Pinetree Secondary SchoolSchool District #43

Action Plan for Learning

Secondary School Level

June 2009

Pinetree Secondary School3000 Pinewood Avenue, Coquitlam, BC

MISSION STATEMENTWorking with our community, we are dedicated to

preparing our students for success in a rapidly changing world by providing a supportive

learning environment which recognizes and respects individual differences, encourages students to challenge personal limits, and

promotes excellence.

Goal #1

Reading Comprehension

To improve student literacy skills through the teaching of reading.

School and Community Context

• Global Perspectives program where students travel internationally to undertake special benevolent projects in foreign countries. This year, the destination for Pinetree students was Cuba.

• Advanced Placement opportunities, large number of exciting elective programs, including a full set of Fine Arts courses, and great athletic teams and coaches.

• Culturally diverse population where students are highly involved in programs promoting and celebrating cultural understanding.

• Pinetree also has a unique timetable as it is custom made to accommodate the needs of its students.

Community Partnerships and Parent InvolvementPinetree shares its site with both Coquitlam Parks and Leisure Services as well as Douglas College. This three-way partnership has enabled all partner groups to benefit from cost sharing in the creation of exceptional physical education facilities.

Parks and Leisure Services

The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is an active partner at Pinetree Secondary School. The School Planning Committee and After Grad Committee are working on our behalf to support our goals.

Graduation and TransitionRates

Trends Over Recent Years …

% of Grade 12 Students Eligible to Graduate who Graduate Decrease from 95% (2003/04) to 94% (2007/08)

% of First-Time Grade 12 Students who GraduateDecrease from 87% (2003/04) to 77% (2007/08)

Aboriginal Students% of Grade 12 Students Eligible to Graduate Who GraduateNo Change from 100% (2003/04) to 100% (2007/08)

% of First-Time Grade 12 Students who GraduateDecrease from 89% (2003/04) to 86% (2007/08)

Relevant Background

Goal 1• Reading Comprehension: To improve student

literacy skills through the teaching of reading.

Objective 1• To improve student literacy skills through the

teaching of reading.

Rationale for Objective 1There are several reasons why reading is important for

students:1. Reading offers a productive approach to improving

vocabulary and word power.2. It helps students to keep abreast of the various

styles of writing and new vocabulary.3. Students who read tend to be more creative and

have higher achievement rates in school and college.

Sofsian, Damian. (2006, November 09). The Importance Of Reading. EzineArticles. Retrieved May 05, 2008, from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-Of-Reading&id=354498

Current Data for Goal 1Classroom Assessments Based on

Teacher Judgment*Grade 9 English Classes - Semester 2 (2008-2009)

# at each level

Not Yet Meeting

Meets (Minimal Level)

Fully Meeting

Exceeding

All Students 15 49 64 39

Female 2 11 29 25

Male 13 38 35 14

Aboriginal - - - -

ESL 4 6 5 7

n=167; Aboriginal n=0; ESL n=22 Note: All Students includes ESL and Aboriginal students

*Using “Reading” as Criteria

2008/2009 - Participation rate: 48%

Current Data for Goal 1 cont…

School-Based AssessmentReport Card Marks (End Reporting Period - April 2009)

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A B C+ C C- F

Letter Grade

% o

f S

tud

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Current Data for Goal 1 cont…Cross-Grade Assessment

Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (Semester 1 – 2008/2009)

Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment Results from Oct 2008

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Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

Stu

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nts

Does Not MeetExpectations

Minimally MeetsExpectations

Meets Expectations

ExceedsExpectations

Specific Trends:38% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS33% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES41% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

Current Data for Goal 1 cont…

Provincial Examinations Trends over Time

English 10 – School/Exam Blended Final Mark (C+ or Better) “… No Change from 72% in 2006/07 to 72% in 2007/08 …”

English 10 – School vs. District Comparison “… No significant change from 66% in 2006/07 to 65% in 2007/08…”

Evidence of ChangeBASED ON COMPARISION with Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment from Semester 1 - 2008/2009 …

Target(s):

50% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS50% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making INFERENCES50% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

Evidence of Change cont…Cross-Grade Assessment

Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (Semester 2 – 2008/2009)

Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment Results from May 2009

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Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

stu

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nts Does Not Meet

Expectations

Minimally MeetsExpectations

Meets Expectations

Exceeds Expectations

Specific Trends:62% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS44% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES48% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

School Action PlanGeneral Practices:

• Regular Meetings with School Growth Plan (SGP) Committee (i.e. Group Sharing & Feedback,

• Teacher Review & Discussion of Assessment Data, Goal-setting, Action-Plan Development, and Implementation Strategies)

Specific Practices:

How have we done in incorporating meta-cognition strategies in the classroom to enhance student learning and to support literacy? *

“ … we have incorporated efforts towards addressing the new Science 10 curriculum which has a significant amount of reading on the mandatory provincial exam… we are also having students spend more time and effort (through writing) reflect on the process and results in lab work …”

“ … Some teachers are trying it out and other are not. What can be done to encourage everyone to incorporate it into their teaching? Departments could get together to draw a plan on how and when they could incorporate it. Then teachers are asked to evaluate their experience it. Maybe at Pro-D a conclusion could be made from the evaluations on who found it worked and why and in what situations it did not work…”

*Information collected at recent Pro-D staff survey – May 25, 2009

School Action Plan cont…

What will we do differently? What are some possible strategies, resources, & structures …

Employing practices from the following Pinetree staff-generated ideas/concepts:

• Meta-cognition Collation – October 1, 2008

• Literacy Activity-Responses from Staff Pro-D – April 17, 2009

Referencing practices/theory from recent research:

• Ways to Support Thinking About Learning (Sharon Jerowski)

School Action Plan cont…How will we provide for staff development and collaboration?

Pinetree Secondary Pro-D Committee - consider/plan/sponsor meaningful activities and events to support school goal SD43 Sponsored Event - Professional Network Series

How will we involve parents?Regular consultative meetings with the School Planning Council (SPC). As well, collaboration with Parent Advisory Council, Chinese-, Korean-, and Persian- parent groups.

How will we monitor and adjust our plans?

Regular Meetings with School Growth Plan (SGP) Committee (i.e. Group Sharing & Feedback, Teacher Review & Discussion of PSAR Data, Goal-setting, Action-Plan Development, and Implementation Strategies) Feedback and Group Input for staff during Pro-D days

Contributions and Credits• APL Committee members

Leslie Ikeda, Debbie Bouska, Tanya Dissegna, Sabrina Dzafic, Anna-Marie MacPherson, Ali Tootian, Cindy Campbell

• Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (PSRA) Design Team Leslie Ikeda, Sandra Loo, Anna-Marie MacPherson

• PSRA Administration and InvigilationMathematics / P.E. Department

• PSRA Student Review TeamLeslie Ikeda, Tanya Dissegna, Susan Ross

• PSRA Marking TeamLeslie Ikeda, Sandra Loo, Debb Webb, Mike Tyldesley, Sue Louie, Anna-Marie MacPherson

• District Reading Assessment ImplementationEnglish Department

• Pinetree Secondary Pro-D Committee Co-ChairsLeslie Ikeda, Yvonne Chan

• School AdministrationJohn McCullough, Jon Dingle, Jon Bruneau, Susan Ross