School Growth 2009-2010
Burnaby School District
School Plan
for
Moscrop Secondary School
2009-10
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Moscrop Secondary School is committed to the success of each student. We are with each student all the way to graduation. Moscrop Secondary School is committed to continuous improvement.
Mission Statement: Moscrop Secondary School is committed to the development of excellence in intellectual, aesthetic, physical and social skills. We strive to provide an enriched learning environment that incorporates instruction in both English and French. At Moscrop, we believe that each member of the school community is important; therefore, our goal is to develop self-worth, understanding, and acceptance of different life-styles, beliefs and abilities.
Goals: To improve the reading skills of a targeted group of struggling grade 8 readers. To identify and engage a group of students who are at risk and have minimal connections to the school.. |
1. School Community Context
Moscrop Secondary School is a positive and inclusive school community. Parental involvement, student leadership and teacher leadership are important dimensions of Moscrop. Moscrop students are well-rounded individuals with a multitude of skills, strengths and interests. Our school community consists of a blend of established Burnaby families and families who are new to Canada. More than half of our students have first languages that are not English. Fifty-four different first languages are represented at Moscrop.
Moscrop students perform at a high standard in academic achievement and above average in Provincial Examinations. Graduation rates are above the provincial average. Graduates earn a wide range of provincial, national and international awards and scholarships. In recent years, an increasing number of students chose apprenticeship and vocational options in completing their Graduation Program.
Moscrop's entire school community is committed to offering a wide range of special events which enhance Moscrop's positive and inclusive school community. Global and community awareness is demonstrated through student involvement in many service projects. Student leadership is an important aspect of the culture of our school. Students at Moscrop are given numerous opportunities to have a voice in their school. The Moscrop school community employs a restorative justice model as the preferred method for resolving issues.
2. School Community Involvement
Discussions related to School Growth Plan occur on a monthly basis. The School Planning Committee meets to discuss the School Plan, review student achievement information, and bring forward new ideas. The School Plan is influenced by two committees in the school - the Literacy Committee and the Social Responsibility Committee. Staff members are involved through monthly Department Meetings, monthly Staff Meetings, and through our annual School Planning time. School Planning Council members report progress and collect feedback at monthly Parent Advisory Council meetings.
The School Plan is included in the Staff handbook and reviewed with teachers. The parent community at large is informed of the School Growth Plan publication on the school website. Regular updates are provided through staff and student bulletins, the School Newsletter, list serve messages, in staff meetings, in Department Head meetings, PAC Meetings, and Staff Committee Meetings.
3. District and School Connection
The District Performance Plan and the School Growth Plan are aligned. The school also benefits from the coherence of plans through the regular discussion of the District Goals at various levels of district meetings such as the Burnaby Leadership Team meetings, Secondary Principal meetings, Zonal meetings, and District Department Head meetings. Resources developed by the School District such as monthly newsletters on Social Responsibility and Literacy create not only a sharing of best practice, but also a network of staff interested in pursuing similar initiatives.
4. Summary of Progress
Goal 1:
To improve the reading skills of a targeted group of struggling grade 8 readers.
Rationale:
We strongly believe that reading skills are the cornerstone to students' success in all areas Although we will continue to promote literacy in our students on a general level, we believe that addressing literacy issues with a specific group of struggling Grade 8 students will greatly increase the general skills that these students will require throughout their secondary school careers and improve their overall life chances.
Goal 2:
To identify and engage a group of students who are at risk and have minimal connections to the school.
Rationale:
One of the strengths of Moscrop is that it is a close-knit community. Staff, students, and parents work together to maintain and enhance the culture of the school.. The positive involvement of each student in the Moscrop School Community contributes to a greater likelihood of each student's engagement in learning activities. Thus, we would like to build on this success by implementing a teacher/student partnership program that specifically targets those students who have not, as of yet, responded to our efforts to include them in the community.
Strategies, Structures & Resources
Goal #1: To assess struggling grade 8 readers and provide them with specific intervention strategies.
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- Work with LSS Dept. to track specific students that have been identified through articulation meetings, team meetings, and/or diagnostic testing
- Fall Gr. 8 Reading Assessment - identify and target the 30 lowest readers
- 2 designated Literacy Blocks
- Literacy teachers to assess and monitor the identified struggling readers
- Literacy teachers to receive Reading Recovery Training and work one on one with students; start with beginning/basic language development and work to improve comprehension skills
- Literacy teachers to attend and track reports of student performance at Gr. 8 Teacher meetings.
Reading Recovery
- Our goal is to reduce the number of grade 8 students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write, and reduce the length of time they require academic support classes
- Literacy Teachers will select the lowest-achieving grade 8 students who are not catching on to the complex set of concepts that make reading and writing possible.
- Literacy Teachers, specifically trained in Reading Recovery, will work with individual students for a half-hour lesson every other day for 12 to 20 weeks.
- These struggling grade 8 students will miss one rotation (approx. 12 weeks) of their Applied Skills Course.
- We are determined to get students "on the road" to Literacy. We plan to specifically track the progress of 7- 10 students. These students will be closely monitored and their success will be assessed in comparison to their initial pre-test.
- We will also continue to track and monitor these students as they move on to higher reading and grade levels (academic achievement, Provincial Exams, diagnostic information from the LSS Dept.)
- The work being done to meet the needs of each learner "not yet meeting" and "minimally meeting" reading and writing expectations will continue (The gr. 8 Reading Assessments, staff evaluation of the Fall Assessment, shared strategies - staff meetings, letter trays, Pro D workshop, F. Brownlie's Literacy Leadership Academy, and Literacy Committee initiatives)
Structures and Resources
Literacy Committee
2 Literacy Development Blocks
District Secondary Literacy Group,
Professional Development Committee
Students' Council
Parent Advisory Council
The Prowler Student Newspaper
Department Head Committee
Administrative Team
School-wide Literacy Assessment for Grade 8 Students October (pre-test) and May (post-test)
Faye Brownlie sessions and resources
The Writer's Workshop for Secondary Teachers
Mock Examinations for English 10 and English 12
Provincial Examinations for English 10 and English 12 (data resources
Goal #2: To identify and engage a group of students who are at risk and have minimal connections to the school.
Identification
- Identification will take place in June and re-examined in September. It will be based on attendance and administration, teacher and counselor recommendations.
Intervention
- Students will be asked to select names from a list of teacher volunteers those staff members that they have a connection with and would feel comfortable being supported by.
- Students will be matched with staff.
- Staff members will set a limit of how many students they would be willing to work with.
- The supporting teacher will:
Receive a bi-weekly attendance printout from the office.
Receive frequent updates as to student's work habits, missed assignments, etc.
Meet with the student and school resources (eg. mentors, counselors, clubs, etc).
Provide opportunities/awareness/encouragement for student to get involved ("connected") in relevant school activities (intramurals, clubs, arts, leadership, mentoring, etc).
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Course: |
Work habits |
Current Mark |
Missed Assignments |
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G S N |
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G S N |
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Structures and Resources
Social Responsibility Committee
Mentorship Program
Burnaby Social Responsibility Committee
Parent Advisory Council
Professional Development Committee
Administrative Team
Students' Council
Student Leadership Classes
Student Clubs and Intramurals
Appendix: Goal 1
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Objectives |
Performance Indicators |
Results for 2008-9 |
Performance Targets for 2009-10 |
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To specifically target struggling grade 8 readers for specific reading interventions |
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This is a new goal for the 2009-10 school year. |
An improvement of two reading levels for each of the students who go through the intensive support program based on the Reading Recovery Program pre and post tests. A significant improvement on the Spring school-based reading assessment results for those students who took part in the Reading Recovery Program. |
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To continue to foster the culture of literacy at Moscrop |
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The promotion of basic literacy skills and the encouragement of our students to read for information and for pleasure is an on-going goal, but will no longer be a primary focus. |
Continued student and staff participation in activities that promote literacy |
Appendix: Goal 2
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Objectives |
Performance Indicators |
Results for 2008-9 |
Performance Targets for 2009-10 |
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To identify and engage a specific group of at-risk students |
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This is a new goal for the 2009-10 year. |
Over two years, students will attend 80% of their classes Identified students will pass 80% of their classes and receive work habits of s or g on formal report cards Identified students will describe themselves as feeling an increased connection to Moscrop |
Submitted By School Planning Council:
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Name |
Signature |
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School Principal
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Victoria Lee |
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Parent Representative
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Kathy Matak, Chair |
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Parent Representative
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Catherine Derobert |
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Parent Representative
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Nicole Geyer |
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Student Representative
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Leslie Martin |
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Student Representative
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Leanna Su |
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School Board and School District Approval:
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Name |
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Board Chair
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Diana Mumford |
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Superintendent of Schools
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Claudio Morelli |
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