Dr. Judy Halbert & Dr. Linda Kaser

Transcription

1 SAMPLE CASE STUDIES NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Dr. Judy Halbert & Dr. Linda Kaser

2 Sample Case Studies NPBS School... School District... Page Alberni Elementary...#70 Alberni... 1 Aspengrove School...#68 Nanaimo Ladysmith... 4 Bayview Elementary...#68 Nanaimo Ladysmith... 6 Blewett Elementary...#08 Kootenay Lake... 9 Eileen Madson Primary School... #06 Rocky Mountain Hillcrest Elementary...#36 Surrey Randerson Ridge Elementary... #68 Nanaimo Ladysmith Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary...#28 Quesnel Ripple Rock Elementary & École des Deux Mondes...#72 Campbell River Sandowne Elementary...#72 Campbell River AESN B X Elementary... #22 Vernon Dr. D A Perley Elementary...#51 Boundary Fairview Community School...#68 Nanaimo Ladysmith Hartley Bay School...#52 Prince Rupert Hatzic Elementary...#75 Mission Kitwanga Elementary...#82 Coast Mountains Lakes District Secondary...#91 Nechako Lakes Nala atsi School...#71 Comox Valley Springvalley Middle School... #23 Central Okanagan Sunset Elementary...#85 Vancouver Island North W L McLeod Elementary...#91 Nechako Lakes... 53

3 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS ALBERNI ELEMENTARY #70 Alberni School Question Will participation in the Who is Nobody? program motivate students to become more engaged with the local community, enabling them to: a) increase their knowledge of ways to deal with school or community issues and to identify a greater number of strategies to help? b) demonstrate a clear sense of responsibility in the classroom and an emerging sense of idealism? Leadership Team Annie Dufort, Lauralee Edgell, Jennine Snider Contact jsnider@sd70.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement Alberni Elementary School is located in the city of Port Alberni, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The local area is widely advertised as a community with heart where there is growing focus on social responsibility and the compassionate care of others through community fundraisers, youth outreach, and family supports. Alberni Elementary School offers both French Immersion and English programs and has a population of approximately 350 students in Kindergarten to Grade 5.This school is also a Community School and offers after school activities to the community at large. Alberni Elementary has two active and supportive Parent Advisory Councils; one specifically addressing the needs of the French Immersion Program (CPAC). Both councils work hard to foster a sense of responsibility and belonging in the community by spear-heading important projects such as a collective school vegetable garden, composting and recycling programs, and fund-raisers. As a team we are eager to see students recognize that Everybody is a Somebody ; all individuals can positively contribute to the care and well-being of people, animals, and the environment. We strive to equip students with the tools to serve and the proper foundational attitudes and beliefs to encourage genuine participation in the community. School Inquiry and Action ENGAGEMENT and SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Focus of Inquiry The genesis of our school question comes from an encounter with a grade one student who made a simple statement during a fundraising event in September: Why do we have to do this. It s not like we re going to make a difference. There is an old proverb uttered by King Solomon that reads As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (NIV, Pslam 23:7). Our school question is founded upon the premise that personal attitudes and beliefs dictate personal actions: what students believe in their hearts regarding their role in responsibility will impact their ability to demonstrate a sense of responsibility and emerging idealism within the classroom and beyond. Who is Nobody? is a character-building program that asks students to use their own interests and abilities to help others. It is designed to develop a positive self-identity rooted in service, empathy, and respect for others. The program is largely student directed. Students select an area of interest (people, animals, the environment), set a goal (raise $50 for the local SPCA), design and complete a service project (jelly bean guess fundraiser), and then share and write about their experience before presenting to classmates. As a team, we set out to discover if Who is Nobody? would foster a greater sense of social responsibility and help move more grade one students from the Not Yet Meeting to Exceeding section of the Exercising Democratic Rights and Responsibilities portion of the K-3 performance standards. 1

4 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Strategies Teachers met to discuss the purpose, goals, criteria, and measures of evidence for the success of Who is Nobody? In late September, the team leader surveyed students about their attitudes, beliefs, and current responsibility performance levels in order to establish a base-line measure and provide further direction for the inquiry The team leader met with parents to explain the learning intentions and outcomes of the project and to take an initial survey about students levels of responsibility at home Students met Nobody (blue stuffed doll) and created their own definition of identity and responsibility through a series of partner and whole group activities Students established three guiding questions for the project: Why should we care about responsibility? What can I do (I am only 6!)? Do I walk the talk? Students brainstormed ways to help others and show responsibility The class participated in a whole class Nobody project to set criteria and model the stages of the program Students selected their area of service and designed a draft project, then Nobody was sent home with the first student Every Monday from November to May a student presented his/her Nobody project (focusing on his/her 3D attachment and the lesson he/she taught Nobody), then students discussed the project in A/B partner groups using our guiding questions Mid-year students exchanged Nobody dolls with our partner school and discussed ways to improve our own Nobody experiences Parents were surveyed 3 times throughout the year (re: observable increase in the level of responsibility at home) Students were surveyed (and completed other meta-cognitive reflections) about their attitudes, beliefs and performance 3 times throughout the year The team leader used the performance standards to evaluate overall growth in the Exercising Democratic Rights and Responsibilities section each report card term. In June students held a class celebration: Nobody is now a Somebody (Everybody can be a Somebody)! The class completed a final brainstorm of all the ways they now know how to help and demonstrate responsibility. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies As described in the strategies above, the team employed all six learning strategies throughout the year. Partner School John Howitt Elementary SD70 To gauge whether Who is Nobody? is useful across the primary grades, our partner school implemented the program in a grade three socials class. The lead teachers met each term to discuss problems, successes, and to refocus attention on our guiding questions. Mid-year we exchanged Nobody dolls so that students could see project samples from different age ranges. School Findings NY MM M EX Term Term Term

5 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Not Yet Meeting Minimally Meeting Meeting Exceeding Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Who is Nobody? serves as an excellent motivator, allowing students to use their own interests to help others and demonstrate a clear sense of responsibility. We are excited to see that by focusing on student attitudes and beliefs, many of our grade ones conquered their sense of helplessness or disinterest in serving others. Across the board, students increased their ability to solve classroom issues and they demonstrated a higher degree of interest in making the classroom and the school a better place. Parent surveys as well as interviews done with the students individually indicate that a growing sense of responsibility inspired many students to take on extra tasks at home (e.g. helping carry in the groceries, cleaning their rooms independently, picking up garbage on the street). School Plans for In surveying the data, team members noticed an interesting trend amongst First Nations learners in Ms. Snider s grade one class. At the start of the project 8 out of the 10 First Nations students responded with a frown to two key belief-based statements on the class survey: 1) It is my responsibility to help others, 2) I can make the world a better place. By the end of the year all of the original frowns became full smiles in response to the same statements. Parents also included wonderful anecdotal stories on the parent surveys/interviews about students at home: I nearly fell over when J----- brought the groceries in! ; I don t have to ask him to clean his room. He s more organized than me now. In , the focus of our inquiry will shift to Aboriginal learners and the interesting relationship between beliefs/perceptions and actions. By embedding all six formative assessment strategies in the realm of social responsibility, will Aboriginal learners become more aware of their valuable role in the life and care of the classroom? Will their greater sense of awareness lead to a stronger demonstration of social responsibility according to the K-3 performance standards? Reflections, Advice Parents are an integral part of the success or failure of the Who is Nobody? program. Many parents demonstrated immense enthusiasm for the program during the initial information session at the start of the school year. Reflecting back, it is imperative to keep parents as engaged and excited as the students throughout the entire progress of the project. Otherwise, big ideas tend to be exchanged for smaller or easier tasks. By holding a mid-year celebration where parents, school-mates and teachers gather to see some of the projects, families might be re-invigorated with a fresh enthusiasm for the wonderful service projects students are designing. Reviewing the purposes, goals, and criteria for the project on an on-going basis is vital to success for students both at school and at home. Overall, Who is Nobody? is a wonderful cornerstone program. It is cross-curricular, student-friendly, and provides a year-long framework for learning. The program enabled students to see that even small gestures make a big difference. For many students, the experience changed their perceptions about the everyday tasks that they were already doing to demonstrate responsibility within the classroom. Who is Nobody? gave meaning, purpose, and value to Helping Hands activities and, therefore, inspired more participation leading to a greater sense of self-worth. 3

6 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS ASPENGROVE SCHOOL #68 Nanaimo Ladysmith, Independent School Question Will our students ability to problem solve in math improve if we focus on communication skills (using literacy and math journals) and open-ended questions? Leadership Team Barb Gemma, Curtis Labounty, Kirsten Moss, Wendy Robertson, Sarah Vincent, Christina Watters Contacts Wendy Robertson - wrobertson@aspengroveschool.ca School Context/Community Involvement Aspengrove School is located in Lantzville on Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The school is an independent International Baccalaureate school with kindergarten to grade 12 students. There are 201 in all the grades (K-12); however, this study focused on the 119 students in the kindergarten to grade 5 classes (this is considered our elementary school). The population consists primarily of middle class families with children who are well prepared to enter school. Parents are mostly very involved with their children. The elementary school vice-principal (coordinator) works with teachers to support inquiry practices, the six-assessment for learning strategies, the four big ideas and offer release time for collaboration, observations and reflection. School Inquiry and Action NUMERACY Focus of Inquiry In order to get a clear focus and set an attainable goal for the 2010/2011 school year, the elementary teaching staff collected information about what our students needed to know (gaps in their learning). Both teacher observation and student results revealed that there was a significant weakness in student performance in the area of problem-solving in numeracy. The students needs then identified what we needed to know and do and we planned our professional inquiry accordingly. Based on the evidence collected, which consisted of the analysis of the diagnostic math assessment that all students from grade 3-5 wrote, the pattern/error analysis of last year s Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) and conversations with all primary staff, a pattern emerged and it became apparent that we should shift our collective focus, energy, and resources to math instruction and in particular to problem solving. Strategies As a team, we realized that we needed a common language and common strategies to help create a continuum of learning for all our students. We created a list of strategies and posters that would be displayed in all elementary classes so students would become accustomed to these common strategies. We displayed these posters in all our elementary classrooms and even had some displayed in our daycare center so relevant strategies could be used in all problem solving situations (not just math). For a copy of these posters contact wrobertson@aspengroveschool.ca Journaling students reflected on what they had done and where to go next; they were encouraged to apply their thinking to real life situations; make connections; and describe how their thinking and understanding changed. Used examples, strategies, questions and graphic organizers from 2 books that were foundational to our inquiry. Comprehending Math: Adapting Reading Strategies to Teach Mathematics, K-6 by Arthur Hyde (in particular the KWC chart to help students organize their thinking when problem solving) Good Questions for Math Teaching: Why Ask Them and What to Ask, K-6 by Peter Sullivan 4

7 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Used many of the literacy lesson posted on the SD71 numeracy website. This helped build the connections with communication, open-ended questions and real life situations which engaged students in math problem solving. Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies As we began to focus on a variety of ways to give students thoughtful feedback we shared ways we incorporated assessment for learning into lessons and learning design cycle. K-1 teachers emphasized the importance of giving immediate feedback orally since many of the students cannot read the information they wanted to communicate. 2-5 teachers used peer and self assessment aligned to the criteria to give thoughtful feedback. (e.g. strategies - 2 star and next steps). Also, we used the traffic light system (red - I am lost and need support; yellow - I get it, but need more practice and/or support; green οο - I get it and feel comfortable enough to help another student with this concept/question. School Findings NY A M E Fall % 19% 29% 23% Spring % 18% 40% 38% School Plans for Staff at Aspengrove will continue with a focus on problem solving in numeracy. Other considerations for next year include: Finding a local partner school so we can enhance our student learning with strong collaboration relationships Training all elementary staff in First Steps in Math to aid with math diagnostic skills and strategies to enhance conceptual understanding in math (identify gaps earlier in year) Implement problem solving strategies earlier on in the year and use throughout the year. Do benchmark testing earlier in the year to maximize the time we spend on problem solving. Have a professional book club. Accessible Mathematics: 10 Instructional Shifts That Raise Student Achievement by Steven Leinwand. Plan a math game night for families with student made board games. Reflections, Advice As an inquiry group of adult learners we must celebrate and show case our learning more frequently in the same way that we celebrate our students learning. This will help sustain our attempts to make meaningful changes in math instruction and more specifically problem solving. At the end of this inquiry, we also reflect on the power of collaboration, observing and supporting each other. These are very important elements of the process of change and improved student learning. One issue that came up in our discussions about what worked, what we need to re-think, and what next? was the issue of time. Collaboration and inquiry take a lot of time so there is a need to be creative with our allocation of resources and time. Next year the K-2 teachers and 3-5 teachers will alternate having an extra 1 hour weekly block to collaborate and plan math inquiries. This is planned for the first hour of the day so teachers will be fresh and ready to plan. The vice-principal and music teacher will take the students for the hour for brain building activities to enhance learning (yoga, dance, hiking). 5

8 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS BAYVIEW ELEMENTARY #68 Nanaimo Ladysmith School Question Will providing students with a variety of field studies and in-school experiences improve language development in oral and written communication? Leadership Team and Contacts Catherine Gilroy cgilroy@sd68.bc.ca Diane McGonigle dmcgonigle@sd68.bc.ca Jennifer Robinson jennifer.robinson@sd68.bc.ca School Context/Community Bayview is a small inner city K to Grade 7 school with a population of 160 students. Approximately 63% of our population is Aboriginal living both on and off reserve. Our population is in a high poverty, highly vulnerable area of Nanaimo. About 80% of our entire school population meets Ministry criteria for vulnerability and face social and economic challenges. The need for support is great and this is recognized with Community LINK funding from our district. Some of these monies go towards providing breakfast, snack and lunch daily for our students. The rest goes towards staffing (teacher and Education Assistant) to support the learning of our students. We have many struggling learners at our school and many of our students are working two or more years below expectations. Often the poverty cycle can give a very narrow experience of life. Our school goals and decisions are based on building resiliency and providing the best possible support for our students in all areas. Parents appreciate the approach of staff that each student is everyone s student. School Inquiry and Action Language Arts Oral Language Development and Writing Focus of our Inquiry Literacy skills in these core areas are key to success in other academic areas. Many of our students do not get the opportunities to experience what others take for granted. Much of what we talk about, write about, and make connections to in our reading at school are based on our experiences. Many of our students do not have the background knowledge or vocabulary to bring to the written material or for their own writing. We decided to focus on providing more field study opportunities, together with capitalizing on in-school experiences, as opportunities for our students to gain this background knowledge to draw upon. The direction of instruction then will use the activity to construct oral language then writing and finally reading (making connections). Strategies We decided to plan three school-wide themes involving field studies and/or in-school experiences. In the fall we focused on salmon and participated in the Stream of Dreams project and all classes visited the local salmon hatchery. Some classes also did additional salmon programs and storm drain marking. In January, we had a Bayview School is Out of This World theme focusing on the solar system. We had the portable star lab set up in our school for two days and brought in a local teacher with expertise in this area to do presentations for each class. We participated in the Scientists in the Schools program and had a guest astronomer speak to some classes. We invited our parents to visit the star lab during Family Literacy Day so that families would be able to talk about this shared experience together. In the spring we had an environmental theme. Experiences included Voices of Nature at the Port Theatre, workshops with the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange, fish hatchery spring visits, and the showing of Ryan s Well at a local theatre. A highlight was the Voices of Nature concert where 6

9 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS our school performed along with another school and professional musicians from the Artist Response Team. Families came to watch us perform on stage. For many families, this was the first time they had been to a performing theatre. --Students completed a school wide write at the end of each theme. Staff marked the writes together and much professional dialogue ensued. --One teacher orally assessed her students understanding of and connections to the topic covered to compare their oral responses with their written responses. --We also had a cold write in February for grades 4 to 7 and compared the results to those of an experiential write done near the same time after our Out of This World space theme and experiences. Our prediction was that the scores would be higher on the write based on the theme and experiences. --We continued with school-wide literacy groupings where all students from grades 1 through 5 were in literacy groups four mornings a week for minutes. Grade 6 and 7 students participated in literacy circles. --We had a book club this year for Under Resourced Learners by Ruby Payne. Thirteen staff read the book and eight staff attended weekly book club meetings to discuss how the information in this book can help us in meeting the needs of our vulnerable students. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies This is our first year in the NPBS and staff are at differing points in their own learning, understanding, and use of formative assessment strategies. Staff worked on the following: - Teacher assessment of student work on a scoring guide - Time provided for marking of the School Wide Write assessments with a similar grade-level colleague for professional discussions - Introducing students to performance standard scoring guides or other criteria - Sharing learning intentions - Peer learners as resources e.g. providing feedback in small groups, sharing connections with experiences - Weekly meetings to share information and strategies We did the best job of sharing learning intentions and criteria. Next year, we plan to focus more in depth on the formative assessment strategies. School Findings School Wide Write Data Not yet meeting (1) Minimally meeting (2) Fully meeting (3) Exceeding (4) Fall /125 43% 51/125 41% 19/125 15% 1/125 1% Winter /117 23% 52/117 44% 30/117 26% 8/117 7% Spring /123 20% 43/123 35% 47/123 38% 8/123 7% We were very pleased to have moved from 16 % of our students fully meeting or exceeding expectations in the fall compared with 45% in the spring. School Wide Write Data Comparing Winter Writes Grade 4-7 Not yet meeting (1) Minimally meeting (2) Fully meeting (3) Exceeding (4) Winter 2011 Experience Write 21/79 27% 31/79 39% 19/79 24% 8/79 10% Winter 2011 Cold Write 29/78 37% 28/78 36% 15/78 19% 6/78 8% We expected students to perform higher on the experiential write and 34% performed in the fully meeting or exceeding categories as compared to 27% on the cold write. We expected the difference to be wider and it is possible that the data columns for one class were mixed up. 7

10 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Narrative Comments from staff: - Enthusiasm for writing has increased over time. - The volume of writing has increased; although, it doesn t necessarily show in students scores on the performance standards. - Students are remembering more details from the hands-on activities. - There are longer discussions in class and more students are joining in the conversations. Students were able to make connections to their experiences later in class discussions. - The variety of different field studies and school experiences appealed to different learning styles. - The hands-on activities and field studies helped develop vocabulary and a sense of pride. - Because we had shared experiences with the students, we were able to ask the kinds of questions that would draw out more in-depth responses. - From the conversations with students, it seems that those students who have a challenging time writing their ideas also have a difficult time orally explaining what they have learned, questions they have. - Students who are more adept at writing were able to more fluently share their ideas in a conversation. One idea seemed to move into another idea, and they were able to share a range of what they had learned and questions they still had about the topic with few prompts. School Plans for Increase the number of field studies and in-school programs/experiences, to improve students understanding of their community and give them shared experiences to talk and write about and make connections to in their reading - After each field study or in-school experiences, teachers will meet to share ideas about oral language and writing follow-up activities. Classes will complete similar writing follow-up activities and display in the hallway. - Use our new elmos to show student writing samples and scoring guides (for oral language, writing, and reading comprehension) sharing learning intentions/targets - to provide to and co-develop with learners the criteria for success - Use the clothesline strategy to provide to and co-develop with learners the criteria for success - Increase staff understanding and use of the formative assessment strategies. - Use Write Traits 6+1 across the grades to focus on common language - Provide more opportunities for oral sharing of knowledge/understanding/learning search for oral language scoring guides across the grades - Continue with Primary and Intermediate Team meetings to discuss promising practices, trends, areas of concern; to review groupings of students; to review data collection for the purpose of informing instruction - Continue guided reading for grades K-3 and at-risk intermediate students; reading support in small groups for grades four to seven, including literature circles; and support for primary students who are significantly below grade level as measured by PM Benchmark testing -We plan to compare end of year data from this year with the end of year data for next year. We will compare grade groups to see the progress (e.g. this year s grade 3s and next year s grade 4s) (data is not included but available upon request). Reflections, Advice - Continue and expand on teachers mentoring teachers within the school and teachers sharing with teachers very powerful - keep activities accessible to our families to encourage that link (e.g. by doing field studies with easy access or close proximity or little cost, families can also visit the same locations) - there was an improvement in attendance when we were having these activities - include a cultural component to our activities whenever possible - The volume of writing has increased; although, it doesn t necessarily show in students scores on the performance standards. What other means can we use to assess students writing and show their growth? 8

11 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS BLEWETT ELEMENTARY #08 Kootenay Lake School Question To what degree will a focus on cross-grade coaches using AFL strategies (clear learning intentions, criteria and descriptive feedback) increase the number of students fully meeting or exceeding expectations in reading? Leadership Team Mary Ann Gaschnitz, Jill Gingrich, Diane Goldsmith, Leanne Kalabis, Carol-Ann Leidloff, Marcella McDougall, Lois Warthe Contacts mgaschnitz@sd8.bc.ca, jgingrich@sd8.bc.ca, dgoldsmith@sd8.bc.ca, lkalabis@sd8.bc.ca, cleidloff@sd8.bc.ca, mmcdougall@sd8.bc.ca, lwarthe@sd8.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement Blewett Elementary is a small rural, community based school of approximately 100 students in classes ranging from Kindergarten to Grade Five. We are located in a beautiful forested setting with abundant natural play areas, approximately ten minutes from the city of Nelson. Our parents are an integral part of our school community and are closely involved in offering many programs such as choir, hot lunch, our annual Hallowe en Party and Haunted House, family barbeques, winter celebrations, as well as sharing their expertise in many different areas with our classes. Our school has a strong focus on social responsibility, particularly around the areas of environmental stewardship and this is woven into the fabric of our school projects include worm composting, Destination Conservation, recycling drink containers, litter clean up, and many lessons on how to reduce our carbon footprint. Last year, when we reviewed our school-based reading assessment results we found that 52% of our students were a 3 or 4 in reading, 21% were 2.5 and 28% were a 1 or 2. FSA data indicates that 29% students did not yet meet expectations in reading, while 57% of students were fully meeting or exceeding expectations. The students who did not meet expectations were, for the most part, the ones who are currently receiving literacy support and/or are considered to be struggling readers. FSA writing and numeracy data also confirmed that our students were comparatively weaker in reading than in writing or numeracy. This information, plus the staff and parent desire to develop strong early literacy skills led us to develop a new reading goal and the subsequent action research question. School Inquiry and Action READING Focus of Inquiry To what degree will a focus on cross-grade coaches using AFL strategies (clear learning intentions, criteria and descriptive feedback) increase the number of students fully meeting or exceeding expectations in reading? Strategies o Buddy reading bulletin board to make what we re doing more visible o Newsletter - literacy information home to parents. 9

12 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS o o o Bus book buddy program (ask about this it s very exciting!) Staff development Ruth Sutton, Faye Brownlie, Adrienne Gear strategies and resources. Regular collaboration time during school hours and after school Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Clear Learning Intentions: Before each lesson we verbalized and/or wrote down the learning intentions for the reading session. Criteria for Success: Discussed with older students before buddy reading time. Discussed in large group setting with younger buddies. The students would say or write down the learning intention following the lesson. The students would comment on the participation of their buddies. Criteria was written on the board and they were asked to check back to make sure all was done. Thoughtful Feedback: Students were given opportunity to give feedback orally at the end of each session with a culmination of reflection on the whole process Used two stars and a hint (two positives and an idea on improvement) Used guided or structured verbal feedback Students as Learning/Teaching Resources for Each Other: Intentional learning of skills and strategies by the older students in order that they could model and teach the younger students. Opportunities offered for younger students to provide feedback for the older students. Buddy reading times were positive events. It was great that we changed buddies regularly. The students in grade 3/4 enjoyed the challenge of specific tasks that they had to do with their buddies. They also learned how to determine if their buddy was reading fluently at their level or if the reading material was too easy or too hard. For several sessions we used the Benchmarks leveled readers and had the older students assess whether their buddy was ready to go on to the next level. This assessment was very motivating for the younger students. Learners Are Owners of their Own Learning: Both buddies had to choose text at both instructional and challenge levels. Older students were responsible for designing comprehension questions and strategies that met the needs of their younger buddies. Students were given opportunity to reflect on their own learning, cooperation, enthusiasm and participation in learning with a buddy. 10

13 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS School Findings 11

14 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Grade 1 data included: 14 Reading - May 2011 N= Kgn Gr. 1 Gr. 2 Gr. 3 Gr. 4 Gr. 5 12

15 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS School Findings Ultimately, our goal was to increase the number of students who were fully meeting or exceeding expectations in reading (3 or 4). In October, 37 (59%) of our students met this criteria while 22 students (35%) were not yet/minimally meeting expectations. and in May, 47 (72%) of our students met the criteria while only 10 students (15%) were not yet meeting/minimally meeting expectations. These findings indicate that our students have made very significant progress in their reading this year. In May, out of curiosity we also included the reading assessment results for our grade one students. What was particularly exciting for us is that 11 students (50%) of the class were fully meeting or exceeding expectations in reading while 10 students (45%) were not yet or minimally meeting expectations. We only had one student in the middle (2.5). Last year at this time, 6 students (32%) of our students were fully meeting/exceeding expectations and 6 students (32%) not yet/minimally meeting expectations in reading, with a larger group in the middle (2.5). The trend appears to be that more of our grade one students are fully meeting/exceeding expectations in reading at the end of their grade one year. While the ability of students in a particular class can vary greatly from year to year, it is exciting to see that the students moving into grade two next year appear to be stronger readers. It will be important to look carefully at our reading data next year to see if the trend indicates that our reading coach intervention is truly making a significantly positive impact on our early readers. School Plans for Analyze the reading data and discuss ways to further enhance the reading skills of our students who are not yet or minimally meeting expectations in reading (put faces and names on the numbers and plan appropriate individual interventions). Continue our cross-grade peer coaching for another year with a focus on increasing ownership of their reading. Continue to enhance student coaching skills and knowledge/use of specific reading strategies. Continue to track our grade one students reading abilities at the end of the next school year. Reflections, Advice Teach the learning intentions really well, FIRST. Slow down, take time to think about the criteria for success, build the foundation more slowly, go deeper with learning specific skills (don t race through as though you re completing a checklist!). Remember to have the students refer back to the criteria when completing their work. They forget to use it when they are first introduced to criteria. When building/using criteria, it s really helpful to have a class set of work at your grade level, but not from your class partner schools can help with this. Let go of the teacher need to move up and forward it s okay to spin a bit; learning is messy, especially if you re trying to go deeper. Change up the buddy sheets and the activities regularly to keep the level of student engagement high. 13

16 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS EILEEN MADSON PRIMARY SCHOOL #6 Rocky Mountain School Question Will student understanding and achievement improve if all teachers and students use set strategies (Trevor Calkins), SMART Learning mental imaging and the BC performance standards scoring guide for Problem Solving to teach and assess problem solving in math to all grades K-3? Leadership Team Jill McCorry, Lisa Tenta Contacts School Context/Community Involvement Eileen Madson Primary School is a K 3 school in Rocky Mountain School District #6. We enrol 180 learners and have a staff of 20. As a primary school, we focus on the goals of the Primary Program, ensuring the development of the whole child. Located in Invermere (East Kootenays), we are an international tourist destination. As such, we serve an ever changing and growing demographic. With this change comes a more diverse and unique student body, including ESL learners. We are very proud to be designated a Green School and our many green learning opportunities, including our school garden, healthy lunch and snack program and healthy lifestyle programs. There are many initiatives that involve our learners and school community in becoming responsible global citizens. Collectively, our goal is to lessen our carbon footprint. We value the ongoing support of our families in ensuring we are meeting the unique needs of each learner we serve. School Inquiry and Action NUMERACY Focus of Inquiry After four years of working on a school wide problem solving focus in Numeracy, and using set strategies and common language what have we noticed about student achievement? We were able to access FSA problem solving data to track the growth of our initial cohort group, who are now in grade 4. Did our students show growth over a four year period? Students were asked to provide feedback about how they felt about the completing the problem solving tasks in numeracy in hopes of deepening their understanding and create a more positive attitude toward Problem Solving in Numeracy. Strategies Again this year, each learner was taught how to use self-assessment tools such as thinking cubes and sticks, the 5 Step Hand, check lists and scoring guides to assess their own understanding and help them set goals for improvement. These tools have been created by different teachers and shared amongst the staff; teachers then tweak it to meet their own instructional needs. Using the BC performance standards for Problem Solving and the Early Numeracy Assessment as frameworks. This year our goal was to connect classrooms. Students wrote problems for their peers to solve and assess. Networking with schools form another district Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies Teachers have said that having learners use a checklist or a scoring guide to self-assess, is an easy way to provide meaningful and constructive feedback (i.e. If a child has made a mistake, yet says that he has carefully assessed his own work using the checklist, the teacher can say, Where is your picture to show your thinking? You have checked it, but I do not see it. ). 14

17 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Students are now able to assess their own work and have decided if they have completed all the steps involved in the problem solving model Using the BC performance standards for Problem Solving and the Early Numeracy Assessment as frameworks, we have also developed grade appropriate assessment tools to pre and post assess the problem solving skills of our learners. This helps to ensure our data is reliable and cohesive. Partner School We have finally had success with Networking with other schools outside of our school district Primary classes from both T.M. Roberts and Steeples Elementary School, came on board and have now adopted our problem solving model. The two teachers from Cranbrook, Gretchen Fletcher and Kim Daniels are excited about sharing the EMP problem solving model with their staffs. We were delighted to host their classes for a fun afternoon of Problem Solving. Students from both schools worked together as a team to use the 5-Step model to solve Numeracy problems. The afternoon was filled with productive conversations. This opportunity provided both students and teachers a chance to make connections while discovering new learning. School Findings The data below documents the progress of one cohort group of students over a four year period. (Kindergarten to Grade 3) NY A M E Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Results indicate a dramatic improvement between pre and post testing each year. A significant increase in students meeting or exceeding expectations is noted. --When we connected kids from different grade levels and other schools, the students quickly noticed that the basic Numeracy Problem Solving steps were the same regardless of their grade level. --Overall, students displayed a positive attitude toward working on Problem Solving Tasks using the 5 step model. This was a dramatic change from the tears and high stress levels we noted prior to beginning this method. --FSA results from Grade 4 students, who were in Kindergarten when we started this project, show 71% of students meeting or exceeding the problem solving portion. School Plan for Our five step problem solving model is totally engrained in our culture and Numeracy program. It is now how all staff teach problem solving at EMP. Integrate A/B partner talk and Imaging into our protocol Parents will be invited to participate in a Problem Solving learning round We will continue to interact with our two partner schools in Cranbrook Reflections, Advice Take baby steps. Enthusiasm and passion can go along way Modeling the strategies and talking about improved student achievement and confidence will get more and more staff on board. Stick with it! Working with the NBPS project over the past four years has been rewarding for all staff, students and parents. Contact us for a sample problem solving sheet that our students use. 15

18 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS HILLCREST ELEMENTARY #36 Surrey School Question How will emphasizing learning intentions and using descriptive feedback improve students ability to reflect on and communicate their learning? Will using Daily 5 strategies, combined with peer and self-assessment increase the reading comprehension of struggling students? Leadership Team Laurel Dufault Laura Hutchins Yrsa Jensen Anne-Marie Middleton Christy Stevens Alison Van Wermeskerken Linda Wilson Contacts dufault_l@sd36.bc.ca hutchins_l@sd36.bc.ca jensen_y@sd36.bc.ca middleton_a@sd36.bc.ca stevens_s@sd36.bc.ca vanwermeskerken@sd36.bc.ca wilson_l@sd36.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement Hillcrest is located in the east Cloverdale area of Surrey within a middle class neighbourhood. Hillcrest is now 11 years old with an enrolment of over 560 students from K-7 in the school year. The staff, students and parents work closely in creating a collaborative and caring environment with a school wide academic focus on numeracy. The goal of improving communication in numeracy has been a focus for Hillcrest for 3 years. This past year many of the staff began to use the principles of assessment for learning in many curricular areas. School Inquiry and Action Multiple Subjects (Writing Performance Standards) Focus of Inquiry In the spring of 2010 the staff was introduced to the principles of assessment for learning. After many discussions and time given to delve more deeply into the research behind AFL it was determined that the team wanted to focus their teaching around AFL. In the fall a team of teachers from grades 3, 5, 6 and 7 held lengthy discussions to establish our focus. It was determined that many students did not take ownership of their learning, simply waiting to be told what to do next. It was also recognized that the teachers were spending inordinate amounts of time giving written feedback which was then very rarely utilized by the students. Ultimately the team wanted to see if by focusing on AFL strategies, students would become better learners. Strategies The team used direct instruction to teach about the 6 Assessment for Learning principles. Learning Intentions were posted around the classrooms and referred to on a regular basis. Criteria were created for each project. The criteria guided the learning of the students so that there was no guessing of expectations. A variety of strategies were used for giving feedback. Self and peer assessment forms allowed students the opportunity to use the established criteria to guide their assessment. Not only did they use a check list format to go over their work but then needed to prove it in some way such as highlighting and stickies. Teachers also spent more of the class time giving explicit immediate feedback instead of the good job comments. The immediacy of the feedback allowed the students to improve their learning prior to the formal assessment being done. 16

19 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Provided learners with learning intentions Provided learners with clear criteria for success (co-created with students and teacher) Use of self and peer assessment graphic organizers Partner School Hillcrest did not partner with a school this past year. School Findings Writing Performance Standards Grade 7 NY A M E Fall Spring Total Number of Students: 27 School Plans for Develop student and teacher surveys RAD and writing performance standards used this year but not recorded usefully this will be a focus for next year Continue to work with AFL strategies encouraging more staff members to join the team Partnering with a NPBS school which is also numeracy and AFL driven is also in the works Reflections, Advice The learning curve has been steep this past year. We have witnessed the transformation of the students as learners. Many took pride in their learning journey rather than just the end result. Being able to communicate and assess their learning empowered each child; using AFL strategies truly has transformed many classrooms at Hillcrest. As a group we have learned the importance of team especially with moving in a new direction. The value of talk time can never be overstated and the time to share, discuss, and develop tools are recognized as important factors behind the success of improving student learning. 17

20 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS RANDERSON RIDGE ELEMENTARY #68 Nanaimo Ladysmith School Question How will developing a community of learners concept, in multiple classrooms, support student engagement and ownership of learning and result in improved literacy skills across the curriculum? Leadership Team Mary-Lynn Epps, Terrill MacDonald, Kelly McKee Contacts mepps@sd68.bc.ca, tmacdonald@sd68.bc.ca, kmckee@sd68.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement Randerson Ridge Elementary School is located in Nanaimo on Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The area is north Nanaimo consisting primarily of middle class families with children that are well prepared to enter school. Parents are involved with their children. The children are very inclusive and the school climate is warm and friendly. Population is approximately 323 students. School Inquiry and Action Focus of the inquiry Three teachers collaborated to co-plan similar classroom inquiry questions that were designed to be cross grade and cross curricular in focus. Resources were also collected to be used in the multiple classrooms that would support the inquiry question. Each class engaged in the same process of developing a community of learners at the beginning of the year and also explicitly taught to the concept to further develop students' understanding and ownership for the concept. Literacy resources were also selected to teach the concept of the community of learners. Strategies To support teachers that were unfamiliar with the community of learners process we co-taught the process to their class and had the peer coaches take part in the process with their buddies. This initiated their peer coaching relationship and set the stage for a community of learners foundation for the year. We used similar language so that students would be connected. At first we reinforced the concept of a community of learners with picture books and a literature bin of novels at the older grades. To strengthen the concept further we connected picture books that taught the Aboriginal values and made a connection to use the Aboriginal teachings to support us further understanding how we could become a stronger community of learners. This helped our students understand that being a community of learners was universal and timeless. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies All the classrooms used all the big 6 assessment for learning strategies throughout the year. A goal was to have our students become metacognitively aware of what supported their learning. This was demonstrated most significantly in their learning showcases. Partner School Dover Bay Secondary 18

21 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS School Findings NY A M E Grade 3 Fall Spring Grade 4/5 Fall ,1 7,10 4,2 2,0 Spring ,0 1,5 8,7 5,2 School Plans for Each of us would like to further embrace the concept of peer coaching as a means to further deepen collaboration amongst practitioners and across school contexts. We would also like to create a workshop for parents that would support them understanding assessment for learning and inquiry concepts as means to support their children's learning. Reflections, Advice Beginning the peer coaching process with the community of learners process helped students to make connections with one another's learning in a respectful way. Because we all saw our roles as learners first and teachers second we began to think more open-mindedly about our learning and for the teachers the practices we were embracing. A community of learners concept continues to lay a solid foundation for inquiry learning environments. 19

22 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS RED BLUFF LHTAKO ELEMENTARY #28 Quesnel School Question Will using the AFL strategies of stating learning objectives, setting criteria, self and peer assessment improve intermediate students non-fiction reading comprehension and primary students writing for meaning as measured by the BC performance standards? Leadership Team Alison Dodge, Wendy Forsythe, Brenda Logelin, Shawna Neighbour Contacts School Context/Community Involvement Red Bluff Lhtako Elementary is in Quesnel in the Central Interior of B.C. This inclusive neighborhood school enrols 195 students in kindergarten to grade seven. For several years our staff and students have been part of the Network with a focus on social responsibility. For the past two years the staff has explored the ideas in formative assessment. We have a large Aboriginal population and a large number of vulnerable students with various learning and behavioural challenges. Our school has a Strong Start center and runs a Breakfast Program daily. We are fortunate to have a strong foundation in cross-grade, multi-age activities. Most classes participate in a Healthy Buddy program as well as multi-age activities that start our year and continue throughout. Our students and staff are diligent about eliminating bullying throughout our school. Our parents were introduced to the 6 Big ideas of Assessment for Learning through articles in the school newsletter and have been participating in the schools first Student-Led Conference across all grades. Red Bluff Lhtako has strong belief in acceptance, cooperation, respect and responsibility. School Inquiry and Action READING, WRITING Focus of Inquiry Our focus for inquiry was intermediate non-fiction reading comprehension in the area of main ideas and detail and primary writing from experience with a focus on the meaning strand of ideas and experiences and use of detail Strategies Over the course of this last year staff continued having professional dialogue about assessment practices. Teachers used mentorship dollars provided by the school district, had time to talk at staff meetings and had two working sessions during the year with the purpose of developing a deeper understanding of the practices that make a difference to student learning. The teachers on our team also participated in a teacher learning community in Quesnel. Teachers from four schools gathered three times this year to further explore and discuss assessment practices. Intermediate teachers shared a variety of resources Reaching readers, What in world (nonfiction articles), Reading and Responding 4-6, and Non-fiction reading powers. They all agreed to post the same learning intentions in their classrooms. Primary teachers also discussed resources for teaching writing Writing Anchors and What s next for this beginning writer. The importance of developing criteria with their students was discussed. Both intermediate and primary teachers felt it was important in each area to provide exemplars of good work for the students to compare their work to. This was achieved through mentorship with other classes 20

23 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS throughout the district. All staff, intermediate and primary, agreed that we could all use the Hamburger scoring guide in their classes. This became a common language throughout the school across grades. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies The formative assessment strategies we focused on included learning intentions and criteria. This year teachers explored more extensively the practice of self and peer assessment. Partner Schools Many of the Red Bluff Lhtako staff made a commitment to connect with another teacher through the district mentorship program. This provides three half days of release time to work with a teacher in another school. This varied depending on the individual, but some people exchanged exemplars through pen pal letters, others created a clothesline for writing samples, and developed criteria with the students based on those samples shared. One of our teachers spent time with a teacher who was exploring the Daily 5 as a structure for their reading program. Two of our staff joined a group of teachers who developed a power point with examples of strategies and student work in each of the six areas. The same group also developed a big book for sharing with staffs including examples of student work, testimonials from teachers, and samples of student activities. The power point presentation was sent to all district principals and the big book is being circulated throughout schools that are interested in learning more about this work. In addition to that component of peer-sharing, staff also participated with the other network schools in the community at three formal Quesnel Assessment Network meetings throughout the year. At the first meeting teachers met with their grade specific peers, the next time they met in two discussion groups focused on the 6 big ideas, and finally they shared what each school had focused on for the year in the area of Assessment for Learning. At the final meeting the group was excited to see the work that had been developed for sharing with all schools on Assessment for Learning. School Findings Primary Writing NY A M E Fall Spring Fall Spring Primary Writing 60 Number of Students Fall 2009 Spring 2010 Fall 2010 Spring NY A M E Performance Level 21

24 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Intermediate Reading NY A M E Fall Spring Fall Spring Intermediate Reading Number of students Fall 2009 Spring 2010 Fall 2010 Spring NY A M E Performance Standard School Plans for Many of our teachers will continue to work in the area of formative assessment and conversations will continue between staff members. Reflections, Advice Our staff felt that zeroing in on one aspect of the performance standards in one area of literacy was very beneficial. The teachers were able to stay focused and made sure that the teaching got done. The staff was happy to meet throughout the year for focus conversations but would have preferred those meetings be more frequent and closer together. Teachers committed to mentoring with someone in the district using our district mentorship program, but some commented that having a mentor within the school who was working on the same task would have been more useful. We were able to release two staff members to attend the Network professional development session in Prince George. Both teachers commented on the value of that session. We also held meetings three times throughout the year in Quesnel and those who attended those meetings felt they were worthwhile. 22

25 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS RIPPLE ROCK ELEMENTARY and ÉCOLE DES DEUX MONDES #72 Campbell River School Question How does involving students in the assessment process in music class improve student engagement in achievement and performance ability in intermediate students? Leadership Team Darlene Ngo, Rhona Soutar, Joanne Crawford Contacts School Context/Community Involvement This project was carried out in in three intermediate classes in each of two Campbell River schools, École des Deux Mondes (EDM) and Ripple Rock. This is my first year in Ripple Rock where we are building a new program focusing on teamwork and developing confidence in singing. On the other hand, I have been teaching music at EDM for 18 years. Students and parents take great pride in their music program and two choirs. Project Population Ripple Rock EDM Total Grade Grade Grade Based on students at school on the day of data collection Ripple Rock is the newest school facility in Campbell River, opening in There are approximately 240 students. Students come from the Campbell River Reserve, the Quinsam/Cape Mudge Reserve, the older part of Campbell River known as Campbellton, as well as a new and expanding area of new housing developments. 42% of the student population is of Aboriginal ancestry, including students from more than four different First Nations bands. École des Deux Mondes is a single track French Immersion school which was established in Most of the 185 students live on the north side of Merecroft Road. Five percent (11 students) of the total school population are of Aboriginal ancestry. Members of one class of 30 students have come from all over the district to begin Late Immersion for their grade six year. School Inquiry and Action MUSIC Focus of Inquiry Self Assessment in Music In January, each school began the terms with a review of the class goals for behaviour which had been developed by students in September The goals reflect what it would sound like, feel like, and look like in a great music class. Each intermediate class spent 10 minutes of their 30 minute period building criteria to meet the goals. The first class of the day developed criteria for a 4. The second class checked the work of the previous class and added criteria for 3. The third class checked the work of the previous two and quickly added criteria for 2 and 1. The second day, each class reviewed the work, made some 23

26 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS clarifications and began to work with the criteria. By the end of the second day, there was a complete set of criteria at each of the two schools. In both situations, students chose criteria reflecting levels of cooperation, participation and listening in Music class. Learning/Teaching Strategies Students in both schools developed criteria based on goals that were developed in September. Informal self-assessments throughout a class period, with a show of fingers to indicate criteria met for the lesson (4, 3, 2, 1). Pair sharing to tell each other what they had done to achieve the criteria and or how they were going to improve for the next time. Students were given silent reflection time to think on how to improve. Class discussion on how an activity is going, problems, how to fix them and an immediate opportunity to fix it. Focus on Formal Assessment Strategies Formal assessments: students wrote their mark daily on class lists. I reviewed the marks, tracing in ink if I agreed (most of the time) or changing, if necessary. I changed a few and noticed that some students always checked to see if I agreed or disagreed. Final assessment was a mostly multiple-choice questionnaire which gave individual student time to reflect on self achievement before and after as well as planning for future learning. The questionnaire was developed through igoogle Documents using the Forms application and data was collected online. Questions included o how students did before and after we began using the criteria based cooperation system (self evaluating, listening and participation, cooperation, talking, effort) o how students improved o what students have learned (individual response) o the usefulness of the criteria based cooperation system o how students felt about their achievement in musical skills o what their report card mark should be and why o what their new goals would be for the next term (individual response) School Findings There was an immediate effect using the criteria in informal self-assessment. Individuals in classes were immediately responsive and more learning was taking place. o Students at Ripple Rock worked together more readily as team members when playing singing games, sang better in unison, played drums together. o Students at EDM were able to achieve levels of performance that were higher than achieved in past years. The level of difficulty of music included several two to four part songs for the Choir and performing in four parts with xylophones. o With criteria based self-assessment there was less emphasis on disciplining, more respectful listening and a more positive atmosphere in the Music class. There was more cooperation and participation in music activities and less talking to friends (especially at Ripple Rock). 95% of students felt they had improved. Overall 60% felt they improved most in listening. Other areas included singing, participation and respectfulness. (see graph) Overall students felt the criteria based system helped them be more interested in Music and helped them enjoy Music class. 24

27 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS Reflections Positive experience which benefited student enjoyment and achievement in Music. Surprising how little time was actually spent working on the project even though we were addressing it every music class. Criteria based assessment is fairly easy to implement, takes very little time to create and gives huge benefits to both the teacher and the students. Google Documents Forms application is simple and easy to create, implement and collect data. It is flexible enough with the variety of responses available to use including multiple choice, check boxes, lists, short answer text and paragraph text. The icing on the cake was that the form collected all of the data on a spreadsheet, showed percentages in pie charts as well as number charts for each multiple choice question. The format avoids excessive use of paper as well as collating time. Sharing data and results with all staff at Ripple Rock, EDM as well as District Music Teachers was fun and created interest and discussion amongst colleagues. Plans for Share the format of students developing criteria, learning strategies and Google forms for assessment with other music teachers. Use Google Form for self assessment for each reporting period with more emphasis on goal setting. Continue to use student developed criteria in Music Classes with more focus on How is my learning going? What can I do next? types of questions. 25

28 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS SANDOWNE ELEMENTARY #72 Campbell River School Question Will using the First Steps in Math diagnostic tasks and corresponding learning activities improve the math understandings of our students who are not meeting expectations in the areas of numeracy and operations? Leadership Team Charlene Bazowski, Inger Crighton, Brenna Ewing, Don Kretlow, Tania Nelson Contacts School Context/Community Involvement Sandowne Elementary is a K-6 Elementary School located in Campbell River on Central Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The school is located in the centre of town and serves a diverse socioeconomic population. The student population for the school year was 282. Our First Nations students represent approximately 13% of our total enrolment (a decrease from the previous year of 15%). Our school is supported by an extremely active Parent Advisory Council with a new executive that are enthusiastic and devoted to serving the needs of our students. School Inquiry and Action NUMERACY Focus of our Inquiry A number of teachers as well as the school leadership team had taken a First Steps in Math course in the school year. After taking this course we decided that we would give diagnostic numeracy assessments to our grade one, five and six students in the area of Number Sense, as these were the grade levels of the teachers involved in the First Steps in Math course. Through both teacher observation and student results we found that there were some specific areas of weakness for these students. We realized that we needed to fill these gaps for students in their understanding of Number Sense so that they would not have misconceptions around numeracy as they progress through their schooling. Our question was: Will using the First Steps in Math diagnostic tasks and corresponding learning activities improve the math understandings of our students who are not meeting expectations in the areas of numeracy and operations? Strategies The first step in our inquiry was to complete the grade one diagnostic assessments for the grade one, five and six students. These assessments were taken from the First Steps in Math Diagnostic Tools. The next step was to see which area/s each student did or did not meet expectations in. This information showed us that we needed to focus on three areas: trusting the count, skip counting and partitioning. Math stations were developed focusing on these three areas. The two grade one classes were divided up into small ability leveled groups that would rotate through the various Math stations for a 6 week period. The students in grades five and six who were not meeting expectations in these three areas became Math station leaders. These students were in charge of teaching the concepts at each Math station to the grade one students. The students were then assessed again using the First Steps in Math diagnostics The grade one students participated in two more rounds of the Math stations over the course of the year and had the final diagnostic assessment done at the end of the school year. Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies The First Steps in Math diagnostic tools were also used to see which areas each student needed to focus on, as well as develop the Math stations. The nature of the Math stations meant that the focus of the formative assessment strategy was oral feedback from peers, student leaders and teachers. 26

29 NETWORK OF PERFORMANCE BASED SCHOOLS School Findings The following graph shows the percentage of grade one students that were meeting expectations in the area of numeracy in each of the three specific areas: trusting the count, skip counting and partitioning. The first bar shows the finding for the fall of 2010 and the second bar shows the findings for the spring of Reflections, Advice, Plans for Next Year One of the highlights of the project was the learning that happened for the intermediate students who were running the grade one Math Stations. These students had also been assessed using the diagnostics and were found to have gaps in their learning in the three areas that the grade one teachers had planned their math stations to focus on. These student leaders were then the teachers while at the same time being the learners. Next year we would like to be more purposeful about planning the stations with the grade one students, as well as the student leaders in mind. This year the student leaders were in charge of one station and we saw the learning that took place for them in particular area. Next year we would like to have the student leaders be in charge of a group, so they have the chance to participate as leaders in all of the stations. One of the assumptions that we had before using the diagnostics was that if students could count by rote, they would have an understanding of all of the counting strategies. Using these diagnostics, we saw that this was not the case, for both the grade one and the grade five and six students. This has changed how we think about our students understanding of the counting principles and the variety of activities and ability groupings we need to involve them in to make sure they do fully meet in all areas of counting, including trusting the count, skip counting and partitioning. This year we also found it hard to meet on a regular basis. Although we had applied for a grant to use release time to be able to collaborate, we did not get a chance to fully use it. Luckily, we were able to postpone the use of this grant and will be more intentional in organizing and using our collaboration time next year. Overall, this was a great way to dive into the diagnostics and activities on a school-wide basis. It was exciting to see the learning taking place between the younger and older students. We are looking forward to where our learning and the learning of our students will take us next year. 27

30 28

31 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Leadership Team Tammy Brown, Karen Holman, Heather Jamieson B X ELEMENTARY #22 Vernon Contacts tbrown@sd22.bc.ca, kholman@sd22.bc.ca, hjamieson@sd22.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement BX Elementary is a semi-rural K-7 school. We are located in Vernon, B.C., which is in the North Okanagan valley. Our mission is to foster cooperation, achievement, respect and responsibility and enthusiasm in a safe environment. BX Elementary has a strong focus on academics. Achievement is promoted through clubs and extracurricular sports, which cater to a variety of interests and strengths. Programs, such as the BX Ambassador Team, Growing in Character Team, and the BX Leadership Team, provide challenges for tomorrow s leaders. At present we have about 10% of our school population who are identified as Aboriginal students. One-third of these students are deemed either, as high-risk or identified special needs. Our Aboriginal students are supported through student support services and our District Aboriginal Education Department. Additionally, one day a week an Aboriginal Support worker assists students and staff on site. Our school goals are focused on increasing the number of students Fully Meeting or Exceeding Expectations in reading (focusing on oral language), writing (focusing on voice) and social responsibility. We are always striving to assure that we provide our students with a safe and accessible learning environment. Our staff has also been involved in a district-wide initiative focusing on implementing the six strategies of Assessment for Learning. School Inquiry and Action School Question Will the use of technology based learning with Aboriginal content enhance the grade 3/4/5 students reading & writing knowledge of Aboriginal culture? Focus of Inquiry Our focus was to promote the history and culture of the Okanagan First Nation Peoples of British Columbia in order to increase the participation and inclusion of ALL students. The purpose of using technology was three-fold: 1) increase knowledge base through interactive participation; 2) as previously mentioned, increase inclusion of all students; 3) making Aboriginal content relevant through the medium of technology. Links with District Enhancement Goal: iii. To increase knowledge of Aboriginal language, culture, and history within the public school system. Using the resource The Story of Our Ways, written by the Okanagan First Nation Peoples, a variety of technologies were explored. Not only were we able to present this material to students in a more interesting and interactive way, but also, students in turn were able to teach their peers and demonstrate their learning of Aboriginal history and culture specific to the Okanagan First Nation Peoples. This technology included interactive SMART Board, videos, iphoto, imovie, photo booth, software programming such as Clicker 5 - Clicker Paint. 29

32 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Strategies Staff Learning: During the fall of 2009, Karen Holman, a BX Elementary Student Support Services teacher attended a Make and Take opportunity with Vicky Midtdal and School District 22. The intent was to adapt/modify The Story of Our Ways, using Clicker programing, to ensure that special education students at BX could participate in a meaningful way during Social Studies, while being inclusive to the classroom. Vicky was excited about the prospect of developing this curriculum and encouraged the continuation of working on the development of the program at school. Upon returning back to the school, with Brian Stevens (BX Elementary principal) encouragement, Karen and Aboriginal Support Worker, Tammy Brown began to work on the project together, with Vicky providing technological support. Karen also applied for a grant from Aboriginal Education to ensure that we had Clicker Paint and Clicker 5 software available so special needs students could access the project. Sandra Lynxleg, Aboriginal Education principal, awarded BX this grant. Due to the enormity of this project and the potential for special needs students province-wide to benefit from the development of The Story of Our Ways using Clicker 5 and Clicker Paint, Vicky and SETBC took the Story of Our Ways on as a SETBC Clicker project, which enabled increased SETBC support. Daphne Mercier (SETBC), CEA Patsy Klim and classroom teacher Heather Jamieson soon joined the team in the fall of In January Vicky in-serviced the school on using Clicker 5 - Clicker Paint. Throughout the year, the team would get together and continue to work on the various units of the program. Story of Our Ways was being transformed from a written book to an interactive program designed to enhance the reading and writing knowledge of Aboriginal Culture for special needs students. At the same time we had another project in the works, where classroom teachers, Heather Jamieson and Michelle Smith together with Tammy Brown and Brian Stevens applied for an Aboriginal Education grant to enhance and celebrate the Aboriginal Culture around the Salmon Enhancement Program, using technology that other schools could access easily. Sandra Lynxleg, Aboriginal Education Principal, supported and approved the grant proposal. In the summer of 2010, Heather took a course from UBCO on Universal Design for Learning, which is differentiating instruction through the use of technology. Upon returning to school in September, Heather provided in-servicing to the staff on the use of interactive whiteboard technology. Multimedia technology, including digital cameras, SMARTboard, and document camera, are now being used by our students and teachers in developing the project. In January/February 2011, Heather, Tammy, and Karen combined both projects while introducing Heather s Grade 4 students to Aboriginal Culture, utilizing the local resource of The Story of Our Ways. A variety of technology was utilized to enhance reading and writing knowledge of Aboriginal Culture, utilizing a variety of technologies for ALL students. Student Learning: Students were introduced to the concept of Time in Immemorial and some of the cultural beliefs of the Okanagan Peoples. Next, the students were assigned one of the 11 units from Story of our Ways and they became the village experts pertaining to their unit. Using technology they researched about their topic, and then they prepared a written report. They presented their learning orally through the use of SMART Board technology. Students with reading/writing delays used the Clicker5/Clicker paint program and were able to participate fully. During the Visual Arts portion of the assignment, students were asked to plan out a scene based on a Day in the Life, in their Village. They created their own claymations using a variety of technologies. These strategies brought the experience to life. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies At the beginning of the unit, the Grade 4 learning intentions were shared with the students. From that, we wrote and decided upon, as a group, our criteria for each stage of the unit. Next, students were assigned a section from Story of Our Ways, such as trade and technology, gathering foods, or homes. 30

33 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Learners of their own Learning was achieved when they became the expert on the unit they have studied, similar to how the Okanagan Peoples would organize their past village life. The three sections of the project were laid out at this time. First, they had read, research and then write a mini- report. Second, they became peer learners as resources as they gave their oral presentations on their area of responsibility within our simulation of the Story of Our Ways Village. They enhanced this task by utilizing technology such as SMART Board and/or Clicker programs. Finally, through the use of multiple technologies the students created a claymation project depicting a Day in the Life of the Okanagan people. Along the way, both their teacher and their peers provided feedback. Finally, mid lesson questions were asked during each oral presentation. The difference that these strategies have made for our learners include: they were fully engaged throughout each part of the process, differentiation occurred so that all students could participate fully in the process, audio-visual and hands on experiences made the process more relevant and therefore more meaningful to the students, the students and staff involved have a greater understanding and awareness of the Aboriginal culture and history. School Findings Social Studies performance standards/baseline and change over time NY Approaching Meeting Exceeding Fall % 40% Spring % 50% 33% There were 24 learners, which included seven students who required extensive differentiation and two Aboriginal students. Initially students had some perceptions and knowledge about Aboriginal culture and history. What the classroom teacher noted is that much of this knowledge was biased and/or there were many misperceptions about culture and beliefs. Through using technology, students were able to have a more accurate perspective supported in an interactive manner. The students able to understand the material better because of the technology. AESN Plans for Plans for next year include continuing to work on the collaborative project with SETBC and the Aboriginal Education Department. Specifically, we will be developing the language component in the Clicker Project by including Aboriginal words together with our glossary. We are hoping to include the elders of the community to pronounce the words correctly. And we will be integrating the alphabet into the program. These suggestions came from our Aboriginal District Principal and will be embraced through SETBC. During the Network Schools celebration the classroom teacher connected with another school in the District regarding a potential project next year that would focus on oral story-telling and visual imagery. In addition, we are looking at other software programs such as Kurzweil to develop reading and writing abilities for Aboriginal and/or special needs students. Reflections, Advice Through the project experience, we have a new appreciation for wanting to be authentic as well as to have a greater understanding to ensure that we are teaching our students in an accurate and respectful manner in regards to the First Nation Peoples and their culture. In addition, the depth of student understanding and participation throughout this process was astounding. Technology made the content relevant and interesting. We feel that the success of this project can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of various departments and organizations as well as on-going communication amongst members within the school. This communication enabled two completely separate projects to come together for the benefit of the students. In addition, we are finding that the more we do, the more we want to do; however, it is a challenge to get the technology in place in the schools to further our dreams. Finally, have fun! 31

34 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Dr. D. A. PERLEY ELEMENTARY #51 Boundary Leadership Team Kevin Argue, Debbie Cumming, Wanda Hecht, Amy Holitzki Contact School Context/Community Involvement Dr. D.A. Perley is a K-7 school in Boundary School District #51. There are 320 students enroled and we have a teaching and support staff of approximately 27. We are a rural school, surrounded by beautifully scenic mountains and fields. We have an Aboriginal population of 24% but we do not include a band or a reserve. Our district includes schools from Big White to Christina Lake and beyond, approximately 250 km. Grand Forks enjoys a supportive parent and community base that works together with our schools to ensure the best possible learning environment for our students. School Inquiry and Action LITERACY School Question Will the inclusion of daily physical activity and a healthy snack offered to Aboriginal students being tutored in an after school program improve their reading and writing performance scores as determined by their S.M.A.R.T. reads and writes in the fall and spring? Focus of Inquiry Aboriginal Learning, Healthy Living Links with District Enhancement Agreement Goal #1: Ensuring that all students of Aboriginal ancestry achieve social and academic success. Rationale: We believe that increased awareness of healthy living will increase the sense of wellbeing and create successful self-assured learners. A positive sense of self is critical for academic and social success. Goal #2: Increase the number of Aboriginal parents positively participating in their child s education. Rationale: We believe that all families want success for their children and that they will take a positive role in their child s learning as they learn by example from the tutors. Learning/Teaching Strategies Wanda Hecht, Aboriginal Education Teacher, began the tutoring program in 2007 after the realization that her students were needing to be taught the exact same academic material in the fall that they were taught in the previous school year. The program started with three students in the summer and now has 50 students across the district. Initially it ran only in the summer and now it runs summers and after school. Wanda s intentions were to ensure that students had the learning support and direction from the tutors; all students need to be successful. Tutors work with students on a daily basis for 40 minutes after the regular school day. Snacks were offered on a daily basis. A questionnaire focusing on the kinds of snacks and physical activity preferred was developed. The responsible teachers networked within the four schools where the program was offered in the district. 32

35 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK All students responded positively to five minutes of physical activity using Balance Boards and action strategies. Students developed positive learning patterns by learning to look and ask for healthy alternatives at home and at school and by learning to fit healthy physical activity into their learning time. Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies The strategies we developed were to help children understand and achieve their learning intentions. It was beneficial for the students to participate in physical activity and healthy food choices. This allowed students to realize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Other strategies that were used were the questionnaire, serving as a form of self-evaluation. School Findings As shown by the graph below, the use of daily physical activity and healthy snack choices appears to have an impact on the responses that the students gave on the second Questionnaire. Among the questions that were asked are the following: Do you feel positive about daily physical activity? Do you feel positive about the healthy snack choice offered in the tutoring program each day? and Do you understand that you feel better about your own learning when you feed your body and mind in a healthy way? AESN Plans for Plans for the next school year would be to continue with the commitment of increasing the awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and invite Aboriginal elders in to support the students during their tutoring sessions. A thought to consider for next year is to invite parents in once a month to observe and help with their students learning. Reflections, Advice One of the positives about having a tutoring program that includes a healthy activity and healthy snack is that more and more students and their parents are asking to attend the after school sessions. This exemplifies the meta cognition that is beginning to happen for both parents and students. 33

36 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK FAIRVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOL #68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith Leadership Team Sue Gardner Gregg Halfyar Karen James Noreen Keen Connie Kulhavy Donna Manson Val Martineau Laura Tait Contact information School Context/Community Involvement Fairview Community School is an inner-city school in Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island. We celebrate community and diversity. Our K-7 school has 257 students, of which 38% have First Nations heritage. Our staff, students and parents are committed to improving literacy and numeracy through diversified learning opportunities. This six-week inquiry project has been an example of these opportunities. Guest speakers enhanced learning through their knowledge and expertise from elders to authors, to carvers and artists. Their experiences and stories have given our students deep insight into Aboriginal life, well beyond what students could have attained in a book or through general discussion. Our dedicated staff is determined to create authentic learning opportunities for all our students. This inquiry project focused on Aboriginal life through four areas; technology, environment, culture and governance. Cross grade mentorship, small groups (each group became an expert in their area), and self, peer and mentor assessment as well as teacher pre and post assessment were all strengths of our inquiry learning project. Having so many of our families, including a great number of our First Nations families take part has had a great impact both on students, staff and parents and has brought us all more closely together. Parents are already asking about next year s project. School Inquiry and Action School Question How does learning about Aboriginal perspectives in a collaborative, inquiry based environment affect our Fairview Community attitudes towards Aboriginal Peoples? Links with District Enhancement Agreement Goal 2: To improve Aboriginal student knowledge of history, culture and language in order to enhance a sense of pride in Aboriginal heritage. Goal 4: To improve Aboriginal student self concept and sense of belonging. Strategies Teachers and EA s met to collaborate on the unit and discuss goals, strategies, logistics, assessment (this happened numerous times) Grade 7 s completed pre-reading activities and worked on self and peer assessment opportunities prior to the project Our first meeting was all students and teachers together for an introduction led by Laura Tait Students completed a visual time line that was extremely effective (using string) Students were put in multi-grade small groupings for the six week program Pre and post assessment of knowledge and attitudes was given and reported Excellent guest speakers were brought in for each of the groups, many brought artifacts 34

37 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Students learned about their area of expertise through books, media, guest speakers and role playing Utilizing the expertise of Laura Tait, Connie Kulhavy and Donna Manson was key to our success Students chose their form of presenting their knowledge (power point, video, diorama, play) Grade 7 peers played a significant role in mentoring the grade 4 s Grade 7 mentors was very positive leadership role Celebration of learning fair, feast, cultural drumming, dancing and singing were all significant Inviting parents to be involved in the process was one of our biggest successes and it brought families and community together and de-mystified some ideas some parents had of school and learning Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Learning intentions by focusing on expert groups, students were very clear of their learning intentions and were confident connecting their experiences to life beyond school Criteria for success students were given rubrics (with discussion), created by Laura Tait (pre, mid, post) Thoughtful feedback small groupings (10-12 students/group) with 2-3 adults/group provided excellent opportunities for feedback, questioning, learning ways to improve Thoughtful classroom questions to lead discussion this was often done beginning with a picture book to cover a concept then have students generate questions and explore Learning/teaching resources for each other grade 7 and grade 4 cross groupings as well as cross-grouping of classes provided excellent opportunities for teaching each other Owning their learning our passionate guest speakers and the format of the project all provide an excellent atmosphere for students to learn, think critically and tell others of their learning the passion displayed in their learning celebration confirmed students took responsibility for owning their own learning School Findings Knowledge of Aboriginal Peoples History NY A M E Winter Spring Knowledge of Aboriginal Peoples History Know little strong understanding pre post 35

38 Attitudes toward Aboriginal Peoples NY No interest ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK A Some interest M Total interest E Seek chances to learn Winter Spring AESN Plans for The staff, students and parents at Fairview would like to see this inquiry project continue in the school year. We would like to include more grades if logistically possible. Having collaboration time with teachers and Educational Assistants was significant to the success of this project. To further deepen our inquiry we plan to utilize more First Nation parents as guest speakers. We have already had some inquiry and offers of parents to take part and share their expertise. Reflections, Advice What worked Grade 7 s as mentors (good for all age groups) Absolute need for hands on material Everything has to be emotionally relevant students really connected when this happened Literature piece worked well (emotions, historical fiction, connections) Guest speakers were very strong as were artifacts Teachers involved had a clear vision of our purpose right from the beginning Having Laura, Connie and Donna involved was paramount Students were prepared, on time and ready to learn for their groups Small groups were very successful Teachers involved were very collaborative and open Working with our First Nations Peoples within the community was positive, our goal next year would be to include more communication with our First Nations parents Invitations and bingo sheets were excellent Students got authentic learning becoming experts in their area We (students and staff) peaked at the right time 6 weeks Adaptability of all Fairview staff to accommodate groupings (some prep changes) Celebration of learning day fantastic Challenges Reading for information is a school wide challenge we want to address further Video presentation/head phones sound be prepared for a louder environment in the gym Only way to wi-fi in gym is to use a school network laptop We could have used 15 more minutes for each group lesson 1 hr 15 min Our AESN project planted the seed of respectful knowledge for all of us involved, children and adults alike. It was a transforming experience. 36

39 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK HARTLEY BAY SCHOOL #52 Prince Rupert Leadership Team Stephanie Fisher, Cameron Hill, Ernie Hill, Eva Hill, Lynne Hill, Ashley Posnikoff, Tara Zuk Contact Ernie Hill - ehill@sd52.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement Hartley Bay School is a small school of between learners. It is situated in a remote and isolated first Nations village of Hartley Bay off the northwest coast of BC, approximately 90 miles south of Prince Rupert. The village is accessible only by boat or float plane. The community and school are closely intertwined. Community members and elders take part in school activities and the school is an active member of this tight-knit community. School Inquiry and Action School Question Building upon last year s inquiry - When using traditional First Nations methods of teaching and learning, will providing opportunities for students to teach their skills to others have a positive academic, social and personal impact upon achievement levels? Focus of Inquiry Our inquiry focused upon the final stage of the Aboriginal cognitive learning process - teaching skills to others. This has involved the students developing metacognition, understanding and developing formative assessment strategies. It also involves the staff being aware of what we are teaching, how we are teaching it and where we are going in terms of curriculum coverage, connectivity and relevance. We also had a focus to involve the older students (grades 7-12) in the inquiry in a more detailed and formal way. We engaged in frequent regular lessons where the students were learning and teaching resources for each other across the curriculum in order to raise their self-efficacy and involvement as well as giving them ownership over their own learning and goals. Links with District Enhancement Agreement This question recognizes the need to enhance the achievement levels and performance goals of Aboriginal students, working flexibly with respect of culture and an intrinsic valuing of traditions. Strategies Our inquiry used a variety of teaching and learning strategies. Students became active owners of their learning and passed their skills on using a variety of methods within the traditional Tsimshian teaching methods of observing, imitating, mastering and teaching. They internalized success criteria and were able to connect their learning to real life situations. Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies Our study utilized a wide variety of formative strategies. These were also taught and presented to students when passing on their knowledge to others so that they had some tools for assessing how their teaching was going. The main focus was on observational skills and annotating work, assessing the engagement and retention skills of the students and so forth. By also allowing the students the metacognative awareness and ability to self-assess, this gave the students the clear focus to know why they are doing what they are doing, where they are going and how they will get there. 37

40 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK School Findings We initially began the two-year investigation in order to raise engagement and academic achievement within the school. In terms of engagement, we have seen a school-wide drop in lates and absences, which is significant in terms of student engagement. The students are coming to school, on time and prepared to learn. In academic progress, we were interested in tracking the senior age students. We utilized the Aboriginal cognitive tools throughout classes as well as integrating online courses and addressing multiple intelligences of students. All students passed their Grade 10 math and science provincials this year, and the Grade 10 students (and one Grade 8 student) passed an elective course - Creative Writing 12. This was on top of academic success in Social Studies, First Nations studies and English First Peoples 10. AESN Plans for Hartley Bay School will be developing a new question within the topic of engagement in reading. Exact details are still to be discussed by staff. Reflections These questions have highlighted the universal and transferable knowledge and skills across cultures and generations. They are skills and processes that are valuable and adaptable within most classroom settings and age groups. We learnt the importance of staff communication and the ability to question practice. We have learnt the importance of the major questions - what are we teaching and why, where are we going and how are we doing? It is important to look at the situations honestly and openly and keep striving to improve in our practice. 38

41 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK HATZIC ELEMENTARY #75 Mission Leadership Team Mel Jack, Susan O Soup, Carolynn Schmor, Sharon Syrette, Johnny Williams Contact carolynn.schmor@mpsd.ca School Context/Community Involvement Hatzic Elementary celebrated its centennial this year years of education in a quiet, established neighbourhood in the community of Hatzic in the District of Mission. Our school is located in the midst of the Sto:lo nation which runs from Yale to Fort Langley. Our Aboriginal students include children from Métis and First Nation descent. Many of our students live off-reserve and are non-status. Hatzic opened in 1911 as a two-room school and has since undergone several expansions. The population is presently 254 students, with more than 300 projected for next year. We are one of the oldest schools in Mission and therefore, steeped in history and tradition. Many of the parents at our school proudly proclaim that just as their children, they too attended Hatzic Elementary. Our open house centennial celebration allowed us to step into the past and forge new relationships with former students and colleagues in order to honour the past, celebrate the present, and embrace the future. Our elders are an integral part of planning and preserving this vision. School Inquiry and Action School Question Will researching the 100 year history of Aboriginal peoples and/or Aboriginal education in Hatzic help to increase student s sense of belonging and pride in their Aboriginal culture when they showcase these findings at the Centennial Celebration? Focus of Inquiry In planning for our school s celebration it was very important for us to have input from our Aboriginal community as we recognized that the 100 year history for Aboriginal people at our school would be quite unique due to the impact of residential schools. In Mission, behind our school on the hill, is the residential school that many of our families would have attended before transitioning here in the 1970 s. St. Mary s residential school did not officially close until We wanted to ensure that our celebration was respectful, informed and guided by the wishes of our elders and current Aboriginal families. We also used this day as an opportunity to teach as many of our early community members who would not have attended school with Aboriginal students. Links with District Enhancement Agreement Increasing student s sense of belonging and increasing pride in Aboriginal culture by researching history, spending time with elders, and meeting as an Aboriginal Student Advisory students came together to raise the profile of Aboriginal art, culture and tradition at our school. Strategies By forming an Aboriginal Student Advisory that met as a group several times throughout the year with our elders, Aboriginal liaison staff and the school principal to provide a voice in planning a historic event as well as learning protocol, making give-a-ways, making a button blanket, and working together as a cohesive group to invoke a sense of belonging and to increase pride in who they are. We started the school year with an Aboriginal welcome song, erected a beautiful 39

42 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK carving on the celebration day, presented a button blanket to the community and showcased an Aboriginal cultural room at the celebration with bannock, dried salmon, modern Aboriginal educational kits, raven tales movies, and a meeting place for elders and the public to come together. Our intention was to increase the learning of our non-aboriginal population too. At the ceremony we also opened with an Aboriginal welcome song and had Aboriginal speakers, one who helped with the transition of students from St. Mary s to Hatzic Elementary. Some of the early alumni from the 1930 s had never experienced a welcome song or heard the drumming and singing that was presented. We were determined to make our history go forward as inclusive and respectful to ensure in the next 100 years people will come to expect and enjoy the Aboriginal traditions of the region just as many of us in the school system do. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies The strategy that we relied on mostly is peer learners as resources and peer learners as owners of their own learning. Our students owned this day. You could see it in their smiles. School Findings Total number of students: 39 NY A M E Fall Spring NY A M E AESN Plans for Our next steps include keeping our Aboriginal Student Advisory Committee together to plan towards further meeting the goals of our district Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement. The students feel they need to learn more about culture as well as incorporating ways to encourage participation from our non-aboriginal student population. We will continue to work with our elders and liaison staff to ensure that Hatzic Elementary is a place where all students feel valued, are open minded, have informed opinions and are eager to learn about one another and learn about the world around them. Reflections, Advice We want to ensure that we continue to build upon the momentum of this wonderful year. The Centennial gave us a reason to look at past practice, what we value and where we would like to go. It will be important to further build upon this shared vision and continue to work towards incorporating the strategies of formative assessment to deeply impact our student s growth. 40

43 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK KITWANGA ELEMENTARY #82 Coast Mountains Leadership Team Doreen Brown, Matilda Daniels, Shirley Hobenshield, Hans Lorenz, Bernadette McLean, Cathy Morgan, Rob Oldershaw, Ruth Trask Contacts School Context/Community Involvement Kitwanga Elementary School is situated in Northwest B.C on Gitksan territory between Gitanyow and Gitwangak in Kitwanga Valley. All of our 86 students are of Aboriginal ancestry. Our students bring cultural capital and a varied understanding of their traditions to school. We want to enhance their knowledge and increase their level of school connectedness. School Inquiry and Action School Question Will the integration of traditional Gitksan and First Nations resources and activities across curriculum areas result in an improvement in the social responsibility and self-regulation of our students? Focus of Inquiry We want to develop the whole child and integrate a First Nations worldview in our teaching. Links with District Enhancement Agreement Educators need to become sensitive to and knowledgeable about the First Nations cultures within their school communities and elsewhere. The district agreement also acknowledges the need for informal opportunities for teachers to build relationships with families and to celebrate with parents and community in ways that demonstrate the importance of the relationship between the school and the community. Strategies As a staff we considered the ways we could integrate First Nations content in all areas to develop strengths in every learner. First Nations students need resources that are relevant and have cultural connections. Teachers made use of First Nations stories and resources throughout the year. We piloted the Primary Aboriginal Reading Assessment developed by April Lowe and Leslie Drinovz (Sea to Sky School District #48). We planned many informal events to involve families (Turkey Dinner, Spaghetti Dinner, Elder s Christmas Tea, All Clans Feast, Literacy Lunch, Grade 7 Farewell Dinner). Teachers worked with the Gitksan Language and Culture teacher (all students have 90 minutes of Gitksan Culture Classes each week.) The students learned the language of respect; respect for self, respect for others, respect for property and respect for Mother Earth. Students are taught from Kindergarten how to perform their clan dances (Eagle, Frog, Killer Whale and Wolf) at gatherings, concerts, and feasts. We understand the importance of the adage, The language speakers are the wisdom keepers. Staff looked to the teaching of the Elders and Gitksan speakers to help students learn songs for the Christmas concert and other presentations. Primary classes learned Gitksan songs and Intermediate classes did oral presentations in Gitksanimx. From the welcome sign above the front door, to the signs on all doors in the school the students see the Gitksan language as well as English. 41

44 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK One class completed a beading project. Each student had a loom and made intricate beading patterns as part of the patterning unit in JUMP Math. At a Trades Day for grade 6 and 7 students we hosted students from two neighboring band schools. An apprenticeship model was used with a First Nations baker, carpenter, auto mechanic and a millwright showing students various skills of the trades and allowing them hands-on opportunities to participate. Students in the senior class took part in a drum making project. They observed as skilled Gitksan artisans taught them how to cut the deer hide, soak the hide, stretch the sinew, form the drum around the cedar hoop, stretch the hide, bless the drum, and then create and apply an individual design. The students next learned to play their drums and performed at school functions. The grade 7 students will take their drums with them as they leave our school. The other drums will become part of a school set to use at future celebrations. The Gitksan way is - learning by being watchful. Students participated in many other experiential projects (making button hangings, dream catchers, paddles, bentwood boxes, rattles and mini-drums.). We provided opportunities for outdoor pursuits (such as visiting salmon streams, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and hikes to Battle Hill historic site). Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Students were learning/teaching resources for one another. Older students could communicate ideas to their younger buddy in ways that differed from the teacher and were easier for the child to understand. Students completed quick scale scoring guides at the beginning of the year to have a clear understanding of the social responsibility learning goals and performance standards. They again completed the scoring guide in the spring to compare their growth to the initial assessment. School Findings From first and last term report cards, we compared the percentage of students that were Fully Meeting or Exceeding Expectations at each grade level. K Fall % 60% 71% 83% 58% 90% 75% 75% June % 46% 88% 58% 83% 100% 75% 88% We noticed that with some cohort groups (grade 1 and grade 3) there was a decline in social responsibility expectations. We will look at implementing more social skills programs (Fin s Friends, Second Step, at these levels.) Other grade groups stayed the same (grade 6). We are encouraged to note an increase at a number of levels (K, Grades 2, 4, 5, and 7). We will continue with a focus on integrating Aboriginal content and resources next year and consider a Smudging Ceremony to begin the school year. AESN Plans for We will continue to expand our First Nations reading collection and integrate these resources in our instruction and our assessment. We are excited that our district is going to extend the pilot of the Aboriginal Reading Assessment to other schools next year. The drum beat is a form of expression that allows our spirits to speak to each other s heart. The drum s vibration has the power to heal, transform, and raise consciousness to our minds, heal our hearts, activate our bodies and feed our spirit. The beating of the new drums will feed our spirit to continue ensuring that our school is moving forward and a positive learning place for all students. Reflections, Advice The four cornerstones (significance, competence, power, and virtue) are nurtured and grow within a strong sense of community and belonging. Brokenleg (1990) 42

45 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK LAKES DISTRICT SECONDARY #91Nechako-Lakes Leadership Team Wendy Kelemen Mike Skinner School Context/Community Involvement Lakes District Secondary School (LDSS), part of School District No. 91, is located in Burns Lake. The school serves students from grade 8 to 12 in a modern and well equipped facility featuring a permanent drama stage, multi-purpose lunchroom, large gym/fitness area and full service industrial shops. Our student enrolment of 438 is comprised of 39% with Aboriginal ancestry students compared to the provincial average of 10%. We are proud to serve six local First Nations bands (Burns Lake, Lake Babine, Cheslatta Carrier, Wet suwet en, Skin Tyee and Nee Tahi-Buhn). The LDSS staff consists of 26 teachers, 19 support staff, four custodians, three home-school coordinators, principal and vice-principal. A dedicated and experienced staff works hard to ensure that students receive a quality education. School Inquiry and Action School Question Will the introduction of daily student support, a pyramid of interventions, SMART goals and weekly teacher collaboration time improve the academic success of Aboriginal students in grades 8 10? Focus of Inquiry Despite the improved graduation rates among Aboriginal students in our school, many of them are still struggling in their courses and are over-represented in alternate or special education classes. Our data shows that in 2008/09, 60% of Aboriginal students failed at least one course. This level is significantly higher than the non-aboriginal rate of 15%. Attendance and academic achievement levels are two areas of concerns for the Aboriginal students. Links with District Enhancement Agreement Improve literacy for students of Aboriginal ancestry Improve numeracy for students of Aboriginal ancestry Increase dogwood completion rates for students of Aboriginal ancestry Strategies The following is a brief summary of some of the school initiatives which we hope will improve the success rates for all our students. The Learning Center: A centralized learning assistance center that is staffed by a minimum of one teacher and two education assistants provides learning assistance and additional support in all subject areas throughout the day. Extra consideration has been given to students in the junior grades to help improve success rates. Weekly Teacher Collaboration: To improve classroom instruction, teachers collaborate every Wednesday on critical questions concerning student learning. Sample activities include: defining a core curriculum, setting departmental goals, and creating common exams. 43

46 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK SMART Goals: Every department has created a SMART goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. Pyramid of Interventions: The staff has created a systematic process of interventions to ensure students receive additional time and support for learning. Daily Student Support: Every day at 11:45, all teachers of junior classes stop new instruction and provide all students with time to review materials, receive extra support, rewrite tests, complete assignments. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies The school-wide use of formative assessment strategies and teacher collegiality are the cornerstones of this school inquiry. To promote high levels of learning for all students, teachers provide students with frequent assessments across the grades and implement a range of intervention strategies in a timely and strategic manner. Regular and thoughtful feedback is given in the form of oral and anecdotal comments on interim reports with no letter grades. We have adopted a culture of no zeros and provide opportunities for students to rewrite quizzes and tests. Teachers and students co-develop criteria for success. School Findings The data have been collected from 96 Aboriginal students in grades It is reasonable to conclude that more Aboriginal students were successful in their courses in than in previous years. Formative assessment, teacher collaboration and timely interventions were factors that contributed to this success. AESN Plans for We will continue our journey of becoming a fully functioning Professional Learning Community. Teachers will be provided time for a second year of embedded weekly collaboration. Timely and systematic intervention will continue to be a goal as we strive to improve the academic achievement of all our students. Our inquiry may explore just one component of our initiatives: The Learning Center and its impact on success rates of Aboriginal students. Reflections, Advice This inquiry question is deep and will require several years of comparative data in order to state confidently the direction of academic learning in our Aboriginal youth. We have identified poor student attendance as the main reason for student failure. When students are not present, we cannot provide support. Academic intervention should not be invitational. Students who are failing should be mandated to receive intervention during Daily Student Support. Finally, we need an efficient system of entering and tracking achievement levels of all our students so key personnel can identify at-risk students at any point in the year, not just at reporting times. Ideally, the data would be categorized into grades, subjects, and gender. By having this specific data, we can get a pulse on achievement levels at any point in the year and be able to provide intervention in a timely manner. Passion and persistence are key traits that permeate the staff at Lakes District Secondary School. Always valuing inquiry, collegiality and professional learning, we strive to challenge status-quo. Although the end of this school year concludes this 2010/11 inquiry, we are committed to improving our practice and striving for excellence. We shall begin the 2011/12 school year with a renewed sense of energy, focus and determination to meet the academic needs of all our learners. 44

47 Leadership Team Bruce Carlos, Toresa Crawford ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Contacts Aboriginal Education staff in School District #71 Nin ogad Elders Wachiay Friendship Centre staff K omox First Nations MIKI SIW NALA ATSI #71 Comox Valley School Context/Community Involvement Nala atsi is an alternate program for Aboriginal students in grades in School District #71, Comox Valley. We are closely connected with the Aboriginal groups mentioned above, and meet with them on a regular basis. The mask project was a way to bring members from the Aboriginal community into the school to work on a project with the Nala atsi students. The students were interested in what was being taught during this period of time and as a result attended school more often. School Inquiry and Action School Question Will combining a mask making project with a Who Am I storytelling, deepen the involvement of the Aboriginal participants and improve the Nala atsi students attendance? Links with District Enhancement Agreement Goal 2: To increase Aboriginal students sense of belonging, including sense of place, identity and self-esteem, in a nurturing and inclusive environment. Goal 3: To increase the awareness and understanding of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit history, traditions and culture for all students. Strategies The Nala atsi students met with members from the Aboriginal community members usually once or twice a week. The students and members from the Aboriginal community worked on projects which promoted cultural awareness. Along with the sharing of knowledge, the students and community members developed a closer relationship. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Strategy 5: Put learners to work as learning/teaching resources for each other. This means that learners know strategies and have internalized quality criteria so that they can be productive with their same age and older and younger learning colleagues. Strategy 6: Do everything you can think of to make sure that learners are the owners of their own learning. This means that learners are genuinely engaged in learning and confident that they can learn and think about their own learning. 45

48 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK AESN Plans for This has been such an enjoyable project, that we have been asked if we would do it again next year by the participants and their friends/partners who did this with us this year. A number of middle and secondary teachers in the district have also expressed interest in doing something similar with our school and their classes and the board of the Head Start program has planned to do this project with their parents as an ice-breaker. Bringing participants from different generations together for this type of activity has strengthened the lines of communication between a number of very different groups. Reflections, Advice As can be seen by the participants comments below, this was a very positive activity. However, combining the artistic piece with the writing component did present some challenges. An adequate space is needed to store the bins of art materials. In addition to adequate space, while the masks are drying, they need to be somewhere that they are not going to be disturbed There needs to be a set amount of time to complete the masks and then the writing piece. I found that although the masks were completed on time, the writing piece took a little bit longer than I had planned. When you are dealing with participants who are not in the school, it can be difficult to pin people down. Many of our participants lead very busy lives and it was often very challenging to get them to come in to finish their writing pieces! I would like to do this project again next year and offer it to even more people it was fantastic experience and the comments were powerful and profound. 46

49 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Comments from Participants after completing the Telling Stories through Masks Project Nala atsi Students Comments: I have never enjoyed art this was fun and I liked how my mask turned out. Female age17 This is the second mask that I ve made I think that I ve learned a lot about myself doing this Male age 17 Lots of great conversation during the activity I got to really talk to the Elders good stories. Male age 18 I highly recommend that everyone do this project lots of fun times but also lots of serious messages in the writing pieces. Female age17 I really enjoyed doing this people can learn something about me from my message. Female age 18 Good project and lots of time to share with old and new friends! Female aged 17 I want to do another mask next year. Male age 16 My mask and my literature piece are hanging in a place of honour. Male age 17 Good project lots of fun talking to the Elders she had a picture of my mum when she was just a teenager and gave it to me! Male age 16 I was sad when it was over with cannot wait until we do another project with the Elders! Female age 17 Elder and Community Members Comments: I first was very reluctant when Toresa asked us to join the project. I ve always felt very selfconscious about my art ability. To my surprise my mask turned out to be beautiful. Thanks for including us Toresa! Elder age 72 I thoroughly enjoyed myself during this project and was very sad when it was over. I looked forward to coming into the school and doing art with the kids! Elder age 84 This mask project was very powerful for me to do. Thank you for including us. Elder age 79 Lots of fun lots of conversation.and lots of fantastic messages in the writings. Community Member age 74 Please do these again next year and please invite me to come in again! Elder age 77 Toresa made us all feel so welcome and the kids are great! Community Member age 80 I took my mask and the poster to my woman s group and they were amazed by the messages and the artistic ability of our entire group. Elder age 76 Cannot wait until Toresa s next project we LOVE coming into the school! Elder age 66 Fun and fantastic conversations with all of the participants! Community Member age 65 Looking forward to doing this again didn t think that it would be so much fun!! Elder age 78 47

50 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK SPRINGVALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL #23 Central Okanagan Leadership Team Derek Lea, Andrea Lye, Stephanie Kenequonash, Carol Millar, Elizabeth Seitz, Jill Voros, Contact Andrea Lye School Context/Community Involvement Springvalley Middle School is located in the Rutland area of Kelowna in the Central Okanagan School District. There are approximately 505 students at our Grade 7, 8 and 9 middle school and 30 teaching staff. As taken from our School Planning Council Report for, we have an Aboriginal population of 84 students which is almost 17% of our student population. We are supported by a First Nations advocate and two CEA s (Certified Educational assistants) that give support to our Aboriginal students. According to the 2001 census, 28% of our families have an income under $30,000. Only 55% of our students live with both parents, which is 7% lower than district average for middle schools. Over 12% of our students are identified on the District s Brown Bag lunch. Despite these indicators our Readiness Data from 2003 through 2009 indicates that our students in Grades 7, 8 and 9 are consistently above the district average in terms of being prepared for their next level of education. School Inquiry and Action When completing her Masters with her Thesis, using visual arts curriculum to build the whole child through the Circle of Courage, Ms Lye had read research about the lack of connection to their heritage that many Aboriginal students were experiencing. She wondered if students would be more successful in their reading and writing if they experienced an increased sense of connection to their heritage. This was discussed at a September meeting of the English teachers and several teachers said they would be interested in supporting her in this inquiry, though they themselves might not actually participate in the inquiry. School Question Will our Aboriginal students become more successful in their reading and writing when they experience an increased sense of connection to their heritage through Literature Circles? Focus of Inquiry It was our goal to determine if students' achievement and engagement could be increased using quality assessment strategies when completing their reading and writing assignments with an emphasis on learning about their heritage. Links with District Enhancement Agreement We looked at having our question connect to three of the goals of our Enhancement Agreement. We used Literature Circles to help to improve Grade 7 Aboriginal student academic achievement in their reading and writing. Through activities connected to our novel studies we hoped to increase students sense of pride in their heritage and to increase their awareness and knowledge of their Aboriginal history, traditions and culture. Strategies All students in my class completed a three part Reading Interest Survey. Part one asked what type of reading material they liked to read and how many books they had read the previous year. Part two asked what strategies were helpful when reading, such as making connections to what they read, having discussions and visualizing as they were reading. Part three asked them to learn about their ancestry to see 48

51 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK if making connections with their heritage would improve their reading and writing. All students read different myths and creation stories that were from their culture and we discussed similarities and differences. As the year progressed students choose from a selection of about 10 different groups of books for their novel study for Literature Circles. They rotated through these books at their own pace; reading at school and at home. The students had only one book that had a main character with Aboriginal heritage. The books we purchased or had in stock had more to do with student interest than heritage. There were other opportunities for students to share their heritage. One opportunity came at Remembrance Day when we wrote essays and drew posters and learned about our veterans. Ms Stephanie Kenequonash shared with us an article called, Aboriginal Veterans: Stories of Honour and Heroism. Recently, Ms Kenequonash shared some comic books with my 8 students that had Aboriginal content and led a literature circle discussion around this medium. Students in grade 7 in the Central Okanagan school district completed a district wide school write. At this time I could see many students struggled with the format of an essay which had an introduction, three or so paragraphs in which a sub-topic was developed and a conclusion that summarized the essay. I started putting more emphasis on writing, using this format to complete many assignments in English and Social Studies. Students used a Scoring guide based on performance standards. All students researched their Individual Pasts as an assignment for Social Studies, with many of them focusing on the origin of their name and what happened on the day they were born. This again was an opportunity to talk and write about their heritage and interview their parents, guardians and consult the Internet. When meeting in our Literature groups we constantly talked about making connections, what they visualized as they read and the self-talk that readers do to confirm their understanding. To improve mastery learning students had more time, if needed, to complete assignments while other students had the opportunity to choose a different book from the Literature Circle selection. Strategies for Assessment: Used Assessment for Learning co-creating criteria and scoring guides with my students so they know how they will be assessed and be more involved in their learning. Using strategies from Anne Davies, Richard Stiggins, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. Used peer and self assessment to improve quality of work and engagement in the task. Using strategies from Anne Davies, Richard Stiggins, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. Used a variety of exemplars to improve the quality and detail in their work Used strategies so assignments have more Authentic Intellectual Work by using Authentic Instruction and Assessment by Fred M. Newmann, M. Bruce King and Dana L. Carmichael. Used writing performance scales which look at meaning, form, style and conventions Identified areas in need of improvement, and focused on those specific areas Identified at risk students in the classes and met with behavior support teacher and resource teacher Met with the First Nations Advocate to see how she would be able to support this inquiry. Focus on Formative Assessment Strategies We focused on assessment for learning strategies to help students become more active in their own learning so they were more engaged in the task. We examined the scoring guides used to evaluate the School Wide Writes and then looked at writing samples. We looked at the Snapshot for each aspect of the guide and gave examples of what that would look like in their writing and found evidence of it in writing samples. We examined and learned about the 6 traits: ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency and writing conventions. Students were tested for their reading comprehension and oral reading fluency using a district developed Whole Class Reading Assessment. 49

52 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK School Findings The students completed fall and spring School Wide Writes. The seven Aboriginal students all improved, as did most of the class. There was significant growth from the meets group to the fully meets group. There were also more that scored in the exceeding range as a whole class. When interviewed the students did not feel that their success was due to their knowing more about their heritage, but rather more that they learned how to properly write an essay with an introduction and a conclusion. They learned how to develop their sub-topics and stick to the topic. School Wide Not Yet Meets Fully Exceeds Writes Meets Fall Spring Fall 2010 Spring NY Fully Meets AESN Plans for I would like to continue involving more of my colleagues in this project. Mrs. Millar got involved by purchasing more books for her grade 9 s and was able to integrate this very well with her Social Studies curriculum. I would like to know about books that all of my grade 7 students would want to read that would have Aboriginal content. I think as the other students become more accepting, my students of Aboriginal heritage will accept themselves and be proud to acknowledge their Aboriginal ancestry. I would like to purchase more of these books for my Literature Circles so all the students can read these books and share in this culture. I feel that as students make connections to what they read their reading will improve. I would like to continue dialoguing with other schools that have done similar projects and to see what book lists they suggest. Reflections, Advice I feel that the inquiry was successful on different levels. I remember taking a University course on learning disabilities and our professor stressed that often the strategies that were good for those with learning disabilities were good for all students. I could relate this to my inquiry. I wanted the Aboriginal students to feel more connected to their heritage as I hoped it would help them with their reading to make more connections with the books they read that had Aboriginal content. Unfortunately we did not purchase enough of books to really see the benefit of this, but what we did see was more confident students. All of my students talked about their heritage and how they were some of this and some of that; of very mixed heritages. The students with Aboriginal descent started sharing that they also were of Aboriginal descent, not just the part of them that was French, or Irish. Many of them did not know very much about their ancestry. I started focusing more on the writing as that seemed more of a weakness and saw gains. I don t know if the Aboriginal students felt more comfortable in the classroom and participated more in their learning or they just understood how to write an essay and applied this to their writing and became more successful. This is what the majority of the reflections on the reading surveys demonstrated. 50

53 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK SUNSET ELEMENTARY #85 Vancouver Island North Leadership Team Janice Ellis, Jennifer Lok, Gail Monckton, Rena Sweeney Contacts School Context/Community Involvement Sunset Elementary School is a Kindergarten to Grade Seven school of 235 students, with 30 Aboriginal students. We are located on northern Vancouver Island in the community of Port McNeill. We have several community-based literacy initiatives and we are fortunate to have many parents and community members who volunteer regularly in our school. Our school goals for have focused on literacy, social responsibility, and environmental initiatives. We have worked together as a staff to develop a school-wide approach to assessing and improving student writing. School Inquiry and Action School Question In what ways will student impromptu writing improve when using performance standards written by students into a checklist used for self and peer assessing? Focus of Inquiry We chose personal writing because it was a topic that could be carried out across all grade levels and it had been identified as an area of need in our school population. For this inquiry we worked on our question with Grade 3 students and Grade 5/6 students. Links with District Enhancement Agreement Goal # 2 All partners will work toward increasing the level of academic success for each Aboriginal student. We used our First Nations support worker to assist us in finding First Nations literature. Strategies We began by coming together on a Professional Development Day in the fall to identify an area of need within the scope of writing. It was at that time that we singled out personal writing, specifically impromptu writing. We also decided on three topics to be used as school wide writes in the fall, winter, and spring. Time at a staff meeting was given after each school wide write to work together to discuss the coding results and to determine the next area of focus. Students used student-created assessment checklists to look at both their own writing and the writing of a peer. From that self and peer assessment, students then chose two personal goals to focus on for the next few weeks. In each class, the teacher also gave whole-class and individual feedback on progress. Students had the opportunity to listen to, discuss, and respond to two pieces of literature based on First Nations traditions. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Clear learning intentions: Having the students use the student-friendly quick scales to create their own classroom checklist helped them to see exactly what was expected in personal writing at their grade level. Students knew what they were striving to achieve. 51

54 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK Clear criteria for success: Students were able to see their strengths. Having students choose two personal writing goals in their areas of need, as shown by the checklist, made success achievable and put the ownership of learning into the students hands. Thoughtful feedback: On specific writing pieces, the classroom teachers provided general feedback for the class as a whole to promote a class discussion on progress made and possible ways to address difficult areas. In addition, teachers met with individual writers to specific feedback on achievements and challenges. School Findings Grade 3 Personal Impromptu Writing Twenty-four students NY A M E Fall % 15 63% 4 17% Spring % 11 50% Grade 5/6 Personal Impromptu Writing Twenty-three students *Twenty-one students NY A M E Fall % 1 4% Spring 2011* 1 5% 7 33% 12 57% 1 5% We are reasonably confident that our Aboriginal students have shown growth in their personal writing skills as a result of the use of the three formative assessment strategies listed above. Due to the small number of Aboriginal students in these classes, the individual results are masked. AESN Plans for We would like continue this inquiry process, perhaps focusing on another area of writing. It would be advantageous to involve a greater number of staff. Increased use of student-created checklists based on the performance standards could expand the use of formative assessment in our school. Reflections,Advice students liked peer editing students were fairly accurate in self and peer assessment having students respond to First Nations literature promoted quality discussions focusing on the values found in cultural traditions all students benefited from the discussions and strategies used in the beginning stages, focus on only one or two aspect of the quick scale at a time so as not to overwhelm students students could choose one or two goals to focus on to improve their writing while continuing to use First Nations literature, teach responding to literature separate from writing about their own experiences. We included both types of writing and found the grade three students responded to literature by including a lot of retelling of the story. 52

55 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK W L MCLEOD ELEMENTARY #91 Nechako Lakes Leadership Team Denise Dowswell ddowswell@sd91.bc.ca, Laura McConnell, Karen Thomas, Michelle Miller-Gauthier mmgauthier@sd91.bc.ca, Libby Hart lhart@sd91.bc.ca School Context/Community Involvement WL McLeod Elementary is a dual track school with approximately 250 students. The school is located in north central B.C. in the town of Vanderhoof which is on the traditional territory of the Saik uz First Nation. The larger region is home to the Dakelh people, or as Europeans named them, the Carrier Sekani. The First Nation the school serves is Saik uz or Stoney Creek, located about 20 km south of Vanderhoof. The school has a Carrier Language and Culture program, taught by a local Saik uz teacher. There is one Home School coordinator and an Aboriginal Education Assistant who work closely with staff, students and families throughout the year. 29% of the students have Aboriginal Ancestry and many live in Saik uz, 45% of the students are enroled in the English program, 55% are enroled in French Immersion, and 12% of the students are considered vulnerable using a Ministry of Children and Families index School Inquiry and Action: School Question Will learning about Aboriginal culture help students to gain a better understanding of social and political injustices in relation to First Nations people in Canada? Focus of Inquiry Over the years, for many complex reasons, the French Immersion and English tracks have developed into two separate cultures where students were often at odds with each other, and at best, rarely socialized with each other. Staff have worked together over the past few years to change this culture through buddy reading, buddy DPA and other whole school initiatives. This year s inquiry was one more step in the direction of creating a kind, caring and inclusive culture built on deep understanding of each other. It began as a whole school initiative, but the scope was narrowed to include only the English grade 6/7 class partly because this age group has a strong influence (both positive and negative) over the tone of the school. The other reason for making it smaller was that it turned to be beyond our collective capacity to take this on as a whole school at this time. Links with District Enhancement Agreement: Increase awareness of Aboriginal languages and cultures Strategies Our question was centered on teaching about social justice issues as they relate to First Nations in Canada. This was achieved through traditional cultural activities delivered by the Carrier teacher as well as through reading No Time to Say Goodbye, a novel about children going to Residential school and researching related topics led by student curiosity. We used letter writing (inspired by Sinkut View Elementary) from students to the local Chief Jackie Thomas, who were asked to describe their current knowledge about Aboriginal people and traditions and history. We used Laura Tait s School District 68 Aboriginal performance standards. We were looking for ways to assess knowledge as well as expressions of understanding and empathy; thinking from someone else s perspective. All students in the school participated in year-long Carrier Language and Culture classes with Mrs. Karen Thomas. They engaged in traditional crafts, heard stories about residential school and learned about some of the history of First Nations in Canada through her teaching. The grade 6/7 English class began reading No Time to Say Goodbye by Sylvia Olsen. Through the use of learning intentions and criteria that were co-developed, peer and self assessment, they wrote letters from the perspectives of the characters in the novel. We were looking for powerful language and 53

56 ABORIGINAL ENHANCEMENT SCHOOLS NETWORK students ability to link events in the story to emotions (their own and the character s). As we engaged in background knowledge building, we let the kids questions or comments lead us in helpful directions. We went to the internet to discover Lejac residential school facebook site (local), the official apology from Prime Minister Harper and Kuper Island residential school pictures. These discoveries brought the novel to life elicited personal stories from many students whose family members had attended Lejac as children. Focus on Formative Assessment Learning Strategies Learning intentions (big picture) and criteria to build strong expressions of understanding Self assessment using the co-developed scoring guide to make letters stronger, highlighting events/facts in one colour and emotions/reactions in another Peer assessment (mailed character s letters to each other and used the rubric to highlight and give feedback) School Findings Not Yet Approach Fully Exc Total Pre Post Not Yet Approach Fully Exc Pre 33% 38% 29% 0% Post 5% 52% 38% 5% What Did We Learn About Our Students? Although we did not see the majority of student learning fully meet expectations, learning did move forward. Most students were open to learning new things and some really opened up to these issues and transformed their perspectives. Even though we know we didn t change deeply held prejudiced or racist views, we at least see most students presenting their thoughts and ideas in a more socially appropriate way and being willing to consider more positive ways of thinking about Aboriginal people. The quantity of the writing increased and student efforts to present ideas were more respectful (respectful questioning) and many demonstrated increased knowledge of Aboriginal traditions. AESN Plans for Next year we plan to expand the scope of our studies and include the grade 6/7 French Immersion students. We will use a recently purchased resource titled Untold History: Understanding the Impact of Indian Residential School on Canada s Aboriginal Peoples. We will also attempt to have students investigate their own questions through inquiry as a way to help them own their learning. Reflections, Advice Even though we weren t able to create a school-wide team that dealt with issues of understanding First Nations culture and chipped away at the social gap between French Immersion and English students, we were able to go deeper into issues of racism with a small group of students in the English track. We also uncovered the fact that that there are often divides within the English classes, drawn along racial lines that reflect residual prejudices that exist in the outlying community of Vanderhoof (not unique to our community). These views are not always evident, but when learning about First Nations in school, the comments from many students began to reveal underlying stereotypical perceptions, and in some cases, racism. We also adapted Laura Tait s Aboriginal performance standards scoring guide to help us assess student knowledge, awareness and reactions through writing. 54