66.1 Percent Achieveing Standards (%) 52.6

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1 Sir John A. Macdonald School Home of the Mustangs! Together We Make a Difference th Street NW, Calgary, AB T2K 1C2 t f School sirjohnamacdonald@cbe.ab.ca School Website CBE and Provincial Goals See Board of Trustees Policy for full, detailed Results statements. Provincial Goals** An excellent start to learning Success for every student Quality teaching and school leadership Engaged and effective governance **Alberta Education Requirements Each year our school administers provincial achievement tests (PAT) to Grade 9 students. Grade 9 students are tested in language arts, math, science and social studies. The purpose of these tests is to: determine whether students are learning what they are expected to learn; report to Albertans how well students have achieved provincial standards; and assist schools, authorities, and the province in monitoring and improving student learning. The results from the testing are but one aspect of student achievement in the CBE. In addition to academics, we consider the overall success of students which includes the ways they demonstrate citizenship, character and personal development. This report contains highlights of what we have achieved in the past school year. Data from the PAT and the Accountability Pillar Survey are provided in this document. The report also provides a description of our school community. student results Provincial Achievement Tests (Achievement Test Results Based On All Students Enrolled) Percent Achieveing Standards (%) LA 9 Math 9 SCI 9 SS 9 (%) Acceptable (%) Excellence For a complete School Results Report, visit our school website at For a complete report of CBE and provincial results visit the CBE website at

2 school development plan highlights Outcomes from our School Development Plan* For a summary of our School Development Plan, please visit our website at Measures and Results * Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) Acceptable Standard SJAM s acceptable standard was 66.4% Provincial acceptable standard was 74.0% Standard of Excellence SJAM s standard of excellence was 14.9% Provincial standard of excellence was 19.0% Achievement Test Results Based on All Students Who Wrote the Test Core Subject Acceptable Excellence Math 56.7% 10.6% Science 71.1% 17.2% English Language Arts 78.7% 11.2% Social Studies 66.1% 20.9% (We are significantly below target in Math and Social Studies in terms of Acceptable Standard.) A detailed item analysis of the PATs was completed by administration and the learning leaders for each of the core subjects. Efforts in the daily literacy classes and core subjects in vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing proved to be effective based on our pre/post comparison in the Gates MacGinitie test. Overall, there was a positive trend in moving students from slightly below grade level to at or above grade level for in both the MacGinitie test and the Pearson Math test. The ability of students to draw inferences and synthesize to solve expressions and math word problems still remains an area for growth and will continue to require support. Alberta Education Accountability Pillar survey** results: Parent, student and teacher perceptions, as expressed in the survey, improved in the areas of (i) safe and caring schools (ii) education quality (iii) citizenship (iv) parental involvement and (iv) school improvement. Page 2 6

3 Accountability Pillar Overall Summary School: 9652 Sir John A Macdonald School Measure Category Safe and Caring Schools Student Learning Opportunities Student Learning Achievement (Grades K-9) Student Learning Achievement (Grades 10-12) Preparation for Lifelong Learning, World of Work, Citizenship Parental Involvement Continuous Improvement Measure Category Evaluation Excellent n/a Issue n/a n/a Measure Safe and Caring Program of Studies Education Quality Current Result Prev Year Result Prev 3 Current Yr Result Average Prev Year Result Overall Very High Improved Excellent Very High Maintained Excellent High Maintained Good Drop Out Rate Very High Maintained Excellent High School Completion Rate (3 yr) PAT: Acceptable PAT: Excellence Diploma: Acceptable Diploma: Excellence Diploma Exam Participation Rate (4+ Exams) Rutherford Scholarship Eligibility Rate (Revised) Transition Rate (6 yr) Work Preparation n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 66.4 n/a Low Declined Issue 14.9 n/a Prev 3 Achievement Yr Average Improvement Intermediate Maintained Acceptable n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a High Maintained Good Citizenship Very High Maintained Excellent Good Parental Involvement Excellent School Improvement Sir John A Macdonald School Alberta Measure Evaluation High Maintained Good Very High Maintained Excellent Targets for * We have identified two main goals in our School Development Plan which align with provincial goals for education and the Calgary Board of Education Three Year Plan. These goals are based on PAT results from the school year as well as baseline data collected in Student Achievement Goal: Students will improve their ability to articulate their learning needs (i.e., what they know and can do, and what they need for next steps) and exercise their agency within the instructional core. Teacher Instructional Goal: Teachers design of instructional tasks and assessments will be informed by students reflections and articulated learning needs. Based on our results, we have set the following targets for improvement in our School Development Plan: 74% of students will achieve at the Acceptable level on PATs 19% of students will achieve at the Excellence level on PATs Indicators for anxiety, depression and self-esteem, as expressed in the Tell Them From Me survey, will show a 1% improvement. Page 3 6

4 The targets we have set for this year are very ambitious. To increase student achievement, we are offering two new resource option courses in addition to our pre-existing Learning Strategies course. The new courses are meant to support student learning through a targeted and personalized approach aimed at skill-building in literacy and numeracy. Through a process of baseline testing and teacher recommendation, we have identified students who may have foundational gaps in academic skills. Our goal is to help each student address these areas of concern and set them up for success in their core classes and transitions to high school. Literacy Enhancement is offered at all three grade levels while Math Enhancement is currently offered at Grade 8 and 9 only. Teachers will be making further recommendations as the term progresses for students to transition into these options or be registered for second semester. This year, we are promoting student agency (i.e., student responsibility for their learning) through a strength-based process in which students receive feedback on their learning, reflect upon this feedback and make the needed adjustments for their next steps in learning. As well, we have staff available to proivde extra help to students in our Learning Commons on Monday to Thursday from 7:00 am to 8:00 am, during lunchtime and from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. We also have an Assignment Completion room that is open during lunchtime and after school. In professional learning communities, our teachers are working collaboratively to design authentic learning tasks that develop critical thinking skills and provide formative feedback to students while their learning is taking place. Staff also continue to focus on ways to improve students vocabulary, reading comprehension and problem solving through encouraging students to create, inquire and share their learning. Teachers are focused on developing best practices in the use of digital technologies to further students academic confidence. As we progress through our Library to Learning Commons transformation, we are learning new ways to inform instructional practice and enhance learning opportunities for students. For example, creating a dynamic area that supports collaboration and creativity, orienting the flow of the space to allow for multiple classrooms and providing students with greater access to print/digital learning resources are some of the strategies we are using in our Learning Commons. As well, promoting literacy and academic success through our virtual learning commons, the SJAM Connection, allows students to access digital learning repositories to support their academic needs online 24/7. We continue to develop our SJAM Connection which houses a vast array of links to learning objects and other resources within Desire2Learn (D2L). In providing assistance to students and their families, SJAM staff will continue to collaborate with a number of external community agencies. The list on page 6 of this report describes these programs with whom our Student Services team and Administration liaise on behalf of students. *Alberta Education Requirements **A hard copy of the October 2013 Annual Education Results Report for Sir John A. Macdonald School is available at the school. our school School Profile and Population Demographics Sir John A. Macdonald School (SJAM) is a diverse learning community comprised of 652 students with a wide range of learning needs, abilities and interests. In our school Page 4 6

5 community of Grade 7 to 9 students, we also have three specialized settings which include a TASC (Teaching of Attitudes, Social Skills and Communication) class, a PLP (Paced Learning Program) class and two Learning & Literacy classes. Our families speak over 32 languages at home and come from nearly 50 different countries of origin. There are also 144 students with Alberta Special Education codes for identified learning disabilities which includes 35 severe codes. Additionally, we have 99 coded English Language Learners with 72 students in sheltered English as a Second Language classes (including 7 students at a Level 1 benchmark). Lastly, 50 students are identified as First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners. SJAM Home of the Mustangs! Together We Make a DifferenceJ. About Sir John A. Macdonald School SJAM is a vibrant and inclusive learning community supported by a committed group of teachers, support staff, parents/guardians and community members who generously give of their time, talents and energy to improve student learning! Our student services team offers a broad range of basic services from first-level response counselling and resource support to liaison work with community and CBE agencies. At SJAM, the core academic programs are personalized to provide relevant and rigorous learning opportunities for students. Our computer technologies and digital resources support academic learning for all students. Our outstanding Fine and Performing Arts programs (i.e., Art, Drama and Music), inspiring Leadership program and highly specialized Career and Technology Foundations programs (i.e., Fashion, Foods, Information Processing/Computer Technologies and Industrial Arts) provide authentic learning experiences for our 21st century learners. Our daily physical education classes as well as the health and athletic programming promote active healthy living. At SJAM, all students participate in co-curricular and grade level field trips around the city and beyond. Grade 9 students who take French as a Second Language (FSL) are offered the opportunity to enhance their learning through a trip to Quebec. Locally, Grade 9 students participate in the PARTY program. While most Grade 9 students transition to John G. Diefenbaker High School, some attend Lord Beaverbrook, Central Memorial, Sir Winston Churchill, James Fowler, Lester B. Pearson and other CBE alternate high school programs. Class Size For a detailed report on the school and CBE average class sizes go to: School Fees For a detailed report of school fees and expenditures visit our school website at: or contact the school directly. School Council Involvement We are fortunate to have a dedicated and committed group of parents/guardians within Sir John A. Macdonald s School Council. Monthly meetings were held and typically individuals attended. The SJAM School Council supports our students through volunteering time for fundraisers that support school programming and various charities (e.g., SUTP sales, Book Fair, 30 Hour Famine) and attending various co-curricular field trips (e.g., trips to the theatre and grade-level trips such as Drumheller, Calaway Park and Riverwatch). The School Council works closely with the School Administrative team through feedback and suggestions. For example, our work together last year in bringing the Dare to Care program to SJAM has helped to build our school community s understanding of important issues such as social media and bullying. We also worked collaboratively to determine how the funds raised through the last casino would be used to support student activities and learning priorities. To visit our School Council webpage, please use the following link: Page 5 6

6 School Programs Supporting Students The school encourages and fosters a climate of student involvement in a number of before and after school clubs and programs as well as lunch time clubs and intramurals. Many of our students participated in the following offerings: Art Club, Athletic Teams (badminton, basketball, soccer, track & field, volleyball, wrestling, X-country), Drama Club, Environmental and Social Justice Club, Fit Club, Intramurals, Jazz Band, Leadership, Math Fair, Model Club, Peer Tutoring, Science Club and Student Council. Community Agencies and Organizations working with SJAM Boys & Girls Club - SJAM is affiliated with the Boys and Girls club through the FANS program. With their help we are able to provide students with emergency breakfasts, snacks and lunches. Calgary After School - The City of Calgary provides free after school programs at Thornhill Aquatic and Recreation Centre that promote healthy living and positive choices. The Calgary Bridge Foundation For Youth - The Bridge community helps new immigrated students and families. This is achieved through homework assistance, language acquisition, mentorship training, off campus activities, translation and other assistance for immigrant families. Calgary City Police (SRO) A police officer is assigned to assist a number of middle/junior high schools. Their purpose is to build positive relations with students about policing and being law abiding citizens in a democratic society. Impact Society Heroes - The Heroes program is a curriculum resource that we use in our health classes to build students ability to form healthy relationships, set goals, and develop skills that build emotional competence. Vision Seekers (YMCA) & Circle of Supports (United Way) - The purpose of these two programs is to make connections with our Aboriginal students. The Circle of Support focused on helping Grade 8 and 9 students to develop individualized programs for high school completion. Students were provided with a vast array of resources to encourage long-term academic success. YCAT Youth Cultural Ambassador Training The Calgary Catholic Immigrant Society offers this program to all students and those new to Canada, Alberta, Calgary or the SJAM community. Students received leadership training. Page 6 6