Superintendent of Education, Student Success

Loretta Notten

PRINCIPAL: Parwicki, Dianne

TRUSTEE: Ann Andrachuk

SCHOOL NAME:

SCHOOL ADDRESS:

SUPERINTENDENT:

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

Colleen Tovey-Shackleton

28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr Toronto ON M8V 4B7

992STUDENT ENROLMENT:

www.tcdsb.org

Catholic Edducation Cent80 Sheppard Avenue East Toronto ON M2N 6E8

Curriculum and Accountability Team

Josie Di GiovanniSuperintendent of Education,

Angela GauthierAssociate Director, Academic Services

Angela KennedyChair of the Board

Director of Education

2009 - 2010

IMPROVEMENT PLANSCHOOL LEARNING

9 - 12

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Ann Perron

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School20092010

School

(i.e., K-6 or 7-12; Literacy, Numeracy, Pathways, CCCC)

SMART Goal :

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

Focus : Literacy / 7-12

20092010School year:

Specific

Needs Assessment: Which specific area have you targeted for improvement? EQAO results on the OSSLT administeed in April 2009 indicate the following achievement: 73% of fully-participating FTE students in applied level courses passed the test. This subgroup experienced a decrease of 1% in overall success rates from the March 2008 success rate (as noted below): On the March 2008 OSSLT, 74% of fully-participating FTE applied level students were successful. The subgroup is higher than the Board April 2009 success rate: On the April 2009 OSSLT, 59% of fully-participating FTE applied level students were successful. The subgroup is higher than the Provincial April 2009 success rate: On the April 2009 OSSLT, 62% of fully-participating applied level students were successful. NOTE: "The purpose of the OSSLT is to determine whether a student has the liteacy (reading and writing) skills required to meet the standard for understanding reading selections and communicating in a variety of writing forms expected by The Ontario Curriculum across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9" (Framework: Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test). By examing OSSLT data, we will also be able to assess cross-panel and cross-curricular literacy strategies, actions, and professional learning in terms of their impact on student learning and achievement as demonstrated on the OSSLT.

To increase the pass rate for FTE Applied level students from 73% in 2008-2009 to 78% in 2009-2010, as measured through the April 2010 Grade 10 OSSLT.

Measurable

Measures of Success: Which data are you examining? Fully-participating FTE students' success rate on the OSSLT 2009 and 2008 (emphasis on fully-participating FTE applied level students' courses success rates on the OSSLT 2009 and 2008) EQAO released IIR for OSSLT 2009 and 2008 to identify target areas for TLCP and learning stragegies What are the mid-point assessment tools/data sources? Grade 10 applied mid-term and semester one final achievement in English, Science, and Social Science TLCP pre and post-assessment progress in Grades 9 and 10 Applied courses (English, Science, and Social Science) Teacher assessments of at-risk students, especially those enrolled in after-school literacy courses Monitoring of exceptional students by resource teachers How are you measuring success in your area of concern? OSSLT 2010 FTE success rates Based on IIR, understanding explicitly stated information and ideas (R1) Based on IIR, making connections between information and ideas; making inferences (R3) Based on IIR, continued focus on text-implicit understanding (R2) as demonstrated on open response questions

Attainable

Targeted Evidence-Based Strategies / Actions: What strategies or actions will help you to attain your goal? Assistive Technology: Premier. Connect assistive technology to LIFT schools; target grade 10 applied students Literacy Link / On the Same Page - Biweekly evidence-based cross curricular strategies; collected from Think Literacy and Stepping Out forwarded to all secondary / elementary school teachers; students artifacts highlighting the strategies to be shared at various meetings, including Literacy Lead teacher meetings, Nelson Literacy 9 OCA - October / February; may be uploaded to DIP and will be used to ground TLCP cycles Board ELL Document - Application on Trillium for secondary schools Student Success Conference - Student Success Teams from each secondary school and representatives from each elementary school to discuss student engagement Supporting Literacy Success: A Guide from Secondary School Literacy Leaders - in service all administrators and literacy lead teachers; focus on structures, processes and policies in place at the local level to support cross curricular development Teacher Moderation - Support teacher moderation within TLCP TLCP - grade 9 / 10 applied - two cycles. Focus on reading and writing skills as identified in school IRR and OCA; supported by regional PD sessions for Science, English and Social Science teachers DEAR - Drop Everything And Read. Literacy initiative Continuing Education Literacy Programs - after school literacy program for at risk grade 9 / 10 students Literacy Blitz - intensive practice literacy sessions for each section of the OSSLT for all fully participating students, completed by students and facilitated by literacy teachers. Strategies and instructions to be provided before each section; feedback and further strategies to be delivered after each section Literacy Assemblies - explanations, overviews, and strategies given to all participating students on two occasions before the OSSLT Professional Learning: What professional learning opportunities are planned to help attain your goal? Differentiated Instruction in Literacy Differentiated Instruction in English Department Jeffrey Wilhelm Conference on engaging reluctant readers Literacy lead Teachers and committee - meetings, feedback, in-services Nelson Literacy 9 Regional Professional Learning Sessions Teaching Learning Critical Pathways (TLCP) Student Success Learning Network (SSLN) Teacher Librarians - workshops and resources Technology - LIFT and other training for differentiation through technology Reading for the Love of It Conference

Results- Oriented

Resources: What resources have you identified that can aid you in achieving desired results? Human Resources Continued support given to literacy committee and staff through Student Success Lead, Coordinator II, and Literacy Coach to support job-embedded professional learning with a focus on increasing use of cross-curricular and subject-specific literacy resources and practice Literacy Resource Teachers to support professional learning focusing on increasing use of cross-curricular and subject-specific literacy resources and practice. Literacy Committee, Resource Department, Teacher-Librarian, English Teachers, after-school Literary Teachers, Guidance Counsellors Financial Resources Additional Release Days to support professional learning relating to teacher moderation, TLCP, OSSLT preparations, Stepping Out, Nelson series training, SWAT, LIFT, Premiere and Assistive Technology, literacy conferences and workshops Resources - Nelson: Liteacy 9 (focusing on , but not limited to, grade 9 applied); possible implementation of Nelson: Literacy 10 for grade 10 applied courses; Stepping Out (focusing on literacy instruction and reading / writing across the curriculum); Literacy Power and Language Power workbooks; SMART Board; print and electronic media subscriptions and lessons (i.e. Toronto Star Classroom Connection); School "Literacy Cart" with texts grared towards reluctant readers; library selections Software focusing on assistive technology, literacy support, and differentiated instruction SSLN - release days for focus on liteacy and differentiated instruction

PLC meetings within staff, department, and literacy committee

Evaluation:

Timeline

Monitoring and Responsibility Describe mid-course correction opportunities Mid-term achievement (10 applied; English, Science, and Social Science) End of first TLCP (grades 9 and 10) - to inform second TLCP Enrollment and teacher feedback in after-school literacy courses Outline explicit dates / weeks for monitoring TLCP - November and April cycles SSLN - November and December Mid-term evaluation periods and pare nt/teacher conferences - November After-school literacy courses - November / December and February / March IPRC reviews - January / February Articulate the type of data to be collected and analyzed TLCP data and student artifacts OSSLT and IIR Mid-term achievement and overall success rates (grade 10 applied; English, Science, and Social Science) Classroom assessments (grade 10) Teacher assessments of after-school literacy course participants Progress reports for exceptional students List of ELL students Identify who is responsible for monitoring each part of the SLIP and the timeline SLIP Team Classroom Teachers Literacy Coach Lirteracy Lead Teachers Lirteracy Committee Teachers Principal and Vice-Principals Program Coordinators Resource Teachers Student Success Team Superintendent After-school Literacy Course Teachers Guidance Department

We will examine our indicators of success on an ongoing basis to determine if we are making progress or need to further develop and refine our SMART goal. The SLIP Team and Literacy Team will engage in reflective inquiry to help inform practice and improve learning. Student outcomes as stated in the literacy SMART goal will be analyzed, and additional data will be added and examined accordingly. In addition to the SLIP Team Literacy SMART Goal, the school literacy plan that was designed and implemented in the Fall 2009 will be evaluated in June 2010.

School

(i.e., K-6 or 7-12; Literacy, Numeracy, Pathways, CCCC)

SMART Goal :

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

Focus : Numeracy / 7-12

20092010School year:

Specific

Needs Assessment: Which specific area have you targeted for improvement? Data Applied Level EQAO Assessment of Mathematics overall results: 2006-2007 (30% at levels 3 and 4 versus 27% TCDSB and 35% Province) 2007-2008 (46% at Levels 3 and 4 versus 28% TCDSB and 34% Province) 2008-2009 (45% at levels 3 and 4 versus 34% TCDSB and 38% Province Academic Level EQAO Assessment of Mathematics overall results: 2006-2007 (47% at Levels 3 & 4 versus 65% TCDSB and 71% Province) 2007-2008 (85% at Levels 3 and 4 versus 72% TCDSB and 75% Province 2008-2009 (76% at levels 3 and 4 versus 76% TCDSB and 77% Province) Overview area of concern: The area of concern is the process of problem solving. Aspects of problem solving include: representing, reflecting, connecting, reasoning and proving, selecting tools and computational strategies and communication. Rationale: Problem solving is central to mathematics literacy. Through problem solving, students can apply procedures to further their understanding of mathematics.

To increase the number of students achieving Levels 3 and 4 in Applied Mathematics by 5% as measured through the 2009-2010 Grade 9 Applied EQAO Assessment of Mathematics (from 45% in 2008-2009 to 50% in 2009-2010). To increase the number of students achieving levels 3 and 4 in Academic Mathematics by 9% as measured through the 2009-2010 Grade 9 Academic EQAO Assessment of Mathematics (from 76% in 2008-2009 to 85% in 2009-2010).

Measurable

Measures of Success Data to be examined: Students overall achievement on the EQAO Assessment of Mathematics EQAO multiple choice and open response scores from the Item Information Reports Numeracy Assessment for learning Cycle (NAfLC) as taken from examples of student work How are you measuring success in your area of concern? (Midpoint Assessment) DIP data: Grade 7 CAT-3 results, Grade 7 & 8 Report Card results Pass / Fail Rates (grades 9-12) Mid-Term and Final Report Card marks Grade 9 and 10 teachers work through the Numeracy Assessment for learning Cycle to track student improvement by comparing pre-assessment and post-assessment results Year End Assessments Students overall achievement on the EQAO Assessment of Mathematics EQAO open response scores from the Item Information Reports EQAO multiple choice scores from the Item Information Reports How are you measuring success in your

Attainable

Targeted Evidence-Based Strategies / Actions What strategies / actions will help to attain your goal? As stated in the EQAO summary of Results and Strategies for Teachers 2008-2009 Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics: Continue to provide students with multi-step problems, in various contexts, acress all strands. Model the problem solving process for students and provide opportunities for them to demonstrate and discuss problem solving strategies. Require them to verify their answer by re-stating what the problem requires and considering the reasonableness of their answer. Model working backwards to verify a solution. Professional Learning Waht professional learning opportunities are planned to help attain your goal? Math Department Professional learning: Delving into math data, SMART goals, evidence based strategies, problem solving process, Differentiated Instruction, TIPS4RM, CLIPS, both at the school level and at the board level. Math Department Head Professional Learning: Provide support and resources for the implementation of the mathematics curriculum and Ministry initiatives. Sharing of best practices in problem solving and use of technology. Math-focused SLIP team meetings. Numeracy Assessment for Learning (NAflC) with all grade 9-10 teachers: Moderated marking Collect student achievement data Collecting samples of student learning for comparison Co-teaching opportunities Evidence-based decision making within the Numeracy Assessment for the Learning Cycle (Grades 7-12): Grade 9 and 10 teachers work through the Numeracy Assessment for learning Cycle to track student improvement by comparing pre-assessment and post-assessment results.

Evaluation:

Results- Oriented

Resources What resources have you identified that can aid you in achieving desired results? All Grade 9 and 10 teachers follow the Numeracy Assessment for Learning Cycle. Opportunities for co-teaching. Allow students to problem-solve both in groups and individually. Model appropriate problem-solving strategies. Provide students with opportunities to solve multi-step problems. Encourage students to check the reasonableness and completeness of their solutions. Embed EQAO sample multiple-choice and open-response questions throughout the instruction and assessment of each strand. Use CODE days for all Grade 9 and 10 math teachers to work together through the Numeracy Assessment for Learning Cycle.

Timeline

Monitoring and Responsibility Identify who is responsible for monitoring each part of the BIP and the timeline. Classroom Teachers: Obtain data from pre- and post-assessment for each strand. Work together through the Numeracy Assessment for Learning Cycle for each strand. Attend Professional Learning sessions. Read Professional literature and use Math Resources such as TIS4RM, Think Literacy Math and related websites. Implement the Grade 9 Ministry Mathematics Curriculum. Implement problem-solving strategies in daily teaching. Practice moderated-marking of common assessments for each strand Reflect on teaching practices. Use technology and manipulatives in daily teaching. After school math help: i.e. Math Clinics and the Ministry After-School Numeracy Program. Communication with parents. Math Department Head: Model problem-solving strategies and support math department members as they focus on problem-solving strategies. School Administration: Monitor progress. Support and encourage staff.

Compare planned with achieved outcomes - What is different for students? The SLIP Team will meet regularly to examine the indicators of success on an ongoing basis and to determine if progress is being made or if it is necessary to further develop and refine our SMART goals.

School

(i.e., K-6 or 7-12; Literacy, Numeracy, Pathways, CCCC)

SMART Goal :

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

Focus : Pathways / 7-12

20092010School year:

Specific

Needs Assessment: Which specific area have you targeted for improvement? Consider the following: The overall number of Pathways experiences for 2008-2009 was 2: Father John Redmond Grade 11 and 12 College / University fair in early November Father John Redmond Career Day in May for grades 10 and 11 OYAP assembly for grade 11 students in October Data: Our concern is that not enough students in grade 11 have access to authentic pathways experiences and therefore they are choosing between workplace, college and university destinations without sufficient understanding of the opportunities available. By increasing the number of presentations, visits and hands-on activities, students will be beter informed when making these decisions.

Measurable

Measures of Success: How are you measuring success in your area of concern? The team will review, at the end of each semester, the opportunities that were available to our Grade 11 students to evaluate the progress toward the overall goal.

To double the number of opportunities for our students in Grade 11 to participate in authentic pathways experiences.

The SLIP Team will report to staff via regular staff meetings our School Learning Improvement Plan, and will evaluate, at mid-year point, and at end of year, the progress in attaining these goals. Based on the results of our evaluation of this year's SLIP, the SLIP Team will further refine and develop our goals for 2010-2011.

Evaluation:

Results- Oriented

Resources What resources have you identified that can aid you in achieving desired results? Post-secondary institutions and industry within our community and elsewhere will be sourced for guest speakers.

Timeline

Monitoring and Responsibility: Identify who is responsible for monitoring each part of the BIP and the timeline. The SLIP Team will review each Pathways event via an evaluation form completed by the supervisor of each event. The SLIP Team will analyze evaluation forms for future Pathways events planning.

Attainable

Targeted Evidence-Based Strategies / Actions: What strategies / actions will help to attain your goal? Father John Redmond will host its own College / University Fair at the end of October 2009. Occupational Health and Safety Presentation will take place on October 1, 2009. OYAP Assembly will take place October 2009. Father John Redmond Career Week will take place in May 2010. Each department will bring in a guest speaker per semester to discuss career goals and pathways in their discipline. Professional Learning: What professional learning opportunities are planned to help attain your goal? Each department will explore the pathways related to their discipline in the process of researching and obtaining appropriate guest speakers for their Grade 11 students.

School

(i.e., K-6 or 7-12; Literacy, Numeracy, Pathways, CCCC)

SMART Goal :

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School

Focus : CCCC / 7-12

20092010School year:

Specific

Needs Assessment: Which specific area have you targeted for improvement? In order that students can flourish in a high school environment they need to feel supported by teachers, administrators, and other adults within the school. In particular, students at risk may feel disconnected and disengaged if they cannot connect to one or more of these adults. The 2008-2009 "My School My Voice" survey indicated that, when asked the question (#22a), "If you wanted to talk to someone at school, is there a caring adult in your school that you feel comfortable going to talk to?" only 36% answered "yes". A further 30% answered "not sure" which indicates some possible confusion surrounding the term "caring adult". By addressing this confusion in terminology, we hope to arrive at a uniform understanding of what this concept means, and hence, impact how students feel about the amount of support available. A student who does not feel supported and cared for is less likely to engage themselves in student life and the school community as a whole and is therefore, less likely to be committed to their school community and possibly less engaged in their education.

Measurable

Measures of Success: How are you measuring success in your area of concern? The yearly survey "My School My Voice" will be the primary measure of success. Students who feel that there is a caring adult whom they could go and talk to will answer yes to question #22a on the "My School My Voice" survey in 2010. Other indicators include questions that will have an increase in favourable resonses for the following questions: #35b) My teachers are interested in me as a person. 35c) My teachers notice when I am doing a good job and let me know about it. #35d) My teachers are willing to help me when I am having difficulties with my work. #36c) I feel supported and respected by the following people: teachers, counsellors, administrators, secretaries.

To increase, by 5% (from 36% to 41%) from the 2009 "My School My Voice" survey, the number of students responding "yes" to the question, "Is there a caring adult in your school that you feel comfortable going to talk to?" by the 2010 "My School My Voice" survey results.

The SLIP Team will report to staff via regular staff meetings our School learning Improvement Plan, and will evaluate, at mid-year point, and at end of year, the progress in attaining these goals. Based on the results of our evaluation of this year's SLIP Team will further refine and develop our goals for 2010-2011.

Evaluation:

Results- Oriented

Resources What resources have you identified that can aid you in achieving desired results? Curricular/co-curricular human resources from all aspects of school life. All departments and all staff. In partnership with CSAC, AP, and RAP Standing Committees. Student involvement with local Parish and visiting priests as well as the Arfhdiocese of Toronto.

Timeline

Monitoring and Responsibility Identify who is responsible for monitoring each part of the SLIP and the timeline. The SLIP Team will report to staff via regular staff meetings our School Learning Improvement Plan, and will evaluate, at mid-year point, and at end of year, the progress in attaining these goals. Based on the results of our evaluatiion of this year's SLIP, the SLIP Team will further refine and develop our goals for 2010-2011

Attainable

Targeted Evidence-Based Strategies/Actions What strategies/actions will help to attain your goal? Increased use of the term "caring adult" via morning prayers, grade assemblies, Religion classes. Grade 10 Religion teachers including one full lesson on what a caring adult is and who represents that locally to students. Opportunities for extra/co-curricular clubs/teams and our Leadership program keep students plugged into the school community and the recognition of moderators as caring adults. "Redmond Cares" display case and bulletin boards where school events are highlighted and displayed as a reminder of our caring community. Every homeroom class will participate in a class mass and students will have an opportunity to participate in reconciliation during Advent and Lent. Professional Learning What professional learning opportunities are planned to help attain your goal? Increased dialogue in staff meetings on the concept and meaning of the term "caring adult" and the encouragement for teachers to use the terminology related to caring adults in their classrooms.