Pinetree Secondary SchoolSchool District #43

Action Plan for Learning

Secondary School Level

June 2010

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

Students will improve their literacy skills by focusing on reading.

School and Community Context

• Athletic programs and coaches among the best in the province. Congratulations to the Senior Badminton Team on their Provincial Championship for the 2009/2010 school year!

• Honours /Advanced Placement opportunities and large number of exciting elective programs with a full set of Fine Arts / Technology courses

• 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

Overall Trends Over Recent Years …

% of Grade 12 Students Eligible to Graduate who Graduate from 98% (2004/05) to 95% (2008/09)

% of First-Time Grade 12 Students who Graduate from 85% (2004/05) to 82% (2008/09)

Pinetee Secondary SchoolElligible Grade 12 Grad Rate

[Souce: M inis try of Education]

80

85

90

95

100

2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

% o

f S

tud

en

ts

All Students

Female

Male

Pine tree Secondary SchoolFirst-Time Grade 12 Graduation Rate

[Source: Ministry of Education]

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

% o

f S

tud

en

ts

All Students

Female

Male

Graduation and TransitionRates cont …

Trends Over Recent Years …[Source: Ministry of Education]

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)

** Note – Data for 2008/2009 is currently unavailable.

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

Participation rate: 48%

Current Data for Goal 1Classroom Assessments Based on

Teacher Judgment*Grade 9 English Classes - Semester 2 (2009-2010)

# at each level

Not Yet Meeting

Meets (Minimal Level)

Fully Meeting

Exceeding

All Students 5 56 84 49

Female 2 11 29 25

Male 3 37 44 15

Aboriginal MSK MSK MSK MSK

ESL 4 6 5 7

n=194; Aboriginal n=3; ESL n=9 Note: All Students includes ESL and Aboriginal students

*Using “Reading” as Criteria

Participation rate: 57%

Current Data for Goal 1 cont…

School-Based AssessmentReport Card Marks (End Reporting Period - April 2010**)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

A B C+ C+ C- F

Letter Grade

% o

f S

tud

ents

** NOTE -- Sem 1 (2009/2010) and Sem 2 (2009/2010) marks obtained from BCESIS

Current Data for Goal 1 cont…Cross-Grade Assessment

Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (Semester 1 – 2009/2010)

Specific Trends:53% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS37% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES25% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

Pinetree Secondary Reading AssessmentResults from October 2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

stu

den

ts

Does Not Meet

Minimally Meets

Fully Meets

Exceeds Expectations

Current Data for Goal 1 cont…

Provincial Examinations Trends over Time

English 10 – School/Exam Blended Final Mark (C+ or Better) “… Decrease from 72% in 2007/08 to 70% in 2008/09 …”

English 10 –District Data Comparison “… No significant change from 66% in 2007/08 to 65% in 2008/09…”

Evidence of ChangeBASED ON COMPARISION with Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment from Semester 1 - 2009/2010 …

Target(s):

60% 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 – 2009/2010)

Specific Trends:60% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS66% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES57% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

Pinetree Secondary Reading AssessmentResults from May 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

stu

den

ts

Does Not Meet

Minimally Meets

Fully Meets

Exceeds Expectations

Evidence of Change cont…Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment

Results from October 2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

stu

den

ts

Does Not Meet

Minimally Meets

Fully Meets

Exceeds Expectations

Pinetree Secondary Reading AssessmentResults from May 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Summarizing Inferencing Analyzing

% o

f G

r. 9

stu

den

ts

Does Not Meet

Minimally Meets

Fully Meets

Exceeds Expectations

Compare/Contrast

Summarizing From 44% to 50% for “Fully Meets”

GOAL - “60% Fully Meets/Exceeds”

Inferencing From 31% to 47% for “Fully Meets” From 6 % to 19% for “Exceeds”

GOAL - “50% Fully Meets/Exceeds”

Analyzing From 22% to 39% for “Fully Meets”

From 3 % to 18% for “Exceeds”

GOAL - “50% Fully Meets/Exceeds”

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 enhanced student learning and supported literacy in the classroom? *

“ … Students lack an overall background in current events and business related news which impacts knowledge of business acumen and vocabulary … to improve upon this, we had students read and interpret current news articles while class discussion focuses around topical business related news … students have also been expected to apply classroom theory to real life case studies and communicate their thoughts and ideas verbally and through written material …

Debbie Lange, Business Education Program Facilitator

“ …While the Learning Centre does not have a specific curriculum as do other departments, we do focus on literacy …. there is an emphasis on strategies to improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, proofreading and editing skills …. setting expectations for increased skills and quality work should translate into increased performance on ministry assessments … ultimately, we hope to have produced students with well-developed literacy skills, confidence and independence for future learning …”

Debra Webb, LRC Program Facilitator

*Information collected from recent staff survey – March 17, 2010

School Action Plan cont…How have we enhanced student learning and supported literacy on a school-wide level?

Literacy Enhancement Activity #1PACK teachers work with Gr. 9 students by providing a learning environment to read, discuss, and respond to a selected current-issues article. Questions were designed using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a frame of reference.

School Action Plan cont…How have we enhanced student learning and supported literacy on a school-wide level?

PACK teachers work with Gr. 9 students by providing first an opportunity to read a selected current-issues article.

Students are directed to review various “mock-responses” to questions posed in reference to the article. Note that each response has been identified, assessed, and categorized as either FULLY MEETS- or EXCEEDS- EXPECTATIONS at the Gr. 9 Level.

Literacy Enhancement Activity #2

Questions (based on a ‘compare/contrast’ format) are presented at the end of the article. Students are to address these questions either orally or in written form.

School Action Plan cont…

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

Employing practices from staff-generated ideas/concepts:

• As a staff, revisit APL concept so school goals/structure more effectively dovetails with district vision of LITERACY.

• Establish year-long calendar and aim to have literacy-based activities planned ahead and known to entire staff.

• Make literacy “fun” – setup short/snappy activities in PACK.

• Promote literacy at all levels – “Drop Everything & Read” in PACK or on days without events/activities

• Assessment topics tied to topics in HCE 9 curriculum

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(i.e. consider/plan/sponsor activities and events to support school goal) SD43 Sponsored Events(i.e. School-Based Learning Team / 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 PSRA Data, Goal-setting, Action-Plan Development, and Implementation Strategies) Feedback and Group Input for staff during Pro-D days and General Staff Meetings

Contributions and Credits• APL Committee / Consultation Group

Leslie Ikeda, Debbie Bouska, Sue Louie, Parm Thiara, Elisa Lam,Mike Tyldesley, Serene Lau, Sandra Loo, Sue Louie

• School Leadership Contributory MembersProgram Facilitators / Department Heads

• Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (PSRA) Design Team Debbie Bouska, Leslie Ikeda, Sue Louie

• PSRA Administration and InvigilationMathematics- and Physical Education- Department

• Literacy Enhancement Activity Design Debbie Bouska

• Implementation of District-Wide Reading Assessment English Department

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

• School AdministrationJohn McCullough, Jon Dingle, Jon Bruneau