Achievement and School Improvement Planning
Measures of Student Achievement and Success
Our school follows the guidelines set out in the OCDSB Policy and Procedures for Student Evaluation, available on the Board’s website. We also follow the fundamental principles stated in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010).
We recognize that the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning.
At the beginning of each school year and throughout the year each teacher takes the time to get to know each student: their interests, learning style, their prior knowledge and their abilities. Classroom teachers use a variety of assessment methods to monitor student achievement including daily observation, pencil/paper tasks, projects, presentations, response journals, learning logs, quizzes and end of the unit tests.
In the primary grades, students from Grades 1 to 3 are assessed using the PM Benchmarks to indicate their levels of reading and understanding. Similarly, in the junior grades, students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 are assessed with tools such as CASI or La trousse d’evaluation en lecture de GB+.
All Grade 3 and 6 students participate in the provincial EQAO testing, unless they are exempt as indicated in their Individual Education Plan to reflect their special needs.
Students requiring additional support and assistance are referred by their classroom teacher to a School Based Special Education Team. The team, including the Learning Support and Resource teachers, Principal, together with the classroom teacher, assess the needs of the student to determine a course of action which may include further observation or assessment, accommodations and modifications within a regular class setting, support from specialized teachers or referrals to other school board professionals. Our Special Education Team is always available to assist classroom teacher in planning for the needs of all their students.
School Improvement Plans and Initiatives
Our School Improvement Plan for Student Achievement has been designed to address areas of concern noted as we look closely at EQAO results, PM Benchmark and GB+ data, results from CASI assessments as well as daily observations of student inpidual and group work, and participation in learning activities. We review homework, results of tests, assignments and report cards, and a variety of demographic factors to plan our instructional practices and resources to be purchased to best meet the needs of our students. Our School Improvement Planning for this year is in the area of Numeracy, particularly computational fluency.