Page 8 PONOKA NEWS
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013
New approach to elementary report cards for STAR schools The concept of a report card is a fairly simple one: they’re a tool that allows teachers to keep parents informed of their child’s progress, with the ultimate goal of working together to ensure the child receives the best possible education. In theory, report cards also provide an evolving benchmark that allows any challenges and opportunities to be addressed along the way. The outcome-based approach to report cards allows student work to be assessed through key learner outcomes that are aligned with the Alberta curriculum. In short, the provincial curriculum tells teachers what students ought to be able to do, and an outcomes-based report card tells parents what their child has shown evidence of doing. At STAR Catholic School Division, we knew that we wanted to adopt an outcomes-based report card for grades 1 to 6 students, but we faced a challenge: we had 10 schools in six distinct communities who were using distinctly different report cards. Some were percentage-based while others were outcome-based, we saw a wide variety of achievement scales being used, some of the evaluation tools were different, and there were different categories used across the various report cards (e.g. attendance, effort, class averages, growth as
Maria Lentz
a learner, teacher name, etc.). We felt that, as a school division, there was wisdom and benefit in coming to a common understanding of what a report card’s purpose should be, what it should look like, and what information it should contain. It was clear that we needed to make a change but changing a report card is a complex and difficult task. Based on significant research and inquiring into the best practices of other school divisions, and collaboration and consultation with stakeholders, we developed a new outcomesbased elementary report card that is standardized from school to school across the entire division. This new tool makes it clearer to parents which specific outcomes of the curriculum their child has mastered and which ones they are still progressing toward.
Nominate an outstanding teacher Parents, students and all other Albertans who would like to recognize an excellent teacher or principal in their community can nominate them for a 2013 Excellence in Teach-
ing Award. These awards recognize educators who are creative, innovative and effective. “Excellent teachers and principals are vital to the success of our
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www.ponokanews.com Jim Wilkinson: This is my ďŹ fth year at the Ponoka Outreach School and I am very excited to work with this excellent sta. This year I will be working with students mainly in Grades 8 to Grade 12 English. We are using technology to explore cool ways to communicate and we are having a lot of fun.
This Week at the Outreach... Wednesday, January 30: Science 30 Diploma Exam
Thursday, January 31: No Night School tonight
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Monday February 4: School closes at 3:00 pm
Tuesday, February 5: Night School – Mrs. K & Mr MacEachern
To make the best use of our resources, we rolled out the new report card over a three-year period, beginning with three schools during the 20102011 school year. We worked to ensure the process was as smooth as possible and made adjustments as need indicated. To date, the implementation has been successful when clearly explained and communicated, and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our school administrators, teachers and parents. We continue to work closely with all of our stakeholders to make the report cards even better and we’re excited about what outcomesbased report cards will mean for our students as they continue on their lifelong learning journeys. Maria Lentz maria.lentz@starcatholic.ab.ca is the Ponoka trustee on the STAR Catholic Schools board.
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education system, and more importantly to the success of our students,� said Education Minister Jeff Johnson. “By honouring our outstanding educators we can continue to promote success throughout the system. I’m committed to ensuring our education system is student-focused and by recognizing quality we continue to realize that goal.� The Excellence in Teaching Awards will select roughly 130 semifinalists, 20 of whom will receive an Excellence in Teaching Award. Both semifinalists and award recipients will have access to funds for professional development and will be honored at regional celebrations. As well, the 20 award recipients will be formally recognized at a dinner and ceremony with Johnson on May 25. “It’s a feeling of awe to have people recognize you,� said Terry Lakey, a past award recipient from Red Deer. “There are so many talented people where I work. I was humbled that my school community, parents and administrators felt that I was deserving of this award.� Nomination packages in both English and French are available at www.education.alberta. ca/teachers/excellence.aspx. This website also includes details of eligibility and selection criteria. Nominations must be submitted by Feb. 8. Since the program started in 1989, more than 500 teachers and principals have been award recipients and more than 9,000 have been nominated. Alberta Education administers the 25th annual Excellence in Teaching Awards with the support of the Alberta School Boards Association, the Alberta School Councils’ Association, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the Association of Alberta Deans of Education, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards and the Edmonton Journal.
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