PUTTING THE LEARNING FIRST IN SD 8 Kootenay Lake Achievement Contract

District Goal: To have 100% completion rate for both aboriginal and non-aboriginal students (Dogwood or Meaningful School Completion). Board Goals: Student Expectation: Academic Success Student Expectation: Creativity & Imagination Student Expectation: Citizenship Student Expectation: Resiliency District Directions: Personalizing Learning Early Learning Technology to Support Learning BC Education Plan Personalizing Learning for every student Quality teaching and learning Flexibility and Choice High Standards Learning empowered by Technology

Where are We Improving/Doing Well? SD 8 Students consistently perform above the provincial average in provincial level exams Our aboriginal results are outstanding:  Completion rates 20% above province  Marks on Sc 10 and Eng 10 almost 20% above province  Almost no achievement gap between aboriginal and non- aboriginal in required exams (Eng 10, Sc 10, etc) Our completion rates are improving Our Graduation rates have been above the provincial average for the past 5 yrs.

What are Some Areas of Challenge? Students who do not complete high school:  Struggle with transitions  Many attend our alternate schools We have a gender gap (boys not achieving as well as girls), especially in reading. Our students struggle with tasks that require higher order and critical thinking skills (eg: interpreting and analyzing texts and making inferences) The EDI and McCreary Adolescent Health Survey demonstrate relativeness weakness in the areas of social and emotional well being

How the Best School Systems Come out on Top (Mckinsey2007) The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction In order to improve instruction schools need to find a way of changing what goes on in the classroom High performance means success for every child.

What Will We Do? Student achievement is improved when teachers work together in collaborative teams to:  clarify what students must learn  gather evidence of student learning  analyze that evidence  identify the most powerful teaching strategies to address learning needs  meet to discuss progress Visible Learnings: John Hattie

What do We Want in the End? 100% of our students crossing the stage with dignity, purpose, options and skills 100 % of our educators involved in meaningful adult learning From setting a budget then determining needs, to determine individual needs and supports and allocate resources accordingly A culture of inquiry, reflection, feedback and dialogue about teaching and learning We constantly remind ourselves it is all about the learner – and that we are all learners