Annual Education Results Report

In January/February each year, Alberta Education surveys students, parents and teachers in grades 4, 7 and 10 to determine their satisfaction in seven different areas:

• Safe and Caring
• Program of Studies
• Education Quality
• Work Preparation
• Citizenship
• Parental Involvement
• School Improvement

Survey results are included as measures in the division's Accountability Pillar, which is included in our Annual Education Results Report (AERR). The Accountability Pillar also includes data on drop out rates, high school completion rates, Provincial Achievement Test and Provincial Diploma Exam results, Rutherford Scholarship eligibility, and post-secondary transition rates. 

For 2019-2020 data for some measures was not available due to the cancellation of Provincial Achievement Tests and Provincial Diploma Exams.

Over the last five years (2014-2015 to 2019-2020), Northern Lights Public Schools has improved in 10 of the 12 measures that were updated in this year's accountability pillar.

Here are some of this year's highlights:

• High Achievement in Education Quality -  88.6% of parents, students and teachers are satisfied with the overall quality of basic education and quality of teaching at their school.
  
  
• High Achievement in Parent Involvement - 82% of parents and teachers are satisfied with parental involvement in decisions about their child's education. 
  
  
• High Achievement in Work Preparation - 81.4% of parents and teachers agree that student are taught attitudes and behaviours that will make them successful at work when they finish school. 
  

You can learn more about how Alberta Education collects the data for the Accountability Pillar and what it is used for on the Alberta Education website.

Unfortunately, Provincial Achievement Tests and Provincial Diploma Examination results are not available due to the cancellation of these assessments. Nonetheless, student success remained a focus in 2019-2020.

Prior to the cancellations of classes key system strategies were in various stages of implementation. These strategies included literacy, numeracy, technology, classroom management and early learning coaching series delivered by Learning Consultants, utilizing the Collaborative Response Model, continuing with the Generative Dialogue process that facilitates structured improvement related conversations between the Central Office Leadership Team (COLT) and school administrators, and utilizing commonly developed curricular assessments in core courses with students in grades 7 to 9. These and other key strategies are increasing the opportunities for every student to be successful.

Other results related to Outcome One are also available. The High School Completion Rate, the Drop Out Rate and the Percentage of Students Eligible for the Rutherford Scholarship all exceeded the targets set for 2020. Students in Northern Lights Public Schools continue to experience success in their educational journey.

The Accountability Pillar measures have seen increases in the past several years. In 2020 the results were mixed, with an increase in some areas, and decrease in others. These results do not include the Provincial Achievement Test or Diploma Exam results as they were not administered due to the pandemic.

More specifically, First Nations, and Inuit students continue to have results better than the provincial average in the areas of High School Completion and the High School to Post-Secondary Transition Rate. Many of the key strategies identified in Goal One also impacted results in this area.

Additional strategies include ensuring that all FNMI students have access to equal services as part of the Inclusive Education model, extending Regional Collaborative Service Delivery to students attending FNMI schools, using the Innovation in First Nations Education Grant to ensure improved success of our First Nations students, providing resources such as Literacy Seed Kits to all schools to enhance the connections between resources and FNMI students, and continuing to develop key community partnerships, Education Service Agreements (ESA’s) with First Nations, and positive relationships with Métis Settlements. High schools are actively providing support for FNMI students related to High School Completion.

While some of the key strategies were interrupted due to the pandemic, ensuring success for First Nation, Métis and Inuit student in Northern Lights Public Schools remain a priority.

The Accountability Pillar indicates that the Division maintained in this area. 79.0% of respondents were satisfied with the Program of Studies, which is consistent with the previous Three-Year Average.

Prior to the pandemic key strategies continued to be the use of a Mobile Trades Lab, accessing industry and agency partnerships to pursue programming such as the Youth Achievement Program (YAP), and the facilitation of division-wide collaboration for Career and Technology Studies (CTS) teachers.

Other factors included the Central Office Leadership Team (COLT) practice of scheduling time in schools to use a Generative Dialogue process to discuss teaching, learning, and improved achievement for students. A few other key strategies, such as the Division STEAM Challenge, were not implemented due to the pandemic.

Parents, students and staff indicated on the Accountability Pillar a slight improvement with the measures of Overall Education Quality and Parental Involvement, and a minimal decrease on the School Improvement in Northern Lights Public Schools. All three measures are indicated as high in the achievement category of the Accountability Pillar.

The factors leading to this improvement continue to be many and diverse, but certainly the impact of the centralized inclusive education model cannot be overlooked. Diverse learners have benefitted from improved support. Improved communication, engagement and partnerships, and a focus on creating a welcoming environment for all learners are also accomplishments that have benefitted students.

Additionally, an increased focus on the Board approved priorities of Numeracy and Mental Health & Wellness is likely contributing to the high achievement on these three measures.

Prior to the cancellation of classes, Northern Light Public Schools witnessed a strong start to implementing key strategies to improve the Numeracy Skills and the Mental Health & Wellness of students. It started with collectively defining Mental Health & Wellness as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can learn/work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her school/community (based on the definition from The World Health Organization).

Planned key strategies were categorized into Universal, Targeted and Individualized. Some of these actions included schools enhancing the welcoming practices for all students, developing a menu of supports to build staff capacity, the Wonder Project, creating training session for staff titled Heads Up 101, hosting a Poverty Simulation event for staff, enhancing the use of Student Advocacy Counsellors (SAC’s), and further utilizing the Community Helpers Program.

Schools aligned their plans with this priority, and looked at implementing not only these actions but also additional actions based on specific school needs. The various strategies and actions were in different stages of implementation when classes were cancelled in March.

At that time not only did staff quickly and effectively change their instructional practices to facilitate remote learning opportunities for students, they also adapted, modified, and added to the strategies to support the Mental Health & Wellness of students. This included actions such as:

• The grant-funded Successful Families Successful Kids (SFSK) team implemented a virtual Menu of Supports for students, families and staff.
  
  
• Communications supported the creation of a web page devoted to Mental Health and Wellness. As well, messages called Wellness Wednesdays were sent out on a weekly basis to connect with and support families. This required collaboration among a variety of partners and staff. The website and weekly messages focused on supports needed due to COVID related needs.
  
  
• Student Advocacy Counsellors utilized a virtual platform to facilitate digital counselling opportunities.
  
  
• The Community Helpers Program continued to assist students as they supported each other.
  
  
• Schools continued with the implementation of some of the strategies as outlined on their school plans.
  
  
• Division and School staff deliberately focused on the Connection component of Mental Health and Wellness.
  
  
• A strategic year long schedule was developed with a theme per month for the division that facilitates focused activities by counsellors, partners, schools and communications. For example, September of 2020 is kindness month.
  
  
• The need for mental health and wellness staff such as the SFSK team and the manager of SAC’s and Community Supports became much more evident during this challenging time.
  
  
• Support documents were inserted into the Food For Thought hampers delivered to students/families in need on a weekly basis.

And finally, a key measure to determine progress toward the goal was a Student Wellness Survey. Due to students not being at school it was not possible to administer the survey in a reliable, valid manner. Barring further complications due to the pandemic, plans are in place to administer the survey for baseline purposes in May of 2021.

In much the same way as the first priority, actions were undertaken to implement the various strategies prior to the cancellation of classes. Numeracy was collectively defined as the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living (Alberta Education).

Strategies were organized into categories of universal (whole school strategies), targeted (classroom math instruction and practice) and individualized (specialized supports and interventions). Some of these strategies included building a culture of numeracy in schools, supporting numeracy across the content areas, building capacity in school principals as supervisors and leaders in numeracy, utilizing Learning Consultants to support teachers through Numeracy Series and Tools for Teachers Series, and supporting the analysis of student assessment/learning.

Following the cancellation of classes in March, the following actions were implemented or continued:

• Administration Numeracy cohort continued, building capacity and establishing a framework to further share their learning with admin council.
  
  
• Schools continued the implementation of some of the strategies outlined on their school plans.
  
  
• The selection of a norm-referenced assessment and utilization was planned for the spring of 2020. This was put on hold as we were not able to function out the training for staff, and required students to be in attendance in order to complete the assessments. This will be utilized for the first time in the spring of 2021.
  
  
• Continued the ongoing discussions with the University of Alberta to design and build a Numeracy Academy for our teaching staff.

And finally, the plan to develop and administer an annual numeracy benchmark assessment was interrupted due to the pandemic. Additionally, plans to utilize Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Examinations were not possible due to the cancellation of these provincial assessments.