糖心Swag

Student Performance Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Plans for Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement depends on sharing meaningful student evidence as the basis for system-wide improvement. Throughout, we have relied on district and provincial results, and we have additional data in the appendix.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: LITERACY RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Students鈥� literacy development is assessed in Gr. 1, 2, and 3 (糖心Swag Primary Reading Assessment), Gr. 4 and 7 (Foundational Skills Assessment), and Gr. 10 and 12 (Graduation Literacy Assessment).

糖心Swag primary students improved significantly in reading. 糖心Swag Aboriginal students underperformed in literacy when compared to district peers. We require consistent qualitative information about impactful approaches to meeting the needs of Children and Youth in Care, and Aboriginal students living on reserve.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: NUMERACY RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Students鈥� numeracy development is assessed in Gr. 4 and Gr. 7 through the Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA) and in Gr. 10 through the Graduation Numeracy Assessment.

In 糖心Swag, Aboriginal students outperformed provincial peers in all grade levels. In Gr. 10, 糖心Swag students with diverse needs outperformed provincial peers over three years. However, all 糖心Swag students performed below provincial peers at all grade levels.

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: GRADE-TO-GRADE TRANSITIONS RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Students progressed through Grades 10 to 11 and Grades 11 to 12, and tracking these results informed us about whether secondary students were likely to graduate on time. Additional information in App. A, Fig. 5.0.

In Fig. 3.0 and 4.0 (above), Grade-to-Grade Transition Results 2021-2023, and App. A, Fig. 5.0:

糖心Swag students tend to transition grade-to-grade on time and at or above their provincial peers. 糖心Swag Aboriginal students, students with diverse needs, and Children and Youth in Care are less likely to transition at the same rate as all students.

PLANS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Successes: School administrators witnessed new teaching practices by teachers who had attended professional development. Primary students, especially Aboriginal learners, improved +6% in Gr. 1. Such gains in primary grades predict steady improvements for later grades. We attribute this growth in literacy, in part, to building the collaborative capacity of the Curriculum and Aboriginal Education district teams to integrate district-supported classroom resources and Indigenous ways of knowing and being into their professional learning. School leaders were equally positive about witnessing numeracy lead teachers implementing numeracy practices shared in District sessions. Administrators and teachers reported that numeracy coordinators mentored in classrooms, which was critical to improved practices. Professional learning included building and finalizing the Primary Number Sense Assessment, a tool that teachers understand because they helped to create it. They find it useful for measuring student progress and guiding their numeracy interventions to be responsive to individuals鈥� needs. Developing system-wide capacity to ensure students鈥� growth in literacy, numeracy, and competencies positively impacted grade-to-grade transition rates, which improved and exceeded the province, and Aboriginal learners who outperformed provincial peers.

Areas of Need: 糖心Swag Aboriginal students showed growth in literacy and numeracy, but when compared to 糖心Swag non-Aboriginal students, they underperformed based on provincial results. 糖心Swag students with diverse needs underperformed in both literacy and numeracy when compared to provincial peers with diverse needs. Therefore, providing teachers with professional learning in numeracy strategies, models, and interventions will continue to be a focus.

Adjustments: District staff will develop, restructure, and revise local assessments to guide student learning and support with meaningful resources through professional learning. We will prioritize schools for intensive professional learning to ensure equitable access to support and resources. We will determine a process to collect quantitative and qualitative information about Children and Youth in Care. The Aboriginal Education Council has approved a pilot project to support Aboriginal elementary students鈥� literacy and numeracy development.

HUMAN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

We assessed what students stated about feeling safe, welcome, that they belong and are connected to two or more adults in schools. More data is available App. A, Fig.6.

In Fig. 5.0 and 6.0 (above), Human and Social Development Results 2021-2023:

糖心Swag students improved in feeling safe, welcome, a sense of belonging, and connected with 2+ adults who care. Although students feel a greater sense of belonging than last year and continue to improve, they are still below their provincial peers.

PLANS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Successes: Inclusive Education professional learning has grown in staff attendance and positive changes in practices. Certified Education Assistants (CEA) requested sessions that addressed neurodiverse learners鈥� needs and 220 staff (73% of CEA staff) attended compared to last year 183 staff (61% of CEA staff) attended and reported implementing practices.

The Inclusive Education team includes professionals with diverse roles who assist schools with differentiated supports (tier 1 鈥� universal strategies, tier 2 鈥� targeted small group programming, and tier 3 鈥� individual assessments and specialized, clinical interventions). Last year, school psychologists completed 182 assessments, which doubled their average annual completion rate (40-50 assessments). The Chris Rose Therapy Centre for Autism teacher supported increased numbers of students to return to their home schools. Of the 25 students who attended Chris Rose in 2023, five students returned more often or completely to their home schools. This growth in neurodiverse students being re-integrated into home schools was due to school staff building their capacities to meet the needs of these students by learning from the Chris Rose teacher.

In 2023-2024, school leaders identified challenges with student dysregulation during non-instructional time in K-7 and the need for supervised lunch options to support successful play. To address their feedback, we leveraged our relationship with community partners to increase support before and after school to ensure wrap-around strategies between home and school. For Children and Youth in Care, school leaders reported increased access to outside services (e.g., Day 1, A Way Home), regular Individualized Case Management (ICM) meetings, access to counseling (including drug and alcohol counseling), and Aboriginal Family Counseling.

Gr. 5-12 Aboriginal students who attended the Indigenous Student Summit articulated themes to frame future professional learning in 2024-2025. They expanded what had been part of discussion of the 糖心Swag Aboriginal Student Leadership Council. Video resources were created to assist in communicating their results. Staff capacity building in Aboriginal School Lead sessions to understand different forms of racism and colonial structures that are barriers to student success will continue. Senior staff and Inclusive Education staff participated in San鈥檡as Indigenous Cultural Safety Training (cultural safety and humility), and we continued our district-wide focus on embedded cultural events and days/weeks.

Areas of Need: In developing a sense of belonging, over three years, 糖心Swag students underperformed (-4%) provincial peers. 糖心Swag Aboriginal students were below (-3%) their provincial peers as well as students with diverse needs (-3% were below provincial peers). Principals and vice principals requested staff training and school support to implement social- emotional learning (SEL) to effectively address students鈥� socio-emotional needs and behaviors. They emphasized the importance of in-school coaching to build staff knowledge and skills in supporting student well-being.

Adjustments: We will offer sessions to support social-emotional learning, and complex behaviors in a variety of methods (outside sessions, recorded sessions, residency model). We will integrate professional learning through a common framework (equity transformation cycle) and build staff capacity to implement proactive strategies for addressing challenges related to non-instructional time. We aim to increase school participation in PreVenture training (mental health and substance use among teens). As we develop the District Anti-Racism Action Plan, we will continue working with students and educating schools and staff on results.

Students鈥� needs profiles (Individual Needs Assessments) will be refined to support school profile development used for determining allocations.

CULTURAL AND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Priority: To develop a sense of identity in individuals and cultural safety and humility in communities.

Goal: Every learner will feel safe and thrive personally and culturally

We will engage in interviews with students who have experienced racism and confirm specific actions to improve learning opportunities and environments. Our professional learning will include education and strategies that address what mattered most to students who had participated in the Indigenous Education Summit.

Based on the feedback, the professional development plan will focus on culturally sensitive learning opportunities and creating culturally safe learning environments for Indigenous learners. Using Shane Safir鈥檚 Equity Transformation Cycle and focusing on cultural humility, competency, and safety, educators will reflect on their roles, uncover biases, and challenge colonial assumptions in order to reimagine teaching methods that honour Indigenous perspectives. We will leverage and honour the voices of marginalized individuals and groups, including local Indigenous communities, the Aboriginal Education Council, Indigenous students, Indigenous staff, Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous parents.

PLANS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Successes: The Aboriginal Education Team guided district-wide professional learning to build staff capacity in understanding cultural safety and humility through sessions and cultural activities that were distinction-based and valued the diversity of all Aboriginal learners.

Cultural events are a significant and valued part of 糖心Swag and details of these rich opportunities can be found in the Aboriginal Education Annual Report. Events include an annual powwow, an Indigenous Student Summit () which included an action plan on anti-racism developed through student voice, and the 11th annual Day of Sucwentw茅cw (acknowledging one another).

School-level supports included development of culture kits and Aboriginal-focused numeracy kits as well as dedicated Aboriginal support teacher time that emphasized Aboriginal Language and Culture.

The Aboriginal Education Council was a key partner in supporting system-wide capacity building through Local Education Agreements and the 2023-2028 Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement signed in February 2024. (). Annual report on results published here.

Areas of Need: Secwepemcts铆n language strategy development is still needed to enact the and and the 2023-2028 糖心Swag Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement. The shortage of language teachers will require innovative recruitment and resource development approaches. We will continue to recruit Aboriginal Education Workers and improve on-boarding, mentorship, and training. Professional development will connect to the District Equity question and Shane Safir鈥檚 Equity Transformation Cycle, and we will also assess staff members鈥� confidence and competence to implement practices shared. Inter-department collaboration in the District is a focus so that these goals are prioritized by everyone in the system.

Adjustments: We have started consultation meetings with local Secw茅pemc communities and knowledge keepers to develop a local language strategy. We will continue professional learning to further Truth and Reconciliation, to enact the priorities of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and to support school teams with structures and processes to ensure students success without over-relying on District Aboriginal staff to lead the work. To learn more about moving into action strategies, go to Appendix C: Cultural and Identity Development Priority.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Students who achieve a BC Certificate of Graduation Dogwood Diploma within 5 or 6 years of starting Grade 8 are more likely to enter a career than those who do not, so we assess graduation rates as one indicator of career development success. Students transition to post-secondary education, and 鈥渋mmediate transition rate鈥� refers to students who are eligible to transition to a BC post-secondary institution program in the year after graduation. 鈥淭hree-year transition rate鈥� refers to students who have transitioned to a BC post-secondary institution program within three years of graduation. For more information, see App. A, Fig. 7 and 8.

糖心Swag students are as likely to graduate at the same rate as students provincially. Large numbers of students took post-secondary courses (dual credit) while attending high school; however, 糖心Swag Grade 12 students transitioned to post-secondary at a lower rate than provincial peers.

In Fig. 8.0 (below), Transition to Post-Secondary Results (Immediate and 3-Year):

Because 糖心Swag students are as likely to graduate at the same rate as students provincially but transition to post-secondary at a lower rate than provincial peers, we will focus on refined academic advising based on student feedback and consider best ways to prepare students to assess preferred career pathways and post- secondary requirements.

PLANS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Successes: 糖心Swag students continued to complete school at high rates. In 2022-2023, the 糖心Swag resident student 6-Year school completion rate is the highest ever achieved by 糖心Swag (94%) and exceeded (+4%) the 2021-2022 completion rate. The 2022-2023 5-Year resident student completion rate of 88% is the second highest completion rate ever achieved by 糖心Swag and exceeds the previous cohort鈥檚 (2021-2022) completion rate by 2%. The 5-Year completion rate improved for Aboriginal and Diverse students. Aboriginal students outperformed provincial peers and increased +2% over 3 years. 糖心Swag students with diverse needs equaled their provincial peers and increased +3% over 3 years. 糖心Swag students with diverse needs who transitioned immediately to a post-secondary institution increased +7% over 3 years and paralleled provincial peers. In 2023-2024, 66 糖心Swag students transitioned to post-secondary while attending high school (TRU Start Programs, Youth Train in Trades). Over 900 Grades 5 to 12 students participated in Career Transition events, and over 1,500 Grades 7 and 10 students visited TRU. Professional development for Career Education teachers focused on academic and career transition planning and each Grade 12 student had an opportunity to meet with a post-secondary advisor.

Areas of Need: Despite making gains, 糖心Swag Aboriginal, Diverse, and Child Youth In Care students completed school at a lower rate than all 糖心Swag students. 糖心Swag students transition to post-secondary at a lower rate than provincial peers. We will continue to focus on academic advising and ensuring students are supported to apply to post-secondary scholarships and institutions.

Adjustments: Students at risk of not graduating will continue to receive additional support through the District School Completion Coordinator, the District Aboriginal Graduation Support Teacher, and through flexible programming options. School teams will continue to be provided with student learning profile information, at earlier stages of development, to best inform instruction and support plans. Further collaboration will occur between the District Aboriginal, Inclusive, and Career Development departments to develop effective strategies to support diverse, underrepresented, and Child Youth in Care (CYIC) learners and their parents/guardians as partners to participate in career exploration.

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT: ALLOCATING RESOURCES RESPONSIBLY, FAIRLY, AND SUSTAINABLY THROUGH OPERATIONS

We provide a more detailed version in Appendix B.

Successes: Human Resources (increased relief rosters, new Employee Family Assistance Program), Transportation (100% of bus routes ran without cancellations), Infrastructure and Technology (collaborated with schools to renew old computer hardware), Facilities (reopening one school, opening a new school, starting consultation on a second new school), Community partnerships (continued to grow our TRU partnership 鈥� Indigenous Student Summit, new Health Sciences Academy), Communications (promoted the opening of another child care centre and a new school through a groundbreaking ceremony, created videos for promotion of multiple schools, increased positive media coverage), Financial Services (supported expansion of child care, capital infrastructure with Feeding Futures).

Areas of need: Human Resources (address high staff absenteeism), Transportation (continue to recruit bus drivers), Infrastructure and Technology (manage increased costs of technology and materials), Facilities (manage growth, inflationary pressures, additional staff needed), Community Partnerships (time to collaborate), Communications (website navigation), Financial Services (manage inflationary pressures).

Adjustments: Human Resources (increase professional learning support for administrators and new staff to support high volumes of recruitment and onboarding), Transportation (quality training for drivers and mechanics), Facilities (need funds for vehicle and equipment replacement), Infrastructure and Technology (continue to leverage bulk purchases), Community Partnerships (solve problems together 鈥� recruitment, training, capital), Communications (feedback on changes to ensure website meets users鈥� needs), Financial Services (timely payment of invoices and maintaining reasonable workloads).

Conclusion

We will continue to focus on improvement by responding to feedback from diverse perspectives to ensure that changes are impactful. Our ultimate goal is to create equitable learning environments and opportunities for everyone to thrive.

Appendix A: Student Results

Figure 1.0 District Literacy

Figure 2.0 Provincial Literacy

Figure 3.0 Provincial Numeracy

Figure 4.0 Provincial Numeracy

Figure 5.0 Grade-to-Grade Transitions

Figure 6.0 Student Learning Survey

Figure 7.0 School Completion

Figure 8.0: Post-Secondary Transition

Figure 9.0: Attendance

Figure 10.0 Equity Scan

Appendix B: District Successes, Needs, Adjustments for Success - Systems Development

Financial Services: The Financial Services Department continued to support the expansion of child care within the District, managing multiple funding sources for each location. In order to support the Ministry of Education and Child Care initiatives, the Department continued to find ways to use existing software to find efficiencies. New for the 2023-2024 school year was the Feeding Futures Food program with new meal programs and renovated kitchen spaces benefiting students across the District. Additional funding to enhance the Student and Family Affordability Fund in the 2023-2024 school year was also received from the Ministry. This provided funding for the District to continue to support students and families with school supplies, course fees, academy fees, and enhancement fees. The Financial Services team continues to work with all schools to ensure parents were offered the financial support in a stigma-free manner and assisted schools with the financial recording and reporting. In order to support best practices the Department also contributed to the creation of Financial Policies and Administrative Procedures, including ones on Internal Audit, Multi-Year Financial Planning, and Quarterly Financial Forecasts. The Department has also begun the work to implement changes to the pay schedule for support staff (one week delay prior to payment for more accurate payroll reporting for both staff and District). This will allow for payroll to be processed with more complete and accurate information each pay period.

Appendix C: Moving into Action (Department Work Plans)

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

To improve literacy, we will:

• Build staff capacity to teach from a culturally sensitive stance that connects with learners鈥� experiences and identities through collaboration with Aboriginal and Inclusive Education, and Curriculum Departments.
• Use proficiency-based assessments to identify learner needs and determine areas for classroom instruction and intervention.
• Continue to support schools in the development and use of effective and sustainable intervention models to address the achievement gaps of Aboriginal learners, diverse learners, and  Children and Youth in Care.
• Develop the integration of foundational literacy skills and strategies by:
  • Fostering increasingly fluent reading and writing by building phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge in primary grades.
  • Consolidating reading and writing skills by focusing on fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension in all learning areas in intermediate grades.
  • Helping students read increasingly sophisticated texts and express themselves in meaningful written formats in secondary grades.
  • Supporting striving learners in all grades by differentiating instruction and providing intervention as needed.

To improve numeracy, we will:

• Build staff capacity to teach from a culturally sensitive stance that connects with learners鈥� experiences and identities through collaboration with Aboriginal and Inclusive Education, and Curriculum Departments.
• Support instruction across all areas of learning through the integration of numeracy tasks.
• Use proficiency-based assessments to identify learner needs and determine areas of focus for classroom instruction and intervention to address the achievement gaps of Aboriginal learners, diverse learners, and Children and Youth in Care.
• Develop the integration of mathematical models and strategies that support foundational numeracy skills by:
  • Enhancing instruction of number sense, and spatial reasoning in primary classes.
  • Focusing on automaticities and instruction of strategic approaches to operations in order to build computational fluency and flexibility in intermediate classes.
  • Extending the development of conceptual understanding to include rational number operations using strategic procedures in secondary classes.

To improve grade-to-grade transitions, we will:

• Continue to provide school teams with individual learner profile information, at earlier stages of development, to best inform instruction and support plans.
• Build data literacy capacity within Families of Schools to enhance collaboration and to identify further information and analysis needs.
• School teams will collaborate about effective school-based transition supports and flexible programming options.
• Provide opportunities for schools to share effective practices and implement them widely.
• Collaborate with the Aboriginal Education department to strengthen student learning communication with the Aboriginal Education Council and Band Education Coordinators.

HUMAN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

• Serve vulnerable students with communication disorders with contemporary resources and practices.
• Support students and families to participate in community discovery groups through Blind Beginnings and BC Blind Sports.
• Supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students to advocate for themselves so they can access language.
• Continue to support Indigenous students and their families through culturally safe, trauma-informed counseling support.
• Identify school learning needs and student diagnoses so that students feel connected and empowered in their learning.
• Meet with school and District staff to develop assistive technology solutions to meet students鈥� needs.
• Build capacity for working with neurodiverse and complex students (FASD and ASD).
• Work with secondary schools to build capacity for meaningful inclusion.
• Continue creating, expanding, and enhancing school snacks and meals programs to improve physical and mental health and increase readiness for learning.
• Continue providing diverse activity-based after-school programs throughout the District with a focus on opportunities for diverse students.
• Continue following all Safer Schools Protocols to promote and maintain student and staff safety and well-being.

CULTURAL AND IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

To improve cultural safety and humility, and a sense of personal identity, we will:

• Continue Cultural Celebrations through ELL Resource Teachers and continuation of Diversity Newsletters.
• Continue with District鈥檚 Annual Diversity Film Festival to highlight different cultures, identities and sexual orientations foster an understanding and appreciation of all students and staff members鈥� backgrounds.
• Develop Culturally Relevant Projects: Implement projects like the 鈥淚ndigenous Garden鈥� to integrate Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum.
• Distribute Indigenous Numeracy Kits: Provide schools with kits that help teachers incorporate Indigenous perspectives in numeracy.
• Pilot Early Literacy Programs: Launch programs like Moe the Mouse to support literacy development and a sense of belonging among Aboriginal learners.
• Consult on Educational Materials: Ensure all literacy and numeracy materials are culturally appropriate through continuous consultation with Indigenous communities.
• Increase Indigenous EAs and Leadership Involvement: Boost the number of Indigenous education assistants and involve student leaders in transition supports.
• Conduct Virtual Orientation Sessions: Organize Zoom sessions for Aboriginal students transitioning to high school to familiarize them with available resources and support.
• Organize Career Exploration Days: Host full-day sessions focused on diverse career paths, including trades and technology.
• Install Welcome Signs: Install Secw茅pemc welcome signs in schools.
• AEW rooms: Establish AEW rooms for cultural activities and socialization.
• Create Cultural and Diversity Events: Collaborate on events like film festivals and health forums to promote cultural awareness and inclusivity.
• Expand Support Roles and Programs: Develop roles similar to Graduation Support Teacher for focused Aboriginal support and offer experiential learning opportunities like leadership summits, dual-credit classes, and Board/Authority Authorized (BAA) Courses.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

To improve graduation rates, we will:

• Continue the District Aboriginal Graduation Support Teacher position to provide instructional support to Aboriginal students who are at risk of not graduating, and the District School Completion Coordinator position to work with non- graduated students to reconnect with learning programs.
• Through the District Principal of Information Management and Analytics and the District School Completion Coordinator, each month, identify students who have disengaged from school and work to reconnect these students to a learning program.

To improve post-secondary transition rates, we will:

• Collaborate with the 糖心Swag Aboriginal Education department to develop effective strategies for outreach to Aboriginal communities to identify and remove barriers to career program participation, academic planning, and transition to post- secondary.
• Collaborate with the 糖心Swag Inclusive Education Department to develop effective strategies to support diverse, underrepresented, and Child Youth in Care (CYIC) learners and their parents/guardians as partners to participate in career exploration.
• Provide targeted professional learning for Career Education teachers and Secondary School Counsellors focused on student academic and career transition planning so students can make informed choices.
• Continue to provide an opportunity for every Grade 12 student to meet with a post-secondary advisor.