INNOVATION LIFTS GRADES
Exclusive report on education: Alberta high school rankings
Bishop McNally principal Deana Helton sits in the silence of an empty atrium in her well-kept, multicultural high school, taking pride in the international flags that line the colourful halls as staff pack up to end another school year.
As one of Alberta’s first high schools to do away with the traditional four-period daily schedule, Bishop McNally has recently pushed forward with a number of other innovative changes in an effort to support individual learning.
At the same time, the northeast school in the heart of Falconridge has posted marked improvements in diploma exam results and graduation rates, according to the Fraser Institute’s Report Card on Alberta’s High Schools 2016.
For instance, in 2011 the school’s average high school diploma completion, or rate of graduation within three years, was as low as 65.3 per cent. Four years later, in 2015, that number has grown to 77.4 per cent. Over the same period, average diploma exam marks were also boosted, from 56.5 per cent in 2011, to 60.4 in 2015.
“When you see these markers trending upwards it’s statistically significant. It makes you want to ask what has caused the school to improve in such a real sense,” said Peter Cowley, director for the Centre for School Performance Studies. “It’s why we do these rankings, so that schools can evaluate themselves, they can recognize change and approach that in a beneficial way.”
With the release of this year’s report card on high schools, overall Calgary rankings showed few surprises. Schools serving students from high-income, educated families scored well on diploma exams, while those in low-income areas posted lower-than-average scores.
But Cowley argues it’s more valuable to look at a school’s individual results, especially its trends across the past several years, pointing out Bishop McNally as one of the top schools in Calgary for overall improvement.
“I think it’s because we’re really focusing on students’ individual needs,” Helton says. “They’re all different in terms of their learning and we’re supporting that, and supporting them as individuals.”
Most Alberta high schools still function on a four-period daily schedule, allowing students to complete a maximum of four courses per semester. And with Grade 12 students trying to complete all the courses required for post- secondary entrance, they have little room for options, even spares. It also means students are spending 85 minutes in each class, every day, with only a few minutes to walk to another class in between.
The total amount of time in class for one course amounts to 425 minutes per week, a stark contrast to the 150 minutes per week required for most university courses.
“It’s exhausting, really, and it doesn’t allow the brain much of a break,” Helton says.
But since Alberta Education’s High School Flexibility pilot project, introduced in 2008 at Bishop McNally and 16 others across the province, more high schools are choosing a five-period, flexible schedule.
By next fall, up to 200 Alberta schools are expected to offer it.
The program allows students more time for options, tutorials, even spares. And it requires fewer weekly minutes per course.
“It doesn’t need to be about time spent in the classroom, it needs to be about being more efficient and meeting course outcomes. And we know our students and teachers are meeting those,” Helton explains.
“Kids love that fifth class. They can go to phys-ed or culinary arts ... and their brain gets a bit of a break, so they can really tackle math or physics after that.”
The school also offers flex periods every Friday, allowing students to work with teachers one-on-one on anything they feel needs improving.
Teachers are available for tutorials before and after class. And the school has introduced a rewrite policy, for students who feel they weren’t able to give a quiz or assignment their best effort.
“It’s not just about trying to get a better mark,” adds Helton.
“It’s about understanding exactly why you scored poorly, working through that, understanding it, improving it and then trying again. It’s amazing how much more students
When students are able to be involved in the non-diploma courses they really enjoy, they actually excel more in their diploma courses. It’s a much more balanced approach ... Daniel Danis, Calgary Catholic School District
learn when they can do that.”
Daniel Danis, director of instructional services for the Calgary Catholic School District, agrees. “When students are able to be involved in the non-diploma courses they really enjoy, they actually excel more in their diploma courses.
“It’s a much more balanced approach in terms of how curriculum is taught and understood.”
And with the recent reduction in diploma exam values — worth 30 per cent of the final grade instead of 50 per cent starting this past school year — education leaders hope for even better results in the future.
Jim Brandon, associate professor with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, says it’s time to start looking at more than just exams as a means of assessment.
“Teaching to prepare for an exam channels the teachers and kids in ways that are not always totally productive. For many students, it adds little value to ongoing learning and can put them at a real disadvantage.”
Chris Meaden, director of learning for the Calgary Board of Education, agrees, saying that with more focus on course material and less on diploma exam results, students’ overall learning can be more broad-ranging.
“While teachers do their best to prepare students for diplomas, it’s not the only focus they have,” she said, explaining that assessment shouldn’t be about getting tested anymore, “it’s about showing what you know.”