Three-Year Education Plan

Our Priority

Northern Lights Public Schools is committed to creating an environment of knowledgeable and supported staff members as they strive to improve the mental health and wellness of all students. This priority was established by the board after extensive consultations with students, parents and staff.

Our Definition

Mental Health is a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can learn/work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their school/community. - Based on the definition from the World Health Organization

Our Evidence of Improvement

Northern Lights students and parents complete a yearly survey that seeks to understand the mental health and wellness of students in relation to our definition. The survey is administered in the spring of each year. Results are reviewed by schools each year. Additionally, student responses to the Assurance Survey questions related to the Safe and Caring School measures are used to measure growth over time.

Our Actions

Our School Plans

As part of their improvement plans, each school in Northern Lights is implementing universal, targeted and individualized strategies to enhance support for students. These strategies align with division actions and are designed to meet the unique demographics and needs of each school.

Our Resources

NLPS currently utilizes the following in-house supports for students: Student Advocacy Counsellors, Student Services Team Coordinators, Director of Inclusive Education, Learning Consultants, and School Staff. We rely on external funding sources for the following: Successful Families, Successful Kids / Mental Health Capacity Building Team, Community Helpers Program and support from Community Agencies.

Our Results

NLPS Student Mental Health and Wellness Survey

Safe and Caring Schools Assurance Survey - Student Responses

Our Priority

Northern Lights Public Schools is committed to building a culture of numeracy, empowering
learners, teachers and leaders to collectively shift their practice, giving meaning to mathematics as they improve numeracy skills and understanding of all students. This priority was established by the board after extensive consultations with students, parents and staff.

Our Definition

Alberta Education defines numeracy as the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living.

Our Evidence of Improvement

Northern Lights students complete annual numeracy benchmark assessments using Canadian Achievement Test 4 (CAT4) and NLPS developed Common Assessments, in addition to the regular classroom assessments that occur. Results are reviewed by schools each year. Additionally, Provincial Achievement Tests and Provincial Diploma Exams are used to monitor student progress.

Our Actions

Our School Plans

As part of their improvement plans, each school in Northern Lights is implementing universal, targeted and individualized strategies to enhance support for students. These strategies align with divisional actions and are designed to meet the unique demographics and needs of each school.

Our Resources

Learning Consultants, Student Support Team Coordinators, Administrators, Teaching Staff,
Educational Assistants, Director of Learning - People Services.

Our Results

With significant gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we consider any growth or academic improvement to be a positive step in the right direction and this is reflected in our goals set for the 2022-2023 school year.

Provincial Achievement Tests (Total Enrolled)

Provincial Diploma Exams

Students who complete a diploma exam course and have a school-awarded mark are eligible for an exemption from writing the Provincial Diploma Exam. Whether or not they are registered, if they choose not to write the diploma exam, they will be granted the exemption. Excellence is defined as 80% or better.

NLPS Math Assessment (Total Writing)

Grade 1 to 3 CAT4 Average achievement is based on a stanine score of four and above from the Canadian Test Centre norm-referenced data.
Grade 7 to 9 Common assessment participation was negatively impacted by the COVID
pandemic and higher validity of the data will come from higher participation.

Student success and achievement is our primary focus and is dependent on positive working
environments, access to needed supports, and trust in those who work with students on a regular basis. To ensure the success of our students, we need to plan and assess how our students are doing compared to the province, and also from year to year. As we move forward, we will work to ensure these needs are met through a variety of strategies and assess our progress from year to year using various tools that reflect not only academic achievement but also social, mental health and wellness, and general life-skills.

Avenues for Development

Academic Achievement Grades K-9

• Use literacy, numeracy, technology, classroom management, and early learning
  coaching series to provide a focus to the instructional coaching process.
  
  
• Improve and enhance the quality of literacy and numeracy instruction, and enhance
  the use of digital learning tools and skills to improve learning opportunities for students by having Learning Consultants use selected coaching series and/or responsive coaching to work with individual teachers or groups of teachers.
  
  
• Use the Collaborative Response Model, a school-wide structure that focuses on
  identifying and meeting individual needs of students.
  
  
• Support the use of literacy programs and tools such as the Daily 5 and Fountas & Pinnell benchmark assessments and incorporate them into professional development and collaborative opportunities for teachers.
  
  
• Continue to offer full-day programming for Kindergarten students in all elementary
  schools in order to ensure a solid foundation for learners. Certificated teachers provide the required program of studies, and educational assistants with specific extension training provide the FLIGHT curriculum framework. A variety of tools and assessments such as the Early Years Evaluation (EYE) help to ensure quality and individualized programming.
  
  
• Use a Generative Dialogue process for the Central Office Leadership Team (COLT) to
  connect monthly with school administration and discuss planning, pedagogy and
  assessments in a focused and intentional manner. In the same way, embed collaborative time at the school level for discussion on topics related to student learning and achievement. This process increases focus on instructional leadership for administrators and teaching and learning for teachers.
  
  
•  Increase use of digital assistive technologies to support struggling learners.
  
  
• Use Student Support Team (SST) coordinators to facilitate collaborative meetings focused on student well-being and learning. Team members include personnel such as administrators, teachers, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, student advocacy counsellors, and other outside agencies as required.
  
  
• Continue the division’s vigorous Beginning Teacher Induction program for all teachers
  new to the division, and expand the support provided to new educational assistants.
• 
  Use of NLPS developed common curricular assessments to ensure reliable summative
  processes and to increase focus on curricular outcomes and expectations. These
  assessments were developed by cohorts of subject-alike teachers for core courses in
  Grades 7, 8 and 9.
  
  
• Use of CAT4 at the division level for students in grades 1 to 3.

Academic Achievement in Grades 10-12

• Provide Knowledge & Employability programming for high school students where
  appropriate.
  
  
• Continue to develop and encourage students to participate in dual credit programming, providing advanced standing with post-secondary institutions or industry standard certification.
  
  
• Enhance and improve non-traditional programming options for high school students.
  Examples of options being developed include a partnership with Canadian Rockies
  Public Schools to offer outdoor education programming for high school students and
  other distance learning courses.
  
  

Student Involvement, Personal Development, and Life Skills

• Enhance the Student Voice and Leadership program. This includes student voice to the Board and student voice to the Provincial Government.
  
  
• Use character/moral education programs at school sites to ensure appropriate supports and educational opportunities are in place for students.
  
  
• Ensure students are well positioned to either enter post-secondary education programs or enter the workforce, by offering academic and career counselling programs.
  
  
• Employ Student Advocacy Counsellors (SACs) at all schools to provide supports for
  students.
  
  
• Continue to support lunch/snack/breakfast programs at the division’s schools. Northern Lights Public Schools is supporting a number of full-school nutrition programs to ensure students are prepared to learn at school.
  
  
• Encourage participation in robust ‘beyond the classroom’ learning opportunities for
  students to teach them attitudes and behaviours that lead to future success in the
  workforce. These include work experience, Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP),
  culinary opportunities, Mobile Mechanics, Mobile Trades Lab, etc.
  
  
• Continue to provide addiction and mental health promotion and prevention to students and families through Success/Wellness Coaches hired using grant funding from the Mental Health Capacity Building project.
  
  
• Successful Families, Successful Kids staff work throughout the calendar year to engage students and their families, developing programming that meets the changing mental health needs of NLPS students. All NLPS students have an opportunity to interact with the menu of supports offered by this team.
  
  
• NLPS schools are implementing and improving Positive Behavior Support Programs within their school-wide student management framework.
  
  
• NLPS Community Helpers Program has been expanded to all junior and senior high
  schools in NLPS. The program provides students with the skills and knowledge to support their peers’ mental health and well being.
  
  
• Encourage students and families to take advantage of opportunities provided in
  individual communities such as the “HIVE”, which is a hub for students to access a variety of mental health services and supports outside of school hours located in Bonnyville.

Measures

In addition to CAT4, NLPS developed common assessments, and the NLPS Mental Health Survey for students, NLPS will focus on:

• Percentage of:
  
  • students who achieve acceptable and excellence standards on Grade 6 and 9
    Provincial Achievement Tests;
    
    
  • students who achieve acceptable and excellence standards on Provincial
    Diploma Examinations; 
    
    
  • students writing four or more Provincial Diploma Examinations within three years of entering Grade 10; and
    
    
  • students who complete high school within five years of entering Grade 10.

Northern Lights Public Schools is continually working to increase the success of our Indigenous students through multiple partnerships, a number of available supports and resources, and building capacity in our staff and students. We believe it is crucial to work toward understanding in our students, staff and community throughout the division to empower our students and set them up for success.

Avenues for Development

• As an act of reconciliation, and as a commitment to developing healing relationships,
  continue to develop key community partnerships and develop Education Service
  Agreements (ESA’s) with First Nations and partnerships with Métis Settlements.
  
  
• Continue to offer industry exposure opportunities for FNMI students.
  
  
• Ensure all First Nations, Metis and Inuit students have equitable access to services as part of the Inclusive Education Model. This is an essential component of reconciliation, creating an inclusive society and closing any identifiable gaps.
  
  
• Continue to provide full-time Kindergarten programming for First Nations, Metis and Inuit students to enhance early learning opportunities.
  
  
• Engage Learning Consultants to work with individual teachers or groups of teachers to improve and enhance the quality of literacy and numeracy instruction.
  
  
• Provide school-level supports for the Collaborative Response Model, a school-wide
  structure that focuses on inclusion and ensures a collaborative response to identify and meet the individual needs of First Nations, Metis and Inuit students.
  
  
• Support the use of literacy programs and tools such as the Daily 5 and Fountas & Pinnell benchmark assessments and incorporate them into professional development and collaborative opportunities for teachers.
  
  
• Provide resources such as Literacy Seed Kits for all schools to increase the visibility of First Nations, Metis and Inuit culture to students.
  
  
• Place academic counsellors in all high schools and develop a model to support First
  Nations, Metis and Inuit students from grades 9 to 12.
  
  
• Use a Generative Dialogue process for the Central Office Leadership Team (COLT) to
  connect monthly with school administration and discuss planning, pedagogy and
  assessments in a focused and intentional manner. In the same way, embed collaborative time at the school level for discussion on topics related to student learning and achievement. This process includes an increased focus on teaching and learning. These conversations include First Nations, Metis and Inuit related topics.
  
  
• Student Support Teams (SST) include educators as learning coaches to assist staff in
  implementing a variety of strategies to ensure success for all First Nations, Metis and Inuit students.
  
  
• Support the development and implementation of transition programs to assist First
  Nations, Metis and Inuit students as they transition from school to school.
  
  
• Support administrators and teachers in developing and applying foundational
  knowledge and understanding about First Nations, Metis and Inuit for the benefit of all students. This includes working to ensure all staff meet the related Teaching and
  Leadership Quality Standards, while also recognizing that these understandings are
  essential to long-term reconciliation.
  
  
• Facilitate an Indigenous Student Voice program for students across the division, fostering youth engagement and creating a dialogue with students focused on learning together.
  
  
• Continue to provide counseling support to Indigenous students.

Measures

• Percentage of:
  
  • self-identified First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students who achieve acceptable and excellence standards on Grade 6 and 9 Provincial Achievement Tests;
    
    
  • self-identified First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students who achieve acceptable and excellence standards on diploma examinations;
    
    
  • self-identified First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students writing four or more diploma examinations within five years of entering Grade 10; and
    
    
  • self-identified First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students who complete high school
    within five years of entering grade 10.

Through the ongoing development of our teachers, support staff, and division leaders we reflect our belief of life-long learning for students and ensure we have well-developed staff to lead our students in the classroom, and as they move forward through to graduation.

Avenues for Development

• Continue to share the Mobile Trades Lab with different schools to provide additional
  learning opportunities.
  
  
• Continue to pursue partnerships with industry and agencies to provide additional
  programming for students. Examples are the First Nations, Metis and Inuit Trades Carnival, and Youth Achievement Program.
  
  
• Continue to support opportunities for administrators and teachers to pursue their Masters in Education degrees through a cohort model.
  
  
• Create opportunities for division-wide and cross-division collaboration for Career and
  Technology (CTS) teachers. Partnerships with post-secondary institutions help to increase the skill sets of CTS teachers to enhance and broaden programming opportunities for students.
  
  
• Continue to support and promote French Immersion Programming in one of our
  communities.
  
  
• Northern Lights Public Schools administrators will investigate how to integrate Mental
  Health Literacy in our schools and classrooms, building on the training staff received on Mental Health Literacy utilizing the Go To Educator.
  
  
• Implementation of the new curriculum will require time and efforts of our Kindergarten to Grade 6 staff. NLPS will offer a variety of training and networking opportunities facilitated through agencies such as Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC) and the Alberta Assessment Consortia (AAC) as well as NLPS Learning Consultants. These sessions will be a key topic for professional development days in the 2022-2023 school year.
  
  
• Continue to offer Division Wide PD Days in the NLPS annual calendar.

Measures

• Percentage of:
  • teachers who agree that teachers are prepared for teaching on Assurance
    Survey;
    
    
  • students and parents who agree that students are engaged in their learning at
    school on Assurance Survey;
    
    
  • students, parents, and teachers who agree that students feel like they belong
    and are supported to be successful in their learning on Assurance Survey;
    
    
  • students, parents, and teachers, who are satisfied with the opportunity of students to receive a solid grounding in core subjects; and
    
    
  • students, parents, and teachers who are satisfied with the opportunity of students to receive a quality education on Assurance Survey.

The Board of Trustees and division office administration strive to be responsive to stakeholders. Multiple opportunities are provided to consult, collaborate and, where possible, allow for decision-making opportunities to be available to stakeholders.

Avenues for Development

• Actively support School Councils in all schools.
  
  
• Continue to support community engagement and strategic planning to develop
  improvement priorities for the division to pursue.
  
  
• Support the use of redesigned templates for school-based education plans that better
  correspond with new division priorities. This includes more specificity around goals and an increased expectation to gather evidence that indicates success of the plans.
  
  
• Re-engage the opportunity for school principals to meet and explain their school plans with each other and with members of the Board of Trustees in a large group setting.
  
  
• Use a Generative Dialogue process for the Central Office Leadership Team (COLT) to
  connect monthly with school administration and discuss planning, pedagogy and
  assessments in a focused and intentional manner. In the same way, embed collaborative time at the school level for discussion on topics related to student learning and achievement. This process increases focus on instructional leadership for administrators and teaching and learning for teachers.

Measures

• Percentage of:
  
  • students, parents, and teachers who are satisfied that school provides a safe,
    caring, and healthy learning environment on Assurance Survey;
    
    
  • students, parents, and teachers who are satisfied with the quality of K-12
    education on Assurance Survey; and
    
    
  • parents and teachers who are satisfied that students demonstrate attitudes, skills, knowledge, and behaviours to be successful when they finish school on
    Assurance Survey.