1. One School's Efforts To Improve Student Achievement
Dr. Lyn Sharratt
York Region District School Board
OISE/UT LECTURE
April 1, 2002
4/7/2019

2. CONTEXT FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Test scores were lowest in school district, according to parents
Morale (of Principals and teachers) was low
Vocal parents were critical of staff
Staff didn’t want parents in their classrooms…parents wanted to be there
Trustee felt that this was history repeating itself…nothing could be done
Student behaviour was problematic and suspensions were high
Local area students were not coming to school if could get a transfer or go to French Immersion program
parents were agitating to be named as a “Performance Plus School” to get more resources 1
4/7/2019

3. 2 Parents’ Question “What improves student achievement?”
“Placemat Activity” 2

4. 4 Areas of School Improvement
District Commitment
S.O. visible
new leadership with a clear mandate
leader to stay at least 5 years
staff/resources
Strategic Leadership
Behaviour Code/Homework Policy enforced
Consultants
agenda books…regular communication
frequent classroom visits
articulates vision
Effective Instruction
Homework Packages…Level 4 assignments
Consultant workshops in Literacy and Math for Teachers; teachers then gave to parents
CYW focused on classroom behaviour…developed a “Manners” program
Student teachers were signed up to spend the 3rd term in the school
Instructional Intelligence began…structured group work; focus on Assessment Literacy 3

5. 4 4 Areas Con’t Parental Involvement
School Council got more volunteers who were trained to hear children read
sub committee of school council formed with most vocal parents wanting to work together to raise money for resources that made a difference to kids learning
more books for “Borrow-a-Book” program
Shell Oil Grant: Science Kits 4

6. Where Does Technology Fit to School Improvement and Student Achievement?
District Commitment
Direction and Expectation Setting
Coordinated staff Professional Development: skills and integration
Equity/opportunity for access of resources
system support for a culture of risk-taking
Strategic Leadership
hiring teachers who understand curriculum connections
model effective and efficient Technology uses
Effective Instruction
teachers share strategies
teachers assess that Technology uses are appropriate
Parental Involvement
understands how Technology enhances learning
collaboration with teachers and student
parents have a role in preparing students’ learning with Technology: encouraging access to Technology

7. How Did We Get There?
“Too often, short term, “shot gun” approaches typify school improvement planning efforts that fail” 5

8. Establishing a 3-Year School Improvement Plan
“the more effective the school plan, the more complex are the characteristics”, Mortimore, 1997
“school and student improvement result from systematic planning, implementing a singular goal, using classroom data as a base for that planning”, Heck and Hallinger, 1996 6

9. The Goal: Increased Student Improvement in Literacy
THE 3-YEAR PLAN:
Performance Targets
Focus Area
Strategies
Indicators of Success 7

10. Did It Make a Difference?
EQAO
Homework Packages
Student Behaviour Patterns
Students Suspensions

11. Conclusions More than test scores!
“It is as important to observe and assess the culture of learning as it is to record and analyze the statistics linked to testing”, Sharratt, 2001
It is essential to pay attention to creating a “community of learners”, Sergiovanni,1994

12. The quest for more knowledge about what factors influence increased student achievement never ends.
4/7/2019