1 Pinetree Secondary School School District #43 Action Plan for Learning Secondary School Level June 2013

2 Pinetree Secondary School 3000 Pinewood Avenue, Coquitlam, BC MISSION STATEMENT Working 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.

3 Goal #1 Reading Comprehension Students will improve their literacy skills by focusing on reading.

4 School and Community Context Pinetree students continue their strong tradition of excellence on Regional, Provincial, National, and International Mathematics Contests! CNML – Provincial Champions (2 nd in Canada), ASMA (JR) – National Champions, ASMA (SR) – National Champions, BC Secondary Schools Contest – Regional Champions, Waterloos Cayley / Fermat / Euclid Contests – Zone Champions, Pascal Contest – National Champions 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.

5 Community Partnerships and Parent Involvement Pinetree 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.

6 Graduation and Transition Rates Overall Trends Over Recent Years … % of Grade 12 Students Eligible to Graduate who Graduate Steady from 94% (2007/08) to 94% (2011/12) % of First-Time Grade 12 Students who Graduate Increase from 78% (2007/08) to 86% (2011/12)

7 Graduation and Transition Rates cont … Trends Over Recent Years … [Source: Ministry of Education] Aboriginal Students % of Grade 12 Students Eligible to Graduate Who Graduate No Change from 100% (2003/04) to 100% (2007/08) % of First-Time Grade 12 Students who Graduate Decrease from 89% (2003/04) to 86% (2007/08) ** Note – Data for 2012/2013 is currently unavailable.

8 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 1 There 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 Reading&id=354498

9 Current Data for Goal 1 Classroom Assessments Based on Teacher Judgment* Grade 9 English Classes - Semester 2 ( )** # at each level n=134; Aboriginal n=12; ESL n=5 Note: All Students includes ESL and Aboriginal students *Using Reading as Criteria ** Data for 2012/2013 unavailable from teachers Participation rate: 41% Not Yet Meeting Meets (Minimal Level) Fully Meeting Exceeding All Students Female Male Aboriginal 381- ESL 212-

10 Current Data for Goal 1 6 Ideas are generally engaging and fully supported; Language is varied according to topic and purpose; Word choice and sentence variety are effective; Errors are not distracting; Originality, individuality or maturity is evident. 5 Ideas are straightforward and generally supported; Some indication of using language to create a particular effect; Sentence types are varied; Conscious effort to engage the audience; Errors are not distracting. 4 Ideas are listed, or developed or supported unevenly; Language is suitable for the topic; Some variety of sentence structure and length; Errors may distract but do not impede meaning. 3 Ideas are often disconnected or broad generalizations; Vocabulary is limited or conversational; Sentences are basic or simple in structure; Errors distract and sometimes impede meaning. 2 Ideas are simplistic and underdeveloped; Vocabulary is inadequate to the task; Limited knowledge of basic sentence structure; Frequent errors obscure meaning. 1 Writing does not meet the minimum requirements of the task. 0 Writing does not attempt to address the topic or is a restatement of the topic Fall Writing District-Wide Assessment Semester 1 Report for: Pinetree Secondary School Grade 9 Writing Fall 2012 *graph includes data for 43 students

11 Current Data for Goal 1 cont… School-Based Assessment Report Card Marks (End Reporting Period - April 2013**) ** NOTE -- Sem 1 (2012/2013) and Sem 2 (2012/2013) marks obtained from BCESIS

12 Current Data for Goal 1 cont… Provincial Examinations Trends over Time English 10 – School/Exam Blended Final Mark (C+ or Better) … Decrease from 73% in 2010/11 to 71% in 2011/12 … English 10 – District Data Comparison … Increase from 69% in 2010/11 to 70% in 2011/12…

13 Current Data for Goal 1 cont… Cross-Grade Assessment Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (Semester 1 – 2012/2013) Specific Trends: 52% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS 28% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES 31% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

14 School Action Plan BASED ON COMPARISION with Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment from Semester /2012 … Targets: 60% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS 50% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making INFERENCES 50% of Gr. 9 students fully meet or exceed expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

15 School Action Plan

16 School Action Plan General 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? * "... We feel promoting/teaching literacy is very important. Our area of study lends itself well to bringing in current topical business news. This research is done through a variety of media such as: web sites, magazines, newspapers, video and other forms of media. Students are able to apply classroom theory to real life cases and communicate their thoughts and ideas verbally and through written material. Students are also given opportunities to present ideas using effective visuals. Finally, students apply business theory to real life events in the school and/or community. … Debbie Lange, Business Education Program Facilitator … We feel that promoting/teaching literacy is it is one of the key functions of a second language department … we have found that students do not necessarily understand the grammar of their own first languages when learning a second language … thus, they often confuse structures and vocabulary from their first language when learning a second language … this may be due ineffective strategies for engaging with text in their first language to transfer to using a second language … in response, we have re-taught students how to read and engage with text … additional ways our department has worked to improve literacy among our students include: (1) Second language teachers routinely work to improve students ability to engage with and comprehend text and (2) Second language teachers reinforce concepts introduced in English and ESL classes that focus on literacy … Colleen Lee, Languages Program Facilitator *Information collected from staff survey – May 24, 2013

17 School Action Plan How have we enhanced student learning and supported literacy on a school-wide level? Drop-Everything-and-Read (D.E.A.R.) School Administration in concert with PACK teachers work with Gr. 9 students by providing a learning environment to read fiction or non-fiction material during PACK classes at least twice a month.

18 School Action Plan How have we enhanced student learning and supported literacy on a school-wide level? Literacy Enhancement Activity #1 PACK teachers work with Gr. 9 students by providing a learning environment to read, discuss, and respond to a selected current-issues article from the Globe & Mail. Questions were designed to enhance students ability to make INFERENCES and conduct ANALYSIS.

19 School Action Plan How have we enhanced student learning and supported literacy on a school-wide level? Literacy Enhancement Activity #2 PACK 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 Blooms Taxonomy as a frame of reference.

20 School Action Plan 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 #3 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.

21 Evidence of Change 6 Ideas are generally engaging and fully supported; Language is varied according to topic and purpose; Word choice and sentence variety are effective; Errors are not distracting; Originality, individuality or maturity is evident. 5 Ideas are straightforward and generally supported; Some indication of using language to create a particular effect; Sentence types are varied; Conscious effort to engage the audience; Errors are not distracting. 4 Ideas are listed, or developed or supported unevenly; Language is suitable for the topic; Some variety of sentence structure and length; Errors may distract but do not impede meaning. 3 Ideas are often disconnected or broad generalizations; Vocabulary is limited or conversational; Sentences are basic or simple in structure; Errors distract and sometimes impede meaning. 2 Ideas are simplistic and underdeveloped; Vocabulary is inadequate to the task; Limited knowledge of basic sentence structure; Frequent errors obscure meaning. 1 Writing does not meet the minimum requirements of the task. 0 Writing does not attempt to address the topic or is a restatement of the topic Spring Writing District-Wide Assessment Semester 2 Report for: Pinetree Secondary School Grade 9 Writing Spring 2013 *graph includes data for 46 students

22 Evidence of Change Cross-Grade Assessment Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (Semester 2 – 2012/2013) Specific Trends: 53% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making SUMMARIZATIONS 36% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making INFERENCES 44% of Gr. 9 students fully met or exceeded expectations in terms of making CONNECTIONS

23 Evidence of Change Compare/Contrast Summarizing From 42% to 47% for Fully Meets From 10% to 6% for Exceeds GOAL - 60% Fully Meets/Exceeds Inferencing From 24% to 34% for Fully Meets From 3% to 2% for Exceeds GOAL - 50% Fully Meets/Exceeds Analyzing From 28% to 37% for Fully Meets From 2% to 7% for Exceeds GOAL - 50% Fully Meets/Exceeds

24 School Action Plan for next year … What will we do differently? What are some possible strategies, resources, & structures … Employing practices from staff-generated ideas/concepts: As a staff, assess APL progress from last 3 years with respect to whether school goals/structure have effectively dovetailed with district vision of LITERACY. Work with school administration and Pro-D committee to establish year-long calendar to have literacy-based activities planned ahead and known to entire staff. Generate grade-wide literacy activities that aim to recognize both strong student achievement and notable improvement Assessment topics strongly linked to ILOs in HCE 9 curriculum Re-apply for LIF support funding for teacher release-time for collaborative meetings, assessment-design sessions, and/or attendance at external literacy-related workshops (SEE SLIDE 24) Referencing practices/theory from recent research: Ways to Support Thinking About Learning (Sharon Jerowski)

25 School Action Plan for next year … 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

26 Contributions and Credits APL Program Facilitator George Lin APL Consultation Members Leslie Ikeda, Debbie Bouska, Sue Louie School Leadership Team Program Facilitators Pinetree Secondary Reading Assessment (PSRA) Design Debbie Bouska, Leslie Ikeda, Sue Louie PSRA Administration and Invigilation Mathematics- and Physical Education- Department Literacy Enhancement Activities Debbie Bouska, Leslie Ikeda Pinetree Secondary Pro-D Committee Co-Chairs Yvonne Chan, Rachel Armstrong School Administration John McCullough, Cheryl Woods, David Birnie, Jon Bruneau,