Chinook learning report shows positive student reading results
The latest reading results for three different grade levels in the Chinook School Division show an overall positive trend and higher scores than the provincial average.
Superintendent of Learning Courtney Lawrance presented the learning accountability report during a regular Chinook Board of Education meeting, Nov. 6.
The presentation provided details about the 2022-23 reading results for Grade 1-3 and data results for Grade 10 credit attainment, average final marks and graduation rates. She also discussed the school division’s mental health and well-being plan.
“We have very strong achievement in terms of our early years for reading significantly above the province,” she said after the meeting. “Overall, our reading data is very strong and if you have a strong foundation in the primary grades, it translates to stronger achievement all the way up to high school.”
Grade 1 results indicate that 72.4 per cent of students are reading at or above grade level, which is 8.2 per cent higher than the provincial average.
For Grade 2 the results show that 73.3 per cent are reading at or above grade level, which is 5.4 per cent higher than the provincial average.
The Grade 3 results indicate that 76.1 per cent of students are reading at or above grade level. This is 6.1 per cent higher than the provincial average.
The data also includes the specific reading results for First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students in the school division. It shows that the results for
Grade 1 students are 21.3 per cent lower than the provincial average, but for Grade 2 and 3 the FNMI reading results in Chinook are respectively 17.3 per cent and 11.6 per cent higher than the provincial average.
The overall Grade 1-3 reading results for Chinook students is still not on the same level than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawrance felt it is partly due to the disruptive impact of the pandemic on regular learning, but another factor might be the more challenging fiscal environment.
“School divisions are in a difficult spot,” she said. “We’re facing an unprecedented time where kids have been impacted by the pandemic, but at the same time our dollars are shrinking in terms of inflation.”
However, she noted that the 2022-23 reading results are still excellent and the school division has a lot to be proud of. “Even with the hard choices we’ve had to make, we’ve made them strategically so our kids are not suffering,” she said. “But we want to get back up to where we were pre-pandemic, because we know if we’re even higher in terms of achievement, it means we’ll have more kids graduate on time.”
She mentioned that the Chinook approach
to literacy and the provision of targeted support played a significant role in the overall reading outcomes for Grade 1-3 on a level higher than the provincial average.
“Our approach that focuses on balanced literacy is a big key to success, because we focus on the reading, the writing, and the word work,” she said. “Kids are getting a complete picture of the skills that they need to be successful, not only in reading, but also just in terms of literacy overall. Our guided coaching approach where we work directly in the classrooms with teachers, especially our new teachers, makes a huge difference. … It’s a model that not many divisions are able to follow anymore, just as resources become tighter, but the investment that you put into that really shows the results on the other end.”
The supports for teachers in literacy and math include ongoing coaching, school-based intervention plans and the purchase of relevant resources to support interventions.
There were literacy and/or math interventions for 732 students in 2022-23 and overall this helped 90 per cent of students to experience growth. There were literacy interventions for 548 students that resulted in 92 per cent experiencing growth. Math interventions were provided for 184 students and 86 per cent experienced growth.
The approach of intervention supports have a positive impact on the outcomes for higher grade levels. Chinook’s overall credit attainment for Grade 10 students in 2022-23 was 3.8 per cent higher than the provincial average. However, the FNMI credit attainment results decreased year over year by 39.7 per cent compared to a previous increase of 22.6 per cent. The reason for this anomaly in FNMI results is not clear and will be monitored.
The average final marks for Chinook students were higher than the provincial average in 2022-23 for most courses, except Math Foundations and Pre-calculus 10.
The overall graduation rates for Chinook students were higher than the provincial average. Chinook’s three-year graduation rate was 86 per cent compared to 79 per cent for the province. The five-year graduation rate for Chinook was 91 per cent compared to 86 per cent for the province.
Chinook’s three-year graduation rate for FNMI students were higher than the provincial average at 60 per cent compared to 48 per cent. However, Chinook’s five-year graduation rate for FNMI students was still lower at 47 per cent compared to 62 per cent for the province.
All Chinook schools had a mental health and well-being plan for 2022-23. Professional development in mental health was provided to staff to enable them to identify students at risk. There is ongoing staff training in mental health first aid and at least one person at each school site has been trained. A mental health wellness course was offered across the division through the Chinook Cyber School.
A key focus for Chinook was to create a sense of belonging in schools as a way to improve the mental health and well-being of students and to have more family engagement.
“If you create a positive sense of belonging, then kids are more likely to attend school,” Lawrance said. “It tends to open up opportunities for extracurricular. They tend to do better academically.”
The Ourschool survey showed an increase of two per cent in Chinook students at the elementary level who have a positive sense of belonging. This feeling of belonging remained stable at the secondary level. Overall, the sense of belonging among Chinook students is now on the same level as the Canadian average, but previously it was below average.
Board leadership remains the same after organizational meeting:
An organizational meeting was held for the Chinook Board of Education on Nov. 6. Kimberly Pridmore was elected by acclamation to continue as board chair. She has been a trustee for Subdivision 5 (Consul and Maple Creek area) since 2016. Dianne Hahn was re-elected to serve another year as vice-chair, but a vote was required after fellow trustee Ken Duncalfe was also nominated as a candidate for this role. Hahn has been a trustee for Subdivision 8 (Swift Current) since 2016.
The board’s 2023-24 standing committees for finance, facilities and transportation will be committees of the whole.
Trustee appointments were made to several 2023-24 external committees. The appointees are Tim Ramage (Saskatchewan School Boards Association and Public Board Section), Ken Duncalfe (South West Athletics Council) and Gwen Humphrey (Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency).