1. A sneak peek at OurSCHOOL in 2018-2019
Greetings from The Learning Bar, and thank you for viewing these OurSCHOOL Survey enhancements -- and for making them possible! These improvements & new functions come from your ideas & suggestions. (There’s an opportunity at the end to submit more requests, too.)
So, what would make OurSCHOOL even more useful for your school & district improvement planning? Let’s see six themes you’ve been telling us -- and what we’ve done for you for the new school year.

2. #1: “It would be really helpful to be able to track the trends in our data over time.”
#1! You said: “It would be really helpful to be able to track the trends in our data over time.”
We say: Trend reports!

3. Trend Reports
Trend Reports allow you to assess the impact of your policy or practice changes across time.
Trends are represented visually, and you can sort charts by degree of change. This allows you and members of your team to quickly pinpoint areas for attention. This visual helps you more easily express change at staff and parent committee meetings.
“One of the most important things that schools can focus on is the change in their results over time.”

4. Trend Reports Trend report of male and female student results
And what are the trends amongst specific student groups? The trend reports give you this info by grade, by sex, by Aboriginal status, new Canadians, students with a disability -- and more.
Trend report of male and female student results

5. #2: “Some of your reports are starting to look a little bit…
#2: “Some of your reports are starting to look a little bit…. turn of the century ☺”
#2: You said: “Some of your reports are starting to look a little bit…. turn of the century :)”
We say: We know. We agree. We’re changing them.

6. Refreshed Reports
All of our PDF reports are currently being redesigned to improve your ease of viewing and interpretation.
What does this mean? The One-Click summary report, seen here, is revised, along with our thematic reports on bullying & school safety ...

7. Report Snippets
… school completion …

8. Report Snippets
… and engagement, …

9. Report Charting
… with your parent and teacher reports also in line with the realignment.

10. #3: “Making sure all of our students have equal access to educational opportunities is critical. How can we better understand the needs of our students with disabilities?”
#3? You said: “Making sure all of our students have equal access to educational opportunities is critical.  How can we better understand the needs of our students with physical disabilities?”
We say: The Rick Hansen Foundation and The Learning Bar have partnered to help educators assess and improve the level of physical inclusivity and accessibility within their schools and divisions.  

11. Inclusivity and Accessibility
1 in 7 Canadians have a disability and that number will rise to 1 in 5 by 2036?
How? The new OurSCHOOL content enables your students to inform you of their awareness, acceptance and actions related to students with physical disabilities. In connection, the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program can help you create an environment of equal educational opportunity for all students. There’s more info on this on our knowledge base.
Difference Maker Program
Abilities In Motion

12. #4: “Making sure our students are prepared for success in the workforce is one our key goals.   Can OurSCHOOL help us make decisions about what we can do to help guarantee their success?“
#4: You said: “Making sure our students are prepared for success in the workforce is one of our key goals.  Can OurSCHOOL help us make decisions about what we can do to help guarantee their success?“
We say: Ensuring that every student is prepared for success in life is one of the primary goals of every educator. That goal is the reason why we developed the Career Pathways content module.

13. Career Pathways
The Career Pathways questions -- and its related thematic report -- give you insight into three key areas of career development: your students’ career aspirations, their level of preparedness to enter the world of work or higher education, and the resources or supports that you can provide to help them overcome obstacles and achieve success. Of course, more details are within our knowledge base for you.

14. #5: “We like the data that OurSCHOOL provides but we’d also love some advice on how to turn that data into actionable improvement plans. Can you help!?”
#5 is, likely, the most often asked question. You said: “We like the data that OurSCHOOL provides but we’d also love some advice on how to turn that data into actionable improvement plans.  Can you help!?”
We say: We are excited to introduce next-level OurSCHOOL training.

15. Strategic Engagement Workshops & Webinars
We’re currently piloting workshops and webinars designed to empower educators with the skills needed to interpret data, to deeply understand the relationship between school climate and student outcomes, and to develop evidence-based strategies for driving positive change in your school and division.
What does this look like for you? Stay tuned for announcements on professional learning opportunities for you and your staff.

16. #6: “Have the national norms in Canada changed in recent years?”
The final, #6: You said: “Have the national norms in Canada changed in recent years?”
We say: We - are - releasing - updated - norms.

17. Updated Canadian Norms
OurSCHOOL is the most widely-used student survey in Canada, with over a million participants across the country completing the survey every year.
Because of this, we have the most valid - and - meaningful - national norm comparisons in existence.
This year? We’re updating all of the norms in our reports to reflect the latest national trends.  This allows you to make even better decisions on areas of your school environment that are going well -- and which areas to target for attention.

18. email ourschool@thelearningbar.com
Now that you’ve seen the preview, you may be wondering: When can I expect these changes?
These enhancements will be made available throughout the course of the school year.  You’ll get notifications immediately from our list.
And what else could we be doing to better meet your needs? Let us know via
We view our work with you as a partnership. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that every child in Canada is given the opportunity to thrive. Thanks for using OurSCHOOL to benefit your school.
knowledge base ourschool.thelearningbar.com