Whether it’s graduation, math or extracurricular activities, Moose Jaw’s Catholic schools want to enhance outcomes in certain areas this year to counter the pandemic’s effects on students, a new report shows.
Trustees with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division received an update during their November meeting about each school’s learning improvement plans (LIPs) for the 2021-22 year. Using past data, the LIPs list how students performed in certain subjects and at different grade levels, current strategies to improve outcomes, and whether schools are meeting pre-established curricular goals.
In December, division administration will present a comprehensive learning accountability report that provides data on whether schools are meeting those LIPs. Similar reports will be given in March and June to show the progress students are making.
Below is a brief look at each school’s goals for this year.
Phoenix Academy
Phoenix Academy’s main goal is to increase its overall graduation rate.
Data from the school shows 12 students graduated last year, compared to 15 in 2020, 19 in 2019, 21 in 2018 and 10 in 2017.
Sacred Heart School
The two main goals on which Sacred Heart School is focused are math and well-being.
The school wants to improve its math scores in grades 1 to 8 by 30 per cent to 40 per cent over last year, while by June 2022, it wants 75 per cent of students in grades 2 to 7 to meet or exceed proficiency with the Number Sense strand.
Also, the school wants to increase students’ sense of belonging and safety, which would lead to more problem-solving, collaboration and reduced behaviour. By June 2022, data from a survey would hopefully show an increase to 80 per cent in those areas.
Data from last June shows Grade 2 students collectively had math scores of 78.57 per cent; 58.62 per cent for Grade 3 students; 85.71 per cent for Grade 4 students; 11.54 per cent for Grade 6 students; 52.17 per cent for Grade 7 students; and 33.33 per cent for Grade 8 students.
No data was available for Grade 5 students.
Meanwhile, survey data from last year shows 76 per cent of youths felt they belonged while 73 per cent felt safe at school.
St. Agnes School
St. Agnes School wants to ensure that by next June, 75 per cent of students in grades 1 to 8 meet grade-level math outcomes and 80 per cent of youths in grades 4 to 8 participate in at least one extracurricular activity or club at school or in the community.
Collective math scores at St. Agnes last year ranged from 92.59 per cent in Grade 2 to 63.94 per cent in Grade 6 to 62.50 per cent in Grade 8.
Survey results also showed participation in sports and clubs dropped by 43 per cent, the school indicated, so it wants to bump results up by 40 per cent. However, it did not say what the original percentage was.
École St. Margaret
St. Margaret School wants to see, by June, 80 per cent of students meet grade-level outcomes in math and 85 per cent of students and all staff participate in at least one school-led activity to improve mental health and well-being.
The school will also monitor monthly attendance and address chronic absences.
Last year collective math scores ranged from 100 per cent in Grade 2 to 33.33 per cent in Grade 6 to 41.67 per cent in Grade 8. Furthermore, survey results for well-being showed 79 per cent of students were trying at school, while the school’s average absence rate was 8.10 per cent.
St. Mary School
St. Mary School wants 75 per cent of students in grades 1 to 8 to meet grade-level math outcomes by June, while it wants 80 per cent of youths in grades 4 to 8 to participate in one or more school sports or clubs by June.
School administrators want to maintain math scores in grades 1 and 2 and improve math percentages by 15 per cent in grades 3 to 8.
Data from last June show that 78 per cent of students in Grade 2 met math outcomes while 86 per cent of students in Grade 3 were at grade level.
Meanwhile, 71 per cent of Grade 4 students, 57 per cent of Grade 5 students, 73 per cent of Grade 6 students, 50 per cent of Grade 7 students and 45 per cent of Grade 8 students were at grade level for math.
St. Michael School
St. Michael School is focusing on bumping up numbers in math and student well-being. This includes, by next June, having 75 per cent of students in grades 1 to 8 at grade-level in math and ensuring students in those grades maintain or improve their scores in a division-administered well-being survey.
The school set a math learning goal of 75 per cent last year but came finished at 73 per cent.
“Teachers are still dealing with gaps in students learning from the last year and a half due to the pandemic. We are confident that our students will achieve and possibly surpass this goal of 75 per cent,” the school’s LIP said.
Meanwhile, student well-being scores show 93.4 per cent of youths in grades 1 and 2, 89 per cent of students in grades 3 and 4, 87.8 per cent of youths in grades 5 and 6 and 84 per cent of students in grades 7 and 8 feel that they belong.
Vanier Collegiate
Vanier Collegiate’s goal is to gather baseline data on student engagement by June through a survey. It will focus on areas of behavioural, emotional, cognitive and spiritual engagement.
It also plans, by next June, to have promoted or participated in 10 events that develop and foster an understanding and appreciation of Indian residential schools. The school will focus on the education-related calls to action that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued.
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, Dec. 13.
