The end of the year is almost here and many of us are looking forward to 2017. But the end of the year is also a time to reflect on how the District has done over the past 12 months.
District Administration presented the Annual Education Results Report and Three-Year Education Plan to Trustees at the end of November. It outlines the District’s achievements and plans for making sure even more students are successful in the future.
Our results, overall, are impressive. They reflect the hard work that teachers and students do in our schools every day. But there is always room for improvement.
As you may have read in the news, some of our math results declined compared to previous years. This is something we take very seriously. District staff are working hard to improve these results and Trustees spent roughly two hours discussing math and numeracy at our November 29 Board meeting.
In the math and numeracy report, staff shared that the number of Grade 6 students achieving the acceptable standard on Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) had declined, as had the number of students achieving the acceptable standard on diploma exams. Nevertheless, our math results remain higher than the province as a whole.
We also saw promising results among our Grade 9 students, with more of them meeting or exceeding the acceptable standard on PATs compared to last year.
Staff highlighted some of the strategies they are using to improve math results in our District and ensure every student has the math and numeracy skills they need to succeed. These include:
Identifying schools that consistently achieve high marks in math. We’ll learn what they’re doing to get such good results and apply it to other schools in the District.
Providing schools with more support to assess and identify students who need extra help, so we can make sure those kids get the support they need to succeed.
Providing more opportunities for professional development in the areas of math and numeracy, with a particular focus on junior high and high school teachers.
For more information about our math results and strategies, you can read the full report.
Of course, behind all this talk of results and strategies are individual students. If you feel your child is struggling with math and needs extra help, you should first talk to their teacher about what’s happening in the classroom. Your child’s teacher will have the best understanding of your child’s individual needs and can recommend extra supports that may be helpful.
As we break for the holidays, know that District staff are working hard to ensure every student has the resources they need to succeed. I hope you all have a happy, restful winter break.
