.
The goal is finding different and effective means for student
learning, but keeping expectations high for all students.
“This is a learning process for all of us – mistakes can and will be made.
We are not afraid to try new things.” Teacher
■ Further develop asset building as a model for forming the selfactualized child
■ Set up our present data walls as resource centres for teachers to
access support materials for flexible groupings and for specified
instruction
■ Develop our healthy breakfast snack program for every classroom and
every student to enable students to have a healthy start to their day
■ Utilize existing data and develop relevant data to guide instruction
■ Build lateral capacities with other educators and other schools to work
on learning together using research-based evidence
63
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Pamela Tylee
Phone: 416-395-3070
Postal Code: M3M 1H5
Pierre Laporte Middle School
North York, Ontario
collecting relevant data, linking it back to curriculum
plans, and monitoring progress. Year by year, through
teacher moderation, the school has achieved increasing
alignment in assessment and evaluation practices.
A strong focus on equity pervades all aspects of school life,
resulting in high levels of respect for student culture,
background, experiences, and interests. The school
engages students in learning that excites and energizes.
Pierre Laporte, an urban Toronto Middle school with about
400 students in Grades 6, 7, and 8, is also a regional centre
for programming in gifted, mild intellectual development,
and behavioural exceptionalities. Situated in a multiracial
and multicultural environment with a growing population
of English language learners (ELL), the school prides itself
on being a place where diversity is celebrated and each
student is supported in reaching his or her potential.
A school characterized by enthusiasm and commitment,
Pierre Laporte demonstrates many features of a collaborative
professional learning environment for both staff and students.
Everyone plays a part, moving from data analysis through
to curriculum mapping. Weekly team meetings include unit
planning, professional dialogue and development, student
recognition and transitions. Teachers are given time to
learn, with the expectation that learning is shared with
colleagues. The principal looks for ways to make research
beneficial and meaningful for teachers. Teachers benefit
from professional learning time during staff meetings –
teachers (and sometimes students) present strategies that
are directly applicable to the classroom. The school culture
supports shared learning.
Assessment has been a major focus of school improvement
efforts. The school believes in having an assessment plan,
64
A commitment to teamwork and shared leadership means
that parents, students, and teachers work together, sharing
responsibility and contributing to the school. The principal
and teachers have developed resources such as templates,
resource lists, and teaching supports to share and reduce
the workload.
EQAO scores …
As a Middle school, only Grade 6 results are available.
Significant improvements have taken place in EQAO
achievement. Both mathematics and writing assessments
have each improved by more than 25 percentage points
when compared to their scores three years ago. Reading
has improved by almost 20 percentage points during this
same time frame.
Purposeful instruction directed to student needs means
being attentive to all types of learners, planning differentiated
instruction, selecting resources, assigning follow-up, and
providing extra support. Meaningful and purposeful use
of class time maximizes learning, while consistency of
language and literacy strategies across the grades provides
greater precision in instruction.
The school uses a variety of strategies to build independence
in learners, particularly through being increasingly explicit
about expectations, levels, graphic organizers, templates,
frameworks, and exemplars. High expectations for students
are reinforced by explicit and precise support to meet those
standards and expectations, with teachers making every
effort to model what they expect in terms of learning,
behaviour and social interaction. In using student portfolios,
for instance, students know the standards – they are able
to assess their own work, measure their progress, and
explain their growth to parents. Students are also able to
articulate what is needed to move their achievement from
one level to the next.
Intervention Partnership (OFIP) and Turnaround strategies.
School teams connect to each other through the family of
schools, with each providing or leading learning sessions
and conferences.
The school provides explicit teacher-generated and studentgenerated supports around the classroom, including frameworks to aid writing, thinking, investigating, reporting, and
summarizing. Teachers share theories of multiple intelligences
with students so that they can understand and consider
implications for their learning. Students are also surveyed
about their learning needs to get their feedback on what
works for them.
• Middle school model for improving student achievement
• Data-driven improvement planning along with differentiated instruction
• Student engagement and participation: leadership and
citizenship development, turning leadership over to kids
• Teacher moderation, consistency, and continuity of
collaborative action
The Toronto District School Board provides extensive
support to the school, particularly through the local family
of schools which provides a structure for coordinating
and initiating principal-led professional learning. The
superintendent provides resources and support for school
improvement initiatives. All schools in the family are
sharing in the lessons learned through Ontario Focused
educators …
• Aligning assessment as a true reflection of what has
been taught
• Further refining effective practices
• Resources to support meaningful professional learning
• Aligning instruction through curriculum mapping
• Enhancing transitions – from Grades 5 to 6 and from
Grades 8 to 9
❝
❝
“Children from every culture, every ethnic group are acknowledged. I walk into the office
and I see this reflected in the faces of the students who come to this school.” Parent
“The kids enjoy learning. The teachers make the kids want to come to school.” Parent
“Our evolution is amazing. Each year we add, improve, we never stand still.
We’re never satisfied. We are always trying to make it better.” Teacher
■ Continue to seek effective means of communicating student
achievement to parents in their first language
■ Work with our feeder schools to learn about promising teaching
practices in literacy and numeracy so that junior students continue
to do well and improve in the middle school
■ Refine and expand use of data in order to deliver more focused
instruction at all grades
■ Align assessments to instruction and evaluation practices
■ Strengthen research-informed practices that encourage professional
dialogue, sharing, and courageous conversations
65
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: David Amaral
Phone: 905-857-4241
Postal Code: L7E 5R8
Pope John Paul II Catholic Elementary School
Bolton, Ontario
To this end, there is a strong focus on differentiated
instruction to improve student achievement. Primary
teachers create class and individual student profiles and
share their strategies with junior colleagues. The school has
implemented an innovative special education model that
supports the full integration of students. Resource teachers
are placed in classrooms, creating bridges for students
who are at risk.
Staff truly believes that all students can learn, and works
toward having parents support the academic aspects
of their children’s school life along with a range of
extracurricular activities.
Pope John Paul II School is a JK–8 school of approximately
850 students. The school is located in Bolton in a stable
community of largely Italian heritage. The school council
and the parent group are working innovatively to make
this a healthy and ecologically friendly school. The school
has a strong relationship with the community and the
local newspaper.
A strong school improvement process that drives the work
of the school and involves all staff is one reason for the
success at Pope John Paul II. Teachers and administrators
share direction, purpose, and common goals. Staff members
problem solve together and take the time to help each other.
Grade partners have common planning time. In division
meetings, teachers focus on data, report comments, and
professional development, and are given time to examine
and study resources. In staff meetings, activities are done
in cross-grade groupings to broaden teachers’ perspectives.
This practice promotes an understanding of essential learning
at every grade level and a deeper awareness of instructional
strategies.
Staff members are successfully utilizing the Triple P
components of personalization, precision, and professional
learning (as proposed by Fullan, Hill & Crévola, 2006)
to create breakthroughs in improving student learning.
66
EQAO scores ...
Two assessment areas in this school have improved by
about 15 percentage points each, with the remaining four
assessment areas improving by 30 or more percentage
points each. In Grade 3 mathematics, the school rose from
29 to 75 per cent of students at the provincial standard
over three years.
At Pope John Paul II, early intervention is seen as key in
ensuring good learning experiences for children. By the third
month of JK, teachers know which children need support.
Teachers in both primary and junior divisions have seen
the benefit of the oral foundation of learning focusing on
accountable talk. In addition, there has been a shift from
disjointedness to consistency in literacy instruction, with
a Language Box in use in all classes as a structured tool
to promote change and consistency. Individual language
boxes have a writing folder, a reading response journal,
and guided and self-selected reading material. Spelling is
taught in the context of students’ writing. Reading/writing
workshops are identified in classroom timetables. There
is a large block of literacy learning time in primary classes.
Primary teachers are now working on a project to develop
writing exemplars. Writing is an area of concern for all staff,
and changes in the timetable will soon permit a focus on
writing in the junior division.
A teacher-created, video record of reading behaviour has
provided content for an exercise in professional learning
and practice for teachers and administrators. The principal,
who leads by example, has found that this activity has
generated amazing talk among staff. Staff members also
indicate that the school librarian’s knowledge of matching
children with books contributes greatly to students’
increased learning. Ten per cent of the school budget goes
to stocking the library resource centre and all classrooms
have libraries.
A diagnostic approach is filtering into classrooms. Staff
members have moved from gathering around the data wall
to talk about level of text to discussing the reading behaviours
children exhibit at certain levels and the next instructional
steps to be taken. The principal encourages open dialogue
about EQAO results. Parents have expressed an interest in
knowing what effective classroom practices look like and
teachers regularly provide parents with internet resources
to support their children’s learning.
Pope John Paul II School is part of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic
District School Board. School staff values board resources,
both material and human, that support their work. They
acknowledge the contribution of the school board and
the ministry to the school’s ongoing journey for student
achievement.
The supervisory officer noted that across the board there has
been a shift in discussion and that administrators in this
school are a key part of the ongoing learning. The supervisory
officer’s meetings follow the model of professional learning
communities and include a process for looking at where
needs exist in schools and where capacity needs to be built.
Pope John Paul II’s administrators thrive in a board environment where everyone sees the importance of altering
instructional strategies.
educators …
• Special education model promoting full integration
and using resource teachers within the classroom
• Ongoing process of creating a learning culture with
increasing consistency and collaboration
• How to set up primary, junior, and intermediate
book rooms
• Using a primary literacy block with well-structured
use of time
• Communication strategies that motivate staff, students,
and parents to move along the learning continuum
• Creating environments that support risk taking
• Specific strategies to improve literacy programming in
the junior classroom
• How professional learning communities can be used to
improve student learning
• Developing rubrics and exemplars in writing
• Opportunities to visit other classrooms and learn how
to manage the variance in the junior classroom
• PRIME – how to use it well
■ Establish connections with schools in the board and examine ways
in which data are collected in the junior division and used to
provide for precision teaching
■ Establish a consistent structural framework for the reading and
writing workshop in the junior and intermediate divisions
■ Establish a process whereby class and student profiles are shared
between sending and receiving teachers
■ Continue to allocate funds for a junior and intermediate literacy
room with a focus on resources that support guided reading and
reading comprehension strategies in these grades
■ Continue to support the primary division’s framework of the writing
workshop using Lucy Calkins’ resource
67
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Betty Ohl
Phone: 905-479-2003
Postal Code: L3S 1E2
Randall Public School
Markham, Ontario
professional learning sessions has resulted in teachers
sharing a common language as well as in the linking of
divisional teams. The theory is then linked to practice so that
common threads can be identified. The dialogue continues
not only in the professional learning sessions but in the
lunch room and around the photocopier as well. If teachers
are to engage students, they must be engaged themselves.
Randall Public School has a population of about 800 students
in a highly multicultural community in Markham. Many
parents work in more than one job and grandparents are
very involved in raising the children. The school has a high
proportion of English language learners (ELL) – 41 per cent
of the students come from homes where neither English
nor French is the first language. Interpreters are available
to assist parents when they come to school.
The principal and staff have created a shared vision of
Randall as being the best community school it can be.
Teachers are driven by a sense of moral purpose – helping
all students achieve their highest potential. Because people
need time to discuss and be part of the solution to the
problems that may arise, this is a school where talk is seen
as important. Half of the staff is new; in hiring, the principal
has sought teachers who reflect of the ethnicity of the
community and bring excellent teaching skills and a
commitment to learning. The principal, strongly committed
to school improvement, clearly states, “It is okay not to
know, but it is not okay to not find out once you realize
you don’t know.”
Professional development is key. Divisional leads have
been pivotal in supporting the professional learning of staff
as well as the mentoring of new staff. Staff attendance at
68
Data are used to assist in planning and determining areas
for growth. Teachers share common preparation periods
and meet on a regular basis to plan and discuss student
progress. This has created expectations for student learning
strategies and student knowledge across the divisions.
Teachers share a common vocabulary which reinforces
students and creates coherence within the building. Teachers
can articulate the mission, vision, beliefs, and values shared
by everyone in the school.
Parents see the school as highly supportive, noting that the
principal is always ready to help them deal with any issues,
while the dedication of teachers is obvious. School events
such as South Asian Week celebrate the culture of students
and their families. The school sends monthly newsletters
to parents. A recent issue provided tips for parents so they
could assist children during the EQAO testing period.
EQAO scores …
The EQAO scores have increased dramatically since
2002–03. The Grade 3 EQAO results have increased by:
39 percentage points in reading to 88 per cent of students
at or above the provincial standard, 36 percentage points
in writing to 91 per cent at or above the provincial standard,
and 36 percentage points in mathematics to 90 per cent
at or above the provincial standard. The Grade 6 EQAO
results have also increased significantly since 2002–03,
15 percentage points in reading, 19 percentage points in
writing and 19 percentage points in mathematics.
A balanced literacy approach is evident in the classroom
and is reflected in teacher discussions. Although literacy
has been the main focus, numeracy is also considered
extremely important and receives daily attention. Teachers
use the language of literacy and numeracy with the children,
to build their understanding from year to year.
Oral communication is important for the teacher and the
student. Talk allows both to organize ideas, concepts, and
practices. For children, the transition to written language
is facilitated through the use of charts showing a graphic
representation of the language used.
Assessment is used to drive instruction to an increasing extent
and data-driven decision making is evident. Developmental
Reading Assessment (DRA) and PM Benchmarks are used.
Data walls prompt teachers to track and discuss student
progress. Teachers share data from year to year as students
move through the grades, with early identification assisting
in gathering initial data on students. Students are encouraged
to use self-assessment to make them aware of their levels of
performance. Surveys were done with students at risk and
responses analysed to help plan next steps for instruction.
The York Region District School Board supports the professional development of staff at the board and cluster levels
and in the school. The district has had a strong focus on
literacy for several years, with an emphasis on building
leadership capacity to improve student achievement. Three
years ago, the board identified Randall as an intensive
school because of its lack of growth in EQAO results over
many years. The board responded by intensive support,
enabling the school to make significant progress in all
areas: a consultant was assigned to the school, a literacy
teacher was added to staff, and money was budgeted for
professional development and resources. Intervention was
planned and teachers began to make purposeful use of data
and carry on open discussions about student achievement.
Modeling and in-classroom support helped teachers to
improve classroom practice. It made a big difference as
witnessed by current EQAO scores now.
Randall’s designation as a Performance Plus school has
provided additional resources, including hiring a parent
from the community to strengthen connections with the
community. This person works with the Kindergarten
readiness program as well as the breakfast and snack
programs.
The supervisory officer spoke of plans to use Randall’s
performance in cluster meetings so that successes could
be shared.
educators …
• Collaborative team planning
• Explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies
across the divisions
• Teaching to student needs – identification and diagnostic
assessment
• Assessment guides instruction
• Resources
• Gender issues – no gap between girls and boys
• Use of technology to teach literacy and numeracy
• Sustaining community engagement
• Making parents of students in junior and intermediate
more comfortable in the school
• ELL parent involvement
• Numeracy communications – links to literacy
■ Use data to guide instruction and to focus professional learning
■ Use professional learning teams to strengthen instructional skills
■ Network with other schools in cluster groups to share and develop
specific instructional strategies and teaching practices using data
to focus the study
■ Provide training to parents in reading to support the Volunteer
Reading Program
69
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Deborah Kennelly
Phone: 705-869-4070
Postal Code: P5E 1B3
Sacred Heart
Espanola, Ontario
value of achievement and put forward their best efforts.
Parents of children with special learning needs refer to
the extra intervention and inclusive environment in which
their children flourish and learn. Parents see the principal
and teachers as effective communicators, always ready to
talk with them about how the children are doing. The school
provides a daily agenda which is seen as an effective
communication tool to strengthen the link between home
and school.
The school has a large volunteer base that contributes in
many different ways, including reading groups, book fairs,
classroom assistance, and extracurricular programs.
Sacred Heart, a school of approximately 250 students located
in Espanola, is a dual track school with French Immersion
beginning in Kindergarten. The principal has been in the
school for six years. Students from Whitefish River First
Nations School come to Sacred Heart School after Grade 5.
In the day care program, Junior Kindergarten students stay
in the same classroom throughout the day, with day care
staff coming into the classroom. The school motto, “Where
good things grow,” refers not only to the recently re-greened
school yard but also to the growth of staff and students.
Everyone in the school is responsible for all the children,
with professional planning and learning seen as collective
rather than individual acts. Staff works through issues
collaboratively, respecting the knowledge and commitment
of everyone on the team. Children from the English stream
and French Immersion are brought together in the morning
for religion, literacy, numeracy, and science to help create
a harmonious community. The leadership team has built
trusting relationships with staff and parents in a faith-filled
community that works to ensure maximum learning takes
place in every classroom.
Parents feel they are sending their children to a caring and
safe environment in which their children understand the
70
Teachers are willing to step outside of their comfort zone
and try new ideas, accepting that the ideas will not always
work. For example, in the implementation of KICA, staff
analysed their students’ responses and discovered that the
majority of the responses were at a “knowledge” level. Staff
learned to provide opportunities that required students to
analyse, apply, and communicate what they were learning.
Staff supported each other in this steep learning curve and
communicated to parents what they were doing and why
it was important for the children.
EQAO scores …
Three years ago, five of this school’s six assessment areas were
below 35 per cent. Today, all of the school’s six assessment
areas are hovering between the 60 and 70 per cent range.
Major strides have been made in Grade 3 mathematics,
with an improvement of 55 percentage points.
Staff identified high-yield strategies, including:
• focusing on assessment, especially the four categories
of achievement in the ministry curriculum documents,
with staff developing rich assessment tasks as well as
designing rubrics that made the expectations explicit;
• higher expectations;
• modeling – showing students what work looks like
when it is well done (and how to do it well);
• 90-minute, uninterrupted literacy learning blocks that
are cross-curricular in nature, integrated with other
subject areas;
• balanced and comprehensive literacy program based
on students gradually assuming responsibility for their
learning.
Visual references in the classroom serve as anchors to guide
students in their learning. A talk community is fostered
through open-ended questioning by the teacher and questions
posed by students. Through discourse, comprehension is
deepened and higher-order thinking initiated. Catholic
professional learning community (CPLC) meetings helped
staff shift from working in isolation to using common
language and sharing resources across the school. The CPLC
is teacher led, which means teachers identify what they
want to explore.
French Immersion and English stream staff work together,
with a focus on formative assessment (teacher observations,
running records, student teacher conferencing, retelling,
student portfolios, reading journals, peer- and self-assessment)
to improve student learning. Staff integrates EQAO sample
questions and assessment practices into daily teaching across
all grades, while after-school programs target students who
need extra support.
The Huron Superior Catholic District School Board provides
blocks of time for teachers to meet in professional learning
communities. Senior board administrators ask at the system
level the questions teachers identified as important at the
classroom level – what’s working, what’s not working, where
are our gaps? District leaders collaborated with other
district school boards in the region to design and use an
implementation rubric that added precision to the work
with principals on school improvement.
As a Literacy Target school, Sacred Heart received resources
and learning opportunities. This gave the school the kickstart it needed to get teachers focused on more effectively
meeting the needs of more students. The board has also
provided all schools with learning resource teachers, who
are crucial to the support of professional learning and
improvement in student achievement.
educators …
• How staff can work together in a dual track school,
taking joint ownership of student achievement and
using common high-yield strategies
• How to align programs so First Nations students make
a smooth transition
• How Catholic professional learning communities
embed professional learning and teacher ownership
in day-to-day interaction among teachers
• How staff use the four categories of assessment of learning
to drive instruction and raise student achievement
• Strategies to further develop precision tracking and to
move forward the learning of each and every child
• Use of video conferencing to discuss and to try out
learning strategies
• More about higher-level thinking across the curriculum
■ Focus on mathematics problem solving and mathematics communication
to build higher percentages of students to move more students to levels
■ Improve teacher competency and classroom resources and
instruction in mathematics
■ Integrate SMART boards and related software in order to actively
engage more students, particularly in the area of mathematics
instruction
■ Boost parental involvement both during instructional time and at home
■ Teach parents about the format and content of the EQAO assessments
and ways that they can support students
■ Continue to scaffold student skills in each of the primary and junior divisions
to ensure that more of our students can meet the expectations common at
Grades 3 and 6 in reading, writing, and mathematics
71
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Tony Ceelen
Phone: 905-257-7102
Postal Code: L6H 6G3
St. Andrew Catholic School
Oakville, Ontario
initiative, for example, has become a key part of the focus
in Grades 1 to 8 and effectively contributes to the school
culture. Teachers visit colleagues’ classrooms and support
each other in professional learning. Administrators believe
in the importance of job-embedded learning and work to
create schedules that are friendly to the professional learning
teams – maximizing opportunities to free teachers’ time.
Teachers appreciate having this learning time, using it to
deepen their conversations and understanding of learning.
Each professional learning experience builds on the previous
one, with teachers identifying the next topic area for
improvement.
St. Andrew is a K–8 school of approximately 650 students
located in Oakville. This predominantly middle-class
neighbourhood also includes a number of families who
are economically challenged. The school has a good
relationship with the surrounding community and local
secondary school. The parent community is highly supportive
and the school council is active. There are small numbers
of children who require English language support. Students
with special needs are fully integrated into the regular
program, some with the support of educational assistants.
St. Andrew embodies an ethic of care and is working to
become an ecologically-friendly school. Staff members
share the view that a teacher’s greatest gift to students is
cultivating the desire to learn. The school improvement
plan, which is seen as a living document, incorporates
key goals of the board’s plan as well as specific goals
unique to the community.
Teachers meet in professional learning teams to develop
plans that include instructional strategies based on areas
of concern identified by assessment data. Teachers work
collaboratively to support one another in divisional and
team meetings and to share resources. A paragraph-writing
72
Parents share in their child’s learning with student agendas
providing a daily link to the teacher. A monthly newsletter
is posted online and some teachers use portals to share
what is happening in their classrooms. Monthly assemblies
include parents and celebrate student progress in many
areas. Parents value the sound body and sound mind
approach to learning that includes good nutrition and
well-rounded extracurricular opportunities.
The school community believes that creating a safe and
healthy environment helps children focus on learning.
Teachers support children in understanding that perseverance
and dissonance are part of the learning process. A reading
buddy program not only provides opportunities for younger
students to read but also provides leadership opportunities
for older students. Teachers acknowledge that some students
lack support from home and need additional support from
the school.
EQAO scores …
Three years ago, none of this school’s Grades 3 or 6 assessment areas were above provincial standard. Today, five out
of the school’s six assessment areas are at or above provincial
standard, with the sixth assessment area hovering closely
around this mark.
More focused teaching and the use of key instructional
approaches both in literacy and numeracy have led to
increased EQAO scores. All teachers use the four key
instructional strategies of an effective reading program –
read-aloud, guided reading, shared reading, and independent
reading – with at-risk students experiencing guided reading
every day. Throughout the grades, there is a progression of
instructional strategies for reading. Word walls are evident
in all grades, home reading logs are introduced in Grade 2,
and literature circles are used in the junior grades. Four key
strategies are also used in the writing program: modeled,
shared, guided, and independent writing. Journal writing
begins in Grade 1 and continues throughout the grades,
with an increasing emphasis on process (planning and
proofreading). Rubrics are used for writing in Grade 3 and
reader and writer workshops are implemented in the upper
grades (especially Grades 5 and 6).
In mathematics, reflecting on process is emphasized in
primary grades. In junior grades, this is extended to
explaining or justifying one’s thinking verbally or in writing
when solving problems. Manipulatives and math journals
are used throughout the grades.
For students who require extra support, a variety of
interventions are available including reading clubs, computer
programs, and reading buddies. The school has shifted
from displaying data on walls to using electronic templates
that allow a deeper analysis. Board expertise has helped
teachers develop this template.
Teachers take ownership for all students, sending them, for
example, to another teacher for more explicit instruction in
the guided reading strategy. Teachers commonly seek each
other out to find creative solutions to meet students’ needs
and often teach lessons in each other’s classrooms to build
their knowledge of all students.
St. Andrew Catholic School is part of the Halton Catholic
District School Board. School staff members appreciate
the opportunity to work with the board’s itinerant literacy
and numeracy teachers. The board provides mentors to the
administrative team and offers the team opportunities to
take part in professional learning communities. The family
of school’s supervisory officer visits the school regularly to
focus on those students who need extra support.
educators …
• Models to facilitate embedding professional learning
communities
• How to get every child to learn – engagement and
appropriate scaffolding
• Ways to deepen learning through dialogue and reflection
with other educators
• Instructional strategies to add to our repertoire
• Ways to initiate focused conversations with teachers
• Perspectives of educators in different communities
■ Build ongoing capacity in balanced literacy from K–8 (guided
reading/literacy centres in the primary grades; guided reading/
literature circles in the junior grades; guided practice in the
intermediate grades)
■ Introduce an At-a-Glance Student Profile Summary Sheet for all
at-risk children in all grades that will be discussed at a transition
meeting in June
■ Continue to build capacity in numeracy instruction (math centres,
Bansho, etc.)
73
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Vito Malfara
Phone: 416-393-5208
Postal Code: M6H 1B8
St. Helen Catholic School
Toronto, Ontario
bringing back evidence of student work, and engaging in
peer learning. Teachers are encouraged to take risks and
be patient, to stay the course and not be afraid to fail, and,
above all, to ask critical questions to guide their reflection
and action.
St. Helen Catholic School, a community of faith and
learning, is located in an urban Toronto community, with
a population of approximately 650 students in a K–8
program. The school hosts area programs for students who
are developmentally disabled or have multiple exceptionalities
and is also an international language site with students
receiving Portuguese instruction. Many families speak a
first language other than English in the home. The student
population and community are reasonably stable. At
St. Helen, reading is everywhere, thinking is visible and
audible, and there are high expectations for students and
teachers. Parents and school council members articulate
their support for the school’s focus on literacy and academic
rigor, and its dedication to maximizing the learning time
for every child.
An evolving staff that shares a consistent approach, an
openness to change, and high expectations for all students
are hallmarks of St. Helen Catholic School. Teachers share
a common focus to improve reading, engaging in professional
collaboration and sharing responsibility and accountability
for student learning. The principal’s action is purposeful
and focused, designed to filter out distracters and ensure
that no instructional time is lost or wasted, so allowing
teachers to do what they do best – teach. Divisional meetings
are always task oriented with teachers trying strategies,
74
Students benefit from the aligned value system and single
focus that sees everything integrated into the primary
goal for literacy. Common frameworks across grades and
classrooms make use of word walls, graphic organizers
(GO charts), and question charts. The Toronto Catholic
DSB initiated a balanced literacy program and a literacy
in the middle grades program. These have led to real
improvement in the quality of instruction and consistency
in assessment across the school. Teachers plan and discuss
assessment together as a grade or a division to build
consistency and guide instruction. Assessment is timely
and, when it is supported by assessment data, intervention
is quick.
Decisions around staff participation in the board’s professional
learning sessions are carefully linked to school goals and
plans. Teachers learn through board-sponsored opportunities
and then customize actions based on the needs of students.
At St. Helen, what is described is what is visible in classrooms
and audible in student talk.
EQAO scores ...
Major improvements have been made to the Grade 3 and
Grade 6 writing assessments, with each of these assessment
areas improving by 25 percentage points or more. Grade 3
reading has also improved by more than 25 percentage
points. All remaining assessment areas have improved
by 10 or more percentage points.
The focus on literacy and the alignment of instruction to
the goal of improving reading can be credited for much
of the substantial increase in achievement scores seen at
St. Helen. These efforts now see students engaged with
rich content – content that students see worthy of their
efforts such as social justice issues. Learning strategies
are made explicit. Teachers engage students in talking,
explaining, persuading, justifying, and debating, and, in the
process, emphasize vocabulary development and language
experience. Teachers now explicitly model for students how
to make connections within and across areas of learning,
and routinely use exemplars and anchors to guide students.
Every field trip or out-of-school experience is a deliberately
connected extension or application of classroom learning.
Teachers continuously work with the students to create
and display work that will support, capture, reinforce,
and demonstrate their learning.
Teachers use data to track all students’ progress and
identify students requiring specific reading intervention
and reading comprehension. Teachers use strategies
across the curriculum.
In choosing resources, teachers opt for those geared toward
higher-order thinking and deeper thinking, carefully matching
resources to student interests and needs. Particular attention
is given to finding resources to support the modeling of
reading comprehension strategies.
St. Helen Catholic School is part of the Toronto Catholic
District School Board. School staff members value the
timely and effective professional learning sessions and
the great student resources being provided by the board.
Teachers appreciate, for instance, board-created literacy
binders that have proven useful and practical for classroom
instruction.
The board fosters ongoing teacher professional dialogue
and development through a variety of opportunities, such
as Professional Learning Centres, Principal Learning Teams,
and board-facilitated professional development.
educators …
• Beyond reading – teaching students to think
• Strategy cards – techniques for helping students
verbalize, internalize the learning of reading strategies
(metacognition)
• Consistency and continuity of practice within and
across grades
• Principal leadership – focused, precise, data- and
question-driven improvement
• More depth into the teaching of reading comprehension
strategies
• Continuing to grow – What builds sustainability? What
maximizes student learning? Where do we go next with
professional learning teams? How are other schools
doing it, finding the time to meet?
• Outreach to Phase I Schools on the Move for insights
and support on how to network with other schools
❝
❝
“It takes three to five years to really get it. I had to figure out why each
strategy is effective. I had to be a learner too.” Teacher
“Ask children why they were more successful this time. Help them internalize
and see their progress.” Teacher
■ Extend and refine current successful practices in the area
of reading comprehension strategies that lead to success for
all students
■ Use assessment instruments to measure students performance in
the use of specific reading comprehension strategies
■ Continued use of data to provide focus for instruction and student
learning
■ Continue to integrate Gospel values in all areas of the curriculum
75
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Ursula Fromm
Phone: 905-453-4472
Postal Code: L6V 3V9
St. Joachim Catholic School
Brampton, Ontario
School staff members are committed to a focus on school
achievement and see parents as part of the equation for
student success. Parents appreciate the excellent lines of
communication they have with teachers and are guided by
teachers in evening in-service sessions on ways to enhance
language and literacy skills. One successful initiative for
parents and students is the Snuggle Up and Read project
where books are sent home for parents and Kindergarten
children to read together. Other sessions have dealt with
EQAO testing and the use of agenda planners in Grade 2.
St. Joachim is a K–8 school with a population of
approximately 700 students. Located in Brampton,
it is currently a holding school for students and teachers
waiting for their new school to be built. As a result, at the
end of each year, approximately half of the students and
teachers typically leave for a new school. The student
population comes from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds
reflecting the rich diversity of cultures found within
Brampton. Many are English language learners (ELL)
students. Parents support the school but are not actively
involved.
School improvement at St. Joachim is based on the
professional learning community approach which involves
people working in teams on a process of data-based
improvement planning. Staff members credit the support
of the principal and vice-principal, readily available resources,
and time for professional development as key elements
in the school’s progress. Administrators encourage staff
to share their expertise within and beyond the school.
All teachers are highly committed to professional learning
and are involved in presenting at both family-of-school- and
board-level professional development sessions. Teachers
value the involvement at this wider level as it provides greater
insight into board priorities and gives further credibility to
what the school administration is implementing.
76
Holding schools offer a number of challenges, not the least
of which is maintaining a sense of community. Children
deal with the loss of friends each year as holding students
leave. One strategy the school has adopted is to hold
monthly assemblies celebrating the achievements of several
children from each class.
EQAO scores …
This school has made great strides in its EQAO assessment
results over the past three years. Two of its assessment areas
have increased their scores by about 20 percentage points.
Another three of its assessment areas have increased their
scores by about 30 percentage points. The one remaining
assessment area has increased its score by well over
40 percentage points.
Upon arrival, the principal used the five components
of balanced reading (word walls, shared reading, guided
reading, shared writing, and word study) as the basis for
discussions with staff on assessment and planning. The
vice-principal, two early reading strategy teachers, and a
special education resource teacher (SERT), following training
with ministry staff at the board level, worked in the school’s
classrooms modeling for teachers. Staff members now
focus on understanding assessment purposes and using
exemplars with students. In each division, they set goals
based on PM benchmarks, Comprehension, Attitude,
Strategies and Interests (CASI) assessments, EQAO test
results, and classroom data. The SERTs for the three divisions
support data use in decision making and, in divisional
meetings, assist teachers in using data to guide classroom
planning. SERTs also work directly in classrooms to support
differentiated instruction and ELL.
Grade-level teachers are given opportunities to plan together.
The primary division, functioning as a professional learning
community, discusses issues of assessment, student progress,
and flexible groupings. Staff bring student work samples
to meetings and help one another with student learning.
A data wall, located in the literacy room, is used to monitor
students’ strengths and needs. The junior division has moved
this year from studying shared reading to implementing
guided reading. Teachers work collaboratively to select
resources, model teaching, and discuss promising practices.
They are now comfortable going into one another’s classes,
sharing lesson plans and resources, and working together
on student achievement. Intermediate teachers have
moved to an assessment-driven model based on common
assessments and research. The focus has moved from
whole-group instruction to meeting the needs of students
and using the data collected to drive instruction. To inform
instructional practice, primary teachers use the data wall
to monitor the progress of struggling students while junior
and intermediate teachers work with graphs of CASI data.
All three divisions note the benefits of focusing on student
achievement and data-driven decision making. Literacy has
become the priority across the curriculum.
St. Joachim is part of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board. The board has clearly defined goals for
literacy and numeracy development, provides a number
of professional development opportunities for staff, and
has board staff available to consult with schools and staff
throughout the year.
A variety of programs, including a summer literacy camp,
provide students further opportunities to develop their
literacy skills. The Ready-Set-Read initiative, organized
as a family of schools partnership with the public library,
shows parents strategies to use with their children.
educators …
• How to manage various literacy components in the
primary division, especially identification and support
for at-risk students
• How to use diagnostic data at junior and intermediate
levels to improve student achievement
• How to foster a community focus on literacy development
• About promising practices other schools are using
to achieve success
• About finding time for problem solving together
• How to bring it all together across the entire school
• How to deal with issues of diversity in the community
• How to get greater commitment
■ Allow for grade-level meetings through providing increased time
for grade-level professional development
■ Increase use of technology in the literacy program – specifically
the writing process
■ Improve promising practices by looking to success stories
■ Increase use of diagnostic tools and manipulatives in steering
instruction in mathematics
■ Integrate the role of the librarian in planning with teachers the delivery
of literacy skills
■ Continue to develop effective instructional strategies in both literacy and
numeracy
77
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Theresa Lalonde Pankow Email: [email protected]
Phone: 613-267-2865
Postal Code: K7H 1L6
St. John’s Elementary School
Perth, Ontario
The school has structured common planning time for staff,
enabling small groups to meet and mentor each other within
the divisions. School-embedded professional development
utilizes the expertise within the school as well as boardsponsored initiatives. The primary division participates
in a board-led initiative with a literacy coach focusing
on effective strategies within a balanced reading program.
Junior staff members have attended literacy training and,
through further book study, have developed shared practices
within their division. Common practices are now also part
of the intermediate division.
St. John’s Elementary School is a dual track K–8 school
with approximately 570 students. Located in the town of
Perth, the school serves the town and surrounding rural
community. The school reports a deeply rooted, faith-based
sense of community, with many current parents who are
graduates of the school. A strong community-supported
nutrition program assists their lower socio-economic
population as well as those rural students who come by
school bus in the early morning. Parents, the parish church
community, and the greater community actively support
the school and its programs.
Strong partnerships, a deep sense of community, consistent
instructional practices and a focus on student achievement
have contributed to success at St. John’s. The school’s
principal and vice-principal share a strong commitment to
establishing professional learning communities. They are
part of an enthusiastic leadership team that includes the
school’s three division chairs, a representative from the
French department, and a resource teacher. The team
meets regularly to plan for school improvement and
enhance professional dialogue and sharing.
78
The school has also played a key role in sharing their
learning and expertise with others in their family of schools.
Parents have commented on the great communication and
consistent approach as a cornerstone of the school’s success.
EQAO scores …
Scores are now above the provincial standard in all three
Grade 3 assessment areas, a significant improvement after
recording scores well below the provincial standard three
years ago. In Grade 6, significant strides are very much
evident, especially in reading. In Grade 6 reading, the school
has moved from 42 to 73 per cent of students at or above
the provincial standard during the past three years.
Based on the school’s initial goal to improve reading scores,
the team chose to implement Facilitating Reading for Optimal
Growth (FROG) in primary classrooms. By scheduling
resource teacher support in Grades 1 to 3, this program
allows greater focus on the unique language development
of each child. Currently, the school improvement plan is
aimed at improving results in writing scores in the junior
division with the Higher Achievement in Writer’s Know-how
(HAWK) initiative. This strategy provides an enhanced
coaching model, highlights consistent rubrics across
all traits and grades, and meets the needs of all learners.
Teachers use a gradual release of support model – supporting
students toward greater independence. Collaboration among
grade-level partners and across all divisions continues.
The school curriculum emphasizes technology-enhanced
learning to create a positive learning environment for all.
Teachers and students are seeing the benefit as students
access the curriculum and respond to it independently
using programs such as AlphaSmarts, Kurzweil, Dragon,
and WordCue. St. John’s staff uses a variety of assessment
strategies to align teacher assessment, standardized
assessment, and the data generated for students with
more intensive interventions.
The school participated in the board-sponsored Data 2
Project (Data Assessment Tracking Analysis: Decisions
Altering Teaching and Achievement). This project enhanced
the ability to use student data in order to track achievement
by division, grade, and class. St. John’s also hosts family
of schools meetings for special education resource teachers
(SERTs), intermediate teams, and professional development
sessions on assessment, leveled marking, report card writing,
and Professional Resources and Instruction for Mathematics
Educators (PRIME) mathematics.
development funds and supporting resources, and special
packages to support principals with capacity building
in their own school. Strong school leadership teams are
supported at the board level and in families of schools.
educators …
•
•
•
•
•
Facilitating Reading for Optimal Growth (FROG)
Higher Achievement in Writer’s Know-how (HAWK)
Success Through Optimizing My Potential (STOMP)
Structures for common planning time
Division meetings, book clubs, universal planning
by design
• Differentiated instructional strategies
St. John’s Elementary is part of the Catholic District School
Board of Eastern Ontario which supports a tri-level approach
to leadership development and capacity building at the
system, school, and classroom levels.
The culture of openness and learning together is sustained
through professional learning communities for principals
and vice-principals, regular dialogue at administrative
meetings, common assessment strategies, focused professional
■ Continue to strengthen professional learning communities at the
school/divisional level
■ Increase the availability of professional learning opportunities and
promote increased sharing of promising practices between divisions
■ Utilize the data to more effectively drive differentiated instruction
in order to assist all students in achieving success
■ Refine and expand our use of data walls to better inform instructional
practice and set goals for improvement
■ Make links between reading strategies (e.g., inferring, predicting, questioning,
and visualizing) and apply them to learning math through problem solving
79
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: John Susi
Phone: 905-336-3911
Postal Code: L7P 3P4
St. Mark School
Burlington, Ontario
order to meet the needs of all children. They believe,
“Everyone has to be a leader.”
To better teach the whole child, primary classes have been
reduced in size. The school improvement plan is intended
to be a living document that guides the learning of everyone
in the school. The planning process is well articulated and
aligns with ministry and board directions and is supported
by a technological template provided by the board. All staff
members are involved in the plan’s development, with
school council as active partners.
St. Mark School is a K–8 school located in Burlington.
The school houses approximately 450 students, 15 per cent
with special education needs. Enrolment at the school has
declined slightly for the past two years. The school enjoys
a good relationship with the surrounding community, which
is predominantly urban and of mixed-income levels.
Staff members work as a team and are seen as role models
for one another and for students. Teachers, administrators,
and parents share an attitude of “how can we do this
together?” with emphasis on we, an approach which results
in a supportive atmosphere. Teachers credit the importance
of both the professional and the personal in creating a warm,
caring, and animated environment. Teachers enrich the
academic, social, athletic, and spiritual lives of students
and have high expectations academically and behaviourally.
Student leadership is fostered and students are supported
in making community connections. Staff members strive
to embed learning in real life contexts for students.
Administrators value and provide consolidation time for
teachers to practise and reflect on what is working in classes.
The principal and vice-principal visit classrooms regularly,
encouraging deliberate and thoughtful conversations.
They listen to teachers, celebrate their successes, and are
committed to the importance of sharing leadership in
80
Parents describe St. Mark as a place where everyone is
committed to the success and learning of all the children.
Parents say, “The bar is set high and everyone supports
students to reach it.”
EQAO scores …
Three years ago, none of the school’s six assessment areas
were at provincial standard. Today, five out of the six
assessment areas have improved to the point where they
are above the provincial standard. The only assessment
area that is not currently at provincial standard, Grade 6
writing, has improved a significant 20 percentage points
during the past three years.
Staff members believe that their collective capacity is the
result of their open door policy, with everyone a learner
and open to new ideas. As one example, teachers in the
junior division were involved in a program last year that
provided learning opportunities to further develop teacher
practice. Teachers are committed to a professional dialogue
about what works and what does not.
Students are supported in making connections to everyday
life as part of their academic learning. In one project,
students authored and marketed a non-fiction book to raise
money for mosquito nets and a goat for children abroad.
Throughout the school, teachers ensure that language and
practices are consistent across the grades, using small-group
instruction to move learning along. Junior staff have
benefited from resource materials that provide models
for the effective use of learning time. A reading buddies
program is seen as a great motivator by teachers and
parents. Parents report that little buddies look forward
to being big buddies.
The supervisory officer makes regularly scheduled visits to
the school for conversations with staff and classroom visits.
The board’s senior staff works to remove obstacles so that
principals and teachers can focus on student achievement.
This board is truly hands-on.
Throughout the school, data are used to identify student
needs and to program for those needs. Data walls are
used by primary staff to identify literacy needs which are
addressed in after-school programs. Primary teachers also
offer mathematics learning clubs before and after school.
The junior division has begun working with a new reading
assessment tool to gather data and guide instruction.
School staff note that as literacy scores go up children’s
numeracy scores also improve, a fact attributed partly to
increased reading comprehension and greater ability to
communicate.
educators …
Staff value open communication with parents. Rubrics and
exemplars are used to help parents understand what is
expected from students, and daily student agendas give
parents good news as well as homework and tips. Parents
report that teachers are approachable, open, and supportive.
St. Mark School is part of the Halton Catholic District
School Board. The board offers a support structure that
includes school program team leaders and itinerant
literacy and numeracy support. St. Mark’s principal values
the opportunity to share ideas with other principals as
school improvement plans are implemented, monitored,
and altered to meet new needs. New staff benefit from the
board’s official mentoring program for teachers and
administrators.
What we would like to learn …
• More about sustainability – how do we maintain and
keep the level of achievement growing
• More about strategies for managing combined grades
• More about curriculum implementation processes that
ensure student success
• How to use assistive technology for all children in the
classroom
• How to use technology effectively
• How to use the arts to teach literacy and numeracy
more effectively
• What resources work well with students
❝
❝
• Working together as a team for student success
• Strategies to communicate and connect with parents
• Working with the whole child – make sure no one falls
through the cracks
• Bringing literacy to life through a variety of perspectives
• How to build resource collections in the classroom,
book room, and library
“If you put that bar up there, then children will jump to meet it.
Just watch them.” Teacher
■ Use data more effectively to guide instruction and student learning
■ Create a centrally located literacy/numeracy room to facilitate
consistent use of necessary teaching and learning resources that
will foster professional learning dialogue
■ Integrate subjects more effectively across the curriculum
■ Network effectively with other schools to enhance our collective educational
knowledge and skills
81
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Paula Prajza
Phone: 905-890-6898
Postal Code: L5R 1L3
St. Matthew Catholic School
Mississauga, Ontario
throughout. They value the principal’s approach that
encourages them to take manageable steps that build toward
bigger goals. Teachers willingly move between grade levels
and divisions and, in doing so, gain a strong understanding
of the continuum of learning. They describe this as understanding the bigger picture.
St. Matthew Catholic School is a K–8 school serving
approximately 265 students in urban Mississauga.
The school’s population is decreasing, while changing
demographics have increased the linguistic and cultural
diversity of the school. At present, nearly half of the
students are English language learners. The school hosts
a day care centre that is open to children in the community.
School staff, families, and the church share ownership for
educating all students, living their belief that every child
can learn. The staff is stable, with a blend of experienced
and new teachers.
Underlying St. Matthew’s recent success are strong beliefs
among all staff that all children can learn and that partnerships among home, family, and church are essential to
support student learning. The school is respectful of the
cultural background and experiences of students, seeing
each child’s background, not as a barrier, but as an integral
part of who the child is. Open and prompt communication
with parents and students supports discussion of issues
and sharing of good news.
At St. Matthew, the School Improvement Plan is a living
document, with all staff involved in the planning process.
Teachers work collaboratively to plan, review, and determine
next steps, providing mutual support and assistance
82
A recent shift in philosophy encourages teachers to examine
and discuss assessment data at the individual student level
to make decisions about next steps. Staff members also seek
out opportunities to participate in projects to support
their learning and work. A school team undertakes strategic
purchase of resources that will best support quality instruction
and the principal takes part in all school team and divisional
meetings in which student achievement is discussed.
EQAO scores ...
Three years ago, in all six of this school’s assessment areas,
fewer than 60 per cent of students met the provincial
standard. Today, five assessment areas are above provincial
standard, with the sixth assessment area hovering close
to the provincial standard mark. In Grade 3 mathematics,
for example, results rose from 43 to 87 per cent of students
at or above Level 3.
The administration and teaching staff credit a number of
specific changes in their teaching and assessment practices
for the improvements across the board in the EQAO
assessment areas. Generally, staff members now take a
differentiated approach to all resources, strategies, and
demonstrations. They strive to ensure that every student
develops and masters effective learning strategies.
Specifically, teachers try to be more explicit and precise
in both expectations and instruction. They listen more and
talk less with students so that instruction can be pegged to
the student’s level. Teachers now name the strategies they
use so that students can use that same language to support
their own learning. Staff members also use a common
language so that teachers and students are on the same
The needs of special education and English language
learners are now assessed through oral communication
and supported with technology. The school is an Early
Intervention Literacy site with board support.
St. Matthew Catholic School is part of the Dufferin Peel
Catholic District School Board and benefits from the strategic
alignment of goals and practices across the board, family
of school, school, and classroom levels. The board has
a strong plan that provides common learning for all and
❝
differentiated supports and resources to schools and families
of schools based on student needs. Senior administrators
and superintendents model the commitment to continuous
learning, professional dialogue, and evidence- and researchbased action to improve student learning and achievement.
Centrally supported staff, through program and special
education departments, facilitate and extend professional
learning, as well as planning and supporting initiatives in
response to identified needs. Focus teams of administrators,
teachers, and central staff lead, guide, and support capacity
building at the family of school level. The supervisory
officer participates in professional learning sessions with the
school. Administrators and the superintendent participate
in Family Improvement Teams and publish the Family of
Schools Plan.
educators …
• Using technology to support special needs learners
• Building and sustaining a sharing, learning culture
• Planning for consistency in teaching strategies across
grades
• Principal practice: planning for improvement, pulling
the pieces together, sustaining the process
• The writing process – developmental learning, going
further
❝
page in terms of their understanding. Teachers are also
explicit in their expectations and in helping students make
connections. They model risk taking for students and involve
them in decision making, planning, and building rubrics.
Students actively demonstrate their progress and goals in
parent/teacher/student conferences. Teachers are encouraged
to look for a hook to engage each student – to use students’
interests, experiences, backgrounds, and cultures to make
connections between “self” and new learning. Flexible
groupings shift throughout the year and staff are used
flexibly and strategically to meet the needs of various
groups of learners. Above all, teachers are encouraged
to teach beyond the child’s comfort level, but not too
far beyond, and to provide children with time to think,
reflect, respond, and contribute. They say they want
children, “To go for a swim, not a dip.”
“We need consistency but we can’t let it become complacency.” Supervisory Officer
“Involve kids in decision making – you get better work and fewer excuses.” Teacher
■ Continue to provide time for professional learning communities at
the school/divisional/grade level during the school day to explore
instructional strategies, resources, and grade-level planning for
teaching and assessment
■ Explore the realignment of divisions for learning and teaching due to
our many combined grades
■ Develop literacy long-range plans that will provide the students with
high-yield skills and strategies from Grade 1 to Grade 8
■ Continue to provide opportunities for parents to become partners in their
children’s learning
83
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Nicole Stevens
Phone: 519-674-3475
Postal Code: N0P 2C0
St. Michael Catholic School
Ridgetown, Ontario
with one another, as well as with board colleagues, students,
and parents. Improvements in instruction are the result of
reflection and sharing. Staff members openly address issues
around resources and support, issues of both their availability
and optimal deployment. Constant questions are, “What
needs to be done?” and “What else can we do?”
St. Michael Catholic School is located in the agricultural
area of Ridgetown. The school currently serves about
300 students in a JK–8 setting. St. Michael benefits from a
healthy partnership with parents who participate through
the school council, volunteer for programs, and meet with
teachers to offer their assistance as needed. Staff members
strive together to improve student achievement in reading,
writing, and mathematics. The school attributes its
continued growth to a strong plan, dedicated staff, and
a firm commitment from students and parents.
EQAO scores ...
Approach and philosophy ...
Teachers highlight the importance of focused communication
and professional learning that are part of the team approach
for improving instruction at St. Michael. The purposeful
use of release time, engagement in book study and division
meetings, sharing of professional readings, attending workshops, and sharing with peers are credited with building
capacity and improving learning. Other contributing elements
are: teacher moderation and discussion about next steps
for instruction with specific students, student involvement
in assessment processes, and the use of exemplars and
student samples. Data walls are used throughout the school
to help teachers engage in focused discussion about specific
students.
Distributed leadership, a commitment to professional
learning, and mutual support are hallmarks of the school.
Among staff there is an emphasis on capacity building and
openness to constructive advice and feedback. Teachers
actively seek knowledge and incorporate it into daily practice.
Administrators and teachers share a determination to seek
out and get the best value from the learning opportunities
and initiatives offered by the board and the ministry.
Teachers appreciate that the principal puts money and time
where it is needed, provides strong leadership to get things
done, and supports staff in implementing change. The
staff’s team approach is marked by strong communication
84
At St. Michael, there is a strong focus on character building,
with every adult in the building modeling respect and care
for children and for each other. Parents describe staff as
building a predictable, stable, and sustainable environment.
All staff members demonstrate their commitment to go
above and beyond in their efforts to support every child,
both academically and spiritually.
Over the past three years, this school has moved its Grade
3 EQAO assessments from scores of 30 to 40 per cent of
students at or above the provincial standard to the 60 to
80 per cent range. In its Grade 6 assessments, the school
is also proud of its improvements, with two of its three
assessment areas above the provincial standard, and the
third assessment area bordering on provincial standard.
The school has a literacy and math resources room so that
all resources are readily available to teachers. Increased
resources that are of greater interest to boys are seen to have
improved their motivation and engagement. An inclusive
special education model assures that all students have a
sense of belonging in the classroom.
All staff benefit from the board’s provision of support for
professional learning at the school and its support for
principal and teacher capacity building across the system.
As part of this provision, board staff ensures that principals
are part of the teacher capacity-building sessions on site
and at the system level.
Partnerships with parents, the school council, community
businesses, clubs, and associations are enriching classroom
programs and student opportunities and contributing to a
shared community support for learning. A parent reports,
“In this school it’s all about the kids – as a parent that
makes you want to help.”
St. Michael’s teachers appreciate the big investment the
board makes in schools and people. “We see the board
putting the money where the commitment is.”
St Michael Catholic School is part of the St. Clair Catholic
District School Board. The school appreciates the clearly
articulated directions and expectations provided by the
board. They also value the board’s responsive system supports
for needs related to student learning. The very specific and
innovative strategies that ensure support for school growth
and system alignment from board to school to classroom are
appreciated too. “We all have the same goal – students first.”
• Ideas for principal practice – specific strategies to build
a shared commitment to student learning and provide
support for implementation in classrooms
• Assessment and evaluation practices
• Integration of literacy and numeracy into all aspects
of curriculum
• Technology for differentiated instruction
• Aligning instruction across the grades, JK–8
• What are other schools doing that is making a difference
for students: What did you try? How did you do it?
What did you learn?
• How to maintain and sustain continued growth
❝
❝
At St. Michael, all elements combine to ensure a breadth
of opportunities inside and outside the classroom so that
every student can participate and contribute, whether in
the arts, technology, sports, music, community service,
the library, or numerous other ways.
educators …
“At the board and the school, we all have the same goal – students first.”
“The school is the heart of the community.” Parent
Principal
■ Implement a school-wide instructional framework, using a researchbased organizer which ensures all components of balanced literacy
are integrated into subject areas
■ Further explore various components of the data wall for an
increased awareness of suggested foci from the data
■ Develop an understanding of effective instruction for math including the
importance of guided math, the use of manipulatives, and building of a math
talk community
85
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Susan Dickert
Phone: 519-884-9198
Postal Code: N2V 2N1
St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School
Waterloo, Ontario
Teachers meet students where they are academically and
credit this for eliminating a large measure of frustration
and behavioural issues.
Above all, the school exemplifies how communication
among teachers, parents, and children is critical to
building a caring, inclusive, safe, and mutually supportive
school community.
EQAO scores ...
St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School serves about
600 students in a growing suburban area of Waterloo.
The school, which is projected to continue growing, offers
a JK–8 program and hosts a day care facility. The community
is cosmopolitan and economically stable. Parents have high
expectations for their children, share the staff’s mission
for the school, and work to support student learning and
achievement. The school and community border on a large
conservation area providing a natural outdoor environment.
A key element in this school’s success is the shared
commitment to and belief in every child’s ability to learn
and reach their full potential. Respect for each other
permeates the school, in which all staff, parents, and students
collectively share responsibility for supporting every child.
The school has a clear, articulated direction and focus and
high teacher engagement in continuous improvement for
themselves and for students.
Staff members embrace new research and high-yield strategies
and are willing to move quickly to classroom application.
Divisions meet to collaborate and be on the same page
through formal, scheduled meetings and daily, on-the-fly
chats. Staff review and analyse data frequently to crossreference individual, class, school, board, and provincial
results and trends, and to raise critical questions about
instruction.
86
Three years ago, three of the six assessment areas in the
school were above the provincial standard. These three
assessment areas have continued to rise above the provincial
standard. The other three assessment areas in the school
are now also above the provincial standard.
Staff members credit a number of strategies for the
improvement in student achievement at St. Nicholas.
To build better methods for instruction and assessment,
teacher learning communities begin with a common focus
for the school and agree upon non-negotiables for student
experience and learning in every classroom. Instructional
challenges and successes are shared by teams; individual
and group expertise are exploited for problem-solving.
Teachers ensure consistency of instruction across the school
and encourage students to take risks through higher-order
questioning, open-ended, real-life applications, and discussions of alternate solutions. Weekly class meetings address
issues and build a socially and emotionally safe learning
environment. Teachers are explicit about expectations,
provide models and feedback, and honour all attempts
by students to share and contribute to learning. Struggling
students have their particular needs met through a variety
of program and learning supports.
There is a balance of large and small group, paired and
individual instruction, with children frequently regrouped
into clusters for teaching blocks. Such clustering is especially
beneficial in JK/SK where teachers observe all children and
discuss and share how to improve learning opportunities.
Teachers listen to and take suggestions from parents and
provide them with a number of practical supports for
reinforcing and extending learning at home, including
student/teacher-made games and the Borrow the Book Club,
a read-at-home program with information and suggestions
on specific reading strategies, and techniques consistent
with those used at school.
St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School is part of the
Waterloo Catholic District School Board and values
opportunities to participate in and volunteer for boardsponsored initiatives and pilot programs. The board sets
system performance benchmarks and assessment requirements
that the school integrates and builds upon to support
students. The board also endorses a balanced literacy
framework and provides schools with detailed data in
electronic format for discussion at the system, family of
schools, school, and class levels.
The anti-bullying program, Imagine, is a three-way
community partnership, collaboratively supported and
delivered by the Waterloo Catholic District School Board,
the Waterloo Region District School Board, and the Region
of Waterloo. The program, which addresses bullying as well
❝
as student confidence and safety, is applauded by parents
who see visible indicators of the program’s success within
the school.
educators …
• Using assessment data to regularly and specifically
inform instruction
• Engaging and supporting parents to actively contribute
to their child’s success
• Student engagement through purposeful and creative
unit planning
• Integrating special needs students fully into the whole
spectrum of school life
• Improving student learning through focus and alignment
• Setting the stage – Kindergarten effective practices
• Developing and enhancing sophisticated and authentic
student language that links to powerful and rich
conceptual understanding
• School improvement planning processes and content:
principal practice to guide, infuse, and implement the
mission into every aspect of school, to make thoughtful,
deliberate decisions
• Sustainability and momentum – how to keep it going
and how to keep it fresh
• Principal transitions and entries – what provides
stability and support for continuous improvement
and commitment
• Introducing new staff to the school – getting buy-in
without overwhelming
• Parent expectations as the bar is raised from good to great
• Support for teachers along the continuum
❝
The emphasis on assessment and tracking has resulted in
a forensic examination of data to better meet student needs
with the most appropriate instruction. Student accountability
starts at Kindergarten and continues through the grades.
With a strategy of assess, assess, assess, teachers undertake
pre- and post-analyses of blocks of instruction. Collaboratively,
they compare student work to assess growth and discuss
how they can adapt or change instruction.
“It’s exciting to see kids moving along the tracking wall.” Teacher
“The school is not just educating kids, they’re educating the families.”
Parent
■ Foster opportunities for positive parent engagement in order to
support student learning
■ Strengthen our professional learning community by establishing
divisional approaches to common assessment and instructional
practices
■ Continue to develop a community based on mutual respect and acceptance of
differences and diversity as we follow faith-based teachings
87
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Tim Ball
Phone: 705-742-2991
Postal Code: K9H 5S3
St. Paul’s Catholic Elementary School
Peterborough, Ontario
In this professional learning community, teachers support
change. Support staff, teachers, and the secretary are all members of the school team. Teachers feel trusted and empowered,
knowing they can call on colleagues for support. Because the
principal and parents appreciate teacher workloads, high
expectations are balanced with ongoing support. An
approachable, dynamic principal ensures that everyone
understands how and why decisions are made. The school
reinforces excellence in a strong learning environment, where
communicating with parents, acknowledging good practice,
and having fun are understood to be important.
With an enrolment of 335 students and an experienced staff,
this Peterborough school offers JK to Grade 8. Students
in Behaviour Education Support Training (BEST), a special
education program for students with behaviour needs, are
included in much of the regular classroom learning.
The active student council is engaged with social justice.
When a First Nations community was evacuated due to
a flood, the school welcomed the children into St. Paul’s
school family, putting into practice their commitment to
inclusion and social justice.
St. Paul’s has developed a strong, shared vision focused on
student learning. Important supports are a safe environment,
good learning routines, effective classroom practices, and
high expectations from the community. The many changes
in the school include programming, staff, and new curriculum
as well as new ways of structuring learning. For example,
primary French was replaced with a focus on literacy
through the arts. In making these changes, smaller class
sizes have helped make a difference for student learning.
Following the successful implementation of an antibullying program, school yard conflicts are resolved through
identifying, addressing, and discussing problems. The
neediest students are often given roles such as secretarial
assistant, not as a reward for good behaviour but rather as
a responsible role that requires the development of skills.
88
Communication within the school and beyond is considered
crucial. Within the school, staff members share ideas with
each other – the caretaker and the secretary both comment
on “learning something new every day.” Teachers also share
with other schools, through the family of schools and the
Catholic School Council.
The sense of community is strong. Teachers want parents
involved, and parents feel their opinions are respected.
Teachers solicit feedback on parent views. They ask,
“How are you finding the homework? Are we meeting your
child’s needs?” Parents are responsible for supporting and
initialling agendas to foster children’s independence and
time management.
One of the strengths of St. Paul’s is the attention to each
child as an individual. A buddy program builds empathy
and understanding; students look after each other and
older students are role models for their younger peers.
EQAO scores …
The Grade 3 assessment areas have sustained or improved
their results over the last few years. Significant improvement
has been made across all six assessment areas in this school.
Whereas previously none of the Grade 6 assessments were
at the provincial standard, all of them have significantly
improved to the point where each is now above the
provincial standard.
Excellence is celebrated and consistency fostered across the
school. To get a head start, JK now registers in November
so community resources can be put in place.
A sustained focus on assessment begins in JK, where teachers
start an assessment portfolio using a readiness inventory,
writing samples, and anecdotal reports. The portfolio goes
to each succeeding teacher who adds to it, while a tracking
wall painted with magnetic paint gives a longitudinal picture
of students’ progress. Teachers have embedded assessment
practices seamlessly in classroom life. Constantly expanding
their assessment repertoires, teachers share rubrics and
assignments in person and on email. They also look for
trends in school and provincial results and incorporate
discussion and study of these in the Catholic professional
learning community (CPLC).
In St. Paul’s, the school emphasizes instructional strategies
identified through research. They implement new strategies,
tweaked to meet student needs. Teachers use consistent
language and structures in all classrooms. Higher-level
thinking is promoted through questioning to foster critical
thinking. Teachers explicitly value the use of different
strategies or different solution methods. Teachers ask,
“Can you explain …?” Early literacy is exploding with
oral language seen as the key.
Students analyse writing samples to learn the criteria for
each level; they are also encouraged to use self and peer
assessment. The writing program has evolved as teachers
have identified and focused on key concepts. Starting in
Grade 1, teachers introduce templates to scaffold and lead
to independent writing. Children learn to identify their
best work and reflect on questions like, “How does it make
you feel when the job is well done?”
In mathematics, in line with research-based instruction, talk is
now a foundation for learning. Student collaboration is valued
with an emphasis on the use of manipulatives to represent
thinking and problem solving as a way to learn math itself.
Students demonstrate their learning through authentic
assignments or culminating tasks. They use tools and
strategies such as PowerPoint presentations, student
expert teaching, or developing games.
The board has taken a leading role in promoting differentiating instruction at school and system levels. Teachers
received training in literacy, numeracy, and Developmental
Reading Assessment (DRA).
Professional development, especially leadership development,
has been a board priority, with school principals involved in
study groups, vice-principal-assigned mentors, and extensive
professional development provided for classroom teachers.
Alignment between schools is supported through the family of
schools and the Catholic School Improvement Group. Schools
in the Turnaround program identified successful approaches,
and then shared these with colleagues in other schools.
Classroom and student learning profiles are also shared.
educators …
• Differentiating instruction: planning, curriculum delivery,
and assessment
• Divisional planning across curriculum
• Great ideas and resources for mathematics
• Continuous/seamless assessment tracking
• Differentiated instruction and assessment in Grades 7
and 8
• Literacy-recognized strength in student achievement
• Completing a CPLC template, and building a CPLC –
how to get consensus and move from me to we
• Building confidence and developing risk taking
• Fast forward: laptops for all teachers to use for instruction
and assessment
• How to set up structures that allow time to free up teachers
• Data management leading to precision teaching and
differentiating instruction
• Opportunity to consolidate with other schools
• Networking/application
• Going deeper in literacy
instruction
• Data wall extended
from JK to Grade 8
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington
Catholic District School Board provides a range of supports
to schools. St. Paul’s has benefited from district literacy
initiatives along with learning about using classroom resources
such as word walls, learning carpets, and math materials.
■ Implement differentiated instruction more fully
■ Refine the book room/data wall to include the juniors
■ Use manipulatives with real-life problem solving
89
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Leslie Telfer
Phone: 519-753-8953
Postal Code: N3T 5L7
St. Theresa School
Brantford, Ontario
by highlighting monthly the Catholic graduate expectations.
For teachers and students, reading and writing are linked
explicitly with character development.
The school planning process draws on and builds the
capacities of staff. There is a clear link from professional
learning to professional action, a belief that better instruction
leads to better learning. Staff share a “learn on Monday and
implement on Tuesday” attitude. Teachers benefit from the
specific and deliberate support of the literacy coach and
are encouraged to try a few things, practise, reflect, learn
to do them, try a few more.
St. Theresa School is a small JK–8 school serving 160
students. The school is located in the rural area west of
Brantford. Some students live in the immediate community
and some are bussed from a core area in Brantford. The
neighbouring community is socio-economically diverse.
The school is partnered with two other schools in the
region. Administrators and teachers meet together on
a regular basis and learn from and with each other.
Staff members at St. Theresa have high expectations for
every child and a strong commitment to providing children
what they need. The school takes an inclusive approach to
special education, with full support and engagement of staff.
A primary goal for school improvement is linking what can
be learned from data to a plan of action that is alive and
real. Areas of instructional focus are linked to the reporting
and assessment of children’s learning. Students benefit from
consistency across staff roles and the resulting high coherence
among literacy coaches, special education resource teachers,
classroom teachers, and support staff. Across the school,
instructional strategies and teacher language are consistent.
Students are urged to use higher-level thinking strategies
and are posed questions that push their comprehension.
The school has a commitment to fostering character development by nurturing a sense of care and community, and
90
Throughout the school, staff collaboration is characterized
by hard work, a willingness to give, and a willingness to
learn. Every member of staff is a valued, contributing member
of the team. There is an open door policy around sharing
classroom materials and resources.
EQAO scores ...
All six of this school’s assessment areas have seen their
performance levels skyrocket during the past three years.
Improvements of 40 or more percentage points were recorded
in five of the six assessment areas, with the sixth assessment
area also improving by an impressive 33 percentage points.
Recognizing that attendance, behaviour, and work completion
will improve when students experience success, teachers
make use of a number of instructional strategies that bolster
student confidence and learning. The literacy coach provides
strategic support for teachers across all grade levels, with
particular attention to a variety of assessment techniques
that generate rich information to guide instruction. Data
walls are used extensively. Teachers now examine data at
a specific student level that facilitates precision in teaching.
Part of that precision involves the explicit teaching of
strategies to help students extend their thinking.
A number of specific strategies are credited with improvements in achievement. Teachers have implemented the use
of a monthly comprehension strategy and common anchor
charts across the school. They link the monthly strategy to
home through newsletters that explain to parents what is
being done and how they can help. Teachers make strategic
and common anchors visible in every classroom, including
visual organizers, colour-coded key words and prompts,
and links to shared text materials. A “CN Thinking Tower”
in every room promotes the use of higher-order thinking
strategies and questioning. Teachers also post teacher/studentdeveloped charts, graphs, summaries, and word walls,
referred to as “inking their thinking”. They also use assistive
technology to help students successfully demonstrate their
understanding.
St. Theresa School is part of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk
Catholic District School Board. St. Theresa staff value the
board’s tri-level commitment to a clear alignment of purpose
from board to school to classroom, an alignment mirrored
in the actions of the board’s supervisory officers. Part of
this commitment is the board’s focus on literacy instruction
that sees a balanced literacy framework and uninterrupted
literacy blocks mandated in schools across the district. Board
support for literacy includes the assignment of literacy
coaches who are given clearly articulated roles and expectations for consistent capacity-building support.
The board improvement plan is based on the Crévola model
(articulated by Fullan, Crévola, & Hill [2006] in their
Triple-P model of personalization, precision, and professional
learning), offering precise, clear actions for the strategic
implementation of Ministry/Secretariat initiatives. The
board is credited with procedures for the allocation of
schools …
• Building a collaborative culture through examination
of purpose
• Comprehension strategies – plans, actions, and practical
artefacts that make it work
• High-yield strategies, consistency of practice, alignment
in a K–8 school
• School improvement planning
• Tri-level coherence – the role and responsibilities of
teacher, principal, and superintendent – in melding
lateral and vertical capacity building
• Finding intermediate resources that support literature
circles
• Structures and processes – conversations with others
who are asking the same questions
• Seeking opportunities that are open to schools from
within the board, the province, the country – i.e.,
grassroots that will engage and extend learning
❝
❝
staff that are thoughtful and consistent with board policy.
A strategic system-level plan governs the purchase and
distribution of focused resources that are then accompanied
by professional development to facilitate their integration
into classroom practice. The board supports professional
learning teams in all schools and networking of teachers
and administrators across schools. Supervisory officers
lead and facilitate the professional learning of principals.
“If you can improve reading, you can improve everything.”
Parent
■ Strengthen teacher learning in the area of writing with a focus on
explicit strategy instruction across the divisions
■ Increase awareness of and access to computer technology
resources as a means of enhancing student engagement and
increasing literacy and numeracy achievement
■ Increase opportunities for our parents to become more active
partners in student learning
■ Continue to strive to be a faith community on a shared journey
of believing, achieving, and celebrating success for all learners
91
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Sandra Theriault
Phone: 613-542-1575
Postal Code: K7M 2R4
St. Thomas More Catholic School
Kingston, Ontario
shared at staff and division meetings. The principal and
vice-principal learn alongside teachers as part of the
school’s professional learning community.
Teachers routinely change grade assignments and in that
process develop a big picture view of curriculum and
programs. The school values networking with other
schools within the board and with other boards.
EQAO scores ...
St. Thomas More Catholic School is a JK–8 school with
approximately 250 students, including a life skills class.
The school shares an administrative team with its K–5
annex school, St. Joseph/St. Mary’s. The school community
has a warm and inviting atmosphere characterized by
mutual respect, co-operation, care, and safety. The parent
community describes the school as a place where “the staff
is tremendously dedicated to the success of the school as a
community and to the success of its students as individuals.”
Approach and philosophy ...
Communication and consistency are key elements of the
approach taken by staff at St. Thomas More. Teachers listen
to and learn from each other in both formal and informal
settings. Practice is consistent among and across the grades
and divisions. Staff believes in each child and knows the
school focus. Directions for development are determined
by thorough reviews of EQAO data.
Teachers and administrators work to develop the school
improvement plan through a school committee that seeks
input from all staff. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and accountability and a spirit of true collaboration.
Staff members recognize that sharing and communicating
the school improvement plan is like a parent receiving a
report card. It shouldn’t be a surprise. Training provided
at the board level is very helpful and is brought back and
92
This school is well on the improvement trail in Grade 3,
having significantly improved its scores in all assessment
areas during the past three years. Large gains have also
been posted in Grade 6, especially in reading where an
improvement of 23 percentage points was recorded.
Significant gains were also made in Grade 3 Writing
and Grade 3 Mathematics, where the school posted an
improvement of over 40 percentage points in each case,
as compared to its 2003–04 scores.
Staff relies on data collection and analysis at regular
intervals using PM Benchmarks, Comprehension, Attitude,
Strategies and Interests (CASI) assessments, and running
records. Shared ownership of students through tracking
boards enables teachers to get to know students and see
who needs more support. This sharing of data and student
profiles guides teachers in their preparations for planning
instruction.
Lead literacy and numeracy teachers and division leads work
with the administration, the special assignment teacher,
and the special education resource teacher to support all
teachers in accessing and utilizing current knowledge and
resources. The special assignment teacher provides support
through a coaching model and meets with teachers during
planning time. She builds consistency by introducing
resources, sharing professional learning, and modeling
strategies. Consistent rubrics and visual cues have been
developed so that teachers, students, and parents are on
the same page and children have the stepping stones to
improve their learning and achievement.
The school has implemented balanced literacy and has
established literacy blocks (two hours in primary and
90 minutes in junior) as well as one-hour math blocks.
Across the school, there is an instructional focus on problem
solving, along with the use of common strategies and
consistent expectations in mathematics reinforced by
professional learning support from area experts. Staff also
credit gains in achievement levels to a primary cap on class
size that allows teachers to spend more time with each child.
Struggling students receive further support in collaboration
with the special education resource teacher (SERT) and
from teacher candidates (through a partnership with Queen’s
University Faculty of Education). These groups work as
tutors in the classroom along with the associate teachers.
A successful strategy for raising the bar has children reflect
on their work and discuss how they can make it even better.
One parent noted that his daughter explained that she
was thinking about her work and figuring out how to
bump it up. Teachers consistently challenge students to
meet their full potential.
St. Thomas More is part of the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic
District School Board. A primary board imperative is the
focus on principals as instructional leaders, achieved in
large part through monthly professional learning for principals
at both the director’s meeting and school network meetings.
Time and funding is provided to school networks to support
robust sharing and the collective development of next steps.
❝
Networks have become a driver for continued success and
increased consistency, supported by senior administration,
centrally assigned principals, and special assignment teachers.
The board is developing consistency in assessment practices,
including building and piloting a student database system
that will provide schools with school, class, and student
profiles.
The research- and evidence-based Students First – Excellence
for All initiative has established networks of schools in
which principals and teachers can learn together, share
their successes and challenges, extend their professional
expertise, and, through the special assignment teacher,
be supported in the implementation of effective practices
in their schools and classrooms. The board supports
opportunities for parents and teachers to learn through
guest speaker events available to the community.
educators ...
• Balanced literacy in the primary division
• Use of assessment to inform instruction
• A culture of sharing and collaboration at many levels
• Ways to extend learning in mathematics instruction
• Intervention strategies that are most effective with
struggling students
• Any ideas or new learning that will help the school
build and grow their expertise and practice
❝
“We need to be sure that we are providing the background and knowledge
our administrators need to be instructional leaders.” Supervisory Officer
“As a school, we’re all on board, we do not isolate ourselves. We see
the continuum across the grades.” Teacher
■ Track student progress through the use of assessment tools and
a tracking board
■ Engage, involve, and inform our parent community in the learning
progress, its assessment, and ways to help at home
■ Use data in program planning
■ Share professional learning experiences and successful practices within
the school and our learning network
■ Develop a school-wide alignment of practices through building truly collaborative
relationships among administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents
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Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Oscar Burnside
Phone: 519-538-1950
Postal Code: N4L 1C6
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School
Meaford, Ontario
Staff have benefited from an expansion from formal learning
and sharing opportunities that include workshops and staff
and division meetings to continuous discussion of practice
throughout the days and weeks. As a result, teachers are
able to dig deeper into the areas that have been traditionally
more difficult to teach, successfully teaching students to
infer, synthesize, and support a point of view.
Because St. Vincent-Euphrasia as a school community
operates much like an extended family, staff benefit from
sharing with parents the responsibility for all students.
Parents appreciate that students are eager to learn because
they have teachers eager to teach them.
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School is located in the
community of Meaford on the shore of Georgian Bay. The
school serves approximately 290 students, two-thirds in
the English stream and one-third in the French immersion
stream. This is an open-concept school focused on a busy
library. The school provides a balanced day schedule and
hosts an early years centre. The school community is
described by educators and parents alike as “an extended
family” and features a stable student, teacher, and parent
population. Most students walk to school.
At St. Vincent-Euphrasia, staff emphasizes learning over
teaching. In keeping with this approach, the deliberate
alignment of classroom management, curriculum, and
assessment that is evident in daily classroom practice flows
from a staff-generated literacy and math assessment plan.
The impact on teaching has been an increasing consistency
across the grades in the use of common language, terms,
and approaches.
Leadership, teamwork, and change are universal themes
for staff. True collaboration and professional respect allow
and ensure constructive feedback and reflective discussion
among teachers who work as peers. Common questions
are: What worked? What didn’t work? Why?
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EQAO scores ...
This K–3 school had all three assessment areas at 35 per cent
or less of its students at the provincial standard three years
ago. Today, all three assessment areas have improved to the
point where each assessment area is above the provincial
standard. Two of these three assessment areas are now
hovering around the 90 per cent mark.
An initial part of the process for raising levels of achievement
involves the examination of EQAO results. In doing so,
teachers undertake to answer a number of questions: How
did particular children do? How do these results match
our assessment in these areas? What do the anchor papers
reveal about expectations? How do we help students learn
to provide more thorough answers? Where are the gaps
in our instruction? How must we raise the bar for both
students and teachers? Which graphic organizers will
assist learning?
The answers provide a framework for much of the change
in classroom instruction. Teachers have embarked on the
deliberate establishment of a risk-taking environment for
learning, one in which teachers model reflection, problem
solving, and self-assessment for students. They have set
about and succeeded at engaging students in their own
learning, setting goals, and tracking their own progress.
The selection of current and relevant multi-media resources
contributes significantly to this engagement. Literacy strategies
now explicitly underpin the rest of the curriculum – art,
science, math, and so on. Teachers build detailed student
learning profiles. Overriding all activity is constant attention
to assessment within the classroom, the school, and the
board to ensure that the information needed to drive
instruction is available and analysed.
Within classrooms, there has been an evolution in the use
of reasoning questions for each grade level, with clear
expectations for improvement and level of sophistication.
Word work and vocabulary development are now integrated
into daily instruction. Teachers have set the bars high for
JK, SK, and Grade 1, working to ensure that all children are
learning to read and write in each of their first three years.
Teachers also emphasize students’ use of oral language
and talk in explaining their thinking. The consistent use of
Q-charts has been seen to promote higher-order thinking.
Teachers act on the belief that no-one is exempt from the
thinking process. Staff members have also undertaken the
explicit instruction of character attributes in a model called
The Virtues Initiative, which links school academic goals
to character attributes.
board’s Foundations for Learning as well as the consistency
and alignment of policies, programs, expectations, and
supports across the district. The board strongly supports
principal learning through district and area of schools
sessions and provides support for teacher learning in
literacy and mathematics and the resources to ensure
implementation. The school’s supervisory officer has set
a clear expectation that student writing be more visible
throughout the school.
The board’s focus on classroom assessment strategies is
complemented by district-wide common assessments with
target ranges, an assessment plan, and a data collection and
analysis tool to help schools make best use of the information.
educators …
• Teacher collaboration – from collegiality to collaboration
to seamlessly sharing the load
• Creating a healthy school climate
• Making the most of meeting times – agenda setting,
commitment, teacher leadership, focus
• Precision in teaching paired with high student engagement
St. Vincent-Euphrasia is part of the Bluewater District School
Board and values the clear direction provided through the
• Going deeper with continuity building from JK–Grade 5
• All areas – what are others doing that can extend/expand
our practice?
❝
❝
“It’s like an extended family. We take shared ownership for the children in our school.” Teacher
“There are excuses but we’re not using them. Students will and do learn to read in this school.
We concentrate on learning, not teaching.” Teacher
■ Continue to strengthen professional associations and relationships
among the teachers on staff to build lateral capacity and to focus
professional conversations on student achievement
■ Strive for high levels of rigour and relevance in the delivery of
the curriculum and keep the rigour/relevance framework in the
forefront of ongoing discussions
■ Complete, implement, and evaluate the school-wide literacy and
mathematics curriculum delivery and assessment plans
■ Update assessment plans continuously
■ Make effective use of data to identify students at risk, gaps in student
achievement and cohorts of students who are experiencing success
■ Work cooperatively to improve the present levels of achievement and build
on the collective strengths of the staff
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Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Rick Dejong
Phone: 705-357-3975
Postal Code: L0C 1H0
Sunderland Public School
Sunderland, Ontario
Professional learning communities are developing within the
school, with the sharing of promising practices encouraged
by formal and informal meetings within divisions and at
staff meetings. Each staff meeting includes a professional
development component. Teacher-to-teacher sharing, visitation, and debriefing are provided through half-day releases.
Cross-grade activities, occurring several times per year,
include a large literacy component and provide leadership
opportunities for older students. Evening presentations
for community members involve reading, writing, media
literacy and oral presentation skills.
Sunderland Public is a JK–8 school serving 450 students
in the northern part of the Durham District School Board.
It is a predominantly rural area with strong community
links and a municipal library located in the school. Close
connections among the schools in this part of the board
have fostered a strong professional learning community.
Parents see the school staff as dynamic and supportive.
The school has fostered parent involvement and encouraged
parent and community volunteers in the school. Everyone
has to work together to support students, families and the
school as outside resources are minimal in this community.
Students and staff have high expectations at Sunderland.
Staff members work hard to ensure that all students realize
their potential. Students believe that reading is “cool”. Respect
and responsibility are taught and reinforced at school, both
in the classroom and beyond.
Connections between home and school are supported
in a variety of ways. The school has developed strategies
for promoting reading at home through the Stampeder
Reading Program, Tumble Books for boys, and computer
programs. Parents are encouraged to volunteer in many
different ways, including support for the Stampeder
Respect Program.
96
The 2006–07 school success plan emphasized the importance
of a positive learning environment. More specifically, the
plan focused on improving writing strategies. Common
practices, common assessment strategies, and school-wide
tracking mechanisms have been established through the
school success plans and their implementation.
EQAO scores …
The EQAO scores have increased dramatically since 2003–04.
The Grade 3 EQAO results have increased by 19 percentage
points in reading, 19 percentage points in writing, and
27 percentage points in mathematics. The Grade 6 EQAO
results have also increased significantly since 2003–04:
48 percentage points higher in reading, 39 percentage points
higher in writing, and 19 percentage points higher in
mathematics. The Grade 6 reading results are 15 percentage
points higher in reading, 19 percentage points higher in
writing, and 4 percentage points higher in mathematics.
Staff work well together and are committed to increasing
student achievement and working with the whole student.
Professional development has been a strong focus. Teachers
are given one-hour releases to work in professional learning
communities. When teachers attend professional development
sessions they summarize the new information on shareware
so that all staff can have access to what has been learned.
Time for professional discussions is provided by the
administration – teachers report that they are always
networking and discussing how to improve instruction.
Assessment strategies have been a strong focus of efforts to
improve student learning at Sunderland. Teachers make use
of data from EQAO, Comprehension, Attitude, Strategies
and Interests (CASI) assessments, PM Benchmarks, and
running records. Teams examine data, often using data
walls, to determine what needs to be done at school and
classroom levels to increase student success. Divisional
meetings allow teachers to bring artefacts for group marking –
this has encouraged the use of common marking frameworks.
Teachers also use exemplars and rubrics to develop common
assessment standards.
The school has appreciated and taken advantage of smaller
class sizes to better meet the needs of all students. In addition,
small group learning strategies are used to maximize learning.
Students with special needs receive stronger support because
of reduced class size and small-group approaches.
The principal emphasized that good pedagogy in the school
includes continuity, consistency, and a strong focus on
language. Throughout the school, teachers model the same
techniques and use the same subject specific vocabulary
for explicit instruction. Teachers chunk the learning, assess
for learning, and modify instruction. They are always looking
for learning and anticipating next steps.
The provision of a literacy coach in primary grades and a
math coach in intermediate grades has been a great support
for both teachers and students.
Sunderland also makes every effort to use technology to
support student success.
The school feels tremendous support from board program
staff and from The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. In a
wide range of ways, the school board communicates to its
schools that student learning is a joint, shared responsibility.
For example, the board professional development committee
meets in different schools. The concept of the professional
learning community is encouraged and supported in all
schools. All principal meetings focus on finding, improving,
and sharing promising practices, while tools from the school
district have allowed the school to unpack EQAO and
create SMART goals. The supervisory officer sends articles
to schools and suggests books for principals and teachers
to read and share. As well, supervisory officer visits are
detailed, digging deeper into practices and issues and
focusing on continuous improvement. Walk through training
is provided for all school administrators.
What school would like to share with other
educators …
•
•
•
•
•
Professional culture, sharing, collegiality
Strong links across grades and divisions
Cooperative learning strategies
Access to assistive technology for all students
Respect program
•
•
•
•
Strategies to maintain the momentum
Creative use of time for professional learning communities
Strategies for improving boys’ literacy
Timetabling for blocks of time
■ Continue school emphasis on persuasive writing and include student
writings in “Sunderland P.S. Student Anthology”
■ Share promising practices and develop a common writing vocabulary
across all grades; use cross-graded groups, assembly readings, and
other opportunities to celebrate growth in student writing
■ Gather genuine writing exemplars to place in one document for
staff to discuss, access, and measure student growth
■ Track one student (achieving at Level 2) per class and bring a writing
sample to each staff meeting to examine growth and commonalities,
share instructional writing strategies, and discuss successful practices
■ Continue focus on mastery of basic math facts through engaging and
innovative methods across all grades
97
Phase 2
Schools on the Move
CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal: Gail Croll
Phone: 416-396-2475
Postal Code: M4B 2A6
Victoria Park Elementary School
Toronto, Ontario
Victoria Park Elementary is a JK–5 school located in the city
of Toronto. The school serves approximately 200 students
who come from many different ethnic, linguistic, and
socio-economic backgrounds. Victoria Park hosts four
special education classes for students with developmental
disabilities and also houses a day care facility. This historic
school was established in 1861 and was most recently
refurbished in 1996. The school enjoys a close partnership
with parents and the neighbouring community and, together
with them, a shared responsibility for all students and a
commitment to a safe and encouraging school environment.
Victoria Park Elementary exemplifies what a school can
accomplish when a professional learning community engages
in careful and focused improvement planning around
student learning. The collaborative efforts of staff translate
into the identification and deployment of strategies that
contribute to the good of the whole school. All staff members
have opportunities to reflect on their growth as educators.
The school team works within the larger family of schools
and builds in school-specific goals. At the same time,
the school is open to the larger community of parents,
neighbours, extended family, seniors, and others who
share and enrich its vision.
Within this larger perspective, staff members break the
school improvement plan into the do-able components of
98
term goals and actions, while continually realigning and
refocusing curriculum to ensure rich content, rigorous
thinking, and increased engagement. Teachers use assessments
for planning and analyse all kinds of data to better understand
each child as a complete individual. Data ranges from EQAO
to report cards, to Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA)
and Comprehension, Attitude, Strategies and Interests (CASI)
assessments, to library statistics on the number of books
each child checks out in a year. Throughout this analysis,
teachers act with consistency and efficiency, moving quickly
from numbers to actions and strategies. Across the school,
teachers are consistent in their use of organizers, word walls,
and strategies.
Finally, the school maintains constant communication with
parents and students and provides immediate feedback and
problem solving so that there are no surprises to interrupt
the learning.
EQAO scores ...
In this JK–5 school, all three school assessment areas are now
above provincial standards. This represents a considerable
improvement from three years ago, when all areas were
below the standard. Of special note is the school’s Grade 3
reading assessment results, which have improved by
almost 50 percentage points during the past three years.
Teachers at Victoria Park Elementary credit a number of
specific strategies for the recent improvements in student
achievement. The teachers’ strategic goal is to track individual
students and ask questions about their progress so that no
child falls through the cracks. Accordingly, teachers share
very thorough student information from one year to the next.
An added benefit is that learning is accelerated in September
with less time spent assessing student strengths and weaknesses. The school also hosts large numbers of student
teachers to provide individual and small-group instruction
to students. Teachers have found that releasing power to
students as mentors and tutors for others helps consolidate
learning and increases motivation in younger students.
Literacy is integrated into all curriculum areas and is
supported by purposeful activities. To support boys’ literacy,
male community members are invited in as model readers
and writers for boys. These include local authors, sports
writers, and artists. Teachers have become explicit with
students in explaining what Level 4 work looks and sounds
like. Expectations are made clear with exemplars, scaffolds,
and best available resources. Using a buddy model in reading,
science, and writing has been found to reinforce specific
strategies in both tutor and learner. Flexible groupings
change in response to data.
The school makes use of extensive integration and reverse
integration between special needs and regular classrooms
for cross-grade and cross-school inclusion. Teachers support
learners when they begin to struggle, rather than waiting
for formal identification. The school supports strategic
accommodation, modification, and differentiation for special
needs students.
Victoria Park Elementary School is part of the Toronto
District School Board and values a well-defined and strategic
family of schools plan for literacy. This plan facilitates
capacity building for teachers and principals, and establishes
structures and opportunities to learn and share effective
practice across schools. Victoria Park shares the support
of a board-funded literacy coordinator within its family
of schools. The board also has a system-wide commitment
to an assessment plan that include Developmental Reading
Assessment (DRA) and Comprehension, Attitude, Strategies
and Interests (CASI).
Victoria Park benefits from the focused support of its
supervisory officer in providing resources and professional
learning opportunities to be shared across schools. The
supervisory officer creates and involves school success
teams in shared leadership in order to connect staff across
the family of schools so that they can tackle difficult issues
and ask challenging questions together. Principals and
teachers within the family support and lead the learning
of their peers. Many teachers take advantage of the board
subsidy for math, reading, and special education additional
qualifications.
What the school would like to share with
other educators …
• Family of schools strategies – being part of a bigger
picture, cross-school learning, and mutual support
• Principal practice – improvement planning
• Marketing reading and learning to kids
• Community engagement – communication plans and
processes
• Selective and purposeful assessment and evaluation
• Libraries as the literacy heart of the school
• We want to know what we don’t know we don’t know –
sharing strengths
• Learning from others to enhance our own classroom
practice in any area
❝
❝
“There’s lots of laughter here that allows for risk taking, creativity, confidence,
and problem solving.” Teacher
“The teacher helps you be the best you can be, makes you really confident,
makes you really understand.” Student
■ Strive to improve student success
■ Share and build teacher capacity to focus on using student data
(EQAO, DRA/CASI) to inform teaching practices and implement
differentiated instruction
■ Develop a PLC within our school for a better understanding of student
literacy learning
■ Develop a focus on numeracy by gathering and assessing data (EQAO and
standard assessment tools) in order to identify gaps, plan for professional
learning, and purchase resources
99
What Can We Learn from
Schools on the Move?
Quelles leçons pouvons-nous tirer des écoles en action?
The Schools on the Move, both the 42 identified in 2007
and the 23 identified in 2006, represent the face of change
in Ontario education. Over the last few years, the province
has made great strides. Schools on the Move have taken
advantage of increased resources and a more positive
climate in the Ontario education world. What can the
province learn from their experience?
The Big Lesson: Address the Challenges
Schools on the Move are well along the path of school
improvement. They have already dealt successfully with
the difficulties that commonly confront schools in initiating
change, recognizing that challenges are opportunities for
learning. Where EQAO results were low, schools acknowledged the urgency of trying new approaches. When
schools became aware of other schools achieving greater
success with similar student populations, principals, and
teachers recognized that perhaps they could do better but
that different strategies might be required. Principals and
teachers, developing a sense of collective responsibility for
improvement, began building a collaborative culture of
mutual support and professional learning. They invited
parents to become partners in their children’s learning and
often engaged the broader community as well.
Schools on the Move have also achieved considerable success
in addressing the challenges that inevitably emerge as schools
implement new approaches. Principals and teachers designed
job-embedded learning that focused on the professional skills
and knowledge that were most crucial for improving students’
learning. Schools found many ways to get through the “implementation dip”, celebrating early successes and constantly
reinforcing each other’s efforts. Schools worked to overcome
teacher isolation, fostering greater openness and trust.
Mastering new approaches for teaching literacy and mathematics empowered teachers and increased their confidence
and determination. Increasingly, classroom doors were open
to colleagues as teachers found that working together was
not only more successful but more enjoyable. In particular,
collaborative efforts paid off in the area of understanding
and using data. For many teachers, this is a difficult
challenge, one that requires new concepts and new practices.
As Schools on the Move became more comfortable with
using data to make decisions and to track children’s progress,
their teaching interventions became increasingly precise
and effective.
100
Toutes les écoles en action, c’est-à-dire les 42 écoles identifiées
en 2007 et les 23 écoles identifiées en 2006, incarnent la vague de
changement qui déferle sur le domaine de l’éducation en Ontario.
Au cours de ces dernières années, la province a réalisé de nombreux
progrès. Les écoles en action ont profité de ressources supplémentaires
et du meilleur climat qui prévaut dans le monde de l’éducation de
l’Ontario. Quelles leçons la province peut-elle tirer de leur expérience?
Une leçon importante : Faire face aux défis
Les écoles en action ont accompli une progression avancée dans la
voie de l’amélioration. Elles ont réussi à surmonter les défis auxquels
sont couramment confrontées les écoles dans le cadre d’une mise
en œuvre du changement et ont compris que les défis fournissent des
opportunités d’apprentissage. Celles qui ont obtenu de faibles résultats
aux évaluations de l’OQRE ont réalisé qu’il était urgent d’essayer de
nouvelles approches. Après avoir appris que certaines écoles parvenaient
à atteindre des taux de réussite supérieurs avec des populations d’élèves
semblables aux leurs, les directions et les enseignants des autres écoles
se sont aperçus qu’eux aussi pourraient peut-être obtenir de meilleurs
résultats en adoptant des stratégies différentes. C’est en développant
un sens de la responsabilité collective axée sur l’amélioration que
les directions d’école et les enseignants ont peu à peu commencé à
élaborer une culture collaborative de soutien mutuel et d’apprentissage
professionnel. Ils ont invité les parents à participer à l’apprentissage
de leurs enfants et ont souvent incité la participation de l’ensemble
de la collectivité.
Les écoles en action ont également atteint des taux de réussite considérables en affrontant les défis qui surgissent inévitablement au sein des
écoles lors de la mise en œuvre de nouvelles approches. Les directions d’école et les enseignants ont créé des séances d’apprentissage
professionnel intégrées au travail et axées sur les compétences et
les connaissances professionnelles centrales à l’amélioration de
l’apprentissage des élèves. Les écoles ont découvert de nombreuses
méthodes pour venir à bout du ralentissement de la mise en œuvre
en soulignant les premiers succès et en encourageant constamment
leurs efforts respectifs. Les écoles ont travaillé afin d’atténuer l’isolement
du personnel enseignant ce qui a eu pour effet de favoriser un environnement d’ouverture et de confiance.
La maîtrise de nouvelles approches pour l’enseignement de la littératie
et de la numératie a contribué à l’épanouissement d’un sentiment de
confiance en soi et de détermination parmi le personnel enseignant.
Après s’être rendu compte que le travail collectif connaît non seulement plus de réussite mais qu’il est aussi beaucoup plus agréable, les
enseignants ont décidé d’ouvrir de plus en plus les portes de leurs
salles de classe à leurs collègues. Leurs efforts collaboratifs ont tout
particulièrement été fructueux dans le domaine de la compréhension
et de l’utilisation des données. Cette tâche représente, pour la plupart
des membres du personnel enseignant, un défi difficile à relever du
fait qu’elle exige la connaissance de nouveaux concepts et de nouvelles pratiques. C’est en devenant plus confiantes dans leur capacité
Different Challenges at Different Points
Challenges in initiating change
■ Building belief that high expectations for academic
learning, particularly for needy populations, can be met
in conjunction with supporting children’s emotional,
physical, and social needs
■ Providing support for teachers to learn about alternative
approaches, such as new research-based strategies for
teaching reading, writing, or mathematics
■ Identifying practices that may have served them well in the
past but may not be effective in the emerging context
Challenges in implementing strategies and learning from results
■ Building a culture of collaborative work based on
student data for all educators
■ Staying the course through the “implementation dip” –
using new instructional strategies feels awkward or
difficult until teachers become more skilful with them
■ Overcoming uncertainty about data and the complexities
of how to use it
Challenges in sustaining improvements over time
■ Adjusting to changes in leadership or staff (key leaders
leave or vital knowledge/skill is lost)
■ Maintaining momentum and intensity
■ Understanding plateaus (in terms of EQAO scores,
increases may be harder to achieve – “the easy gains
are already made”)
Rather than being concentrated in the principal, leadership
in Schools on the Move is increasingly shared, with many
staff members taking responsibility for different aspects of
the school’s improvement work. Principals nonetheless have
provided the spark and impetus as instructional leaders in
the schools and have connected the schools to external ideas
and support (e.g., superintendents of schools, consultants,
other schools).
Schools on the Move are at different points in their journeys.
Most are finding that they gain renewed energy from the
success of their efforts, as student achievement continues
to improve. Evidence from school improvement research
around the world, however, suggests that sustaining
improvement over an extended period of time is not easy.
Momentum is lost as key people retire or move to positions
d’orienter leurs décisions à partir des données recueillies et d’assurer
le suivi des progrès des enfants (en utilisant un tableau de pistage
par exemple), que les écoles en action ont été à même de cibler leurs
interventions en enseignement et de les rendre plus efficaces.
Différents défis à différents stades
Défis relatifs à la mise en œuvre du changement
■ Renforcer la conviction qu’il est possible d’entretenir des
attentes élevées en ce qui a trait à l’apprentissage scolaire,
particulièrement à l’égard des populations nécessiteuses,
tout en tenant compte des besoins émotionnels, physiques
et sociaux des enfants.
■ Fournir de l’appui au personnel enseignant pour leur permettre
d’apprendre des approches différentes, telles que les nouvelles
stratégies basées sur la recherche pour l’enseignement de la
lecture, de l’écriture ou des mathématiques.
■ Déterminer les pratiques d’enseignement qui auraient pu
s’avérer utiles par le passé mais semblent inefficaces dans
le contexte d’aujourd’hui.
Défis relatifs à la mise en œuvre des stratégies et des
enseignements tirés des résultats
■ Développer pour tous les pédagogues une culture de travail
collaboratif fondée sur les données des élèves.
■ Maintenir le cap pendant la période de « ralentissement
de la mise en œuvre » – avant de pouvoir les maîtriser,
le personnel enseignant pourrait trouver délicate ou difficile
l’application de nouvelles stratégies.
■ Surmonter les incertitudes entourant les données et les
complexités relatives à leur utilisation.
Défis relatifs au maintien d’une amélioration continue au
fil du temps
■ S’adapter aux changements de leadership ou de personnel
(départ des intervenantes et des intervenants clés ou la
perte de connaissances/compétences essentielles).
■ Maintenir l’élan et l’intensité.
■ Comprendre le phénomène de « plafonnement » (il pourrait
être plus difficile de continuer à améliorer les résultats aux
évaluations de l’OQRE – « les gains facilement réalisables
ont déjà été effectués »).
Au lieu de concentrer le leadership dans les directions d’école, les écoles
en action ont opté pour un leadership de plus en plus partagé, où la
responsabilité des différents aspects du travail d’amélioration de chaque
école est assumée par plusieurs membres de son personnel. En tant que
leaders pédagogiques, les directrices et directeurs d’école se sont
toutefois assurés d’éveiller l’enthousiasme et de donner l’élan nécessaire;
ils ont fait connaître à leurs écoles des sources externes d’idées et
de soutien (comme par exemple les surintendances des écoles, les
conseillères et les conseillers pédagogiques, et les autres écoles).
101
What Can We Learn from
Schools on the Move?
Quelles leçons pouvons-nous tirer des écoles en action?
in other schools or in the school district. Frustratingly
common is the experience of finding that student
achievement, especially as indicated by test scores, reaches
a plateau. Research in Ontario and elsewhere suggests,
however, some successful strategies for sustaining improvement or resuming upward movement following a plateau.
Some of these are the same strategies that accompany
successful implementation of change, such as: continuing
to support collaborative cultures strongly focused on
learning; developing increasingly precise understanding and
use of data, especially for early identification and intervention
for children falling behind; and keeping up enthusiasm
and energy through continued celebration of successes.
Two strategies are particularly critical – first, shared or
distributed leadership, which makes the school less
dependent on the principal or another key staff member
and, second, networking with other schools with similar
contexts and challenges.
What has emerged from the visits to Schools on the Move,
and is making the difference for student achievement,
is similar to what researchers have identified in schools
in Canada, the United States, England, and elsewhere.
Five major themes seem to capture the environments
in Ontario Schools on the Move:
1. Organizational culture
Schools on the Move have collaborative cultures, with
teachers and administrators committed to learning together.
The schools have moved beyond the old “egg crate” model
of isolated classrooms to “open doors”, with mutual support
and shared risk taking. Staff members are open to new ideas
and new practices; they try to identify what is needed to
be more successful with teaching and learning. All staff,
custodians, and secretaries as well as teachers, are included
as key members of the team. Parents also participate in the
school community in various ways.
2. Focus
The schools have created an environment where learning is
the top priority, and literacy and numeracy are crucial. The
schools are focused on improving literacy and numeracy
and infuse this throughout the school program.
Les écoles en action sont arrivées à différents stades de leur parcours.
La plupart d’entre elles connaissent un regain d’énergie grâce à la
réussite découlant de leurs efforts et de l’amélioration continue du
rendement des élèves. Cependant, les résultats des recherches
menées à l’échelle mondiale à propos de l’amélioration des écoles
indiquent qu’il n’est pas facile de maintenir une amélioration continue
pendant une période de temps prolongée. Il semble y avoir une perte
d’élan lorsque les intervenantes et les intervenants clés prennent leur
retraite ou décident d’accepter un poste dans une autre école ou dans
un autre conseil. Une source de frustration particulièrement courante
est attribuée au plafonnement du taux de rendement des élèves
comme l’indiquent les résultats des tests. Toutefois, les recherches
faites en Ontario et ailleurs proposent des stratégies efficaces pour
maintenir une amélioration continue ou pour poursuivre une fluctuation
à la hausse à la suite d’un plafonnement. On retrouve certaines de
ces mêmes stratégies dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre réussie du
changement; celles-ci incluent les stratégies permettant d’appuyer
de façon continue des cultures collaboratives fortement axées sur
l’apprentissage; celles visant à développer une compréhension et
une utilisation de plus en plus précises des données, notamment
dans le cadre du processus de dépistage et d’intervention précoce des
enfants présentant un retard scolaire, ainsi que les stratégies visant à
maintenir l’enthousiasme et le dynamisme au moyen de la célébration
périodique des diverses réussites. Deux stratégies sont particulièrement
essentielles à cet égard – la première consiste à partager ou à distribuer
le leadership dans le but de rendre l’école moins dépendante de sa
directrice ou de son directeur ou de tout autre membre de son personnel,
et la deuxième encourage le réseautage entre les écoles présentant
des contextes ou des défis similaires.
Lors des visites aux écoles en action, on observe que les éléments
susceptibles de créer une différence dans le rendement des élèves
sont similaires aux éléments que les chercheurs ont identifiés dans
des écoles au Canada, aux États-Unis, en Angleterre, ainsi qu’ailleurs
dans le monde. Cinq thèmes principaux semblent prédominer dans les
écoles en action de l’Ontario :
1. Culture organisationnelle
Les écoles en action comprennent des cultures collaboratives où le
personnel enseignant et l’administration de l’école apprennent ensemble.
Les écoles se sont éloignées du modèle « alvéolé » des salles de classe
isolées pour adopter celui des « portes ouvertes » où priment le soutien
mutuel et le partage des risques. Les membres du personnel sont
ouverts aux idées et aux pratiques nouvelles; ils tentent de déterminer
les mesures à prendre pour améliorer l’efficacité de l’enseignement
et la réussite de l’apprentissage. Tout le personnel, les concierges,
les secrétaires ainsi que le personnel enseignant sont considérés
comme étant des membres clés de l’équipe. Les parents participent
également de diverses façons dans la communauté scolaire.
2. Orientation
Les écoles ont créé un environnement où l’objectif principal est
l’apprentissage et où la littératie et la numératie sont essentielles.
102
3. Leadership
Leadership creates an enviornment in which teachers and
administrators work and learn together. Leadership is
distributed and shared, not concentrated, for example,
in a single administrator.
4. Assessment, accountability, and use of data
Administrators and teachers feel a sense of responsibility
for children’s learning. EQAO data are seen as helpful and
informative, and are taken seriously as a source of useful
information about what is happening in the school. However,
teachers go well beyond EQAO data – they developed and
are using other assessment data as well, including tasks that
teachers develop collaboratively. They use various means,
such as data walls, to track student progress and identify
groups of children who need particular interventions.
5. Links beyond the school
These schools are not isolated – they are closely connected
with their school boards and usually embedded in family
of schools programs. Superintendents of schools visit
frequently, know what’s happening and help schools find
resources or other supports. Many schools have also forged
strong links with their local communities and, increasingly,
with other schools, not only in their own board but beyond.
Maintaining the Energy for Change
One of the most powerful strategies for maintaining and
increasing the energy for change is connecting with other
professionals engaged in the same enterprise, as well as
continuing to infuse the schools with new strategies or
refinements of strategies already in place. Research on
networked learning communities in the U.K. highlights the
importance of joint work, as opposed to simply storytelling
and offering assistance. The research shows there is a need
for collaborative self-assessment, along with the kind of
serious inquiry that challenges assumptions.
As Schools on the Move have shown, genuine improvements in teaching and learning arise in a climate of
professional collaboration, within which educators learn
new strategies and refine strategies already in place.
Les écoles concentrent leurs efforts sur l’amélioration de la littératie
et de la numératie et incorporent cet objectif à tous les aspects de
leur programme scolaire.
3. Leadership
Les administrations d’école cherchent à concilier la pression qu’elles
exercent et l’appui qu’elles fournissent à leur personnel; elles donnent
des défis à relever ainsi que des encouragements. Le leadership est
distribué et partagé; il n’est pas restreint à une seule personne par
exemple, à une seule administratrice ou à un seul administrateur.
4. Évaluation, responsabilisation et utilisation
des données
Les administrations d’école et les enseignants éprouvent une certaine
part de responsabilité pour l’apprentissage des enfants. Les données
de l’OQRE sont utiles et informatives; elles renseignent sur la situation
de l’école et sont une importante source d’information. Toutefois,
les données de l’OQRE ne sont pas les seules données utiles aux
enseignants; ceux-ci utilisent également d’autre données d’évaluation
qu’ils ont développées ainsi que des tâches qu’ils ont préparées en
collaboration. Les enseignants emploient diverses méthodes, comme
les tableaux de pistage, pour faire le suivi des progrès de l’élève
et pour cerner les groupes d’élèves qui requièrent des interventions
particulières.
5. Liens au-delà de l’école
Ces écoles ne sont pas isolées – elles sont liées de près à leur conseil
scolaire et font souvent partie de programmes de familles d’écoles.
Les surintendances leur rendent visite fréquemment; elles se tiennent
au courant des événements qui s’y déroulent et aident les écoles
à découvrir d’autres ressources et sources d’appui. Plusieurs des
écoles ont forgé des liens solides avec leurs communautés et, de
façon croissante, avec les autres écoles de leur conseil scolaire
ainsi que celles des autres conseils.
Maintenir la dynamique du changement
Une des stratégies les plus puissantes pour le maintien et l’accroissement de la dynamique du changement est celle visant à établir des
liens entre les professionnels œuvrant dans le domaine et à soutenir
l’implantation continue de nouvelles stratégies ou l’affinement
de celles déjà mises en œuvre. Les résultats des recherches portant
sur les réseaux de communautés d’apprentissage au Royaume-Uni
soulignent l’importance du travail collaboratif par opposition aux
comptes rendus ou aux offres d’appui. La recherche souligne la
nécessité de l’autoévaluation collaborative et de l’enquête sérieuse
afin de contester les conjectures établies.
Comme les écoles en action l’ont démontré, un climat de collaboration
professionnelle favorise de réelles améliorations dans le domaine
de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage et donne aux pédagogues
l’opportunité de découvrir de nouvelles stratégies et de raffiner celles
déjà mises en œuvre.
103
Staying the Course
Maintenir le Cap
At The Literacy Numeracy Secretariat we recognize how
hard Ontario educators have worked to make a difference
in the lives of so many children. Our public education
system, like others around the world, is responding to new
challenges of the 21st century – increased globalization and
the shift to a more diverse and knowledge-intensive society.
The stakes are higher than ever for our children; they need
to meet very challenging standards of literacy, numeracy,
thinking, and citizenship if they are to do well in today’s
world.
Le Secrétariat de la littératie et de la numératie reconnaît le travail
acharné que les pédagogues de l’Ontario ont accompli dans le but de
faire une différence dans la vie de nombreux enfants. Tout comme
ceux des autres régions du monde, notre système scolaire financé
par les fonds publics réagit aux nouveaux défis du XXIe siècle – une
mondialisation accrue et l’évolution d’une société cosmopolite orientée
sur l’acquisition du savoir. Les enjeux pour nos enfants sont plus
importants que jamais; pour réussir dans le monde d’aujourd’hui
ils doivent satisfaire à des normes élevées dans les domaines de
la littératie, de la numératie, de la pensée et de la responsabilité
citoyenne.
We thank you for what you do every day to ensure that
new generations will thrive.
Nous tenons à vous remercier pour les efforts quotidiens que vous
consacrez afin d’assurer la réussite des nouvelles générations.
Schools on the Move is one of a number of initiatives
supported by The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat that
fosters learning within and across schools. The first group
of Schools on the Move were pioneers in this provincial
sharing. They had already established a culture of sharing
in their own boards and were willing to learn with others
outside the walls of the school. We are delighted that
42 additional Schools on the Move have accepted an
invitation to be part of the initiative. Next year, we will be
adding approximately 40 more schools, creating a network
of 100 schools ready to share their learning with others
across the province.
Many Schools on the Move have achieved improved student
achievement in challenging circumstances and are leading
the way in using the high-yield strategies identified by
education research to systematically raise achievement.
Schools on the Move have high expectations for every
child and use careful record keeping and data analysis
to chart children’s progress. They dedicate large blocks
of uninterrupted learning time for both literacy and
numeracy instruction.
We know Schools on the Move reflect the commitment of
an entire community – students/teachers/administrators/
support staff/parents/supervisory officers/district school
boards. Each one’s role is integral to the success of the
school.
Le programme Les écoles en action est une des initiatives du SLN
visant à favoriser l’apprentissage dans les écoles et entre celles-ci.
Le premier groupe d’écoles en action a fait œuvre de pionnier dans
ce partage provincial. Ces écoles avaient déjà établi une culture de
partage au sein de leurs conseils et elles étaient prêtes à acquérir
de nouvelles connaissances au-delà de leurs murs. Nous sommes
heureux d’annoncer que 42 nouvelles écoles ont accepté notre
invitation à se joindre à cette initiative. Nous prévoyons inclure
environ 40 autres écoles l’année prochaine et ainsi établir un réseau
de 100 écoles prêtes à partager leurs connaissances avec les écoles
de la province.
Plusieurs des écoles en action ont amélioré le rendement des élèves
malgré leurs difficultés et donnent l’exemple aux autres en utilisant
des stratégies à rendement élevé qui, selon la recherche dans le
domaine de l’éducation, permettent systématiquement d’améliorer
le rendement. Les écoles en action ont des attentes élevées envers
chaque enfant et utilisent judicieusement des suivis et des analyses
de données pour relever les progrès des élèves. Elles dédient
d’importants blocs de temps à l’enseignement ininterrompu de
la littératie et de la numératie.
Nous savons que les écoles en actions reflètent l’engagement de
toute la communauté – élèves, enseignants, administrations d’école,
personnels scolaires, agentes et agents de supervision et conseils
scolaires. Chaque rôle est une partie intégrante de la réussite de
l’école.
Imaginez les résultats que nous atteindrons dans cinq ans avec le
développement de telles communautés d’apprentissage dans toute
la province.
Just think of where we will be in five years with the growth
of such learning communities across the province.
104
Printed on recycled paper/ Imprimé sur du papier recyclé
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2007 / © Imprimeur de la Reine pour l’Ontario
ISBN: 978-1-4249-4995-3 (Print/(imprimé)
ISBN: 978-1-4249-4996-0 (PDF)

St. Paul`s Catholic Elementary School

Transcription

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