The Hastings Prince Edward District School Board is changing the way they do things when it comes to student achievement.
Annually, the School Board has designed a Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BISPA), which contained goals, actions and measures to monitor student achievement, which then acted as a guide for the School Improvement Plans for Student Achievement (SIPSA).
The Board of Trustees was told on Monday night at their public meeting, this process is being flipped on its head.
Tina Elliott, Superintendent of Education, Curriculum Services told the board they are revising their process, and the priority is now going to be the SIPSA, which will guide the BISPA.
Elliott said one of their priorities this year is to work collaboratively to improve student achievement.
She stated they need to start with students, in the classroom, in the schools from the ground up.
Elliott said the goal is to “Empower each school to best meet the needs of all students by moving to a responsive service model”.
Bayside Secondary School Principal Ian Press was part of the sub-committee of school administrators who worked on inverting the achievement planning process and was very enthusiastic about this shift.
He called it a massive shift but felt so strongly about the success that he told the board the new way of doing things will “be a lot more effective, I guarantee it”.
Press said by allowing educators to determine what the needs are in each school and facilitate a way to meet those needs is harder but is much more rewarding.
He said school administrators take more ownership of this new process and it is the best chance at finding out what the needs are for students at each individual school.
Press said with that responsibility there is also an additional pressure to do it right, but educators and school administrators are confident in the people they work with and the process.
He said when you identify the needs and the process is successful it is a lot more gratifying.
The new process will allow educators and school administrators to collect and analyze school-specific student data, set goals related to student needs, identify actions to implement to support increased student achievement and establish relevant measures to monitor impact and growth.
Elliott says there is an alignment between student and board plans and the strategic plan and when all those layers are brought together it shows an unwavering commitment to equity.
Press said the markers as to how successful each school is will depend on the needs determined by school administrators.
He said for himself, the engagement of staff is an indicator and when staff want to be on committees and be involved, that is his early indication things are trending in the right direction. He says numbers are the highest for involvement he’s ever had with staff wanting to be engaged.
Sean Monteith, Director of Education, wholeheartedly supported the shift in thinking, stating the students are their priority and he believes they are on the right track.
