2011–2014 Education Plan / 2010–2011 Annual Education Results Report

The Calgary Science School 2011 - 2014

Education Plan

2010 - 2011

Annual Education Results Report

Table

of

C ontents

3........Letter from the Chair of the Board

41........Physical Education

5........Accountability Statement

42........Music/Band

6........Accountability Pillar Overall Summary

44........Drama/Dance

9........Communication

46........Visual Arts

10........Calgary Science School Education Plan Goals 12........School Demographics 13........Profile of The Calgary Science School 14........Looking Back and Thinking Forward 14........Education Plan Overview 15........Inquiry Based Learning 16........Framework for Exemplary Teaching 19........Distributive Leadership Model 21........Calgary Science School Goals 30........Provincial Goals 36........Provincial Achievement Test Results

and Analysis 38........Looking Back and Thinking Forward 38........Humanities 39........Math/Science

47........Technology 50........Library 51........Student Services 52........Professional Collaborative Outreach Initiative 55........Outdoor Education 56........The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement 59........CSS Year 3 Galileo Research Report Findings 60........2010 - 2011 Financial Summary 61........2011 - 2012 Budget 62........Capital Plan 2010/11 - 2012/13 63........Parent Involvement 63........Building Parent Capacity at CSS 65........Parent Reflective Response

A ppendixes Appendix A

Appendix E

66........Teacher Inquiry Self Assessment

78........Outreach Events 2010 - 2011

Appendix B

83........Feedback about the CSS

68........Inquiry Rubric

Appendix F

Appendix C

85........Data/Impact from the CSS Collaborative

Outreach Initiative 73........Teacher Collaboration Assessment Rubric Appendix G Appendix D 74........Outreach Summary

86........Commendations and Recommendations

for Further Consideration

L etter

from the

C hair

of the

B oard

of

The Calgary Science School On behalf of the Board, administrators, teachers and staff of the Calgary Science School, I am very pleased to introduce to you the Calgary Science School Education Plan for 2011/2012 to 2013/2014 along with our school Annual Education Results Report (AERR) for 2010/2011.

The Calgary Science School student enrollment has remained steady at its charter cap of 600 students since 2006. Although we have an extensive wait list to draw from, our focus remains to be the continuous improvement of learning experiences based on our charter goals rather than the expansion of our charter population. Our commendable student results summarized in the AERR are a direct result of the high quality of teaching being delivered by the staff and administration of the Calgary Science School.

During 2011, the Leadership Team, together with the Board of Directors, developed the Calgary Science School Strategic Plan- -Lead Share Transform. The Strategic Plan, which is an extension of our education plan, is driven from a vision to be leaders in teaching and learning. We are committed to developing our students as leaders of tomorrow who are ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit. We embrace collaboration. We share what we do and we learn from others and others learn from us. We embrace our charter mandate to create relationships beyond the walls of our school.

The Strategic Plan will steer the school in its goal to transform the educational process in order to bring a positive benefit to our students and the broader educational community. We will achieve this transformation in education by inspiring passion and innovation

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within an active, inquiry based learning community by bringing learning to life and life to learning.

The Strategic Plan outlines four key strategies: A. Cultivate the Calgary Science School (physical and online presence) as a hub for the development and promotion of the science of learning and exemplary teaching practices for the benefit of the students we serve, as well as to impact learning and teaching beyond our school. Foster research initiatives and define research capacity to inform teaching practices for the benefit of students, which is in keeping with Alberta Education’s proposed mandate around research and innovation in charter schools B. Foster research initiatives and define research capacity to inform teaching practices for the benefit of students, which is in keeping with Alberta Education’s proposed mandate around research and innovation in charter schools C. Create sustainable and enriched programming and initiatives within the Calgary Science School D. Create a formal communication strategy to support the promotion of the Calgary Science School as a “Centre of Exemplary Teaching and Learning through Innovation and Research” Our Board Committees are structured to provide support to the Leadership Team and teaching staff to ensure the initiatives within each key strategy are fulfilled. Over the past two years, we have added two Committees to the Board-- an External Collaboration Committee and a Fund Development Committee.

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The External Collaboration Committee was established to promote the development of the Calgary Science School as a centre of research and innovation, to facilitate collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and to develop researchfocused relationships to enhance exemplary teaching and learning practises. The Board continues to support a full-time position-- the Professional Development and Collaboration Co-ordinator. Over the past two years, the Professional Development and Collaboration Coordinator has been very successful in addressing the goals for this role through promoting collaboration and the development of exemplary teaching practices within the school and beyond. The Co-ordinator has worked closely with our humanities and math/science teaching teams to share our growing knowledge base. Their teaching experiences have then been shared with the educational community at large through: presentations and workshops; visits to the school and classroom observations and student and teacher blogs highlighting exemplary practices through the Connection feature on the newly revamped Calgary Science School website. All teachers are encouraged to share their professional practices as part of the school’s enhanced professional development program. We hope to encourage open two-way dialogue and professional collaboration with teachers across the province. In fact, we have found that these professional development initiatives have an even broader national and international appeal. The Board of Directors places a high priority on fostering research and innovation and enhancing learning and teaching through research-informed practices. Funding has been allocated for the implementation of a research design which was developed in partnership with Alberta Education to explore a variety of questions related to learner engagement, instructional leadership and the implementation of exemplary, transformative teaching practices. As well, the Board has established a Research and Innovation fund which can be accessed by teachers who submit proposals for action research and innovative projects. Response from teachers has been very enthusiastic and there are several research initiatives and projects which have been approved.

The Board of Directors formed a Fund Development Committee which was mandated to investigate and recommend a fund development arm required to enhance and support the development of the Calgary Science School as a centre of research and innovation in teaching and student learning and to ensure funding will be available to sustain the programming that the Calgary Science School believes is necessary for the success of our students outside of normal school operations. The Board is strongly committed to demonstrating that the Calgary Science School

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can provide exemplary learning experiences, in keeping with our charter mandate, through the use of the same level of funding that is available to other public schools in Alberta.

Lastly, our school’s success cannot have been achieved without our active and supportive parent community. We strongly believe that this interaction of parents with their children’s ongoing education provides the environment that leads to very positive impacts on student results in learning. Our school council’s role grows in size and scope every year to the net benefit of our students and staff.

The School Council has a very successful parent volunteer committee which promotes the active and meaningful involvement of parents in the work of our school and the education of their children. The Parent Volunteer Committee has devoted itself to establishing an interactive communication process between parents and teachers in respect to volunteer activities available. In addition they have developed a database of disciplines which parents have offered to share with students. This support by parents contributes to an authentic learning experience for our students. As well, parents are encouraged to serve as resources and take on leadership roles. One example is the very successful Forging Connections two-day interactive learning experience for students involving scientists and artists who highlighted through interactive learning experiences the connection between science and the arts. Two parents in working with the teaching staff and community volunteer resource persons provided key leadership in the organization of this very successful initiative.

The Calgary Science School is grateful to the Government of Alberta for its continued support of Charter Schools. Alberta is a world leader in education because of the choice available in our public education system. The Calgary Science School is proud to be part of that choice and as well in keeping with the charter school mandate, to serve as a centre of research and innovation. As a school community we are strongly committed to strive to lead, share and transform education for the betterment of the students we serve and the broader educational community.

Lori Wilhelm Einsporn Chair of the Board

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Accountability Statement The Annual Education Results Report for the 2010–2011 school year and the Education Plan for the three years commencing September 1, 2011 for Calgary Science School was prepared under the direction of the Charter Board in accordance with its responsibilities under the School Act and the Government Organization Act. This document was developed in the context of the provincial government’s business and fiscal plans. The Charter Board has used the results reported in the document, to the best of its abilities, to develop the Education Plan and is committed to implementing the strategies contained within the Education Plan to improve student learning and results. The Charter Board approved this combined Annual Education Results Report for the 2010/2011 school year and the three-year Education Plan for 2011 – 2014 on November 23, 2011.

F oundation S tatements Vi s i o n:

The Calgary Science School will inspire passion and innovation within an active inquiry-based learning community by bringing learning to life and life to learning.

M i s s i o n:

The Calgary Science School will provide its students the opportunity to experience inquiry-based learning within an environment of mutual respect. We will do so by using 1) technology; 2) outdoor education; 3) the sciences; and 4) authentic research experiences for staff and students to enhance learning in the middle school core and extracurricular programs.

P r i n c i pl es :

The Calgary Science School has been, and will continue to be, guided by the following principles.

• • • • • • • • •

Honesty Dedication Fairness High Ethical Standards Perseverance Accountability Continuous Improvement Service Academic Excellence

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Overall Summary Accountability

e

M

Summaryeasure

School

Pillar O verall Summary

Evaluation Reference

3-Year Plan - May 2010 School: 0335 Calgary Science School

tion consists of comparing the Current Year result for each measure with the previous three-year average. A chi-square statistical t takes into account the size of the jurisdiction in the calculation to make improvement evaluation fair across jurisdictions of different Improvement Table For each jurisdiction, improvement evaluation consists of comparing the Current Year result for each measure with e 5comparing improvement evaluation based upon the chi-square result. of the Current Year levels result for each withstatistical the previous A chi-square statisticaloftest used to determ the previous three-year average.

Ameasure chi-square testthree-year is used toaverage. determine the significance theisimprovecount the size of the jurisdiction in the calculation to make improvement evaluation fair across jurisdictions of different sizes. ment. This test takes into account the size of the jurisdiction in the calculation to make improvement evaluation fair Evaluation Category Chi-Square Range across jurisdictions of different sizes.

ment evaluation levels based upon the chi-square result.

Declined Significantly 3.84 + (current < previous 3-year or each measure with the previous three-year average.

A chi-square statistical testaverage) is used to determine the Evaluation Chi-Square Range e calculation to makeCategory improvement evaluation fair across jurisdictions of different sizes.

Declined 1.00 - 3.83 (current < previous 3-year average) Declined 3.84 + (current < previous 3-year average) chi-square result. Significantly Maintained less than 1.00

Declined 1.00 - 3.83 (current < previous 3-year average) Accountability Pillar Overall Summary Improved 1.00 - 3.83 (current > previous 3-year average)

Chi-Square Range

Measure Evaluation Reference Maintained

less than 1.00

Improved Significantly 4 + 3-Year (current previous Plan<- May 2010 3-year average) Improved

3.84 + (current > previous 3-year average)

1.00 - 3.83 (current > previous 3-year average)

School: 0335 Calgary Science School

0 - 3.83 (current < Significantly previous 3-year Improved 3.84average) + (current > previous 3-year average) Improvement Table s than 1.00

For each jurisdiction, improvement evaluation consists of comparing the Current Year result for each measure with the previous three-year average. A chi-square statistical test is used to determine the

significance of the improvement.

ThisImprovement test takes into accountEvaluation. the size of the jurisdictiontable in the calculation make improvement evaluation fair across jurisdictions of different sizes. vement Evaluation and the below toevaluation illustrates how thebased Achievement Improvement 0 - 3.83 (current previous 3-year The table>below shows the average) definition of the 5The improvement levels upon theand chi-square result.evaluation The table below shows the definition of the 5 improvement evaluation levels based upon the chi-square result.

4 + (current previous 3-year average) uation and the>Improvement Evaluation.

The table below illustrates how the Achievement and Improvement evaluations are combined to ge Evaluation Category Chi-Square Range Declined Significantly

Improvement

Very High

Achievement

3.84 + (current < previous 3-year average)

High Achievement

Intermediate

Declined

1.00 - 3.83 (current < previous 3-year average)

Maintained

less than 1.00

Low

Excellent Good Good High Intermediate Low VeryGood Low Improved 1.00 - 3.83 (current > previous 3-year average) n. The table below illustrates how the Achievement and Improvement evaluations are combined to get the Improved Significantly 3.84 + (current > previous 3-year average) Improved Excellent Good Good Acceptable roved Significantly Excellent Good Good Acceptable

Improved SignificantlyVery High provement

Evaluation Table rovedOverall Excellent Maintained Achievement

Good Excellent

Good

Acceptable Acceptable

Issue Issue

Very Low Acceptable Issue Concern

The overall evaluation combines the Achievement Evaluation and the Improvement Evaluation. The table below illustrates how the Achievement and Improvement evaluations are combined to get the ntained Excellent Good Acceptable Issue Concern overall evaluation.

High

lined

llent

Declined High

Good Acceptable Declined GoodSignificantly Good ImprovementAcceptable Good

lined Significantly

llent

llent

Good Low

Intermediate

Good

Acceptable Issue Improved Significantly

Good

Acceptable

Overall Evaluation Table Improved

Acceptable Very Low

Issue Issue Acceptable High

Very High

Excellent Issue Good

Issue

Excellent

Good

Issue

Achievement Issue

Issue

Issue

Concern Concern

Intermediate

Low

Good

Acceptable

Concern Good

Good

Very Low

Concern Concern

Concern Acceptable Issue

Maintainedthe Achievement Excellent Acceptable Issue Concern Good evaluation Acceptable Issue ConcernGoodand the The overall combines Evaluation Improvement Evaluation.

The table below Declined Good Acceptable Issue Issue Concern evaluation. illustrates how the Achievement and Improvement evaluations are combined to get the overall he Overall Evaluation that make up the category.

For the purpose of the calculation, consider an Overall Evaluatio od Acceptable of the measures Issue Declined Issue Concern Significantly Acceptable Issue Issue Concern Concern 1,aluation and Concern to be -2. that The make simple (mean)For of the these valuesofrounded to the nearest produces the Category Evaluati of the measures upaverage the category. purpose the calculation, considerinteger an Overall Evaluation of Excellent to be Category Evaluation ptable Issue Issue Concern Concern veto(e.g.

2=Excellent, 1=Good, 0=Intermediate, -1=Issue, -2=Concern). n be -2.

The simple average (mean) of these values rounded to the nearest integer produces the Category Evaluation value.

This is con Category Evaluation The category evaluation -1=Issue, is an average of the Overall Evaluation of the measures that make up the category. For xcellent, 1=Good, 0=Intermediate, -2=Concern).

The category evaluation is of an average of the Overall Evaluation of the measures that make upEvaluation the category. Forof the Excellent purpose of the calculation, consider an Overall Evaluation of Excellent to be to 2, Good the purpose the calculation, consider an Overall to be 2, Good to be 1, Acceptable to be 1, Acceptable to be 0, Issue to be -1, and Concern to be -2. The simple average (mean) of these values rounded to the nearest integer produces the Category Evaluation value. This is converted 0, Issue bescale -1,above and to be0=Intermediate, -2. The simple average (mean) of these values rounded to the nearest back be to a colour using theto same (e.g.Concern 2=Excellent, 1=Good, -1=Issue, -2=Concern). integer produces the Category Evaluation value. This is converted back to a colour using the same scale above (e.g. p the category.

For the purpose of the calculation, consider an Overall Evaluation of Excellent to be 2, Good 2=Excellent, 1=Good, 0=Intermediate, -1=Issue, -2=Concern). n) of these values rounded to the nearest integer produces the Category Evaluation value. This is converted Report Generated: Apr 22, 2010 Report Version 1.0 =Issue, -2=Concern).

Report Versi Locked with Suppression for May 2010 Data Current as of Mar 30, 2010 Data C

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Accountability Pillar O verall Summary

Measure Evaluation Reference

3-Year Plan - May 2010 Pillar Overall Summary School: 0335 Calgary Science School Reference

10 y Science School

Achievement Evaluation

Achievement evaluation is based upon a comparison of Current Year data to a set of standards which remain consistent over time. The Standards are calculated by taking the 3 year average of baseline data for each measure across all school jurisdictions and calculating the 5th, 25th, 75th and 95th percentiles. Once calculated, these standards ased upon a comparison Current Year set of standards whichplanning remain consistent over time. The Standards are calculated by taking the remain in placeoffrom year to data yeartotoa allow for consistent and evaluation.

on

ure across all school jurisdictions and calculating the 5th, 25th, 75th and 95th percentiles. Once calculated, these standards remain in place from

uation. ards which consistent over The are calculated by taking the 3 year average of each measure.

Theremain table below shows thetime. range of Standards values defining the 5 achievement evaluation levels for ange of values defining the 5 achievement evaluation levels for each measure.

75th and 95th percentiles. Once calculated, these standards remain in place from year to year to allow for

each measure.

Measure

Very Low

Safe and Caring Accountability Pillar Overall Summary

Measure Evaluation Reference Very Low Low Intermediate Program of Studies 3-Year Plan - May 2010

Low

0.00 - 77.62

Intermediate

High

Very High

77.62 - 81.05 81.05 - 84.50 84.50 - 88.03 88.03 - 100.00

High 0.00 - 66.31 Very High 66.31 - 72.65 72.65 - 78.43 78.43 - 81.59 81.59 - 100.00

00 - 77.62 77.62 Quality - 81.05 81.05 - 84.50 Education School: 0335 Calgary Science School

84.50 - 88.03 0.00 - 88.03 80.94 - 100.00 80.94 - 84.23 84.23 - 87.23 87.23 - 89.60 89.60 - 100.00

Out Rate 00 - 66.31Drop66.31 - 72.65 72.65 - 78.43

100.0081.59 - 9.40 - 100.00 9.40 - 6.90 78.43 - 81.59

Achievement Evaluation

6.90 - 4.27

4.27 - 2.79

2.79 - 0.00

0.00 - 89.60 57.03 - 100.00 57.03 - 62.36 62.36 - 73.88 73.88 - 81.79 81.79 - 100.00 High80.94 School- Completion Rate- (3 yr) 00 - 80.94 84.23 84.23 87.23 87.23 - 89.60 Achievement evaluation is based upon a comparison of Current Year data to a set of standards which remain consistent over time. The Standards are calculated by taking the 3 year average of

baseline data for each measure across all school jurisdictions and calculating the 0.00 5th, 25th, 75th and 95th percentiles.

Once calculated, standards remain- in place from86.22 year to year to allow for - 64.45 64.45 - 74.98 74.98 -these 82.24 82.24 86.22 - 100.00 PAT: Acceptable

and-evaluation.

0.00 -consistent 9.40 planning 9.40 6.90

6.90 - 4.27

4.27 - 2.79

2.79 - 0.00

The table belowExcellence shows the range of values defining the 5 achievement evaluation0.00 levels for each measure.

- 10.79 10.79 PAT:

- 13.17 13.17 - 18.73 18.73 - 23.97 23.97 - 100.00

00 - 57.03

57.03 - 62.36

62.36 - 73.88 73.88 - 81.79 81.79 - 100.00 Measure Very Low Low

00 - 64.45

64.45 - 74.98

Safe and Caring

00 - 10.79

10.79 - 13.17

Education Quality

Diploma: Acceptable Diploma: Excellence

0.00 - 73.09

Intermediate

High

Very High

73.09 - 82.54 82.54 - 87.99 87.99 - 91.53 91.53 - 100.00

74.98 - 82.24

82.24 - 86.22 86.22 - 100.00

81.05 - 84.50 84.50 - 88.03 88.03 - 100.00

13.17 - 18.73

18.73 - 23.97 0.00 23.97 - 80.94- 100.00 80.94 - 84.23

84.23 - 87.23 87.23 - 89.60 89.60 - 100.00

Program of Studies

0.00 - 77.62

- 66.31 66.31 72.65 -15.20 78.43 78.43 - 81.59 20.43 81.59 - -100.00 0.00 0.00 - 8.94 8.94- -72.65 15.20 - 20.43 22.59 22.59 - 100.00

Diploma Exam Participation Rate (4+ Exams) Drop Out Rate

77.62 - 81.05

0.00 - 31.10

100.00 - 9.40

31.10 - 44.11 44.11 - 55.78 55.78 - 65.99 65.99 - 100.00 9.40 - 6.90

6.90 - 4.27

4.27 - 2.79

2.79 - 0.00

00 - 73.09Rutherford 73.09 -Scholarship 82.54 High 82.54 - 87.99 87.99 - 91.53 91.53 - 100.00 0.00 -0.00 43.18 - 49.83 - 59.41 70.55 70.55 - 100.00 Eligibility Rate Rate (Revised) School Completion (3 yr) - 57.03 43.18 57.03 - 62.36 62.36 -49.83 73.88 73.88 - 81.79 59.41 81.79 - -100.00 PAT: Acceptable 0.00 64.45 64.45 74.98 74.98 82.24 82.24 86.22 86.22 100.00 00 - 8.94Transition 8.94 -Rate 15.20 0.00 - 22.59 39.80 - 100.00 39.80 - 46.94 46.94 - 56.15 56.15 - 68.34 68.34 - 100.00 (6 yr) 15.20 - 20.43 20.43 - 22.59

00 - 31.10Work31.10 - 44.11 Preparation

00 - 43.18Citizenship 43.18 - 49.83

PAT: Excellence

0.00 - 10.79

10.79 - 13.17

13.17 - 18.73 18.73 - 23.97 23.97 - 100.00

44.11 - 55.78

55.78 - 65.99 65.99 0.00 -0.00 66.92 66.92 - 72.78 - 77.78 86.13 86.13 - 100.00 - 73.09- 100.00 73.09 - 82.54 82.54 -72.78 87.99 87.99 - 91.53 77.78 91.53 - -100.00

Diploma: Excellence

- 8.94 8.94 - 15.20 15.20 - 20.43 20.43 - 22.59 22.59 - 100.00 0.00 -0.00 66.30 66.30 - 71.63 71.63 - 77.50 77.50 - 81.08 81.08 - 100.00 59.41 - 70.55 70.55 - 100.00

Diploma: Acceptable

49.83 - 59.41

Diploma Exam Participation Rate (4+ Exams)

0.00 - 31.10

31.10 - 44.11

44.11 - 55.78 55.78 - 65.99 65.99 - 100.00

0.00 -0.00 70.76 70.76 - 74.58 - 78.50 82.30 82.30 - 100.00 Involvement Rate- (Revised) - 43.18- 100.00 43.18 - 49.83 49.83 -74.58 59.41 59.41 - 70.55 78.50 70.55 - -100.00 00 - 39.80Parental 39.80 - 46.94 Rutherford 46.94 -Scholarship 56.15 Eligibility 56.15 68.34 68.34 School Improvement

00 - 66.92

00 - 66.30

66.92 - 72.78

66.30 - 71.63

Transition Rate (6 yr)

72.78 - 77.78

Work Preparation Citizenship

71.63 - 77.50

- 39.80 39.80 - 46.94 46.94 - 56.15 56.15 - 68.34 68.34 - 100.00 0.00 -0.00 65.25 65.25 - 70.85 70.85 - 76.28 76.28 - 80.41 80.41 - 100.00

77.78 - 86.13 0.00 86.13 - 66.92- 100.00 66.92 - 72.78 0.00 - 66.30

66.30 - 71.63

77.50 - 81.08 81.08 - 100.00

72.78 - 77.78 77.78 - 86.13 86.13 - 100.00 71.63 - 77.50 77.50 - 81.08 81.08 - 100.00

Drop Out Rate: The range of values at Involvement each evaluation level is interpreted " greater equal to"- 82.30 the "Low" Parental 0.00 - 70.76as 70.76 - 74.58 than 74.58 or - 78.50 78.50 82.30 -value, 100.00 and "less than" the "High" greater than the "Low" value to 100%.

School Improvement 0.00 65.25 65.25 70.85 70.85 76.28 76.28 80.41 80.41 100.00 00 - 70.76 70.76 - 74.58 74.58 - 78.50 78.50 - 82.30 82.30 - 100.00

Notes:

1) For all measures except Drop Out Rate: The range of values at each evaluation level is interpreted as “ greater Notes: As "Drop-out Rate" is inverse to most measures (i.e. Lower values are "better"), the range of values at each evaluation level is interpreted as "grea or equal to”Outthe “Low” value, and “less than” the “High” value. the Very category, range 00 65.25 65.25 - 70.85 70.85 - 76.28 76.28 - from 80.41 100.00 1) Forthan all measures Drop Rate: The range of values at each evaluation level interpreted as " greater than For or to equal to""High" the "Low"High value, and "less than" thevalues "High" value.

For the from Very High he "High" value.

Forexcept the Very High category, values range 0%is 80.41 to less -than or equal the value. category, values range fromthe greater than thevalue "Low" value 100%. greater than “Low” to to100%.

2) Drop Out Rate measure: As "Drop-out Rate" is inverse to most measures (i.e. Lower values are "better"), the range of values at each evaluation level is interpreted as "greater than" the "Low" value 2) than Drop Out Rate AsHigh “Drop-out is 0% inverse toor equal most measures and "less or equal to" the "High" measure: value. For the Very category, valuesRate” range from to less than to the "High" value. (i.e. Lower values are “better”), the nterpreted as " of greater or equal to" the "Low" and "less the than” "High"the value.

For the Very Highthan or equal to” range valuesthan at each evaluation level isvalue, interpreted as than" “greater “Low” value and “less the “High” value. For the Very High category, values range from 0% to less than or equal to the “High” value. ues are "better"), the range of values at each evaluation level is interpreted as "greater than" the "Low" value 0% toReport lessGenerated: than or Aprequal 22, 2010 to the "High" value.

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Data Current as of Mar 30, 2010

May 2010

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Accountability Pillar Overall Summary 3-Year Plan - May 2010 School: 0335 Calgary Science School School: 0335 Calgary Science School

y Science School

Alberta

Measure Evaluation

October 2011 Accountability Pillar Overall Summary

Prev Year Prev 3 yr Category Result Measure Average 92.4

Current Prev Year Prev 3 Yr Measure Category Measure Result Average Evaluation Result 87.6

91.2

86.9

Excellent

Safe and Carting Schools

85.4

Safe and Caring

78.7

78.5

80.5

80.3Program of Studies 79.4

96.5

95.4

89.2

89.3Education Quality88.4

2.9

1.8

4.3

Student Learning Opportunities

Student Learningn/a Achievement n/a (Grades K-9)

n/a

Measure Category

19.1

n/a n/a Preparation for Lifelong

Learning, World of Work, Citizenship

n/a n/a Parental Involvement Goal 1: High-quality learning opportunities Notes:

88.1

79.8

80.9

Maintained 80.5

96.2 Very High

95.7

89.4

89.2 Maintained

88.9

High 80.5

94.7

87.6

Maintained

Good

Maintained

Excellent

Maintained

Excellent

71.1

PAT: Acceptable

98.8

98.5

97.0

79.3

79.1

78.0

PAT: Excellence

59.3

45.5

44.4

19.6

19.4

18.5

n/a

Veryn/aHigh

n/a

82.6

83.4 Maintained

84.0

n/a

n/a

n/a

18.7

19.0

n/a

54.9

Maintained 53.5

19.4

20.3

Work Preparation Citizenship

53.5ExcellentExcellent 53.3Parental 53.6 Safe and Caring Involvement SchoolProgram Improvement of Studies Education Quality

n/a

4.7

Good

Very High Excellent Very High

Excellent n/a

n/a

n/a

Very High

Improved

Excellent

Very High

Improved Significantly

Excellent

n/a Excellent

n/a

n/a

18.9

n/a

n/a

n/a

53.5

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Veryn/aHigh

n/a

n/a n/a

n/a

59.6

n/a 56.9

57.0

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a n/a

n/a

59.3

59.8 n/a

59.3

n/a

n/a

Calgary Science School

Current 89.5 Result

Prev Year 93.0 Result

92.5 90.0

n/a 92.4 87.6

84.9 80.5 96.2

89.5

Prev 92.13 yr Average

Current 80.1 Result

Alberta

Excellent

Measure Evaluation

n/a

n/a

Prev Year 79.8 Prev 3 Yr 79.9

Achievement Very High

Improvement Declined

81.4

Very High

Improved

Excellent

Maintained Improved

Excellent Excellent

Result

Average

87.4

81.9

91.2 86.6

87.6 79.9

n/a 80.086.9

79.485.4

n/a High VeryVery High

86.6 78.7

85.6 78.5

80.1 80.5

79.980.3

78.879.4

Very High High

96.5

95.4

89.2

89.3

88.4

90.1

Excellent

Maintained

Improved 71.5

n/a

Overall

High

4.2

70.9

Improvement

Very High

72.6

4.3

Achievement Excellent

80.1

1.0

0.0

Measure Evaluation

86.6

n/a

Eligibility Rate (Revised)

Student Learning

91.7

92.5

80.4

Veryn/aHigh

70.8

Excellent

92.4

0.0

Safe and Caring Schools

Continuous Improvement

Prev Prev Prev 3 Current Prev 3 yr Current Year Year Yr Result Very HighAverage ResultMaintained Result Result Average

n/a

Measure Category Measure Evaluation Transition Rate (6 yr)

n/a

Overall

Alberta

Rate (3 yr)

96.0 96.4 76.8 75.3Diploma: Acceptable 75.6 Accountability Pillar Overall Summary Diploma: Excellence Student Learning Achievement 3-Year Plan - May 2010 19.2 n/a 39.5 45.7 18.3Diploma Exam Participation 18.3 (Grades 10-12) School: 0335 Calgary Science School Rate (4+ Exams) n/a n/a 84.4 84.4Rutherford Scholarship 84.5 Goal

Improvement

Drop Out Rate

4.8High School Completion 4.8

71.5Excellent

Achievement

Calgary Science School

79.9

Very High

Maintained Maintained Maintained

Overall Good

Excellent Good Excellent

n/a Out Rate 2.9 1.8 4.8 Veryn/a High weights Improved n/a 56.7 n/a n/a4.8 Achievement 1. PAT resultsn/a are a Opportunities weighted56.9 average of the57.3 percentDrop meeting standards0.0 (Acceptable, Excellence) on4.3Provincial Tests.

The are the numberExcellent of students School enrolled in each course. Courses included: EnglishHigh Language Arts (Grades 3, 6, (Grades French Language Artsn/a(Grades 6, 9), n/a Français (Grades n/a n/a9), Science n/a 71.5 6, 9),70.8 70.9 n/a 6, 9).

Completion Rate (3 yr) 2. Diploma results are a weighted average of percent meeting standards (Acceptable, Excellence) on Diploma Examinations. The weights are the number of students writing Student Learning Acceptable 96.6 96.0 96.4 75.6 Veryn/a High Maintained Excellent n/a 1) 59.8 59.2 58.7 n/a n/a75.3Arts 30-2, the Student Diploman/a Examination each course.

CoursesPAT: included: Englishreported Language Arts English76.8 Language French Language Artsand 30-1,PAT Français 30-1, Pure Learning Achievement: PAT Values are30-1, weighted averages of PAT Acceptable Excellence Achievementfor (Grades Excellent 39.5 45.7 19.2 18.3 18.3 Very High Maintained Excellent K-9) Mathematics 30, Applied Mathematics 30, BiologyPAT: 30,Excellence Science 30. 46.9 included: ELA (Grades 3, 6, 9), Math (Grades (Grades 6, 9), French 90.3results. Courses 90.3 79.9 79.6 78.9 Very High3, 6, 9), Science Improved Excellent Language Arts (Grades 3. Overall evaluations can only be calculated if both improvement are 84.4 available.84.4 Diploma: Acceptable and achievement n/a n/a evaluations n/a 84.5 n/a n/a n/a Français (Grades 6, 9).

4.6, The9), subsequent pages include evaluations for each performance measure.

If jurisdictions notImproved to present this 20.3 information for measure in Diploma: Excellence n/a n/a n/a desire 19.1 19.4 n/a each performance n/a n/athe Excellent 87.0subsequent86.4 81.4 80.3 to this 78.3 Very High pages,Student please include a reference overall Diploma Exam summary page for each performance measure.

Learning Significantly Participation Rate (4+ n/a than 6. n/a Suppression n/a 53.5 53.3 an asterisk 53.6 n/a n/a n/a Achievement (Grades n/a the number 5. Data values have been suppressed where of students is less is marked with (*).

Goal 2: Excellence in Exams) 10-12) 2) Student Learning Achievement: Diploma Exam Values reported are averages of Diploma Acceptable and Diploma student learning 85.9outcomes 87.0 80.0 80.1 78.6 Very High Maintained Excellent Rutherford

Notes:

Excellence results, weighted by theScholarship number course. evaluations can Eligibilityof students n/a n/awriting n/a each 56.9 57.3 3) Overall 56.7 n/a n/a only be calcun/a Rate (Revised) and are available.

4) Results for the Excellent ACOL measures are available 87.9lated if both 86.3 improvement 79.9 79.4achievement 77.6 evaluations Veryn/aHigh Maintained Transition Rate (6 yr) n/a n/a 59.8 59.2 58.7 n/a n/a n/a Preparation for in the detailed report; see “ACOL Measures” been suppressed where Lifelong Learning, Work Preparation in the 93.0 Table 90.3of Contents.

90.3 79.95) Data 79.6 values 78.9 haveVery High Improved Excellentthe n/a World of Work, Improved Citizenship number of students is less than 6. Suppression is 90.1 marked an asterisk (*).

Citizenship 87.0 with 86.4 81.4 80.3 78.3 Very High Excellent Page 2 Significantly Goal 4: Highly responsive and

Parental Involvement

system

Improvement

Excellent

Parental Involvement

87.6

85.9

87.0

80.0

80.1

78.6

Very High

Continuous education esults. responsible Courses included: ELA (Grades 3, 6,Excellent 9), Math (Grades 3, 6, 9), Science (Grades 6, 9), Language 6, 9), School Improvement 86.6 87.9 86.3French79.9 79.4Arts (Grades 77.6 VeryFrançais High

Maintained

Excellent

Maintained

Excellent

llenceNotes: results, weighted by the number of students writing each course.

sk (*).

1) Student Learning Achievement: PAT Values reported are weighted averages of PAT Acceptable and PAT Excellence results. Courses included: ELA (Grades 3, 6, 9), Math (Grades 3, 6, 9), Science (Grades 6, 9), French Language Arts (Grades 6, 9), Français (Grades 6, 9).

2) Student Learning Achievement: Diploma Exam Values reported are averages of Diploma Acceptable and Diploma Excellence results, weighted by the number of students writing each course.

3) Overall evaluations can only be calculated if both improvement and achievement evaluations are available.

4) Results for the ACOL measures are available in the detailed report; see "ACOL Measures" in the Table of Contents.

5) Data values have been suppressed where the number of students is less than 6. Suppression is marked with an asterisk (*).

Report Generated: Apr 22, 2010 Locked with Suppression for May 2010

Report Version 1.0 Data Current as of Mar 30, 2010 2

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C ommunication

The Calgary Science School Board is committed to demonstrating accountability through clear communication with stakeholders. Student achievement information is regularly shared with the parent community through our monthly newsletter entitled The Spectrum. Our school website continues to improve communication among stakeholders as pertinent information such as handbooks, reports, upcoming events, and notifications are readily available. Websites created by teaching teams prove to be a very effective method of ensuring parents and students are fully aware of projects, assignments, and pending class activities.

We communicate with our school community about accountability measures, charter outcomes and school plans in a variety of ways: Education Plan/Annual Education Results Report • Staff and parents are actively involved in the process of writing this report; a subcommittee of School Council has been convened to provide input and editing of the new hybrid planning and reporting document prior to Board approval.

• Once approved, they are posted to our website and our newsletter will notify parents they are available on-line. An executive summary of the Education Plan / Annual Education Results Report will be available in both digital and paper formats early in 2011.

Charter School, PAT and Accountability Pillar Results • The data is first shared with staff members.

• The information is brought to a public Board meeting, then to a school council meeting.

Subsequent to that, the information is published in the Spectrum, our school newsletter. Hard copies are also available in the school office.

We welcome feedback with respect to this document. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact us: Calgary Science School 5915 Lewis Drive, SW Calgary, AB T3E 5Z4 P: 403.282.2890 F. 403.282.2896

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Calgary S cience S chool G oals

Education Plan Goals:

Charter Goals

Provincial Goals:

1. The Calgary Science School engages students in

3. Students will be authentically engaged in their

relevant inquiry-based experiences that honor the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge and understanding.

2. Reciprocal learning between teachers and students will occur through the effective implementation of ubiquitous access to laptops in the One-toOne Computing Project initiated in 2006/2007, expanded 2007/2008, and implemented school wide in 2008/2009.

learning.

4. Exemplary teaching will be fostered through 5.

6.

7.

8.

10 10

research initiatives and the implementation of research-informed teaching practices.

High Quality Learning Opportunities for all.

Excellence in student learning outcomes.

Success for First Nation, MĂŠtis and Inuit (FNMI) students.

Highly responsive and responsible jurisdiction.

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AISI Cycle 4 Goals

Humanities Goals

The school will work towards increasing student engagement and better understanding how to assess and report thinking in inquiry-based learning methodology in the areas of critical and creative thinking.

Undertake a lesson study model to address the following question: What constitutes exemplary student writing and how can we engage ALL students in that type of pursuit?

2011/2012

1. Teachers will incorporate and focus on design-

ing collaboratively, with fellow teachers and/ or their students, intellectually ambitious performance assessment tasks, as well as the tools (guidelines, rubrics, technologies, for providing feedback and assessment for learning.

2. Teachers will find and develop student exemplars that demonstrate the expectations of the program while considering then clarifying the standards and scope and sequence of the graded programs in conjunction/relation with each other. These exemplars will consider the unique aspects of the student’s creative and critical thinking within the task requirements.

3. Teachers will develop portfolio assessment programs (showcase, documentation and process oriented—digital or otherwise), which will include a variety of artifacts that provide evidence as to the progress of learners for support of reporting to students and parents.

Math and Science Goals 2011/2012

Continue with the lesson study model from last year with the following foci: • Examine proportional representation and graphing at each grade level and develop a scope and sequence document accordingly • Present math problem/questions which address key competencies at each grade level • Examine student work generated from these problems/questions and explore gaps areas of understanding • Use these lesson artifacts to help examine assessment practice and how it informs reporting in terms of the report card rubric

Complementary Subject Goals 2011/2012

Related Goals:

1. Continue with portfolio assessment and examine

• We will facilitate professional development to achieve optimal student learning.

• We will establish strong professional learning communities (PLC’s) focused on improving student learning that include all educational stakeholders: parents, community leaders, educators, and students.

how to work with the rest of the school staff as effectively as possible to encourage this process.

2. Network with other experts in the field.

3. Implement the CSS Health Initiative.

4. Develop a Foundations for the Arts Grant Plan for 2011/2012.

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School Demographics â&#x20AC;˘ The CSS is comprised of 600 students in Grades 4

to 9 who are drawn from all quadrants of the city of Calgary. â&#x20AC;˘ The student ratio remains constant at approximately 1:2 (girls to boys), with four classes of 25 students at each grade. â&#x20AC;˘ The staff consists of: 30 teachers (4 core subject teachers per grade, 3 fine arts specialists, 2 physical education teachers, 1 part time teacher librarian), 1 technology coordinator; 1 full time counselor; 1 full time PD/Outreach Coordinator; 4 office/library personnel; five caretaking staff

12

(some part time); and 4 administrators (1 principal, 2 assistant principals, and 1 secretary treasurer.

In Grades 4 to 6, there is additional teacher support in the fine arts, health and physical education. In Grades 7 to 9, there is additional teacher support in physical education, fine arts and complementary courses offered as trimestered electives that are collaboratively determined by the staff at the beginning of the year.

The cultural diversity of our school community reflects that found within the city and provides strength and integrity to our programs.

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Profile

of

The Calgary Science School

Calgary Science School (CSS) students are engaged in real-world tasks that honor methods of inquiry central to the core disciplines of mathematics, science, and the humanities. Students are encouraged to actively explore their environments and are provided many opportunities for outdoor experiences through both day trips and multi-day camping adventures. A technology-rich environment allows students easy access to timely information, powerful tools to work through increasingly complex problems, and diverse options for communicating the results of their hands-on investigations. As students work through various problems, they are guided to develop communication and project management skills that will help them understand the impact of their actions on the world.

Recognizing the need to expose students to a comprehensive and balanced educational program, CSS ensures that opportunities are present for involvement in co-curricular and extracurricular activities such as visual and performing arts and team sports. From musical theater and dance to competitive inter-school team sports and intramural games based on participation, CSS strives to provide a program that meets the needs of all students attending the school.

School-wide implementation of the One-to-One Computing Project, which began in September 2008, reinforces the value we place on the effective and efficient use of technology in 21st Century teaching and learning. “One-to-one computing simply means anytime, anywhere technology for every student” (cited

by One-to-One Mobile Computing: Literature Review, Alberta Education, 2006). The initiative involves a total of 600 laptops (300 new MacBook laptops) as

well as the existing 300 hundred that were already in the school (100 three-year-old iBooks; and 200 twoyear-old MacBooks). In total, the school houses an estimated 666 computers to help support an inquirybased approach to learning.

The project emphasizes, however that this is not just about technology; rather, it is about learning. The real focus of the school is about authentic inquiry-based learning, and that the computer is only one tool –albeit a powerful one—to help students research, and create valuable learning opportunities. Although there was some financial support from the province for the initial project with its acquisition of the first 100 computers, the funding for this project is derived from within the Board approved budget. The school is also continuing to acquire ongoing technological support and peripherals (Smart Boards, etc.). CSS is leading the way in a very important educational endeavor, and will continue to consider projects and grants that will help to sustain this educational venture into the future. Like other Canadian counterparts the school is discovering that teacher practice changes with the use of technology. The innovative use of emerging technology will continue to be a driving force behind the success of the Calgary Science School.

A significant portion of the CSS mandate focuses on sharing innovative teaching and learning strategies with educators and researchers from elsewhere in Alberta, across Canada, and around the world. It is this exchange of ideas through professional collaborative outreach, including teacher presentations outside the school as well as hosting visits and tours within the CSS campus that keeps us striving to remain on the leading edge of pedagogical progress.

“CSS makes learning fun. Teachers are always finding exciting ways to keep us captivated while teaching us.” Anonymous 13

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L ooking Back

and

Thinking F orward

Action Plan Overview

The past year has been very successful with many new initiatives to enhance our learning community. As well, also recognize the ongoing responsibilities of achieving the goals laid out in the school charter, education plan and AISI goals. The following are examples of what has happened over the school year, and some of the goals that we hope to achieve looking ahead into the next school year (the list in each area is not exhaustive):

Ye a r

at a

G l a n c e:

• We had an exciting cross-campus teaching cohort with the Calgary Girls’ School led by the University of Calgary MT Program.

• Once again, we had successful outdoor education programs that have broadened to include the grade 4 Southern Alberta trip to Frank Slide and Fort McLeod.

• Galileo 1:1 Research project indicates some key successes and recommendations with our work with students using technology from 2008-2009 that we received in January 2010.

• The school made a concerted effort to collect and review goals as a whole as they pertain to the school charter, AISI and each curriculum team.

• The work of emotional intelligence for the staff and students of the school became a more important focus of our work. Staff participated in professional development days around this topic, and school wellness has been the thrust of our work with the addition of a new school counsellor.

• The school participated in CAT4 testing, along with provincial field tests to get a better sense of how the students were achieving in English Language Arts and mathematics fundamental skills, and to help inform the GLA process. The skills areas of weakness were identified and teaching strategies were put in place to address these topics.

• The professional development of the school took an intensive look at the teacher practice in the school with a focus on assessment in facilitated focus groups.

Teachers brought examples of some of their teaching units to receive feedback from small groups to increase the effectiveness of these programs. (http://calgaryscienceschool.blogspot.com/2010/01/examining-student-work-introduction.html)

• With the addition of a professional collaboration outreach coordinator, the school expanded its professional development capacity internally, and made great strides in networking with other schools, institutions, companies, and researchers.

• The administrative team evaluated its own leadership capacity by taking in feedback from the staff through a school survey to assess the administrative team’s effectiveness using the seven leadership dimensions from the Principal Quality Practice Guidelines.

14

• We have focused on fostering parent leadership capacity within the school by developing a strategic parent council plan; with the inclusion of a parent involvement development committee; and the ongoing work of the parent survey committee to provide feedback to the stakeholders and school administration from its student family population.

L o o k i n g A h e a d:

• We hope to continue to build research partnerships with post-secondary institutions, in particular, the University of Calgary.

• The work of professional collaborative outreach continues to expand its reach through our External Collaboration Committee that will broaden the capacity of this role for the school.

• We will continue to broaden the work of AISI so that there are more opportunities to create digital portfolios, and as well, create or have more access to student exemplars and assessment tools and rubrics.

• We are building professional leadership capacity by embedding professional collaboration time into the timetable and school calendar.

• We are broadening the school curriculum to include the following programs: learning strategies for focused work on student skills fundamental to their work in inquiry-based programs; fine arts integration programs with an intentional look at how to build fine arts and other subject area integrated units; some time for service learning so that students are actively working to support their community; and as well, to have digital portfolio planning time with students.

• We hope to have a well-organized and coordinated parent involvement program through the facilitation of a parent volunteer committee as begun through the parent volunteer development committee this past school year.

• We are developing a framework for exemplary teaching, which will help guide our professional development.

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Inquiry-Based Learning…

The Calgary Science School focuses on the way that students learn, and focuses on inquiry-based learning as its philosophical platform. “Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world” (Galileo Educational Network, 2004).

Inquiry-based learning is a process where students are involved in their learning, formulate questions, investigate widely and then build new understandings, meanings and knowledge. That knowledge is new to the students and may be used to answer a question, to develop a solution or to support a position or point of view. (Focus on Inquiry, 2004. (http://calgaryscienceschool. blogspot.com/2010/08/what-is-inquiry-based-learning-student.html)

By learning in this fashion, students develop their critical (convergent) and creative (divergent) thinking skills.

The inquiry-based learning model at the Calgary Science School encourages students to be both quantitative and qualitative student researchers, which involves both deductive and inductive reasoning. The science of learning requires that students learn to work with facts, numbers and absolutes in a scientific

M ore

methodology, depending on their course content and curriculum outcomes: 1) observation; 2) hypothesis; 3) experiment; 4) analysis (support or reject hypothesis); 5) new hypothesis; and 6) ongoing experimentation.

However, the science school also embraces a qualitative methodology that crosscuts disciplines and subject matters. Qualitative research is more interpretive, and, simply put, investigates the “why and how of decision making, not just what, where, and when” (Wikipedia, 2008). When students are participating in qualitative research they are typically 1) participating in the setting of their study; 2) using direct observation; 3) participating in some interview processes; 4) and analyzing documents and materials.

See Appendix A : Teacher Inquiry Self Assessment

Appendix B: Inquiry Rubric

“Being a student at CSS helps me become a successful learner because we use inquiry based learning. We get to research the certain topics using our laptops. I like this because I can learn more about the subject than was asked about it and find additional details on it.” M.R (7.3)

specifically, inquiry - based learning at

CSS...

…allows students to make authentic contributions. Children have so much to offer. They can do so much more than practicing for when they grow up or when they get to a higher grade. …involves students in real problems. Real problems go beyond realistic hypothetical scenarios.

They honor what children have to offer to their world and allow students to take ownership for problems that genuinely matter to them. Evaluation is based on success in the real world, and when students have ownership, they care about those results much more than they care about their marks. … provides room for student choice. Accepting student choice can resemble many things in the classroom.

It allows them to choose the question; the methods used for problem solving; the manner of representing the solutions; and what they would like to do (if anything) about what they have discovered. If children are given opportunities to create their own successes and to make their own mistakes, they learn how to make responsible decisions.

… is interdisciplinary. Students do experiments in various classrooms because these skills help them to

solve larger problems. They do research because they need real answers for real problems. They develop dramatic presentations, write essays, develop PowerPoint presentations, and debate because they have something to say and because they care that their message is heard and understood. They engage in the fine arts to consider the aesthetics of these and other types of representations (art, music, drama and dance).

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Framework

for

Exemplary Teaching

A focus of our staff retreat on August 16th 2010, was to have our teachers consider the following question:

“What does exemplary teaching look like at the Calgary Science School?”

Teachers brainstormed ideas with support documents such as the Teaching Quality Standard KSA’s, the Calgary Science School goals and our mandate as a charter school. Through this process, we also included school data from some of the measures that we worked with in preparation for the AERR and AISI reports 2010.

We felt that it would be a fruitful discussion to have the teachers involved in reflecting on relevant feedback from our educational stakeholders and to consider the data in our collaborative school professional development planning. We referenced the following data or information: 1) Accountability Pillar Survey Results; 2) Calgary Science School Teacher, Student and Parent Surveys: 3) Assessment Quotient (AQ) Survey 2009; 4)

W ho W e A re : R el ationships

“What Did You Do In School Today?” findings; 5) Galileo Research Report 2010 findings on the One-to-one work in technology and learner engagement; and 5) school report card data. Themes emerged that surfaced as important categories of consideration when looking at exemplary teaching.

As a result, we created school descriptors below capturing the elements of exemplary teaching at CSS which we then categorized into 4 groups: Who we are, What we do. We extended these descriptors to include the student perspective plus a question for teachers’ self reflection. These questions are designed to promote professional development thinking for individual teachers and then for the staff as a whole. In reference to these school-developed descriptors, we want to ask, “What do these descriptors look like in practice?”; and “What would be some strategies for enhancing this work in our effort to achieve what we believe to be exemplary teaching?”

and

S chool C ulture

Relationships:

• Teacher: We care for each other and foster a culture of mutual respect among students, staff, parents and • •

other members of the school community.

Student: We care for each other and show respect for everyone in this school.

Teacher Question: To what extent have you established positive, trusting, respectful relationships in the classroom and with the members of the school community in building a culture of mutual respect?

School Culture

• Teacher: We are a community of innovators and risk-takers. We make our school a great place to be and there is a strong sense that “we are all in this together”.

• Student: We are creative and willing to try new things. We make our school a great place to be and we feel that “we are all in this together”.

• Teacher Question: To what extent is innovation and risk-taking reflected in your teaching practice?

Student and Staff Wellness

• Teacher: We model and promote all facets of personal development (body, mind, heart and spirit).

• Student: We develop our minds, bodies, feelings and creative spirit to learn and grow as a whole person.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you feel that you model and promote all facets of personal development (body, mind, heart and spirit)?

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Parents as Partners

• Teacher: We partner with parents and meaningfully involve them in the education of their children.

• Student: We include our parents in our learning.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you partner with parents and meaningfully involve them in the education of their children?

Communication

• Teacher: We provide ongoing, varied and transparent communication with all members of the school community. In particular, we listen to and honour the student voice.

• Student: We are heard and respected for openly sharing our thoughts and ideas.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you listen to and honour the student voice?

W hat W e D o : E xempl ary Teaching P ractices Inquiry-based Practice

• Teacher: We promote learning through a disposition of inquiry that connects learning to real life experiences beyond the classroom.

• Student: We inquire and explore real-life questions that develop a better understanding of our world.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you promote learning through a disposition of inquiry that connects learning to real life experiences beyond the classroom?

Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching

• Teacher: We are intentional, authentic, and innovative in the use of technology to enhance learning and teaching in an inquiry-based learning environment.

• Student: We use technology to improve our learning and show in different ways what we can do.

• Teacher Question: To what extent are you intentional, authentic, and innovative in your use of technology to enhance learning and teaching?

Meaningful Curriculum Implementation

• Teacher: We utilize a variety of teaching strategies to bring the Alberta curriculum to life by planning • •

engaging and authentic learning experiences, within and across subject areas connecting to curriculum outcomes.

Student: We enjoy our learning because it is real and interesting.

Teacher Question: To what extent do you utilize a variety of teaching strategies to bring the Alberta curriculum to life by planning engaging and authentic learning experiences, within and across subject areas?

Authentic Assessment

• Teacher: We foster excellence and promote success through a variety of assessment strategies designed to provide meaningful, ongoing and timely feedback to teachers, students and parents.

• Student: We know what we need to learn and what we need to do to be our very best.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you foster excellence and promote success through a variety of assessment strategies?

Environmental and Outdoor Education

• Teacher: We promote environmental and global awareness to inspire our students to become informed and active citizens.

• Student: We understand the world outside of our classrooms and have opportunities to make a difference.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you promote environmental and global awareness to inspire your students to become informed and active citizens?

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H ow W e D o I t : C ommunit y

of

L earners

Collaboration

• Teacher: Teaching and learning are enhanced through formal and informal networks of collaboration within • •

and beyond our school.

Student: We learn better by learning together.

Teacher Question: To what extent do you enhance your teaching and learning practices through formal and informal networks of collaboration within and beyond our school?

Research Focus

• Teacher: Our classrooms are thriving places of active research where teachers and students learn together • •

and from each other. Our teaching practice informs and is informed by current educational practice and research.

Student: We are all researchers working with new ideas.

Teacher Questions: To what extent is your classroom a thriving place of active research where you and your students learn together and from each other? To what extent is your teaching practice informing and informed by current educational practice and research?

Leadership

• Teacher: As a community we benefit from a strong foundation of supportive, visionary, informed and trustworthy leadership.

• Student: We are all leaders, sharing our talents and gifts to make a positive difference within the school and beyond.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you contribute to the leadership of the school?

Professional Development

• Teacher: Teacher professional growth is fostered through the intentional allocation of time and resources leading responsive, progressive, meaningful, job-embedded and ongoing professional development.

• Student: We benefit from opportunities our teachers have to learn and grow.

• Teacher Question: To what extent is your professional growth fostered through the intentional allocation of time and resources leading responsive, progressive, meaningful, job-embedded and ongoing professional development?

W hy

we do it :

L earner E ngagement

and

S uccess

Student Success

• Teacher: We embrace the diversity of learning styles, interests and needs of our students, to develop confidence and ensure every student achieves success.

• Student: We all learn in different ways and benefit from different teaching approaches that help us be successful and confident.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you embrace the diversity of learning styles, interests and needs of your students, to develop confidence and ensure every student achieves success?

Engagement in Learning

• Teacher: We engage students in meaningful, authentic learning activities and foster a community where both teachers and students are passionate and enthusiastic about learning.

• Student: We are excited about learning and being part of a fun, learning community.

• Teacher Question: To what extent do you engage students in meaningful, authentic learning activities and foster a community where both teachers and students are passionate and enthusiastic about learning?

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Distributed Leadership Model Building Broad-based Leadership Capacity with Educators, Students and Parents

L ooking F orward

The Calgary Science School incorporates a collaborative model of instructional leadership that includes school administration, learning coaches, and the PD / Outreach Coordinator. Our vision is to build leadership capacity within the CSS staff by engaging teachers in decisionmaking processes whenever appropriate and encouraging professional development and postgraduate studies in the domain of educational leadership, while providing opportunities to assume leadership roles within the school and beyond.

LOOK ING BACK:

• During the school year the superintendent facilitated over 20 professional development sessions with the principal and two assistant principals with a focus on providing instructional leadership. The Alberta Education descriptors of school leadership competencies served as a framework for the dialogue.

Through the process each administrator developed a professional leadership action plan for providing instructional leadership.

• The math/science and humanities curriculum leaders met regularly to review the specified goals of curricular teams, how those goals were being met, and strategies or resources to further enhance success.

• The Professional Development / Outreach Coordinator position evolved into an active instructional leadership role as a mentor to teachers, curriculum leaders, and learning coaches.

• Staff Think Tank sessions: for the past two years at the June staff retreat the superintendent has facilitated the involvement of staff members in a process of describing what is working well, identifying needs to be addressed and articulating action strategies.

The ideas generated through the process inform the development of the education plan and the Calgary Science School Strategic plan.

LOOK ING FORWARD:

• The succession process from two full time Assistant Principals to one full time and one half time position will present opportunities to further distribute leadership opportunities among staff.

• The school leadership team will continue to engage in professional development activities, both internally and externally, that build upon the Leadership Competencies delineated by Alberta Education.

“CSS makes me I better learner I fee,l through inquiry. I think that by teaching us to learn ourselves will greatly benefit us in the future.” A.I (7.4) 19

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• The process of providing specialized instructional support has been enhanced with the organizational transition from curriculum leaders to learning coaches who have been allocated instructional time to spend in classrooms while serving as models and mentors for classroom teachers.

• Parent involvement and consultation on committees at the Board and School Council levels represents an important element in the leadership paradigm of the school and recognizes the value of parental input in decision-making processes and authentic engagement in supporting the learning of their children and the work of the school.

• The PD / Outreach Coordinator will continue to support a deep understanding of inquiry methodology among staff and parents, while collaborating with other schools, jurisdictions, universities, government agencies, and professional development service providers to reinforce exemplary teaching and learning practice within and beyond CSS.

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Calgary Science School Goals GOAL 1

The Calgary Science School engages students in relevant inquiry-based experiences that honor the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge and understanding.

O utcome A

Teachers foster inquiry-based learning in their classrooms.

Measure #1

Number of days of collaborative release time teachers spend per grade and per subject on inquiry based practice Grade

Number of Days

20092010

Subject Area

20102011*

Number of Days

2009-2010

2010-2011*

4 9 3 Math/Science 11.5 4 5 3 1 Humanities 18 4.5 Grade Number of Days 1.5 Subject Number 6 2 Phys.

Ed.Area 4 of Days 0 7 4.5 1 Fine Arts 13 2 200920102009-2010 2010-2011* 8 20105.5 2011* 2 9 5.5 0 4 9 3 Math/Science 11.5 4 TOTAL 29.5 8.5 5 3 1 Humanities 18 4.5 6 2 1.5 Phys.

Ed. 4 Note– changes to the timetable allowed for common planning time for team partners, reducing the need for 0 7 4.5 1 Fine Arts 13 2 collaborative release time.

8 5.5 2 2009-2010 2010-2011 9 5.5 Most of the 0 Often Most of the Often Measure #2 TOTAL 29.5 8.5 Time Time Percent of teachers indicating they are advanced in each of the areas on the teacher inquir y Authenticity 41.7% 41.7% 34.8% 39.1% self-assessment rubric Academic Rigour (Deep 44% 44% 26.1% 56.5% Understanding) 2009-2010 2010-2011 Assessment for Learning 28% 40%Often 30.4% 47.8% Often Most of the Most of the Connecting with Expertise 0% Time 24% 17.4% 8.7% Time Life Skills (Student Success) 29.2% 50% 39.1% 56.5% Authenticity 41.7% 41.7% 34.8% 39.1% Elaborated Communication 20% 64% 30.4% 60.9% Academic Rigour (Deep 44% 44% 26.1% 56.5% (Performances of Learning) Understanding) Compassion (Ethical 40% 40% 30.4% 47.8% Assessment for Learning 28% 40% 30.4% 47.8% Citizenship) Connecting with Expertise 0% 24% 17.4% 8.7% Active Exploration 28% 56% Merged category Life Skills (Student Success) 29.2% 50% 39.1% with “Compasssion” 56.5% Use of Digital Technologies 24% 48% 34.8% 52.2% Elaborated Communication 20% 64% 30.4% 60.9% (Performances of Learning) Compassion (Ethical 40% 40% 30.4% 47.8% 2009-2010 2010-2011 Citizenship) Highly effective 36% 30.4% Active Exploration 28% 56% Merged with “Compasssion” category Effective 44% 43.5% Use of Digital Technologies 24% 48% 34.8% 52.2%

Highly effective

2009-2010 Results from 2009-2010 annual student survey.

2136% Disengaged Ritualistic

2010-2011 B ack to Ta ble of Contents 30.4% Academicall Intellectually

Understanding) Elaborated Communication 20% 64% 30.4% 60.9% Assessment forofLearning 28% 40% 30.4% 47.8% (Performances Learning) Connecting with Expertise 0% 24% 17.4% 8.7% Compassion (Ethical 40% 40% 30.4% 47.8% Life Skills (Student Success) 29.2% 50% 39.1% 56.5% Citizenship) Measure # 3 Elaborated Communication 20% 64% 30.4% 60.9% category Active Exploration 28% 56% Merged with “Compasssion” Percent of teachers indicating that their collaborative (release) time was highly effective at fostering (Performances of Learning) Use of Digital Technologies 24% 48% 34.8% 52.2% inquiry-based learning in their classroom Compassion (Ethical 40% 40% 30.4% 47.8% Citizenship) 2009-2010 2010-2011 Active Exploration 28% 56% Merged with “Compasssion” category Highly 36% 30.4% 52.2% Use of effective Digital Technologies 24% 48% 34.8% Effective 44% 43.5%

O utcome B

2009-2010

2010-2011

Highly effective 36% 30.4% Student learning is improved through regular involvement in relevant inquiry-based experiences.

Results from 2009-2010 annual student Effective 44% survey.

43.5% Ritualistic Academicall Intellectually Measure #1Disengaged Level of authentic engagement of students Compliance y Engaged Engaged

Math/Science 2.9% 17.9% 52.8% 26.5% Results from 2009-2010 annual student survey.

Humanities 4.4% 20.3% 50.4% 24.9% Disengaged Ritualistic Academicall Intellectually Physical 4.4% 8.2% 33.8% 53.7% Compliance y Engaged Engaged Education Math/Science 2.9% 17.9% 52.8% 26.5% Fine Arts 5.9% 26.8% 40.8% 26.4% Humanities 4.4% 20.3% 50.4% 24.9% Physical 4.4% 8.2% 33.8% 53.7% Education Fine Arts 5.9% 26.8% 40.8% 26.4%

Intellectual Engagement Composite Measure for 2010-2011*

Note– results taken from the Tell Them From Me Survey. This composite measure is derived from

54 of the questions that are asked for the measures of Interest and Motivation (18), Effort (9),

Effective Learning Time (9), Relevance (9), and Rigor (9). These questions pertain to three subject

areas - language arts, mathematics, and science.

Disengaged Ritualistic Academically Intellectually Compliance Engaged Engaged 20092010200920102009-2010 2010-­‐ 2009-­‐2010 2010-­‐ 2010 2011 2010 2011 2011 2011 Math 0% 9.1% 16.7% 0% 58.3% 72.7% 25% 9.1% Science 0% 0% 8.3% 9.1% (1 50% 54.5% 41.7% 27.3% teacher)

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All results are from teacher survey on student engagement. Percentage of teachers who feel their students are engaged in their learning.

Disengaged Ritualistic Academically Intellectually Compliance Engaged Engaged

2009-­‐ 2010-­‐ 2009-­‐ 2010-­‐ 2009-­‐ 2010-­‐ 2009-­‐ 2010-­‐ 2010

2011 2010

2011 2010

2011 2010

2011

Math 0% 9.1% 16.7% 0% 58.3% 72.7% 25% 9.1%

Science 0% 0% 8.3% 9.1% (1 50% 54.5% 41.7% 27.3%

teacher)

Ritualistic Academically Language Disengaged 0% 0% 8.3%% 0% 83.3% 87.5% Intellectually 8.3% 0% Compliance Engaged Engaged Arts 2009201020092009-2010 12.5% 2010-­‐ Social 0% 0% 18.2% 20100% 36.4% 2010-­‐ 75% 2009-­‐2010 45.5% 2010 2011 2010 2011 2011 2011 Studies Math Science

0% 0%

9.1% 0%

16.7% 8.3%

0% OLanguage utcome C Arts

0% 9.1% (1 teacher) 0%

58.3% 50%

72.7% 25% 54.5% 41.7%

9.1% 27.3%

0% 8.3%% 83.3% 87.5% 8.3% 0% Students attain high standards of prescribed curriculum outcomes in a rich and challenging environment.

Social 0% 0% 18.2% 0% 36.4% 75% 45.5% 12.5% Studies

Measure #1

Percentage of student learning artifacts that demonstrate the highest level of achievement

Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9

% of students achieving a 4 for “knowledge and skills” in math & science 2009-2010 2010-2011 22.5% 19% 21.5% 17.5% 39% 34% 50.5% 42% 49% 35% 42% 47%

% of students achieving a 4 for “knowledge and skills” in humanities 2009-2010 18.5% 36% 50% 46% 42% 43.5%

2010-2011 24.5% 37% 30% 53% 38.5% 45%

knowledge and skills marks from the students’ term 3 report cards is representative of The level of achievement of the students. the

St r at e g i e s: • Continue to define the roles and responsibilities of the Professional Development Collaborative Outreach Coordinator position in assisting teachers to working with inquiry and technology integration

• leverage AISI to allow release time for teacher collaboration • teachers and administrators utilize classroom observation tools to assist in measuring level of student engagement and degree of authenticity of tasks

• teachers regularly meet in teams and share student artifacts to develop consistent understanding of excellence in inquiry

• teachers utilize technology to collaborate with each other, with students, and with parents (e.g. wiki/blogs, google docs, other web 2.0 tools)

• every PD/Planning day has a focus on student learning and development, not just teaching • work with external educational consultants to further our work with inquiry (e.g. Galileo Educational Network, Writers in Residence, Apple Canada, etc.)

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GOAL 2

Reciprocal learning between teachers and students will occur through the effective implementation of ubiquitous access to laptops in the One-to-One Computing Project initiated in 2006/2007, expanded in 2007/2008, and implemented school wide in 2008/2009.

O utcome A

In the context of the school’s vision for inquiry and technology, clear processes and procedures for implementing and sustaining the personalized learning initiative will be established to ensure a strong culture of use.

Measure #1

Number of release days used to address technology integration.

• Thirty five release days were taken to further teacher’s inquiry–based practice, which includes technology integration.

• 87% of teachers self report engaging their students “most of the time” or “often” with the appropriate use of technology.

NOTE– We could use the teacher inquiry self assessment data regarding tech use. We could also look to see how many focus on technology.

O utcome B

As the personalized learning initiative continues to grow and expand, more intentional processes and protocols for teacher professional development that build a strong professional learning community as well as responsive personalized learning opportunities will be implemented.

Measure #1

The number and variety of breakout group sessions offered on PD days. Data Unavailable– structure and format for our PD days changed to focus more on staff development as a whole

Measure # 2

Level of teacher collaboration (self assessment)

Dialogue Action Evaluation

Beginning 20092010 10% 3.3% 23.3%

20102011 3% 0% 6%

Developing 200920102010 2011 43.3% 28% 43.3% 31% 53.3% 82%

Proficient 20092010 46.7% 53.3% 23.3%

20102011 69% 69% 12%

s u l ts ba s ed o n Tea che r Co l l a b o ra t i o n A s s e s s me nt Ru b ri c – s ee a p p e nd i x fo r a co py Re Almost every day A few times each Between Less than never week once/week and once/month once/month In 2009-2010 85% as a specific focus for improvement in their goals 45.2% 21.7%of teachers included 11.9% technology 8.5% 12.7%

Measure # 3

on their teacher professional growth plans.

2010-2011 75% a specific focus improvement in their goals VeryIn Often Oftenof teachers included Neutral technology NotasOften Not for at all on their teacher professional growth plans.

22.1% 33.7% 22.8% 13.7% 7.8%

OMost utcome of the Time C Often

About half the

Occasionally

Seldom

Time There will be greater use of online, collaborative knowledge building environments within the personalized 28% 24% 4% 4% learning initiative. 40%

Measure # 1

Very Often Often Neutral Not Often Not at all 32.7% 43.5% 16.6% 4.5% 2.6% Percentage of students who use email and/or web 2.0 tools to collaborate and communicate with

teachers and fellow students

Measure #1 – Effectiveness of the personalized learning initiative as measured by the Galileo Educational Network in their annual research report of the personalized learning initiative

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2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011 10% 3% 43.3% 28% 46.7% 69% 3.3% 0% 43.3% 31% 53.3% 69% 23.3% 6% 53.3% 82% 23.3% 12% utcome Beginning Developing Proficient

Feedback loops and processes will be established so that evidence-based decisions can continue to inform and 2009- A few20102009-Between 201020092010Almost every day times each Less than never drive the personalized learning initiative.

2010 week2011 2010 once/week 2011 and 2010once/month 2011 Dialogue 10% 3% 43.3%once/month 28% 46.7% 69% Beginning Developing Proficient 45.2% 8.5% 69% 12.7% Action 3.3% 21.7% 0% 43.3%11.9%31% 53.3% of students managing their showcase portfolios digitally.

20102009201020092010 Number 2009Evaluation 23.3% 6% 53.3% 82% 23.3% 12% 2010 Neutral 2011 2010Not Often 2011 Very Often 2010 Often2011 Not at all Dialogue 10% 3% 43.3% 28% 46.7% 69% 22.1% 33.7% 22.8% 13.7% 7.8% Almost every day A few times each Between Less than never Action 3.3% 0% 43.3% 31% 53.3% 69%

week once/week and once/month Evaluation 23.3%Often6% 53.3% 12% Most of the Time About82% half the 23.3% Occasionally Seldom once/month Dialogue Action Evaluation

O

D

Measure # 1

Measure # 2

Percentage of21.7% Time 45.2% 11.9% 8.5%on the assessment 12.7%for learning area of the teachers indicating they are advanced 40% 24% 4% 4% Almost every day A few times each Between Less than never 28%teacher inquiry self assessment week once/week and once/month

Very Often Often Neutral Not Often Not at all

once/month “How frequently have your students in work Very Often Oftenyou engaged Neutral Not Oftenthat contributed Not at all to high-level tasks, as 22.1% 33.7% 22.8% 13.7% 7.8% defined by the criteria in our inquiry rubric?” – (specifically the assessment for learning criterion) 45.2% 21.7% 11.9% 8.5% 12.7% 32.7% 43.5% 16.6% 4.5% 2.6%

Most

of the Time Very Often

Often About half the Occasionally Seldom Often Neutral Not Often Not at all Time 22.1% 33.7% 22.8% 13.7% 7.8% 28% 40% 24% 4% 4%the Galileo Measure #1 – Effectiveness of the personalized learning initiative as measured by Educational Network in their annual research report of the personalized learning initiative Most of the Time Often About Occasionally Seldom Very Often Often Neutralhalf the Not Often Not at all

Time 32.7% 16.6% 4.5%opportunities 2.6% 28%Percentage of 43.5%

students reporting they have multiple to refine and improve their work 40% 24% 4% 4%

Measure # 3

Very Often Often Neutral Not Often Not at all Measure #1 – Effectiveness of the personalized learning initiative as measured by the Galileo 32.7% 16.6% 4.5% 2.6% Educational Network43.5%

in their annual research report of the personalized learning initiative

Measure #1 – Effectiveness initiative as measured by the Galileo utcome of the personalized learning

Educational Network in their annual research report of the personalized learning initiative

Measure # 1

personalized learning initiative as measured by the Galileo Educational Effectiveness of the Network in their annual

the personalized learning

research report of initiative

Strategies:

• continue to provide the support of an Educational Technologist to support teachers’ work with technology integration

• leverage AISI to allow release time for teacher collaboration

• contract Galileo Educational Network to continue with the longitudinal study of our personalized learning initiative • maintain a consistent focus for PD on assessment • hold 2 staff retreats per year to focus on strengthening our collaborative culture • develop digital portfolios for students • structure PD/Planning Days to include grade level team collaboration time

Goal 3 – Students will be authentically engaged in their learning.

Goal 3 – Students will be authentically engaged in their learning.

O

E

Goal 3 – Students will be authentically engaged in their learning.

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GOAL 3

Students will be authentically engaged in their learning.

O utcome A

Students will participate in outdoor educational opportunities to further enhance and support the educational experiences in their classrooms.

Measure #1

Number of field trips per student per grade each year 2009-2010

2010-2011

Grade 4

3

4

Grade 5

2009-20102

2 2010-2011

Grade Grade 64

43

34

Grade Grade 75

52

32

Grade Grade 86

34

43

Grade 97 Grade Grade Grades 8 Partial or

55 3

23 4

21 5

30 2

Classes (e.g.

Grade 9 fine arts) electives,

2 Multi-day trips per class per year (in each school year) 3 days, 2 nights at Camp Sweet; 3 days, 2 nights on Southern Alberta Tour 32 days, 2 nights Camp 3 days, 2 nights atyear) Fort Steele Multi-day trips at per classSweet; per year (in each school 33 days, Camp days, 22 nights nights at at Camp Camp Sweet; Sweet; 33 days, days, 22 nights nights at onWinter Southern Alberta (Kananaskis) Tour 33 days, days, 22 nights nights at at Camp Camp Sweet; Sweet; 33 days, days, 22 nights nights at at Fort Fort Steele Steele 33 days, CentralCamp Alberta days, 22 nights nights at at Camp Camp Sweet; Sweet; 43 days, days, 32 nights nights on at Winter Circle Tour (Jasper) (Kananaskis) 23 days, Marine days, 12 night nightsatatCamp CampSweet; Sweet;6 3days, days,5 2nights nightsatatBamfield Fort Steele Science Centre (Vancouver Island) 3 days, 2 nights at Camp Sweet; 4 days, 3 nights on Central Alberta Circle Tour (Jasper) 2 days, 1 night at Camp Sweet; 6 days, 5 nights at Bamfield Marine Science Centre (Vancouver Island)

Partial Grades or 2009-2010 2010-2011 21 30 Classes (e.g.

Math/Science 23 21 electives, fineofarts) Number field trips addressing each of the curricular areas.

Humanities 23 15 2009-2010 2010-2011 Physical Education 11 9 Math/Science 23 21 Fine Arts 8 6 Humanities 23 15 Other (e.g. Health 2 22 or electives) Physical Education 11 9 Fine Arts 8 6 Other (e.g.Agree Health Strongly Agree Neutral 2 22 or electives) 40.7% 43.6% 11.9%

Measure #2

Note: above numbers include full, half, and multi-day field trips.

Strongly Agree

Agree Often 18.2%43.6%

Very Often 40.7% 9.5%

Measure # 3

Neutral 27.5%

Neutral Not Often 11.9% 21.2%

Disagree/Strongly Disagree 3.8% Disagree/Strongly Disagree Not at All 3.8% 23.7%

Percentage of students who indicate they understand the connection between their outdoor education

Most the About (Alberta Half theNot Very Often to Often Neutral Often Not at All experiences theofclassroom learning priorities Education outcomes) Often Occasionally Seldom Time18.2% 9.5% 27.5% Time 21.2% 23.7% 2009-2010 0% 24% 20% 52% 4% utcome Most 2010-2011 17.4% 8.7% 34.8% 34.8% 4.3% of the About Half the Often Seldom This authentic educational outside of theOccasionally school) will promote collaborative connections Time engagement (within and Time (educationally and professionally) within invested educational research communities (students, parents, Measure #3 – Effectiveness formsthe of professional collaborativeand outreach 2009-2010 0% of various 24% 20% 52% 4% teachers, professional support and researchers).

2010-2011 17.4% 8.7% 34.8% 34.8% 4.3%

O

B

Measure #3 – Effectiveness of various forms of professional collaborative outreach

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Humanities Physical Education Fine Arts Other (e.g. Health or electives)

Measure #1

23 11 8

15 9 6

2

22

Percentage of students who indicate they frequently get feedback from experts to improve the quality of their work Disagree/Strongly

Strongly Agree

Measure # 2 40.7%

Agree

Neutral

Disagree 43.6% 11.9% 3.8%of the inquiry Percentage of teachers who indicate they frequently access expertise ass part

process Very Often Often Often at All “How frequently have you engaged your Neutral students in workNot that contributed Not to high-level tasks, as 18.2% 27.5%(specifically the 21.2% 23.7% defined9.5% by the criteria in our inquiry rubric?” assessment for learning criterion)

2009-2010 2010-2011

Most of the Time 0% 17.4%

Often 24% 8.7%

About Half the Time 20% 34.8%

Occasionally

Seldom

52% 34.8%

4% 4.3%

Measure # 3

Measure #3 – Effectiveness of various forms of professional collaborative outreach

Effectiveness of various forms of professional collaborative outreach Number of Student Teachers at CSS Number of presentations (including webinars) given

by CSS staff outside of CSS

Number of school visits (including digitally through

Skype) hosted by CSS

Blog Number of blog posts on CSS Outreach (Connect!)

Number of people directly contacted through CSS Outreach activities Number of hits on CSS on CSS Outreach Blog (Connect!)

Number of schools/organizations working with CSS

14 (8 University of Calgary + 6 Mount Royal University) 40 (full list in Appendix G) 26 (full list in Appendix G) 88 Blog Posts Over 1300 10,000+ Visits 22,000+Page Views 31 (full list in Appendix H)

* Sample Feedback about CSS Collaborative Outreach Initiative (additional Feedback is found in Appendix H):

“This was one of the best PD experiences I have had the pleasure of attending. The Calgary Science School was so willing to share and collaborate with all the information and materials they have. Watching students work and collaborate with the technology was just mind boggling. It’s fantastic to find a school and staff members whose mandate it is to collaborate and share all their expertise and materials. The Calgary Science School has even offered to assist with our PD next year.” CBE teacher “It was extremely helpful to go into classrooms and see how technology and inquiry based learning was being utilized. This knowledge and experience gives me the ability to talk to classroom teachers in my cohort to discuss how they could implement these ideas into their own teaching practices while giving examples of how it can work.” AISI Learning Leader

Strategies:

• Include the role of the Professional Development Collaborative Outreach Coordinator the responsibility for developing instruments to measure the impact of our professional collaborative outreach efforts • retain the services of an outdoor education specialist to assist in planning and implementing outdoor education activities • annually audit overnight educational excursions to assess effectiveness in meeting curricular outcomes • organize a parent conference for the Fall of each year • develop an annual parent survey to get feedback specific to CSS goals and objectives

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G oal 4

Exemplary teaching will be fostered through research initiatives and the implementation of research-informed teaching practices.

O utcome A

Calgary Science School teachers will contribute to the development of innovative teaching practices for the benefit of students through the implementation of action research initiatives and innovative projects.

Measure #1

Number of teachers completing projects through the Calgary Science School Research and Innovation Fund

Measure #2

Teacher satisfaction survey feedback relating to the impact of research in enhancing their instructional practices

Measure #3

Number of teacher and student blogs on the Calgary Science School website related to research and innovation projects

O utcome B

Research initiatives, including those involving external partnerships will be undertaken to benefit the school in enhancing teaching and learning in the school and beyond

Measure #1

Number of research initiatives undertaken in the school

Measure #2

Number of external partnerships involved in and/or supporting the school in a research capacity

O utcome C

A culture of research-informed practice in the Calgary Science School will be nurtured

Measure #1

-Number of references to the Calgary Science School Exemplary Teaching and Learning research descriptors in the teacher professional growth plans

Measure #2

Number of references in leadership team formal and informal feedback to teachers, made to the research descriptor in the Exemplary Teaching and Learning framework

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O utcome D

Students will develop the skills for effective research and a disposition of a researcher in alignment with curricular expectations

Measure #1

Student survey data relating to a student disposition of research

Measure #2

Teacher anecdotal observations reflecting the demonstration of student understanding of qualitative and quantitative language in research.

Strategies

• Develop a Calgary Science School research protocol (policy) • Establish a Calgary Science School Research and Innovation committee.

• Establish a Research and Innovation project fund which would be made available to staff members to conduct research and develop innovative programs.

• Contract the services of the Galileo Educational Network Association to study of graduates of the Calgary Science School and conduct a follow-up to the three year Galileo one-on-one laptop and student engagement research • Engage members of the leadership team and school staff in developing exemplary teaching practices and contract the services of an external researcher to investigate: the role of leadership as a change agent in promoting transformational change and innovative and best teaching practices; strategies for increasing the level of engagement of students as learners, teachers as facilitators of learning, school administrators as instructional leaders and parents as partners in the education of their children; best practices for increasing the level of student engagement in authentic learning and strategies for promoting the active involvement of teachers in conducting action research and innovation initiatives to enhance teaching practices.

• Promote the involvement of teachers and students as researchers through a variety of initiatives • Use the Calgary Science School Exemplary Teaching and Exemplary Learning descriptors relating to the science of learning and learning through a disposition of inquiry and research as a framework for action for students, teachers and school leaders.

• Establish three successful external partnerships supporting research and innovation • Develop and implement programs designed to enhance student understanding of quantitative and qualitative research strategies and promote the development of a disposition of researcher

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Provincial

goals ,

Outcomes, Measures,

and

Strategies

G oal F ive :

High Q ualit y Learning Opportunities O u tc o m e :

Schools environments are safe and caring.

Results (in percentages)

Performance Measure

Evaluation

Targets²

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Achievement Improvement Overall

Percentage of teacher, parent and student agreement that: students are safe at school, are learning the importance of caring for others, are learning respect for others and are treated fairly in school.

90.1 91.0 90.1 92.4 92.5

Very High

Maintained

2011 2012 2013

Excellent

Breakdown of School Results 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Overall

90.1

91.0

90.1

92.4

92.5

Teacher

96.8

97.2

95.0

96.0

96.4

Parent

94.3

92.3

92.2

94.6

95.3

Student

79.3

83.4

83.2

86.7

85.9

O u tc o m e :

The education system meets the needs of all K–12 students and supports our society and the economy.

Results (in percentages)

Performance Measure

Evaluation

Targets

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Achievement Improvement Overall 2011 2012 2013 Percentage of teachers, parents and students satisfied with the opportunity for students to receive a broad 82.7 76.5 80.2 78.7 80.5 High Maintained Good program of studies including fine arts, career, technology, and health and physical education.

Percentage of teachers, parents and students satisfied 95.0 95.4 94.4 96.5 96.2 Very High Maintained Excellent with the overall quality of basic education.

Breakdown of School Results – satisfaction with the opportunity to receive a broad program of studies…

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Breakdown of School Results – satisfied with the overall quality of basic education 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Overall

82.7

76.5

80.2

78.7

80.5

Overall

95.0

95.4

94.4

96.5

96.2

Teacher

93.4

88.7

93.7

85.9

86.1

Teacher

98.2

98.9

99.0

100.0

99.4

Parent

84.5

82.5

79.3

82.6

83.2

Parent

93.4

93.0

91.6

95.2

94.2

Student

70.1

58.2

67.6

67.5

72.2

Student

93.5

94.4

92.7

94.3

95.0

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O u tc o m e :

Children and youth with at risk factors have their needs addressed through timely and effective programs and supports.

Performance Measure Drop Out Rate - annual dropout rate of students aged 14 to 18

Results (in percentages)

Evaluation

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Achievement Improvement 2.7

2.5

0.0

2.9

0.0

Very High

Improved

Targets Overall 2011 2012 2013 Excellent

O u tc o m e : High school completion rates are showing continual improvement.

[N o Data For H igh School Completion Rate] S t r at e g i e s : Diverse Program • Provide opportunities to recognize and celebrate the cultural diversity that exists within our school community (e.g. Peace Festival, Summer Solstice Celebration etc.)

• Maintain Global Education program for all grade 9 students.

• Continue to allow program choice by offering diverse electives in Grades 6 to 9.

• Collect information from students’ surveys regarding student satisfaction with their access to equitable and diversified learning experiences at CSS. • Maintain a minimum gender ratio of 1:2, girls to boys Student Services • Utilize the guidance and student health and safety policies and procedures in addressing the needs of the school community.

• Continue the development of a counseling and guidance program to address the needs of the school community.

• Ensure that referrals are made to the Student Health Initiative when necessary and appropriate.

• Student-led Health Committee formed to promote awareness of healthy living.

Access to Services • Continue to make bursaries available to anyone with demonstrated need.

• Adapt school and program to allow universal access to activities for students with medical or physical conditions.

• Continue tracking numbers, gender and grade level of students participating in voluntary enrichment activities.

• Ensure staff is informed of the processes regarding allocation and utilization of budget monies in order to provide high quality learning opportunities for all.

Student Leadership • Actively seek student voice whenever appropriate; further develop processes to involve students in decision-making • Continue student leadership initiatives at all grades.

• Maintain leadership program for all Grade 9 students.

Information Technology • Continue to employ a full time educational technologist to help effectively utilize the state of the art technology in the school in support of student learning.

• Implement 1:1 computing program school wide.

• Explore the use of assistive and adaptive technologies.

• Continue working with students and parents to engage in Internet safety related discussions.

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G oal S ix : S u c c e ss

for

School: 0335 Calgary Science School

Every Stu dent

Goal Five (Provincial Goal): O u tc o m e :

Success for Every Student

Outcome: demonstrate Students demonstrate proficiency in literacy numeracy Students proficiency in literacy and and numeracy Performance Measure

Results (in percentages)

Target¹

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2011

Evaluation Achievement

Improvement

Targets² Overall 2012 2013 2014

Overall percentage of students in Grades 3, 6 and 9 who achieved the acceptable standard on Provincial Achievement Tests (overall cohort results).

96.0 95.7 96.7 98.5 98.8

Very High

Improved

Excellent

Overall percentage of students in Grades 3, 6 and 9 who achieved the standard of excellence on Provincial Achievement Tests (overall cohort results).

52.5 38.4 49.2 45.5 59.3

Very High

Improved Significantly

Excellent

Calgary Science School Achievement Course English Language Arts 6 Science 6 Social Studies 6 English Language Arts 9 Science 9 Social Studies 9

Improvement

Overall

Measure

Alberta 2011 N

%

Prev 3 Yr Avg N

%

2011 N

Prev 3 Yr Avg %

N

%

Acceptable Standard

Very High

Improved

Excellent 100 99.0

100

97.0

43,433 83.0 43,646

82.1

Standard of Excellence

Very High

Improved

Excellent 100 48.0

100

37.7

43,433 18.5 43,646

19.6

Acceptable Standard

Very High

Improved

Excellent 100 98.0

100

94.7

43,441 76.2 43,534

76.0

Standard of Excellence

Very High

Improved Significantly Excellent 100 70.0

100

49.3

43,441 25.0 43,534

25.1

Acceptable Standard

n/a

Declined

n/a

100 97.0

100

99.0

43,537 71.1 43,601

71.0

Standard of Excellence

n/a

Maintained

n/a

100 39.0

100

40.0

43,537 18.5 43,601

16.4

Acceptable Standard

Very High

Maintained

Excellent 100 99.0

99

98.3

43,024 79.1 43,763

78.2

Standard of Excellence

Very High

Improved Significantly Excellent 100 62.0

99

43.6

43,024 16.3 43,763

14.8

Acceptable Standard

Very High

Maintained

Excellent 100 99.0

99

98.0

42,932 74.9 43,553

71.7

Standard of Excellence

Very High

Improved

Excellent 100 57.0

99

47.0

42,932 20.8 43,553

15.5

Acceptable Standard

n/a

Maintained

n/a

100 97.0

98

98.0

43,128 67.2 43,769

68.9

Standard of Excellence

n/a

Improved Significantly

n/a

100 74.0

98

49.0

43,128 19.0 43,769

18.8

O u tc o m e :

Outcome: Achieve Students achieve educational outcomes Students Educational Outcomes Performance Measure

Results (in percentages)

Target

Evaluation

Targets

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Achievement Improvement Overall 2012 2013 2014

High School Completion Rate - percentages of students who completed high school within three years of entering Grade 10.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Drop Out Rate - annual dropout rate of students aged 14 to 18

2.5

0.0

2.9

0.0

0.0

Very High

Maintained

Excellent

High school to post-secondary transition rate of students within six years of entering Grade 10.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Percentage of Grade 12 students eligible for a Rutherford Scholarship.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Percentage of students writing four or more diploma exams within three years of entering Grade 10.

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Notes: Aggregated PAT results are based upon a weighted average of percent meeting standards (Acceptable, Excellence). The weights are the number of students enrolled in each course. Courses included: English Language Arts (Grades 3, 6, 9), Science (Grades 6, 9), French Language Arts (Grades 6, 9), Français (Grades 6, 9). The percentages achieving the acceptable standard include the percentages achieving the standard of excellence.

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O u tc o m e :

School: 0335 Calgary Science School

Students are well prepared for lifelong learning.

Drop Out Rate – Measure Details Drop Out Rate - annual dropout rate of students aged 14 to 18 School 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Drop Out Rate

2.5

0.0

2.9

0.0

0.0

Returning Rate

0.0

0.0

n/a

*

*

O u tc o m e :

Students 21st century Outcome:are prepared Studentsfor arethe prepared for the 21st century Results (in percentages)

Performance Measure

Target

Evaluation

Targets

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2011 Achievement Improvement Overall 2012 2013 2014

Percentages of teachers, parents and students who are satisfied that students model the characteristics of active citizenship.

87.2 85.1 87.0 90.1 89.5

Very High

Improved

Excellent

Percentages of teachers and parents who agree that students are taught attitudes and behaviours that will make them successful at work when they finish school.

87.6 92.9 90.3 93.0 89.5

Very High

Declined

Good

Percentage of teacher and parent satisfaction that high school graduates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning.

64.5 61.1 64.0 64.2 63.9

Citizenship – Measure Details

Life Long Learning – Measure Details

Percentages of teachers, parents and students who are satisfied that students model the characteristics of active citizenship.

Percentages of teachers and parents who agree that high school students demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning.

School

School

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2007

2008

Overall

87.2

85.1

87.0

90.1

89.5

2009

2010

2011

Overall

64.5

61.1

64.0

64.2

Teacher

96.6

93.8

95.2

98.6

63.9

97.8

Teacher

68.4

63.3

66.7

67.3

Parent

90.9

88.3

90.1

67.9

92.4

91.4

Parent

60.7

58.9

61.3

61.1

Student

74.2

73.2

75.9

59.8

79.3

79.4

Work Preparation – Measure Details Percentages of teachers and parents who agree that students are taught attitudes and behaviours that will make them successful at work when they finish school.

School 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Overall

87.6

92.9

90.3

93.0

89.5

Teacher

92.9

100.0

96.0

100.0

96.2

Parent

82.3

85.8

84.6

85.9

82.8

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G oal S even : S u c c e ss

for

F i r s t N at i o n s , M e t i s

and

I n u i t (FNMI) S t u d e n t s .

O u tc o m e :

FNM! Students are Engaged in Learning

[No Data for this Goal, we don’t have any self-declared FNMI students]

S t r at e g i e s :

School: 0335 Calgary Science Schoo

continue the use of inquiry-based practice to meet individual students’ learning needs utilize computer assistive technologies to address students learning needs – – continue the use of inquiry-based practice to meet individual students’ learning needs Goal Seven (Provincial Success for First Nations, Metis – – utilize computer assistiveGoal): technologies to address students learning needsand Inuit (FNMI) Students.

– – provide professional development support for teachers regarding differentiated instruction – – provide access to a full-time school counsellor to support students’ social/emotional needs Outcome: FNMI students are engaged in learning.

Performance Measures

Results

� Annual dropout rate of self-identified FNMI students aged 14-18. � High school completion rate of self-identified FNMI students (three-year rate). � Overall percentage of self-identified FNMI students who achieved the acceptable standard and overall percentage who achieved the standard of excellence on provincial achievement tests. � Overall percentage of self-identified FNMI students who achieved the acceptable standard and overall percentage who achieve the standard of excellence on diploma examinations. � Percentages of self-identified FNMI students writing four or more diploma exams within three years of entering Grade 10. � High school to post-secondary transition rate of selfidentified FNMI students within six years of entering grade 10. � Percentage of self identified FNMI grade 12 students eligible for a Rutherford Scholarship.

CSS has no self identified FNMI students.

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G oal E ight :

H i g h ly R e s p o n s i v e

and

Responsible Jurisdiction

O u tc o m e :

The jurisdiction demonstrates effective working relationships Results (in percentages)

Performance Measure

Evaluation

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Achievement Improvement

Percentage of teachers and parents satisfied with parental involvement in decisions about their child's education.

91.4 88.9 86.2 85.9 87.6

Very High

Maintained

Targets Overall 2011 2012 2013 Excellent

Breakdown of School Results 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Overall

91.4

88.9

86.2

85.9

87.6

Teacher

100.0

99.3

96.9

93.5

94.3

Parent

82.8

78.5

75.6

78.3

81.0

O u tc o m e :

The jurisdiction demonstrates leadership, innovation and continuous improvement.

Performance Measure

Results (in percentages)

Evaluation

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Achievement Improvement

Percentages of teachers, parents and students indicating that their school and 86.3 88.5 82.4 87.9 86.6 schools in their jurisdiction have improved or stayed the same the last three years.

Very High

Maintained

Targets Overall 2011 2012 2013

Excellent

Breakdown of School Results 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Overall

86.3

88.5

82.4

87.9

86.6

Teacher

84.2

89.7

80.0

87.0

79.2

Parent

90.9

90.0

84.4

89.8

93.3

Student

83.9

86.0

82.9

86.9

87.4

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Provincial Achievement

Test Results and Analysis CSS Acceptable CSS Excellence

Province Acceptable Province Excellence

Grade 6 Math 100

100

100

99

85

83

82

99

100

81

75 48

25

39 25 18

16

06/07

07/08

32 19

19

08/09

09/10

09/10 Math. PAT results are unavailable

100

Grade 6 LA

99 90

99 91

99 91

10/11

100 91

99 92

52 36

50 25

23

22

25

75

38

06/07

98

07/08

98

75

20

08/09

Grade 9 Math 97 75

74

53

21

49

41 21

09/10

20

10/11

99

21

08/09

100

09/10

99

97 87

86

45

98

79

79

47 27

26

06/07

40

07/08

08/09

09/10

36 25 19 36

78

80

77

46

17

100

99

97

95

52 39 15

39 21

19

08/09 S.S. PAT results are unavailable

50

10/11

61

25

75

28

Grade 6 Social Studies

50

100

60

20

07/08

30

Grade 9 Science

73

47

84

53

28

28

25

0

85

56

46

06/07

99 71

30

0

85

84

67

75

50

100

84

100

99

97

50

100

75

0

100

75

50

0

Grade 6 Science

10/11

100

81

51

83 58

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Provincial Achievement

Test Results and Analysis Grade 9 LA 100

99

100

99

88

100

99

75 50 25 0

17

06/07

17

07/08

08/09

18

09/10

80

06/07

07/08

7575

50

22

22

0

98

76

43

25

10/11

99

60

50

17

16

99

75

39

37

99 80

63

56

50

100

89

88

88

87

Grade 9 Social Studies

21

08/09

09/10

08/09 S.S. PAT results are unavailable

22

10/11

OVERALL RESULTS 100 75 50

97 76 52

0

20

20

25

06/07

07/08

59

47

43

79

79

77

76

99

99

97

96

46

08/09

3737

20

19

19

09/10

10/11

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L ooking Back

and

Humanities

Thinking

During the course of the 2010/2011 school year students and teachers collaborated to develop critical and empathic responses to relevant issues affecting local and global communities. As they engaged with each other and with others outside of the school, students developed communication strategies that helped them to both appreciate diverse perspectives and to communicate their ideas in compelling ways.

Connecting with experts also became a focus for students in grades 4 and 5 with our writer-in-residence.

Our published author, Cathy Beveridge, helped students move their ideas into powerful mediums of communication including diary entries, personal narratives, and short writing vignettes.

During the municipal election last year grade 9 teachers and students created and hosted a Mayoral Forum involving six candidates including the eventual winner Naheed Nenshi. This event used live streaming to engage approximately 2000 online participants. Other inquiry projects included the grade 6 exploration of the debate surrounding the introduction of a Ring Road through a delicate wetland area. Additionally, students in grade 8 met with various experts in the city to consider whether Calgary met the criteria to be considered a Renaissance city. These projects reflect a high

forward

:

level of student engagement with local issues, creating authentic opportunities for students to connect and learn from experts in the community.

We believe meaningful learning takes place when students are engaged in intellectually authentic work.

Our goal is not only to ensure our students are aware of world issues, but also to empower them to take action on a school, city, national and global level.

This year the Humanities team will continue the second year of our lesson study focusing on what powerful writing looks like within different mediums including the graphic novels, digital narratives, short stories, and blogs. Teachers will present completed or in-process lessons or projects to the Humanities group throughout the year. Using the assessment tool(s) provided by the teacher(s) we will, as a collective, examine the work of two students, one whose writing is generally in the high range and another whose writing is in the low range. The focused examination of student work will inform our practice as teachers to better support our students in the writing process.

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Mathematics/Science Over view:

Teaching math through inquiry was the focus throughout this year. To help us in this endeavor, we worked with the Galileo Education Network on a lesson study where we opened our classrooms to fellow staff members to help provide feedback on various classroom activities and approaches. Our work last year is now a foundation upon which we will continue to build and expand upon in the years to come.

The science and math team continue to be actively involved in the One-to-One project, as 2009-2010 was the first year that the project went school-wide.

Increased access to technology provides a powerful tool through which to explore the scientific world.

Our goal this year was to use this unprecedented access to technology to inquire into the various scientific concepts from grades 4 to 9 in innovative ways.

Students responded by producing unique demonstrations of learning in projects such as the Sustainable Food Choices Challenge, the WHERE Challenge and in school-wide Science Fair event. (http://calgaryscienceschool.

Looking Back:

The math and science team has continued to focus on offering our students real-world and authentic learning experiences as a way of enhancing the learning that is fostered within our classrooms. We have continued to utilize our outdoor education program to this end, whether it is the Southern Alberta Tour or Snowshoe Trip at grade 4, Fort Steele Historical Lab at Grade 5 and 7, Winter Camp at Grade 6, the Northern Alberta Tour at Grade 8 or the Bamfield Marine Science Centre at grade 9. These experiences are meant to help bring life to learning and learning to life, which is an integral part of our philosophy at CSS. The One-to-One Program at CSS has allowed our students the ability to explore concepts on a much deeper level than would be otherwise possible. The use of Blogs and Wikis allow our teachers and students to give each other constant feedback throughout the various inquiry projects they undertake. Projects such as the QUEST Science Fair in grade 4 or the Grade 6 Boreal Forest Exploration.

blogspot.com/2011/06/making-sustainable-food-choices.html)

(http://calgaryscienceschool.blogspot.com/2010/09/boreal-forest-are-wedoing-enough.html)

We continued to host a school wide Science Fair aimed at involving more of our junior high students. These numbers have steadily increased and our students met with great success at the citywide level. Two of our grade 9 students were selected to represent Alberta at the National Jr. High Science Fair where they won several awards and scholarships for the project they called: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stevia: a Sugar Substitute with Benefitsâ&#x20AC;?.

Throughout this past year, our math/science team has embarked upon a Lesson study that focused on mathematical reasoning and critical thinking. This gave the staff at CSS the ability to undertake the very inquiry approach we ask our students to use, to help explore a concept that is essential to developing a strong numerical understanding in mathematics. This whole team approach to improving student understanding and learning is an essential part of life at CSS.

The science and math team attended a wide range of professional development opportunities throughout the year ranging from the Calgary Regional Consortium workshops to the ATA Science and Global Education and Outdoor Education Council Conferences. As well, we continued to connect with experts from the University of Calgary, Mount Royal College, the Galileo Education Network and others in the Calgary community.

39

Our lesson study created a strong professional learning community within the staff where we had the opportunity to examine student artifacts, look for evidence of strong understanding as well as identify common misconceptions or conceptual gaps on a grade specific basis.

This was accomplished by video taping lessons and classrooms discussions, posting them on a Wiki and then presenting them to the group. By making our practice public in this manner, we had the opportunity to reflect on our own teaching style and practices and examine the impact it had on student learning. This process was an invaluable part of our professional development this year.

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Looking Forward:

As we move forward, the math and science team will continue to offer our students an authentic and handson approach to learning math and science in real-world settings. We are continually looking for ways to use technology in our classrooms and labs to enhance the learning environment. The grade 8 team will continue to use simulations programs to facilitate their exploration of Simple Machines, the grade 5, the grad 8 and grade 9 teams will continue to use new Vernier probes to enhance their exploration of wetlands, fresh and saltwater systems and environmental chemistry. (http://calgaryscienceschool.blogspot.com/2010/04/grade-5-science-in-wetlands.html)

The math and science team will continue their lesson study with a focus on mathematical reasoning and critical thinking. This cohesive approach to professional development helps facilitate collaboration within the team, which is also very important to the staff at CSS.

We will begin this process by examining our own curriculum for specific outcomes related to proportional thinking and begin to create a scope and sequence document for our math program from grade 4 through 9. We will then research and share possible word problems and questions to the team that we want to present to our classes. We will use these illustrative examples from each grade level in our team sharing sessions to look for evidence of strong understanding as well to develop a more cohesive understanding of our report card rubric, specifically in terms of math knowledge and skill, inquiry and communication.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;CSS has hands on experiments. The laptops are a great way of researching learning through in quiry has improved my marks because it gets me thinking about the real world.â&#x20AC;? Anonymous (7.3)

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Physical Education

“Physical Education gets you active and it’s a good break from other classes where you might be sitting.”

Mitchell B.

Overview:

The Physical Education Program focuses on fostering a lifelong love of exercise and empowering our students with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices in terms of nutrition and fitness. There is an emphasis on authentic learning experiences, being positive and productive community members and improving oneself. Students take part in field trips, off-site activities and tournaments to develop cooperative skills and strategies and extend their learning beyond the CSS campus.

Looking Back

The assessment rubric focuses on three areas: Enhancing and Supporting Community; Contribution and Responsibility; Skill Acquisition with an emphasis on inspiring and fostering the Do It Daily For Life area of the PE curriculum. Each student, showing what they did outside of CSS with regards to exercise and activity, maintained portfolios. Portfolios were also used for term-end assignments.

Inquiry based fitness days were added to the regular program focusing on four areas of fitness: cardiovascular endurance; muscular endurance; strength and flexibility. Technology enhanced the program through various ways including video instruction, Wii-fit programs and recorded assessment.

The units of study reflect the core goal of the program that is for all students to find activities that they love, creating a life filled with exercise and healthy choices.

Boating, bowling, karate, kick-boxing, pilates, tennis, in-line skating, biking, swimming and hip-hop dancing were examples of one or two day offerings to our students on top of their regular units of study.

Looking Forward

The focus for the next two years is to continue developing our inquiry based program. Authentic and varied learning experiences steer the decisions in terms of program offerings for our students. Field trips, off-site activities and expert visits to our school will continue and become more regular. There will be a continued emphasis on daily, vigorous exercise for each student with the goal of achieving high fitness levels in all of our students.

Assessment is shifting towards recorded conversations between PE Teacher and students, shared with each parent at least once per year. We are moving away from written term-ending comments on the report cards. This has been extremely well received so far. Portfolios are adapting each year to the needs and uses of the students, staff and parents. Portfolios will move towards being a vehicle to share the innovative programs, practices and accomplishments of our students and the PE program.

41

“I enjoyed having a variety of kids with various sport backgrounds all on one team.” Ross C. - Senior Basketball Team

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Fine A rts

Music/Band

Overview :

At CSS, music is seen as an important part of the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education. Music making and using sound is an integral part of the program and student learning.

Students are offered a general music program incorporating inquiry-based learning and cutting edge music technology together with instruments to develop musical skill, knowledge and appreciation. Instruments are offered for opportunities to learn and explore their musical abilities. Students will develop foundational music skills in performance and a continued appreciation for music.

Students in the grade four and five level are offered general music instruction including vocal, instrumental (such as recorder, drumming, guitar, handbells, and piano keyboard), music creation and appreciation.

Students explore instruments from the string family, wind family, and percussion and have an opportunity to learn to perform. Students use technology to create compositions and record themselves playing their instruments.

42

42

The band program is offered to all students at the grade six level for early exposure to elementary band so students can make an informed decision about continuing in band in Grade 7 and beyond in an optional capacity. Students can choose between brass and woodwind (and eventually percussion) instruments to perform in the concert band. At the intermediate level students have options to choose to join more advanced performing ensembles such as Jazz Band, Jazz Choir, and Rock Band. There are various performances such as festivals, recitals, concerts, and field trips throughout the year to give students many opportunities to learn and perform.

Looking Back

The music program has always given all students an opportunity to display their talents. Whether singing solo in the talent shows or playing instruments in front of the class, students at CSS are always engrossed in

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the public. Despite these challenges, the portfolios have been very successful; they accurately provide a window into viewing not only the activities we have done in class, but also the individual learning journey each student has experienced. The portfolios have demonstrated most students have a strong conceptual understanding of the fine arts and display their personality and individuality. Digital portfolios also indicate a solid understanding of the technology involved in loading videos, making podcasts, recording their thoughts aloud, or comprehension in digital documents with significant improvement from previous years on the role of reflection in the creative learning process.

large inquiry-based projects and music is usually a part of it. Computer programs allow music to be studied and incorporated into student work. The one to one laptop program gives opportunities for all students to compose original compositions and give simple lessons for students with little or no musical experience. In addition to laptops we now have iPads that are mobile and can use during field trips for recording video and taking pictures on site.

The beginning of the band program developed into a success with students interested in continuing in band. Students have been interested in instrumental and vocal music and developing their skills in all areas of music performance. Students with no extracurricular music lessons can learn to play with other students who have years of music lessons and develop rehearsal skills and practice techniques to improve group performance.

Looking Forward

For the 2011-2012 school year we are looking forward to developing the sequentially leveled music program for students in grades four to nine. Success and positive experiences lead to inspired students that want to create and perform music. Using technology to assess students in music theory and performance allows for more artistic creativity to occur.

Collaboration between the core teacher and the fine arts teachers will allow for more enriched crosscurricular activities. Core teaching staff collaborate with fine art teachers to deliver a creative, enriched integrated cross curricular course during fine arts integration periods. Students learn to use technology while learning the core content delivered by fine art teachers with core teachers.

The past few years the staff has been working on using portfolios as a form of assessment to replace the role of report cards. Throughout the year, significant growth and learning has occurred for the fine arts teachers, as we were able to explore how best to use the technology as a tool for both tracking and assessing student learning. With the implementation of the digital portfolios, some significant challenges were addressed before finding success. New technology has presented more options and opportunities for students who have had difficulty completing class work allowing teachers to comment and make suggestions and entries into their digital portfolio.

The program is constantly changing to accommodate student success at all grades. Grade four students needed to be trained on how to use the computers, in addition to how to use the blog server before they could reflect on any of their class work.

The amount of time required for this was a significant challenge based on the amount of time we currently have scheduled with each class. Figuring out privacy settings and how best to assess the portfolios was also difficult, as we started late in our assessment of the portfolio process because we could not share any feedback while their portfolios were in view of

The digital portfolios will only get better in the future as more devoted tech support will be assigned to develop more meaningful self reflecting input. Teachers have professional development from keeping their planning and material on line for students to access that improves every year to better the program for higher student academic achievement.

Students also keep a blog of the work and receive time demoted for uploading content and inputting student feedback for developing a greater understand of their learning. In addition to the laptops we now have iPads that are mobile and can used on field trips for recording video and uploading pictures.

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Drama/Dance Overview :

The drama and dance classes at CSS are supportive environments that guide students through the process of developing appreciation for the visual and performing arts. Throughout the fine arts programs, as students mature and refine their skills, they realize the focus of their interests, while they continue to participate in a variety of opportunities designed to increase their exposure in all fine arts areas. Students at CSS experience dance and drama in core and complementary courses, and often discover their “hidden talents” and abilities, which may even provide inspirations for future endeavors. Students acquire important transferable skills important in the development of well-rounded, balanced citizens capable of creative, critical-thinking, and the ability to communicate effectively through a variety of forms. The dance and drama curricula offer students engaging opportunities through which they acquire important communication skills, raise emotional awareness, and gain self-confidence.

Looking Back:

The dance and drama program has continued to grow considerably in the 2010-2011 school year, with several changes in the approach to the programs offered at specific grade levels.

This year we introduced the fine arts integration program to our grades four and five students, allowing them to experientially learn about core subject material through the mediums of visual art, the performing arts (both dance and drama) and music. For example, during the grade five novel studies, students were required to relate to the main characters of their novel through dramatic character study including creating an illustration of their character and a 3-D diorama depicting the physical world of their novel. Grade four students also approached their novel studies by physicalizing the key moments of the plot of storyline through non-verbal communication in the form of tableaux. After exploring staging techniques and strong, effective forms of communication, students were challenged to recreate their novels being studied in the form of traditional Chinese theatre and shadow puppetry; this demonstrated students had an in-depth understanding of the character and storyline specifically, but also the other key components of the short story from the grade four language arts curriculum. For our grade seven to nine students, we also introduced a new program entitled the “performing

44

arts.” In the performing arts course, students explored the inquiry based learning format with specific learning experiences and performance opportunities being based directly on the students’ individual interests and natural performance abilities. Although we still offered dance exclusively as an elective program, the “performing arts” semester long class offered students more time to fully, and individually inquire into the dramatic creative processes. Students explored improvisation, playmaking, shadow puppetry, movement, reader’s theatre, radio plays, technical theatre, theatrical history and masking.

On an extra curricular basis, students ranging from grades four through nine were encouraged to participate in our school wide performance entitled “Rock Toyz.” Over 130 students contributed to the musical’s success with students actively engaging in the entire creative production process including set, make-up and costume design and creation and providing technical theatre support such as lighting, sound effects.

Students also provided direct services to our audiences by learning about standard “Front of House” procedures, in addition to our more traditional performance contributions, such as dancing, acting, singing, playing musical instruments in the band and providing back stage support.

Performing arts students have been very actively involved in school performances this y e a r w h i c h i n c l u d e t h e school talent show “Lasers Got Talent”, our annual Peace and Summer

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Solstice Festivals, and our two specific dance productions, “iNSPIRE” and “Laser Dance, the Black-Light Show”. Building off our previous year’s dance recital “iConnect,” students were responsible for the planning and execution of an entire dance recital, performed late in May at the University Theatre at the University of Calgary and the naturally related opportunities and challenges associated with working in a large theatre. “iNSPIRE” provided an opportunity for all our fine arts students to showcase their work, with opportunities for the art students to showcase their work in the foyer while student musicians provided musical entertainment for our guests during the preshow and intermission; in total, there were well over 250 students involved in the creation and execution of the “iNSPIRE” production.

As the second year of our digital portfolio assessment, the performing arts program continued to share common triumphs and challenges with the other fine arts classes. More specifically, as students became more confident with using the technology, generally students’ personal investment in this learning opportunity has increased, with strong reflective thought being indicated, often with many visuals such as pictures or videos directly from the specific project being reflected on.

45

45

Looking Forward:

We look forward next year to further exploring the successes achieved this year. The challenges experienced in the digital portfolio process have been addressed and we hope to see further development of this excellent form of tracking and assessing student learning. As well, more changes to the new school-wide timetable offers opportunities for collaboration between core and fine arts teachers, to work towards the goals of achieving more authentic opportunities to integrate the fine arts into core programs and to provide more time and support to students with their portfolios during school hours. We continue to look forward to exploring more different or non-traditional forms of performance to share students’ work and celebrate their accomplishments, while at the same time finding a variety of venues and experiences to enhance performance-based learning.

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Visual Arts

Overview:

The Visual Arts program focuses on offering students in grades four, five and six an opportunity to develop basic skills and competencies in a variety of traditional media including painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. Students are challenged to think creatively and critically in this inquirybased program to expand upon the basic projects and create artwork that is expressive, well crafted and representative of themselves and their ideas as young artists.

Students researched museum and gallery archives to learn about various artists and movements in art history and used this as inspiration and a springboard for their own explorations. Students celebrated their artistic accomplishments in an exhibition of student work at the University of Calgary theater, regular artist features in the school newspaper, and a year end gallery showing in the IAC.

Grade seven students transition from teacher directed programing to independent project opportunities, while grade eight and nine students are engaged in deeper inquiry based learning through a program of independent art study.

Students select an area(s) of interest and focus on building skills and developing knowledge in their chosen area of interest.

Students use computer technology to instill a sense of exploration, as a means of expression, for discovery of information and finally, as a way to document and reflect upon their artistic journey.

The focus for next year in art will be to continue to create and develop inquiry-based units/projects. Assessment will remain a major focus as we continue to develop the digital portfolios. Ongoing student digital portfolio building will continue to foster student’s artistic growth by capturing their art making process and reflections on learning.

Looking back

Students at CSS engaged in a variety of visual art experiences this year. Highlights of the year included grade four “Regions of Alberta” watercolor paintings with guest artist Joan Brown providing instruction in techniques, as well as clay pinch pot ice cream cones. Grade five students explored characterization by creating clay figures and dioramas from their language arts novel study in Fine Arts Integration and grade six students learned about Picasso and Cubism through the construction of self-portrait “Musician” sculptures crafted in cardboard. The grade eight and nine students did some very impressive independent project artwork in a variety of medium and media. Students developed and then tested their skills in painting, drawing, printing, collage, digital tablet drawing, origami sculpture, hand built sculpture, wheel pottery and mixed media work.

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Looking Forward

Providing more opportunities for students to experience art and art related activities is another goal for next year.

Bringing artists into the classroom to work on specialized skills and taking the students to outside venues such as a working printmaking studio may be another avenue to engage students further in authentic learning opportunities. A major undertaking is the Forging Connections Conference for students in grades four through nine which will emphasize the natural connections between math, science and the arts. Forging Connections will bring artists, mathematicians, scientists and specialists from the Calgary community together with teachers and students to provide unique learning opportunities and highlight the interconnected nature of the disciplines.

Providing more opportunities for students to experience art and art-related activities is another goal for next year.

Bringing more artists into the classroom to work on specialized skills, and offering students offsite venues such as printmaking studios will engage students further in authentic learning.

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Technology Vision

Technology will be used to seamlessly support Inquirybased learning at the Calgary Science School.

Background

Technology is an integral part of the learning environment at CSS. We strive for innovation in order to be leaders in the effective implementation and integration of educational technology. Our continuing objective for the 2011/2012 school year is to provide everyone within the CSS school community with the necessary tools and assistance they require in order to support their individual goals and learning needs.

Looking Back

Personalized Learning Initiative

CSS initiated a grade six 1:1 project during the 2006/2007 school year. The project was expanded by another grade in 2007/2008 and implemented school wide in 2008/2009. During the first four years of this process, the Galileo Education Network provided ongoing professional development for staff and used qualitative and quantitative measures to evaluate all aspects of this project. This included classroom visits and meetings with all stakeholders (admin, teachers, students and parents).

We have been extremely pleased with the success of our Personalized Learning Initiative and our partnership with Galileo. Internal and external evaluations of this project have confirmed our belief that technology integration can be an effective tool to improve student education and enhance inquiry-based learning.

Professional Development

The professional development component of this plan requires teachers to develop and demonstrate the necessary skills to implement and integrate technology according to Alberta Education’s outlines. Teachers are encouraged and supported in their implementation of the curriculum objectives through their Teacher Professional Growth Plans and the professional development opportunities available to them. This supports teachers in developing the necessary foundational skills for implementing the curriculum objectives relative to their teaching assignments. (Goal 2 of CSS School-Wide Goals) In order to assist and enhance the computer-based skills of students and staff, CSS will maintain an Educational Technologist for the 2011-2012 school year.

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Maintenance

During the 2005/2006 school year, Office Solutions Inc. was contracted to develop and maintain the technology at CSS. They have done an extremely proficient job and we look forward to maintaining this relationship throughout 2011/2012.

Looking Forward Communication

One of the most important lessons learned from the first year of our Personalized Learning Initiative was the need for proactive and intentional feedback and ongoing communication among all individuals involved. School administration, teachers, students and parents all need a voice throughout the year. It is important to acknowledge that we are ahead of the curve compared to other schools looking to implement 1:1 projects and there are a limited number of resources that we can access to implement a technology integration project of this magnitude.

We must work together successfully overcome obstacles and celebrate the opportunities that our discoveries will reveal.

Resolutions:

1. Review the school’s Acceptable Use Policy to ensure that expectations and consequences for breaching these rules are inline with current trends and changes in technology usage.

2. Development of a series of parent workshops in order to educate and support home users on the opportunities and possible concerns for home laptop use.

3. Provide more PD opportunities for staff to promote efficient and appropriate use of technology for student learning.

4. Ongoing staff meetings to discuss current opportunities relating to our 1:1 project.

5. Continue our partnership with the Galileo Educational Network Association.

Professional Development and Technology Integration

The Year 3 Review of the school’s Personalized Learning Initiative reflected the need to increase the technology assistance being provided to the teaching staff. Although the number of effective technology integration examples has increased over the past 5 years, a review of classroom projects showed that technology integration strategies B ack to Ta ble of Contents

are being under utilized. An analysis of classroom activities showed that in many cases, laptops were being used for lower level cognitive abilities. More ways need to be found to use technology to expand academic rigor and support inquiry-based learning at the Calgary Science School.

Resolutions:

1. Over half of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Educational Technologistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day is spent assisting students and staff with technical issues. Although this work is important, it means that there is little time left to work with staff to find ways to effectively integrate technology on a daily basis. More time will have to be invested in daily tech support in order to accommodate the demand for staff PD. This would allow for more classroom visits and availability when teachers are planning projects with Galileo or on their own.

2.

Although software and hardware tools alone will not increase inquiry-based learning, the year three study showed that it is necessary to expand on the ways that technology is being utilized at CSS. This will require us to enhance classroom activities with opportunities such as simulations, the development of statistical analysis and web-based collaboration. This will require us to invest more energy and resources into staff PD, software acquisition and peripherals such as probe-ware.

3.

The development of a wiki/blog server during the 2009/2010 school year has shown promise, but has not been without its fair share of learning opportunities. The technology to do in-house is still in its infancy and both software and hardware tweaks have been necessary in order to make posting seamless. The reward has been the metacognitive growth that students have shown. It has been exciting to see that students are showcasing and taking control of their own learning by posting content and reflecting on their work. Medial literacy has been an important component of this process and needs to be expanded and encouraged.

4.

The study performed by the Galileo Education Network showed that there was a strong correlation between the grade level and the effective use of technology to support Inquiry-based learning. As students progressed through the grades, we saw greater benefits of technology integration. It will be necessary to study the products and projects conducted at the earlier grades (grades 4 and 5) to see if laptops are

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the most effective technology based tool to support inquiry-based learning.

5.

In order to support our mandate for innovation and technology integration, it will be necessary to develop a Technology Needs Assessment for staff during the 2011-2012 school year. This will support TPGPs and student learning at the classroom level.

Evergreening

At this time, CSS computers are replaced every four years. In the past, all computers have been purchased.

CSS began leasing machines in the 2008/2009 school year.

Resolutions:

1.

Lease replacement laptops for all teachers who have used their original machines for four full years.

2.

Update the Acceptable use Policy for teacher and student laptop usage to reflect new trends and technologies that are currently available.

3.

Expanded implementation of a school based insurance program that covers lost, stolen or damaged laptops to include all students as well as teachers receiving new laptops.

4.

Look at other technologies that can be used to support (or replace) laptops. This could include mobile devices such as iPads for both student and staff use.

Website

As more members of our school community obtain personal computers and have Internet access, the demands and expectations for our school website have grown. During the 2006/2007 school year, the CSS website was revamped to make it more user friendly and improve its aesthetics.

With the development of this new website, we have enhanced the communication capabilities for all members of our CSS community. We have begun using the website to allow parents to pay school fees online.

Resolutions:

1.

Expand the ability for parents to pay fees, submit information and register online.

2.

Train and support all staff to utilize the website as a communication tool.

3.

Create a set of content standards for classroom websites.

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4.

Utilize the expertise of the school’s communications committee coordinator to routinely update content.

5.

Examine the possibility of creating new components such as a web-based report card system that would allow students and parents to read online evaluations.

Innovative Tools and Software

As technology changes and the PD of our staff increases, teachers are beginning to look for new tools and technology integration opportunities in order to enhance what is already occurring in the classroom.

As the number of school-based laptops, iPads and peripherals have expanded, so have the number of individuals requiring personal assistance.

2.

Provide students with access to ‘industrystandard’ software such as Final Cut Studio to enhance media literacy skills and provide students with cutting edge resources.

3.

Provide school-based blogs for classroom projects and discussions.

4.

Review the school’s wireless infrastructure to support the laptops and other mobile devices in the building.

5.

Form a ‘Student Experts’ program so staff and students can get tech-based assistance during different times throughout the day.

6.

Implement an iPad2 project with the grade 7 classes to evaluate the effectiveness of portable devices as an educational tool.

Resolution:

1.

Provide teachers with more opportunities to ‘field test’ new and innovative technologies as they are released in the real-world.

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Library:

Our library is a busy and dynamic instructional space within the school, an integral part of an inquiry-focused learning community. The space, collection and staff are there to support the school’s vision and mission. Open all day, every day, flexibly scheduled and staffed by a qualified teacher-librarian and library assistant, it is where students and teachers come as classes, large groups, partners and individuals, all engaged in a myriad of learning activities. The library’s collection is developed and maintained to support and enrich the inquiry-based and technology learning focus of the school. The teacher-librarian collaboratively plans with teachers to purposefully integrate the knowledge, skills and strategies associated with information literacy into core classroom learning activities, in addition to collection development designed to be responsive and supportive of the unique teaching and learning focus of the school.

How can a school library best serve the teaching and learning that takes place in a school where every student has 24/7 access to the Internet? A library maintains a selected collection of information and knowledge, traditionally in book format.

With the advent of ubiquitous online resources available, the library’s challenge is to determine which resources are still required in book or print format, and which areas of the library’s collection need not be maintained, because online information better meets the needs of students. There are also areas where overlap of print and online information are desirable. The learning activities of the school community shift and change over the year, as do the quality and quantity of online resources: so too must the school library’s response.

As the format of information accessed by students is, in good part, online, students’ skills and strategies to search, select, process and synthesize information shifts from those reliant on print information, to information in digital form. We wonder how students’ knowledge and understanding of the world of information develops in an online learning environment, and what implications that has for teaching. These are key focus areas for the teacher-librarian, during collaborative teaching activities with students and teachers. Planning and teaching information literacy knowledge, skills and strategy outcomes in an authentic and meaningful way, embedded within ongoing inquiry and research projects, provides students with expertise essential in a world of abundant technology, and access to limitless online information.

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Student Services Overview:

During the 2010-2011 school year the Calgary Science School had a full time School Counsellor and Student Services Coordinator in order to accommodate the needs of the school community. The role of the school counsellor and student services coordinator is to work collaboratively with teachers, parents, students, community members and administration to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of our school population.

The school counsellor, in coordination with teaches and school administration, addressed counselling issues by approaching each student contact as a learning opportunity that shaped the development of the student services program at CSS. There continued to be a number of referrals for counselling service within the student services office as well as with external service providers (i.e., family therapist and psychologist) which are a reflection of the continuing need for social and emotional support among our population.

To further support families we offered parent workshops on topics of interest such as organizational and study skills, building resilience and Internet Safety. The FRIENDS for Life Program continued for a second year in the Grade 4 classrooms as part of a pilot project with Alberta Health Services as a preventative program to reduce anxiety and depression in children by providing them with coping strategies and problem solving skills.

Students requiring educational and psychological assessments were referred for assessment through Student Services or to a registered psychologist as required with feedback provided to teachers to assist with differentiating the learning process. The school counsellor also provided support for struggling students through assessment, learning strategies

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instruction and counselling services in collaboration with teachers and parents. A school wide Learning Strategies program was implemented and monthly meetings with the Learning Strategies Committee were facilitated by student services in order to build capacity with teachers and within classrooms to meet the educational needs of all students. Occupational therapy and speech-language assessment referrals continued to be processed by Renfrew Educational Services as an agent for the Calgary-Rocky View Student Health Partnership.

Looking Forward:

A major focus for next year will be the continued development of the Learning Strategies program for all students at CSS to address specific learning needs in a classroom based setting. The goal of this program will be that all students develop effective strategies in order to achieve success at CSS. As part of a pilot project with Alberta Education, CSS will be implementing the Individual Educational Planning Tool (IEPT ) to assist teachers in identifying and programming for students working below grade level expectations. The IEPT will be used with a few students in each class, however this tool is designed to build teacher capacity in planning and programming for students with a variety of educational and social-emotional needs and as such will complement the Learning Strategies Program at CSS. Parent Information sessions and workshops will be offered on a monthly basis covering a variety of topics pertinent to our school community as well as the Kids and Drugs Program: A Parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide to Prevention will be offered in partnership with Alberta Health Services.

See Appendiz G : Commendations and Recommendations â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;for Further Consideration

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Professional C ollaborative

Outreach Initiative

Overview :

The Purpose of the Professional Collaborative Outreach Initiative (PCOI) is to fulfill the two elements of our charter mandate: (1) to be a site of innovation and (2) to add value back to the education community in Alberta.

The PCOI has a role in supporting the first mandate by assisting with the professional development experiences of CSS staff. One of the key roles of the PCO Coordinator is to assist CSS teachers in the design of innovative practices, particularly around inquiry-based learning and technology integration. Toward the second mandate, the PCOI is striving to move beyond the ‘sharing’ level of group action and increase the possibilities for collaboration and reciprocal professional relationships with external educators, post-secondary institutions and organizations. The vision of CSS is to become a centre of educational innovation in the Province - a place where various stakeholders in education gather to develop professionally and experience innovative, research-based practices.

Looking Back:

2009-2010 was a significant year for the PCOI, as it was the first year that CSS had a funded, full time Coordinator position for the POCI. 2009-2010 also saw the creation of an Outreach sub-committee as part of the CSS Board of Directors. In this first year of the new position, the focus has been on establishing networks and building capacity for future years, as well as continuing the traditional forms of Outreach that CSS has participated in.

• Collaborative Planning: One of the roles of the

Collaborative Outreach Coordinator is to support CSS staff in the design and implementation of strong, inquiry-based teaching and learning. This year the Outreach Coordinator worked with all grade and subject areas at least one, helping to design projects and integrate technology and assessment into the learning experiences. Through the course of the year, the Outreach Coordinator was involved in projects including Sustainable Communities (grade 4), Water in the Wetlands (grade 5), Historical Object Study (grade 7), the Renaissance Project (Grade 8), and Virtual Goldberg Machines (grade 8). For 2010-2011, the goal of the Outreach Initiative is to include external teachers in the collaborative planning sessions of CSS teachers.

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Documentation and Sharing of Inquiry-Based Learning: One of the key roles of the Outreach Coordinator is to capture, document and share examples of inquirybased teaching from CSS classrooms. This year, a number of CSS projects have been documented, and shared, through the Outreach blog, school visits and Professional Development sessions outside of the school. This documentation includes capturing pictures and videos of projects, collecting student work and rubrics, and interviewing teachers about the nature of the work. An example of this documentation is the year-one video of the Digital Portfolio Project, where the Outreach Coordinator interviewed the 5 teachers and 2 administrators involved in the digital portfolios.

All the documentation is made public in order to share our learning with the wider public.

See Appendiz C : Teacher Colaboration Assesment Rubic

• Outreach Blog: One of the new initiatives imple-

mented in 2009-2010 was the creation of a CSS Outreach Blog. The purpose of this website is to build a growing, online collection of strong inquiry-based exemplars from CSS. The blog continues to have new projects being added all the time, across all grade levels and subject areas. All staff have been presented with the opportunity to post content to the outreach blog, and a number of teachers have taken advantage of the offer. So far this year, the Outreach blog has 66 entries, most of which are examples of classroom projects, complete with project descriptions, assessment practices and student work exemplars. Since the beginning of the school year the blog has had 7000 visitors and 15,000 page views. In 2010-2011, the COI plans to continue publishing high-quality content to the blog, and to involve more CSS staff in the creation of content for the site. ( http://calgaryscienceschool.blogspot.com )

• School Visits: CSS continued to host school visits

this year, welcoming teachers and other stakeholders from a variety of school boards including: Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School Board, Rockyview School Board, New Zealand “Core-Ed” program, Master’s Academy, Mount Royal University and other charter schools within Calgary.

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This year we have begun tracking the impact of our Outreach Initiative through the use of online feedback surveys sent to visitors after their time at CSS. The responses have been very positive: “Recently I used your professional development questions on my own to help change my teaching practice as I am not feeling satisfied at the moment. Your questions and the work your school is doing to practice true inquiry at both a staff and student level is a model I would like to be part of implementing and so I share some of your posts with a couple of my colleagues and we talk about what we can do in small ways to make things happen. To do that I have to be more purposeful in my planning and more aware of the “open” spaces I am leaving for the kids to do the real work.” Teacher from North Hampton, Hew Hampshire

professional who is actively applying inquiry based learning in a school setting. It is also so helpful to see classroom examples of inquiry-based learning in action, across different grades and subject areas.” Student teacher at MRU

Looking Forward:

As a school community, the Calgary Science School is committed to meeting and exceeding the provincial expectations placed upon Alberta Charter School to be sites of innovation and research within the provincial education system. This desire is in line with the desired direction for Charter Schools as stated by the Alberta Government. With this vision in mind, CSS is striving to explore a number of initiatives and programs that will move our school forward in light of the Provincial mandate for Charter Schools.

“Your visit has not only provided us with concrete ideas and excellent classroom examples, but has inspired us to continue the track we are on. His offer to connect and collaborate with our teachers will be invaluable. For me personally, the ideas Neil shared around using technology in your inquiry projects is incredibly helpful to our teachers.

I have already shared your Task Assessment Rubric, and I look forward to sharing your ideas on Reflective PD – “Examining Student Work.” Implementation Coordinator, Canadian Rockies School Division.

However, this vision of moving toward greater levels of research, innovation and ‘outward’ focus need to be balanced with CSS’s own professional development and growth. At the outset of this document, we recognize that the teaching staff at CSS will continually be located at different places of their own experience and professional development. With that in mind, the framework and various approaches presented below need to viewed in light of the impact of this initiative on student learning. It is the overall vision of this Collaborative Outreach Initiative (COI) that this shift in mindset toward more collaborative work will be to the benefit of CSS students. We continue to look outward in order to better develop ourselves internally.

Inquiry Salons: One element of the Collaborative Outreach Initiative is to offer a series of sustained workshops or 21st Century Salons around examples of strong teaching and learning that have been developed

by CSS staff. These examples or “Inquiry Prototypes” are classroom-tested examples of how inquiry-based learning and ubiquitous access technology can be utilized to engage students in authentic, 21st Century Learning.

These salons would take place during the early evening, be hosted at CSS, be regular in format (i.e., every second Wednesday for 8 weeks) and would range in number of sessions based on the particular topic.

“Your willingness to do a video conference with our class and answer some questions about inquiry-based learning really helped us to see the theory in practice. For a group of future teachers, it was inspiring to interact with a

The unique strength of these Inquiry Salons is the ongoing relationship we offer with experienced teachers from an inquiry-based classroom. At these professional gatherings, CSS teachers will facilitate targeted

“The Calgary Science School has been instrumental in assisting Bishop Carroll High School staff with their 1 to 1 Laptop Learning program. We met with CSS staff to help us look toward effective implementation of not only hardware infrastructure, but primarily the instructional focus in the use of digital technologies. Discussion with CSS staff helps provide a philosophical and pedagogical rationale for the implementation of digital technology within the school. Our staff visits to CSS enables us to observe digital learning in action and to see practical examples of instructional technology. And finally, presentations from staff at Calgary Science School has provided excellent Professional Development for our Faculty & Staff.” Vice Principal, Bishop Carroll High School

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discussions and planning sessions built around exemplary teaching from their own classrooms. The salon would be topical, developed around specific subjects (i.e., grade 7 Humanities) projects (i.e., the Biofuel Project) or classroom practices (i.e., Technology and Assessment). The sustained format of the salon allow for all participants to involved in the planning, implementation and analysis of the Inquiry Prototype. An online space (i.e., Google Docs, wikispaces, etc) can easily be set up to maintain discussion between the face-to-face meetings.

We have consistently heard from visitors that there is something unique and powerful that comes from seeing the learning first hand at CSS. With that in mind, an extension of these Salons would be to have teachers from other schools visit CSS during the school day before the evening session. This would allow teachers to experience the reality of inquiry-based learning as it is played out in a day-to-day classrooms, and then discuss and de-brief with the CSS teacher during the evening salon.

Scientist-in-Residence Program: The SIR is a program currently operating in Vancouver School District.

Started by Dr. Paige Axelrood, the SIR program has a 10-year track record of proven impact on student interest and teacher development around hands-on science. The program is built around practicing scientists collaborating with classroom teachers to develop science units. These scientists then return later in the year, helping the delivery of the project at the classroom level. All the teaching materials developed by the program are made available to other teachers through the SIR website and potentially through the Connect blog and the CSS iTunes U page.

The SIR has already secured consistent corporate funding in Vancouver. The program would also provide an opportunity for CSS to develop partnerships with corporations beyond the mere funding of the program as corporations (i.e., SNC Lavelin) provide the participating scientists for the program. There is also significant potential in extending the SIR program to involve a variety of guest experts and university connections. The SIR program in Vancouver has begun offering Hands-On Science sessions for teachers, facilitated by a professor from UBC. We could adopt and offer similar professional development seminars through CSS.

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iTunes U: During the spring of 2010, CSS was approached

by Apple Canada, in partnership with Alberta Learning, to create a page on Apple’s iTunes U website. This opportunity gives CSS another venue to share examples of the inquiry-based teaching and learning that occurs here.

We have been asked to produce 10 pieces of digital media in preparation for the launch of the iTunes site, scheduled for late August 2010. We are excited about this opportunity, and have reworked some of the projects we have already documented, as well as created a number of new classroom videos for this site. We will continue to publish content to our iTunes page in the coming years.

Partnership with the University of Calgary: As part of their newly revamped teacher preparation program, the University of Calgary is forging closer relationships with a select number of schools. In early June, 2010 we hosted Dr. Dennis Sumara, the recently appointed Dean of Education from the University of Calgary, and Dr. Sharon Friesen, Associate Dean, at CSS to experience the culture of our school first-hand.

The purpose of the visit was to initiate discussion in support of a closer partnership between the Calgary Science School and Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary. Over the 10 years of the school, we have established a significant number of connections with the University through hosting student teachers (CSS teachers hosts anywhere from 8-12 student teachers a year) and participating in research studies (this year there are 7 academic research studies being conducted at CSS). However, while these connections are already in place and CSS is well known by the Faculty of Education, the intention of this visit was to explore the possibilities of an even closer relation where CSS would become a partner or lab school for the Faculty. The Dean subsequently wrote an opinion piece for the Calgary Herald (published on Thursday, June 17th) in response to a recent Alberta Education Report entitled “Inspiring Education.” In writing this response, the Dean made specific mention of the strength of learning that occurs at the Calgary Science School, and highlighted the clear connection between our school’s vision and the direction of teaching and learning in the province.

See Appendiz D : Outreach Summary

Appendix E : Outreach Events 2010–2011 Appendix F: Data/Impact from the CSS Collaborative Outreach initiative

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“I really enjoy the outdoor education program and all the hands-on things we do in school. I admire that we are encouraged to become more active with all the programs available within the school.” H.D (7.3)

Outdoor Education Overview

Outdoor education excursions are an important supporting pillar of the inquiry-based learning program at CSS. We believe they provide authentic links between theoretical knowledge and practical applications.

Because of this, students are provided with numerous opportunities throughout the course of the school year to establish the relevance of their learning to the ‘real world’.

education experiences that integrate curricula from across disciplines, including visual and performing arts.

In addition to the variety of day trips to the nearby Weaselhead Environmental Area and Kananaskis Country, many outdoor education excursions are embedded in the program to provide scope and sequence from one year to the next. These trips are also used to support and enhance many of general and specific learner expectations in Alberta Education’s Program of Studies.

Looking Forward

All grades take advantage of overnight trips at Camp Sweet during different times throughout the course of the year. Other authentic educational opportunities that enrich the school experience for our students include: Grade 4 – Southern Alberta History Tour Grade 5 – Fort Steele History Lab Grade 6 – Winter Camp Grade 7 – Fort Steele Apprenticeship Program Grade 8 – Central Alberta Circle Tour Grade 9 – Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre

Looking Back

The outdoor education programs at CSS continue to support the tenets of learning through inquiry by exposing students to real world applications of knowledge, skills and attributes acquired in the classroom.

There is an increased focus on designing outdoor

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CSS was also able to increase its outreach mandate when CSS math/science teacher Erin Couillard became the president of the Global Environmental & Outdoor Education Council for the 2010-2011 school year.

Grade level teams are continuing to expand the outdoor programs for students at Camp Sweet in order to ensure a sequential progression of knowledge, skills and attributes in grades 4-9. Camp Sweet excursions in the future will include using the site as a base camp for classes venturing out to explore regions such as agricultural venues, conduct environmental studies on surrounding rivers and lakes, and hike the Rocky Mountains to the West.

Other modifications include making slight changes to the grade 8 Central Alberta Circle Tour to include more environmental components and decrease transition time from one venue to the next. This could include less travel from site to site by setting up a base camp in one northern location.

We are also looking for ways to incorporate more physical education components into our outdoor education program. This could include equipment such as snowshoes or cross country skis to add different dimensions and components to our current programs.

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AISI

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) project in our school has focused on three distinct learning and teaching goals around this essential question: How will we gather and interpret evidence of student learning in an inquiry-based classroom? As well, we have two related goals around professional development and how we share our goals/work with the educational community and stakeholders. An update as to our progress follows:

G oal O ne

Developing intellectuall y a mbitious per forma nce assess ment tasks a nd tools

• The teachers have developed many opportunities for the students to co-develop rubrics in a collaborative fashion.

• Students have become more metacognitive in their reflections of their school work in their digital learning blogs or portfolios, as well as traditional journals. Student and peer evaluation is something that has become even more prevalent in teaching practice than it has been in previous years.

2010 -2011

20 09-2010 • The staff continues to work with the inquiry rubric that we use across subject areas and in our own professional development (see Appendix B: Inquiry Rubric).

• The staff has continued to work collaboratively developing other supportive rubrics for their students to best target their learning goals, in particular, the digital portfolio rubric, writing assessment rubrics and research rubrics.

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• Teachers continue to work collaboratively to develop performance assessment tasks, supported by our professional development and collaboration coordinator.

• Both the math/science team and our humanities undertook a structured examination of their collective work using the lesson study format; such a format focuses on collaboratively designing ambitious performance-based tasks, collecting evidence of learning, debriefing student responses and artifacts with peers, then cycling through the process again with another performance task.

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• Digital portfolios were a primary means for students to demonstrate their achievement in fine arts and physical education. The portfolios focused on performance tasks and artifacts of student learning.

• In one professional development day, the dialogue amongst the staff (while sharing exemplars), was how important it is to pair strong exemplars with strong rubrics. Teachers are continuing to develop a repository of both

2010 -2011

G oal Two

• 100% of students used digital portfolios to collect and archive their work.

Find and develop student exemplars that demonstrate the expectations and scope and sequence of the school programs 20 09-2010 • We have offered some professional development workshops to start examining the value and the challenge of student exemplars.

• Focus groups discussed and shared their student work and grappled with the positive and challenging work of finding (and sometimes creating) good student exemplars that best encapsulate strong examples of the various standards of student performance for specific activities, while also staying true to realistic and provincial standards of the grade levels.

• The Connect! Blog continued to grow and evolve; the blog is a repositor y of examples for inquir y-based practice at CSS, including student exemplars.

• Curricular team meetings for both the math/ science and humanities teams focused on sharing examples of student work.

• Feedback on the collaboration rubric indicates a 9% growth in the number of teachers reporting they are proficient at “regularly collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about student learning; regularly using student performance data to evaluate the merit

• Exemplars have been sourced from external sites, but the major effort has been to collect “home grown” exemplars from the classes this year.

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of individual and collective pedagogical practices; and sharing publicly evaluation data and findings.”

G oal Three

Digital portfolio assessment programs will showcase, document or indicate the process of student work

has supported the work of these pilot teachers. Plans to build additional time into the timetable in the upcoming year will help to promote the growth of this portfolio work as a school.

2010 -2011

20 09-2010 • Fine arts and physical education teachers have piloted digital portfolios replacing report cards using Wiki blog technology. Their work has demonstrated the value of having students collect, reflect upon, and review the teacher feedback of their work. Multiple forms of work can be loaded into this digital environment (multi-media, text, audio, etc.).

• Other teachers across the curriculum have been experimenting with these ideas and are supportive of the work of the pilot group by offering class time for the students to compile their work.

• Professional development focusing on digital portfolio philosophy, the model, the rubrics and other

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• Work on the digital portfolios continued, though not without some periodically significant technical issues.

• Fine arts teachers refined the digital portfolio rubric and used it to evaluate students’ portfolios.

• Physical Education teachers conducted interviews with students that formed the basis for report card comments. Many of the comments were available in the students’ portfolios.

• Time was built into the schedule for homeroom teachers to support students maintaining their portfolios.

This was a response to both student and teacher (fine arts and physical education teachers) feedback about the limited amount of class time available to them to update portfolios.

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CSS Year 3

Galileo Research Report Findings

The year three findings from Galileo Educational Network’s Year Three research report on our Personalized Learning Project entitled Teaching and Learning in a One-to-One Personalized Computing Environment: Year Three: A Research Report on the Personalized Learning Initiative at Calgary Sciences School (Jacobsen, Saar and Driesen, 2010, ( see website: 1:1 Research Results - Year 3) was extremely positive in that it showed growth in several key areas.

The report also included recommendations in order to strengthen the impact that technology is having on the education of the students at CSS. The findings from this report meant for the 2008/2009 school year, were shared with CSS in January 2010 which was six months into the next 2009/2010 school year and provided some challenges in order to quickly address some of the recommendations that were presented:

• Communication – Administration fully sup-

ported this project, allowing for open dialogue among all participants. Teachers were given the opportunity to work with peers and collaborate with others to share best practice and reflect on technology integration projects. Time was scheduled into PD and planning days to allow this to occur on an ongoing basis.

• Inquiry-Based Learning – Year 3 showed more teachers were utilizing technology to support Inquiry within the classroom. There were richer and more rigorous examples than those seen in past years. It was apparent that more planning was occurring in order to find ways to effectively integrate technology into subject areas.

“The Calgary Science School has taught me a lot of different lessons that I would not have learned if I went to another school. We use laptops as our main source of learning instead of a pencil and paper. One of the things that I really enjoy about this school is that we learn from everything we do, I say this because every situation can be turned into a new experience. When we are writing papers or doing research or making new friends there is always something you can learn from or become better at. A better writer, reader, drawer, and become a better student.” J.K (7.3)

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• Academic Rigor - Some teachers were using

the technology in ways that only supported lower-level thinking skills. The laptops in some classrooms were being under utilized.

The tool was focused on media consumption instead of digital creation. Students were being asked to be passive consumers instead of active producers.

• Curriculum Support - There were more examples of inquiry-based projects that were supported with technology integration from Humanities classrooms and fewer that focused on Math and Science concepts.

It was evident that more work needs to be done to support the math and science teachers at CSS.

Although some changes were made quickly, others could not be made until the 2010-2011 school year. This is addressed in the “Professional Development and Technology Integration” section of the 2010-2011 Technology Plan.

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2010 - 2011 Financial Summary The financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with the Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and accounting policies consistent with those prescribed by Alberta Education for Alberta School jurisdictions.

Revenue

Value

% of Total

3,728,718

54.0%

69,693

1.0%

Provincial grant - small board admin

200,536

3.0%

Provincial grant - transportation

225,422

3.0%

Provincial grant - class size initiative

85,608

1.0%

Provincial grant - AISI

61,983

1.0%

Provincial grant - Other

88,930

1.0%

0

0.0%

Value

% of Total

3,245,909

46.0%

Other salaries and benefits

552,147

8.0%

Facilities

184,193

3.0%

Lease

764,713

11.0%

Enrichment

387,484

6.0%

Instructional expenses (non-enrichment)

183,025

3.0%

School generated funds

291,903

4.0%

55,747

1.0%

Provincial grant - base instructional Provincial grant - RCPA

Provincial grant - teacher's retirement fund

Expenses Instructor salaries and benefits

Professional development

Additional Financial Information

Further information regarding the budget may be obtained by contacting the school’s secretary-treasurer at 403-282-2890 (121), or from the School website at www.calgaryscienceschool.com/publications/default.asp

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2011/2012 Budget t

The budget is developed in a collaborative way, beginning with the teachers identifying the resources they need in order to provide an innovative, engaging program. Teachers provide their budgetary needs to their curriculum leaders, who work with school administration to put together the instructional side of the budget. School administration and the secretary-treasurer put together the rest of the budget, always mindful of the school’s goals and priorities as outlined in the charter document. The finance committee of the Board provides feedback on the proposed budget, and then recommends approval to the Board. The budget tells a story of the operation of our school; it reflects our priorities and enables us to provide the high quality education we do.

Revenue

Value

% of Total

Provincial grant - base instructional Provincial grant - RCPA

3,898,256 55,145

54.0% 1.0%

Provincial grant - small board admin Provincial grant - transportation Provincial grant - class size initiative

198,320 220,580 52,792

3.0% 3.0% 1.0%

Provincial grant - AISI Provincial grant - Other

68,058 152,788

1.0% 2.0%

Provincial grant - Teacher's Retirement Fund School fee revenue - enrichment

243,377 267,520

3.0% 3.0%

School fee revenue - transportation School generated funds

319,330 280,500

4.0% 4.0%

Provincial grant - plant operations & maintenance Provincial grant - lease

454,848 764,702

6.0% 11.0%

237,500 7,213,716

4.0% 100.0%

Value

% of Total

3,729,745 573,873 174,900 764,713 368,900 194,990 280,500 92,500 135,593 211,000 545,681 272,856 7,345,251 (131,535)

51.0% 8.0% 2.0% 10.0% 5.0% 3.0% 4.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 7.0% 4.0% 100.0%

Other revenue Total Revenue

Expenses Instructor salaries and benefits Other salaries and benefits Facilities Lease Enrichment Instructional expenses (non-enrichment) School generated funds Professional development Board and system administration Technology (not incl. student laptops) Transportation Other Total expenses Net Revenue (Deficit)

Additional Financial Information

Further information regarding the financial summary may be obtained by contacting the school’s secretary-treasurer at 403-282-2890 (121), or from the School website at www.calgaryscienceschool.com/publications/default.asp

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Capital Plan

2011/12 – 2013/14 Priorit y 1:

heat in June and August due to limited air conditioning capability.

The Calgary Science School leases the Clem Gardner campus from the Calgary Board of Education.

Priorit y 6

Lease $764,0 0 0 (annually)

Interactive Multimedia Centre $50,0 0 0

Priorit y 2 -

Implementation of a state-of-the-art e-learning and interactive multimedia centre will enhance our ability to meet the mandate of our charter.

Floor and Lighting $150,0 0 0 (lighting) $30,0 0 0 (flooring)

Upgrade lighting in classrooms, library and hallways to meet modern lighting standards.

Upgrade classroom flooring and Replace worn out flooring with improved product.

Priorit y 7

Science Lab Upgrades $90,0 0 0

Improvements are required for our science lab in order to include 21st century science tools so that we can further this mandate under our charter.

Priorit y 3

Asphalt Repair and Replacement $75,0 0 0

Priorit y 8

Improve condition of current asphalt, including creative play spaces, and expand tarmac play area, allowing for greater outdoor participation in physically active pursuits.

Change Rooms and Shower Facilities $220,0 0 0

Installation of shower and change facilities will improve our school to current middle school standards. Clem Gardner was designed as an elementary school, so there are no change or shower facilities at all in the building.

Priorit y 4

Install Shower and Change Facilities Appropriate for our Middle School Population $250,0 0 0

The Clem Gardner building lacks appropriate shower and change facilities appropriate for junior high students. The building was designed and built as an Elementary School and so lacks facilities for our older students to maintain proper hygiene, particularly after being engaged in provincially mandated daily high intensity physical activity.

Priorit y 5

A ir Handling and Exchange Replacement $250,0 0 0

Improve circulation of air and enhance cooling ability of the air handling equipment. Currently, there is inadequate air movement in some instructional spaces and many classrooms experience excessive

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Parent Involvement

Building Parent Capacity

The Calgary Science School (CSS) is carefully considering the following questions:

1. What can be deemed to be the essence of a home and school relationship that most effectively supports students and curriculum?

2. How does the community build these schoolhome relationships to sustain ongoing parent involvement that ‘fits’ and feels right for everyone involved?

What has become most apparent to us as a middle school as we have been broadening our educational community leadership capacity (students, educators, parents, and other community members), is that it is important to build an “’inter-connected’ view of the home and school…[so that parents] see themselves as having an integral role, together with the school, in educating children” (Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler, 1997, p. 15). It becomes vital to establish a consensus around appropriate roles, expectations and behaviors so that all members of the educational community feel successful and satisfied with their experiences with the school.

Historically, CSS has been very good at fulfilling certain designated and important parent involvement functions in terms of indirect parent involvement through home/school communication and peripheral school responsibilities as well as direct involvement through parent council and related committees, field trips, and special events. It is evolving into a place where parents are becoming even more involved in very valuable and authentic ways, such as school decision-making, educational planning, and more hands-on classroom involvement. What proves to be successful in building this climate of respect and responsibility is that CSS provides a place for parents where they can help in ways that are “meaningful and necessary…[and as well, where they feel] welcomed and invited into the school environment by both the educators and the students” (Robinson, 2003, p. 140). There is also tremendous power in the student-initiated welcome.

This year, more than last year, CSS has more of a sense of parent efficacy; however, is still on this journey of optimizing, welcoming and appreciating the power of parents in the school.

By the very nature of being a charter school, the

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at

CSS

administration and staff have more contact with its board and council (and related committees) than are typical of other school divisions. With the help of the newly formed Parent Volunteer Development Committee (PVDC), CSS is better operationalizing some of the information that parents provide at registration time and in the spring parent survey around their expertise, experience, interest areas, and availability. The newly developed PVDC is generating ways to recruit parent support to help our school be an effectual, innovative and collaborative learning environment. Some examples of how parents support our school are the following:

•

Parent representative on CSS Board

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Grade 9 Graduation School council committee member Classroom support Accompany field trips (incl. overnight trips) Pandemic Planning Committee Sharing expertise in the classroom Science Fair Welcome Day activities (August) School musical Board meeting Terry Fox Run Annual General Meeting –School council School fine arts events Annual General Meeting – Board Staff appreciation lunch June year-end picnic Fun lunches School council meeting(s) Fundraising activities Transportation Committee CSS clothing coordinator Charter renewal committee Lost and found

• • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

coordinator Parent information sessions Special committees Library Office support Scholastic Book grade coordinator Miscellaneous work bees Girls’ Leadership initiative Picture day Coordinate art club activities Boys’ Leadership initiative Band Parent Committee Field trip support/ organization Parent Volunteer Development Committee member Traffic Safety Committee Parent Volunteer Development Committee Webmaster Grade parent representative Education Planning Focus Group Parent workshop and conference committee

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Burke (2001) concludes that schools should “…prepare volunteers with targeted training so that their efforts are effective and…prepare teachers to work well with volunteers” (p. 2). Teachers also want “very competent and educationally trained parent support if they are to be working with parents directly in their program” (Robinson, 2003, p. 142). Therefore, the administration and the PVDC are strategizing how to do this efficiently and effectively by reviewing successful parent involvement models used in other schools, and as well, considering our own unique educational community.

The emphasis on building an open and welcoming school climate seems to be at the crux of developing work with parents at CSS. Brain research suggests that creating comfortable community climates involves establishing agreements about how to 1) behave as a group; 2) interact as a group; and 3) govern the dayto-day and week-to-week operation of the learning community (Parry and Gregory, 2003). Once these processes, which need to be collaboratively identified as they pertain to CSS, are in place, the matter of building comfortable and effective school-community partnerships can begin.

It is an enormous educational shift to ask schools administrators and teachers to incorporate parental support (in various forms) into their programs, planning and communication. Traditionally, in many education systems parents have been kept at an arm’s length as parent-teacher roles were considered to be separate, and at times tenuously inter-connected. Times are changing as the power of engaging the full educational community is surfacing in the research and around the

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province. However, true school-parent community collaboration takes facilitation and training, and requires a safe and caring collaborative climate. As a charter school, CSS has always valued parental involvement and support for the school. However, CSS is excited as a school community to explore further new research and opportunities to promote meaningful parental involvement in the education of their children and the work of our school.

References Burke, M. (2001). Recruiting and using volunteers in meaningful ways in secondary schools. The National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 85, 46-52.

Hoover-Dempsey, K. & Sandler, M. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their children’s education.

Review of Educational Research, 67, 3-42.

Parry, T. & Gregory, G. (2003). Designing brain compatible learning. Glenview, IL: Pearson Education, Inc. Robinson, S. (2003). Dialogues with students, parents and educators about parent involvement at the secondary level. https://dspace.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/42743

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Parent Reflective Response This report describes very well what families experience through their involvement in the Calgary Science School community. It details the many ways the school engages the students in learning and accurately describes its goals and methods, but cannot completely convey the excitement students feel when working with the technology, enjoying outdoor education experiences or working on major projects.

amazing outdoor education trips and being a part of the pilot iPad group. My daughter loved volunteering as a family on the Community Garden and is fascinated by the idea of her own blog. My children’s father will tell you that he loves how the teachers keep us engaged and organized through the classroom website and the weekly email updates. As a volunteer, I found the Forging Connections conference a tremendous and unique learning opportunity to work with real artists and scientists from the community. What we as parents appreciate most however is how faculty and staff instill a sense of agency and self direction in everything the students do. This builds confidence and self reliance that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

“I am so impressed with the level of teacher engagement at the Calgary Science School. From spending nights of their personal time at Camp Sweet, bringing in different presenters to enhance the curriculum, and communicating to the parents through the development of comprehensive class websites, these teachers are truly dedicated. The teacher-enriched curriculum gets my son excited about school, allowing him to make practical associations with what he learns at school to the world and his life. Teachers go “above and beyond” to understand each child as an individual. The teachers focus on providing the children with learning and social strategies as well as life skills that they can use in the present, but also over their lifetime.”

The Calgary Science School also engages parents directly. Many eager parents submit their names early, hoping they’ll be “picked” to volunteer for outdoor education trips. Over the past two years there has been a noticeable increase in opportunities to volunteer directly in the classrooms; for the 2011/12 school year, the Parent Volunteer Committee is piloting a classroom/pod parent rep program which will allow even more parents to connect with their child(ren)’s classroom(s). Many volunteer opportunities also provide ongoing education for parents, such as serving as a parent representative for the Health and Wellness Initiative, the Community Garden, organizing the Forging Connections Conference and other committee work. In addition, there is an on-going commitment to parent education. Parents seemed particularly engaged at the October 2010 conference, which addressed how to help our children become more independent. And a sell-out crowd of parents attended Barry MacDonald’s (founder of MentoringBoys.com) humourous and insightful presentation in January 2011. By participating in these activities, members of our parent community have many opportunities to model lifelong learning to their children.

“The Calgary Science School does a tremendous job preparing students for success in high school.

My oldest son has had no trouble transitioning into grade 10 and at his new school he is serving as school web master, graphic designer for the yearbook committee, and as a peer mentor in academic classes. He is disappointed that he now has limited opportunity for inquiry based learning and is finding the lecture / worksheet approach to teaching far less engaging than his day-to-day classroom experiences at CSS. The one-to-one program, overnight trips and project-oriented learning offered at the Calgary Science School develop excellent lifelong learning and organizational skills that provide a solid foundation for our students as they move into high school and beyond.”

“If you ask every member of our family what we love about being a part of the CSS family, each of us will have a different answer. My son will tell you about the

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A ppendix A

Teacher Inquiry Self Assessment Do you teach (circle one, please): Math/Science

Humanities

Physical Education or Fine Arts

Over the course of the year so far, how frequently have you engaged your students in work that contributed to high-level tasks (as defined by the criteria in our task assessment rubrics; summary on back)?

1: 2: 3: 4: 5:

Seldom Occasionally About half of the time Often Most of the time

a) Authenticity b) Academic Rigor c) Assessment For Learning d) Connecting With Experts e) Life Skills f ) Elaborated Communication g) Compassion h) Active Exploration i) Appropriate Use of Digital Technologies

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Please provide any anecdotal comments you would like about the work you did with inquiry this year. Include, if you wish, any feedback you have about the introduction of ubiquitous computing to CSS in 2008-2009.

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H igh -L evel I nquiry Authenticity

Students are emotionally and intellectually engaged.

Work is grounded in life and work beyond the school.

Students have opportunities to innovate and specialize.

Academic Rigour

Students use methods of inquiry central to actual disciplines.

Students consider evidence, point of view, and connections.

Students make informed selections of tools, methods, and sources.

Connecting With Expertise

Students use relevant expertise (e.g. people, sample work) to develop criteria for and improve the quality of their own work.

Assessment For Learning

Students help develop criteria for high quality work.

Students receive regular feedback (teacher, parent, peer).

Students use feedback to improve work.

Elaborated Communication

Students support and challenge each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas.

Students choose forms of expression appropriate to the task.

Students share their work with a variety of audiences.

Life Skills

Students are involved in setting project-management goals.

Students determine roles, facilitate discussions, and resolve conflict.

Compassion

The task provides opportunities for students to interact with and care about the impact of their understandings and actions on themselves, each other, people their local and global communities, and the natural world.

Active Exploration

Students make connections between direct experience and abstract concepts.

Activity is directed toward a broader task or investigation.

Appropriate Use of Digital Technology

Technology is instrumental in accomplishing the task.

Technology allows students to think differently.

Students choose technologies appropriate to the task.

Students use critical thinking to select relevant and reliable information from the vast resources available on the web.

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“I think that being a student at CSS helps me become a successful learner because we use inquiry based learning. We get to research the certain topics using our lap tops. I like this because I can learn more about the subject and find additional details on it.” M.R (7.3)

A ppendix B

Inquiry Rubric Inquiry- Based Learning…

• … STARTS WITH A QUESTION and little else.

It may be a question you pose that captures the students’ imagination. Some of the best questions are the ones that just come up in discussion. Often, they don’t sound like “amazing questions,” but they develop into amazing inquiries. The path to their solution(s) is often messy and complex.

• …requires BUY-IN TO THE QUESTION. Good questions honor what children have to offer and allow them to contribute to the resolution of issues, development of ideas, or solution of practical problems that matter to them. Often, good questions arise from a shared experience like a field trip, a science demonstration, or a discussion about a newspaper article. If you’re puzzled, too, all the better.

• …allows the kids to develop THEIR OWN PROCEDURES to find an answer to the question. Having a sense of ownership is more than just motivating – it helps kids learn by connecting new ideas to what they already know, and it helps them develop the belief that their opinions matter and that they can make a difference.

• …requires the kids to JUSTIFY their own conclusions.

As teachers, we need to challenge their conclusions, encourage them to challenge each other’s, and help them identify criteria for sound judgment. Will it work? Was it a fair test? Were there errors in measurement? Did you use reliable sources of information?

Was your audience convinced? Can you prove your answer? Evaluation becomes much more than right or wrong defined by the teacher, and good marks are not the sole purpose for quality work.

• “In the book of life, the answers aren’t at the back.”

(Charlie Brown) • …is CENTRAL TO CORE PROGRAMS OF STUDIES. Inquiry processes lie at the heart of the social studies, science, math, and language arts programs of studies.

• … is SUPPORTED BY PRACTICE of key skills from each of the disciplines.

• … is SERVED BY TECHNOLOGY: “Computers are not rescuing the school from a weak curriculum, any more than putting pianos in every classroom would rescue a flawed music program. Wonderful learning can occur without computers or even paper. But once the teachers and children are enfranchised as explorers, computers, like pianos, can serve as powerful amplifiers, extending the reach and depth of the learners.

(Alan Kay) • …is ENRICHED THROUGH OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE.

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Task Assessment

Authenticity

Note: The use of high-level tasks does not assume that students will independently undertake complex tasks with no assistance from the teacher. High-level tasks provide opportunities for students to acquire proficiencies, skills, and dispo2 sitions in context. Structured lessons and direct teaching are sometimes necessary to help students acquire the skills they need to accomplish a high-level task (e.g. The water scenario we analyzed at the retreat would likely require mini-lessons Assessment on how to sample water and on how to create aTask podcast; these become tools in the service of a broader investigation).

The scope of the task emanates from a question, problem or exploration that engages the students emotionally and intellectually and meets the objectives in the program of studies.

The task involves a contrived, teacher-structured problem framed directly from stated curriculum outcomes.

Students help define a relevant question, exploration, problem or issue for study that relates to the programs of study and to the world outside the school.

The task would likely not be tackled outside of a school setting.

The task is somewhat related to life and work outside the school.

An adult at work or in the community might actually tackle the question, problem or exploration posed by the inquiry task/s. It is grounded in life and work beyond the school (e.g. field work, labs, interviews, studio work, construction, etc.).

The task contains few steps, and no separate roles are assigned.

Students work on the same task in the same way.

The teacher assigns separate tasks and roles.

The task provides opportunities for students to innovate and specialize as needed.

3

Academic Rigor

The teacher tells students what to do and how to do it.

The teacher tells students what to do and students have some choice in how to do it.

The task encourages students to memorize and repeat facts.

Students may lack understanding of what they are memorizing and why.

The task encourages students to find relationships between and among concepts.

The task requires the use of a single resource or prescribed method.

The task allows limited choice among methods and resources to solve the problem.

The task provides opportunities for students to use methods of inquiry central to actual disciplines to decide what to do and how to do it.

The task provides opportunities for students to find relationships between and among concepts and to use critical thinking skills to develop innovative ideas and solutions. In particular, the task helps students develop habits of mind that consistently question: � Evidence (How do we know?) � Viewpoint (Who is speaking?) � Pattern and connection (What causes what?) � Supposition (How might things have been different?)

Relevance (Who cares?) � The task provides opportunities for students to select from a variety of tools, technologies, methods, and sources (e.g. primary source documents, experimental results, artifacts) needed to solve the problem.

Adapted by Calgary Science School from the work of the Galileo Educational Network

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Assessment For Learning

Assessment is conducted at logical midpoints in the process.

Regular feedback (formal and informal) informs the next steps of student work.

Students have little understanding of the criteria that is being used to evaluate their work.

The task provides opportunities for students to reflect on their learning using clear and predetermined criteria established by the teacher.

The task provides opportunities for students to reflect on their learning using clear criteria that they help to define.

The teacher is the only adult who assesses the work.

Teacher and self-assessment are used.

The task provides opportunities for feedback from within and beyond the classroom (self, teachers, 4 peers, parents, others).

All assessment is done at the end of the study (i.e. summative).

The task involves speakers or interviews with experts outside the classroom (e.g. one-shot visits, oneway presentations from Adapted by Calgary Science School from the work of theexpertstudent) Galileo Educational Network

Connecting with Experts*

Students hear or read about relevant information only from the teacher, or resources provided by the teacher.

The task is designed by the teacher in isolation (without expert input).

The task is designed by the teacher in consultation with an expert regarding the topic of inquiry (which may include reading a relevant book on a particular topic).

The task provides opportunities for students to collaborate with relevant experts in a variety of situations.

Students use experts (or expert work) as mentors (or examples) for their own work.

The task is designed and implemented by the teacher in collaboration with an expert who provides ongoing feedback to teacher and students. Feedback may occur in the form of rubric criteria based on expert work.

Life Skills

*“Experts” are those whose work and / or life experience give them relevant insight into a particular task or topic.

The teacher tells students how to organize and manage their time and materials.

The teacher sets projectmanagement goals and allows students to self-monitor within that framework.

The task provides opportunities for students to set their own projectmanagement goals.

The task provides little opportunity for teamwork.

The task provides few opportunities for students to determine roles, facilitate discussions, and resolve conflict.

The task provides opportunities for students to determine roles, facilitate discussions, and resolve conflict.

The task provides opportunities for students to share their ideas with each other. Opportunities to respond to each other’s ideas may be limited.

The task provides extended opportunities to support, challenge, and respond to each other’s ideas as they negotiate a collective understanding of relevant concepts.

As they do so, they have opportunities to negotiate the flow of conversation within small and large group discussions.

ted Communication

Students have few opportunities to discuss their work with others.

The task dictates the form of expression that students may use.

Students have little opportunity to

Students have limited opportunities 70 of expression and to choose forms

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conflict.

conflict.

The task provides opportunities for students to share their ideas with each other. Opportunities to respond to each other’s ideas may be limited.

The task provides extended opportunities to support, challenge, and respond to each other’s ideas as they negotiate a collective understanding of relevant concepts.

As they do so, they have opportunities to negotiate the flow of conversation within small and large group discussions.

The task dictates the form of expression that students may use.

Students have little opportunity to reflect on how the selected medium enhances their message.

Students have limited opportunities to choose forms of expression and to reflect on what media would best communicate their message.

The task provides opportunities for students to choose forms of expression appropriate to the task (e.g. PowerPoint, iMovie, tableaux, mime, puppet show, readers’ theater, drum solo, interpretive dance, debate, etc.) and to reflect on the impact of their choices.

The task requires students to communicate what they are learning to a teacher audience (i.e. handing it in as an assignment).

The task requires students to communicate what they are learning with a classroom audience.

The task provides opportunities for students to communicate what they are learning with a variety of audiences.

The task only requires students to adhere to clear rules of behavior that govern the way they interact with and treat one another.

The task requires students to help determine standards of behavior to govern the way they interact with and treat one another.

The task provides opportunities for students to develop a deeper understanding of themselves, each other, and they way they interact with and treat each other.

The task requires students to learn about people around the world.

The task requires students to consider the impact of their understandings and actions on people in their local and global communities.

The task provides opportunities for students to interact with and care about the impact of their understandings and actions on people in their local and global communities.

The task requires students to learn about the natural world.

The task requires students to consider the impact of their understandings and actions on the natural world.

The task provides opportunities for students to interact with and care 6 about the impact of their understandings and actions on the natural world.

Compassion

Elaborated Communication

Students have few opportunities to discuss their work with others.

Active Exploration

Adapted by Calgary Science School from the work of the Galileo Educational Network

The task requires students to engage with abstract ideas for which they have no prior grounding in the physical world (e.g. memorizing a math formula)

The task provides opportunities for students to engage with concrete objects in the physical world, but there is little emphasis on developing deeper understandings of related concepts (abstract ideas).

“Activity-Mania”: The task requires students to participate in hands-on activity, but there is no connection to a broader understanding.

Activities that are related to a broader theme, but they do not directly contribute to the accomplishment of the larger task.

“Purposeful Activity”: Activities are clearly designed to allow students to successfully accomplish a broader investigation.

Technology is used for the sake of using technology, not because it will enhance the inquiry. The technology is not needed to accomplish the task.

Technology has some relevance to the inquiry. The technology is somewhat needed 71 to accomplish the task.

Technology is used in a purposeful manner that demonstrates an appreciation of what the tool can do.

The technologyB is instrumental ack to Ta bleinof Contents accomplishing the task.

The task provides opportunities for students to make connections between the physical world and related concepts (abstract ideas).

Appropriate Use of Digital Technologies

a broader understanding.

accomplishment of the larger task.

investigation.

Technology is used for the sake of using technology, not because it will enhance the inquiry. The technology is not needed to accomplish the task.

Technology has some relevance to the inquiry. The technology is somewhat needed to accomplish the task.

Technology is used in a purposeful manner that demonstrates an appreciation of what the tool can do.

The technology is instrumental in accomplishing the task.

The task provides opportunities for students to use technology to improve efficiency.

The task provides opportunities for students to use technology to improve efficiency and to think differently.

The teacher decides which technologies will be used.

Students and teachers collaboratively decide which technologies will be used.

The task provides opportunities for students to determine which technologies are most appropriate to the task.

The teacher selects web-based resources for the students.

The teacher selects web-based resources for the students, but also encourages the students to use search engines and begin to make appropriate choices about which sources to use for their research.

The task provides opportunities for students to use critical thinking skills to select relevant and reliable information from the vast resources available on the web (e.g. efficient use of search engines, critical analysis of websites, intellectual integrity, awareness of internet safety).

The major focus of the task is on developing skill and fluency with a single application (limited context).

Uses • • • • • •

a basis for planning and reflecting on units. a framework for observing our own and each other’s work. a basis for describing inquiry in a school DVD (in context of actual projects) / pamphlet a basis for communicating with parents. a basis for student / parent / teacher questionnaires a baseline measure for AISI and our education plan (teacher self-assessment)

Adapted by Calgary Science School from the work of the Galileo Educational Network

Aug. 14 Feedback • • • • • • • •

Something concrete – finally – making good projects better Lets you know where you are Uses: TPGP, good reflection point, stepping stone Help you know where you’re at; you don’t have to be accomplished all the time We need a student version; targets need to be specified; ongoing feedback methods (done – in online survey) Something for summative assessment (part of new teacher assessment plan for Aug. 07) Something re: independence - not just group work (Is this covered in Life Skills #1?)

Digi-tech: not just communication, not as broad as “technology” (not sure what this means?)

June 11/07 Feedback / Changes • • •

like the new distinction between expert and expertise (done) use term “critical thinking” in technology section (done) very clear and concise and accurately portrays what we are trying to do here at CSS

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A ppendix C

Evaluation Evaluation Evaluation

Action Action Action

Dialogue Dialogue Dialogue

Teacher Collaboration Assessment Rubric Beginning Beginning Beginning Dialogue is often related to Dialogue is often to Dialogue iscurriculum often related related to or swapping ideas swapping curriculum ideas or swapping curriculum ideas or strategies strategies strategies

Developing Developing Developing Dialogue is usually related to Dialogue is related to Dialogue is usually usually related to instructional practice and student instructional practice and student instructional practice and student performance performance performance

Tensions exist among team Tensions exist among team Tensions exist among team members, but are not discussed or members, but are not discussed or members, but are not discussed or resolved resolved resolved Unequal participation in dialogue Unequal Unequal participation participation in in dialogue dialogue

Professional tension exists but Professional tension exists but Professional tension exists but are disagreements and/or conflicts disagreements and/or conflicts are disagreements and/or conflicts are rare rare rare For the most part members For the part For the most most part members members participate equally, though some participate equally, though participate equally, thoughorsome some members may ‘hibernate’ members members may may ‘hibernate’ ‘hibernate’ or or ‘dominate’ ‘dominate’ ‘dominate’

Team members take minimal Team members take minimal Team members take minimal action as a result of group action as a result of group action as a result of group decision-making. decision-making. decision-making.

The team occasionally makes The team occasionally makes The team about occasionally makes decisions what pedagogical decisions about what pedagogical decisions about what pedagogical practices they will initiate, practices they will practices they will initiate, initiate, maintain, develop and/or maintain, develop and/or maintain, develop and/or discontinue discontinue discontinue Most team decisions are informed Most team decisions Most teamdialogue decisions are are informed informed by group by group dialogue by group dialogue Actions are generally related to Actions are related to Actions are generally generally related to instructional practice and student instructional practice and student instructional practice and student learning learning learning

Team regularly makes decisions Team regularly makes decisions Team regularly makesand decisions about what individual about what individual and about what individual and collective pedagogical practices collective pedagogical practices collective pedagogical practices they will initiate, maintain, develop they will initiate, maintain, develop they will initiate, maintain, develop and/or discontinue and/or discontinue and/or discontinue All decisions are informed by team All decisions All decisions are are informed informed by by team team dialogue dialogue dialogue Actions are are directly related related to the the Actions Actions are directly directly related to to the improvement of instructional improvement of improvement of instructional instructional practice and and the the cultivation of practice cultivation practice and the cultivation of of student learning student student learning learning

Team members do not share Team do share Team members members do not notthe share evaluative data about merits of evaluative data about the merits of evaluative data about the merits of their instructional practices with their instructional practices with their instructional practices with one another one one another another

The team does not regularly collect The does not collect The team team does qualitative not regularly regularly collect and/or analyze and and/or analyze qualitative and and/or analyze qualitative and quantitative information about quantitative information about quantitative information about member teaching practices and member teaching practices and member teaching practices and student learning student learning student learning

The team does not systematically The team does systematically The team does not notinformation systematically collect or analyze collect or analyze information collect or analyze information about instructional practices and about instructional practices about instructional practices and and student learning student learning student learning The team relies exclusively on The team exclusively on The team relies relies exclusively on “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” or “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” or “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” or “recollections” to form the basis of “recollections” to the “recollections” to form form the basis basis of of their dialogue and decision-making their dialogue and decision-making their dialogue and decision-making

The team may rely more on The team rely The team may may rely more moreoron on “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” or “hearsay,” “anecdotes,” or “recollections” to evaluate the merit “recollections” to “recollections” to evaluate evaluate the the merit merit of their practices of their practices of their practices Evaluative information is usually Evaluative information is Evaluative information is usually usually shared publicly and forms the shared publicly and forms the shared publicly and forms the basis for dialogue and decisionbasis for dialogue and decisionbasis for dialogue and decisionmaking making making

The team regularly collects and The regularly and The team teamqualitative regularly collects collects and analyzes and analyzes qualitative and analyzes qualitative and quantitative information about quantitative information about quantitative information about teaching practices and student teaching practices and student teaching practices and student learning, including peer learning, including learning, including peer peer observations observations observations The team uses student The team student The team uses uses student performance data to evaluate the performance data to the performance data to evaluate evaluate the merit of individual and collective merit of individual and collective merit of individual and collective pedagogical practices pedagogical practices pedagogical practices Evaluation data and findings are Evaluation data and findings are Evaluation data and form findings are shared publicly and the basis shared publicly and form the basis shared publicly and form the basis for team dialogue and decisionfor for team team dialogue dialogue and and decisiondecisionmaking making making

Team decisions are minimally Team decisions are minimally Team decisions aredialogue minimally informed by group informed by group dialogue informed by group dialogue Most team actions are unrelated to Most team unrelated Most team actions actionsofare are unrelated to to the improvement instructional the improvement of instructional the improvement of instructional practice and the cultivation of practice and practice and the the cultivation cultivation of of student learning student student learning learning

73

Proficient Proficient Proficient Dialogue is focused on the Dialogue is focused the Dialogue isexamination focused on on and the structured structured examination and structured examination and analysis of instructional practice analysis of practice analysis of instructional instructional practice and student work and student work and student work Professional tensions are resolved Professional tensions Professional tensions are are resolved resolved as soon as possible as soon as possible as soon as possible All members participate equally All members participate equally All members participate equally with no ‘hibernators’ or with no ‘hibernators’ or with no ‘hibernators’ or ‘dominators’ ‘dominators’ ‘dominators’

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A ppendix D

Outreach Summary

Key Events: Mayoral Forum PE Networking Day Fine Arts Networking Day uLearn Conference (Christchurch NZ) Ontario History Conference Educational Computing Conference of Ontario

Challenge Based Learning Research Study) Digital Text Think Tank Minister’s Visit

Presentations at:

Battle River School Division Society of Educational Resource Groups International Society of Technology in Education (3 Webinars) Calgary Regional Consortium Central Alberta Regional Consortium University of Calgary (MT Program, ASCD events) Canadian Rockies School Division

2 Days at Learning and Leading (Red Deer) 2 Days at Educational Research and Development Inc. (Vancouver) Ontario History Conference Educational Computing Conference of Ontario Westmount Charter Foundations for the Future Calgary Board of Education Calgary Catholic School Prairie Land School Division

(International

Visits by: Calgary Islamic School Foundations for the Future Calgary Board of Education Calgary Catholic School Prairie Land School Division Master’s Academy Alberta Education

West Vancouver School District Chinooks Edge School Division Rockyview School Division York Regional School Distrinct, Ontario

Blog:

STEP Program and Collaborators:

70 Posts 100,000+ Viewers

Scientist in Residence Program (Vancouver School Board) Shaw Communications National Research Council Cenovus Science Alberta Foundation Cross Conservation Society Alberta Education

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Â

Teacher Name

Outreach Event

Location

Date(s)

Length (hrs)

# of Attendees/ Participants

Description of presentation/role

Preparation Time (hrs)

Neil Stephenson

Google Docs Workshop

Calgary Regional Consortium

9-18-2010

6

25

Full Day workshop on Google Docs at the CRC office.

3

Neil Stephenson

ISTE Webinar

Calgary Science School

9-22-2010

1

110

A one hour webinar on Google Docs at CSS.

3

Shashi Shergill, Rachelle Savoie

Mayoral Forum

Calgary Science School

9-23-2010

3

2000

Neil Stephenson

Workshop

John Ware Junior High

9-24-2010

3

30

Presentation on Inquiry Based Learning

Dean Schmeichal

PE Networking Day

Calgary Science School

9-24-2010

6

15

Dean hosted a networking event for PE teachers from Charter and Private Schools.

10

Neil Stephenson

Prairie Land School Division

Hannah, AB

9-27-2010

3

25

Neil gave a workshop on inquirybased learning at the Prairie Land School Division PD day.

1

1

Neil worked with Kate Shutz from the Cantos Music Foundation about technology and inquiry at the museum. This lead to future work between the school and Cantos.

0

75

Neil, Darrell and Phil gave three presentations at the Core Ed conference in Christchurch NZ. Darrell and Phil talked about the instructional leadership initiatives at CSS. Neil talked about inquirybased learning and leading teacher change.

10

40

Presentation on the Cigar Box Project. 25 people watched virtually using uStream. Also made strong outreach connections: Kayak Magazine and Brian Burley

2

Neil Stephenson

Neil Stephenson, Darrell Lonsberry, Phil Butterfield

Neil Stephenson

Cantos Music Foundation

Core Ed Conference

Alberta Social Studies Conference

Cantos Music Foundations

Christchurch, NZ

Lake Louise Alberta

9-30-2010

3

10-2-2010

4.5

10-162010

1

75

CSS hosted and broadcast a mayoral forum for youth.

20

3

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Â

Teacher Name

Neil Stephenson, Shelley Robinson, Andrew Bolen, Amy Vercleyan, Lorrie Emin

Outreach Event

Fine Arts Networking Day

Location

Calgary Science School

Date(s)

Length (hrs)

10-22-2010

6

# of Attendees/ Participants

Description of presentation/role

Preparation Time (hrs)

20

CSS hosted a Networking Day for Fine Arts teachers from around the city. 20 guests participated.

20

1

Neil Stephenson

Alberta Assessment Consortium

Edmonton

10-30-2010

1.5

30

Presentation on using technology to deepen formative assessment.

3 people in attendance who had seen me present before. Great comments afterward - "your session last year was an aha for me in regard to inquiry/technology/assessment" "I've brought your work to my school and my teachers have designed similar work in different grade levels."

Neil Stephenson

OHASSTA

Toronton

11-5-2010

1.5

15

Neil gave a presentation at the Ontario History and SS Teachers Conference.

4

Neil

ECOO 2010

Toronto

11-11-2010

4

60

Neil gave 2 presentations at the Educational Computer Organization of Ontario.

4

Neil Stephenson

Presentation on Assessment &Technology

Canmore, AB

1-21-2011

2.5

30

Presentation on Assessment and Technology to Canadian Rockies School Division

3

Shashi Shergill, Rachelle Savoie, Jon Hoyt-Hallett, Garett Kutcher

Challenge Based Learning

Houston, Texas

1-23-2011

8

50

4 grade 9 teachers participated in an Apple Challenge Based Learning Research Project.

15

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# of Attendees/ Participants

Description of presentation/role

Preparation Time (hrs)

3

40

-Looking at the work that schools can do with regards to assessment

>1

1-27-2011

3

40

Presentation to Bishop Carroll High School staff.

2

Hannah AB

2-10-2011

6

15

Neil spend a full planning day with AISI teachers from the Prairie Land School Division.

2

Google Tools in the Classroom

Central Alberta Regional Consortium

3-15-2011

4.5

10

Three part webinar on Google Tools in the Classroom.

3

Neil Stephenson, Dave Scott

ePub Think Tank

Calgary Science School

3-23-2011

3

15

Neil and Dave hosted a think tank called "The Changing Nature of Digital Texts" attended by teachers and admin from other schools.

Neil Stephenson

Coming to know in a deep way

ERDI Vancouver

4-14-2011

2

20

Neil gave two presentations to 12 superintendents from across the country at the ERDI conference.

2

Neil Stephenson

Innovations in Educational Technology

Glenbow Museum

5-12-2011

2

40

Neil gave a presentation on recent innovations in educational technology to the Society of Educational Resource Groups.

2

All

Minster's Visit

Calgary Science School

6-22-2011

3

6

Neil Stephenson

Apple Distinguished Educator Institute

Vancouver

7-5-2011

5 days

75

Outreach Event

Location

Shelley Robinson

CBE Assessment Facilitation

Glenmore Inn

1-25-2011

Neil Stephenson

Inquiry and Technology

Bishop Carroll

Neil Stephenson

Planning for Engagement

Neil Stephenson

Teacher Name

Date(s)

Length (hrs)

77

Hon Minister Dave Hancock visited the Calgary Science School.

Neil gave two presentations during the Annual ADE Institute.

10

20

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A ppendix E

Outreach Events 2010-2011 Ty p e

Lo c at ion

Date

E x ternal Teacher PD

Calgar y Science Scho ol

0 8/19/09

1. 5

1 I worke d with L ara MacNeil f rom the Edge Scho ol. L ara wante d a detaile d over view of the Cigar Box Proje c t / Grade 7 proje c t ideas. I also coache d L ara with some te ch ques tions (Blo gs, G lo gs ter, R SS fe e ds, etc).

Emerge 20 09

Edmonton

0 8/19/10

1. 5

2 Candace Saar (G alile o) and Jon H ot y- Hallet presente d the Biof uel: Fo o d vs Fuel proje c t as an e xample of Inquir y in the Science classro om. Jon’s role was to e xplain the planning, implementation and assessment of the proje c t in terms teacher s could easily relate to.

Apple Education Showcase

Saint Andews by the Sea, N ew Bruns wick

E x ternal Teacher PD

Calgar y Science Scho ol

09/10/09

1

1 Neil Sk y p e d with Pat Co ok , a grade 6/ 7 teacher in New Brunswick . Pat was interes te d in ways to incorp orate te ch into his classro om.

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

09/14/09

3

2 Two principals f rom New Zealand, Ly nne Huddles ton and D ebra Pe ck visite d our scho ol as par t of a tour of Inquir y- Base d scho ols. Neil sp ent thre e hour s with the principals, intro ducing them to our guiding do cu ment s and showing e xamples of inquir y in various classro oms.

E x ternal Teacher PD

Calgar y Science Scho ol

09/02 /09

1

20 Neil gave a presentation on “ D esigning Inquir y ” to the U of C s tudent teacher s. 5 p e ople watching online using Us tream.

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

09/28/09

3

14 14 principals, sup er- Intendment s and teacher s f rom Re d D e er visite d our scho ol, with the intention of s tar ting a Science and Te chnolo g y fo cuse d scho ol in Re d D e er.

CSN

Fores t L awn High Scho ol

09/30/09

3

4 6 Two Grade 4 Science Teacher s of fere d Hands- on Sci ence Work shops for Calgar y Science Net work . For more info se e: http://www.calgarysciencenetwork.ca/pdfs/workshop_flyers/ SS2009%20elementary%20flyer.pdf

Mount Royal Uni ver sit y

C SS

10/02 /09

2

6 MRU s tudent s are going to b e s tudent volunte er s in CSS classro oms work ing 30 hour s b et we en now and D e cemb er 1, 20 09. T hese s tudent s will b e obser v ing and helping their par tner teacher s in a rudimen tar y way to learn the f undamentals of teaching at an inquir y- b ase d scho ol.

July 5 -9, 2010

Le ng t h At te nde e s De t ails o f O uteac h Eve nt

3

50 Scot t and Neil b oth create d b o oths for the Apple Education Showcase where 10 0 teacher s f rom New Brunswick were invite d to a trade -show presention of innovative teaching with Apple pro duc t s.

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Alb er t a So cial Studies Conference

L ake Lou ise Alb er ta

10/16/18

1

So cial Studies Conference

L ake Louise, Alb er ta

10/17/09

So cial Studies Conference

L ake Lou ise

10/17/09

1. 5

So cial Studies Conference

L ake Lou ise

10/17/09

1

Edmonton Alb er t a A ssessment Con sor tium

10/30/31

1. 5

11/01/09

4

40 Neil gave presentation on the Cigar Box Proje c t. 25 p e ople watche d vir tually using uStream. Also made s trong outreach conne c tions: K ayak Magazine and Brian Burley

1

10 Tanya and Chris presente d His torical Novel & iMovie proje c t f rom Grade 5.

45 Jennifer Wo o dard presente d Canada: Your Stor y is O ur Stor y. T he fo cus of the presentation was how to build go o d assessment prac tices into inquir y base d learning.

T he resp onse was ver y p ositive.

52 Jennifer Wo o dard presente d Your D ollar is Your Vote to Grade 10 So cial Studies teacher s. T he fo cus of the present ation was creating engage d glob al citizens.

T he resp onse was ver y warm.

30 Neil gave presentation on using te chnolo g y to de ep en formative assessment. 3 p e ople in at tendance who had se en me present b efore. Great comment s after ward - “your session las t year was an aha for me in re gard to inquir y/te chnolo g y/assessment ” “ I ’ve brought your work to my scho ol and my teacher s have designe d similar work in dif ferent grade levels .”

National Museum of Science and Te ch nolo g y Consult a tion

D elta Inn (Calgar y)

Calgar y Re gional Consortium

Calgar y Science Scho ol

11/02 /10

7

7 Neil of fere d a t wo - par t dinner series on Te chnolo g y and Inquir y. T his session was at the Science Scho ol, and made use of the laptops and net work inf as truc ture here.

Sk y p e

Calgar y Science Scho ol

10/15/09

1

3 Lorrie sk y p e d with thre e teacher s f rom Lethbridge who were interes te d in using her Grade 6 Tracing Proje c t. T he teacher s had read Lorrie’s blo g p os t on Conne c t, and had ques tions for her ab out the details of the proje c t.

Calgar y Alb er t a Char ter Scho ol A sso cation

10/23/09

0

0

Calgar y Science Scho ol

11/02 /09

E x ternal Teacher PD

20

Louis Cheng par ticipate d in consultation me eting ab out how science museums can b es t ser ve scho ol ’s changing mo dels towards inquir y and te chnolo g y.

Neil and Tammy ser ve d on the planning commit te e for the Calgar y Char ter Scho ol Conference.

1

2 Neil Sk y p e d with G ar f ield and Roland f rom the Criti cal T hink ing Consor tium, providing guidance as they planne d an Inquir y and Te chnolo g y session for the O nt ario Teacher s Fe deration.

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G overnor G eneral ’s Award

O t t awa

11/18/21 na

10 0 Neil re ceive d the G overnor G eneral ’s Award for E xcel lence in Teaching Canadian His tor y. Neil was interviewe d by the Canadian Museum of Civiliz ation, and donate d one of the s tudent made Cigar Boxes to b e include d into the National Archives. Neil was also fea ture d in a numb er of newspap er s and t v news shows .

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

11/23/09

3

2 Two teacher s f rom Foundations for the Future Char ter Scho ol came for a scho ol visit, fo cusing on te chnolo g y and inquir y base d learning. Scot t and Neil lead the visit, including a tour of the scho ol.

E x ternal Teacher PD

Calgar y Science Scho ol

11/23/09

1

2 Scot t sk y p e d with t wo of the te ch co ordinator s in the Sunshine Coas t Scho ol Division. Scot t share d advice on 1:1 and Snow Le opard, base d on the learning f rom our his tor y with te chnolo g y.

Canmore Citizen ship Proj ect

Canmore

11/23/09

8

6 Dave Scot t: T he purp ose of the proje c t is to link the junior and high scho ol so cial s tudies curriculum with ac tive involvement in the communit y in a way that promotes citizenship. Sp e cif ically, I was ac ting as a f acilitator to develop unit s that are p e dago gically sound and have incorp orate d various element s such as assessment for learning and critical think ing.

M e dia Stor y

CBC N ews

11/27/09

1

0 CBC ran a news s tor y on the Calgar y Science Scho ol, and Neil ’s re ceiving of the GG award. ht tp: //w w w.cb c . ca /vide o/#/News/Lo cal _ News/Calgar y/ID =134 4 01928 0 (ab out the 21: 0 0 mark )

Inquir y and Te ch nolo g y

St. T imo thy ’s Scho ol, Co chrane

12 /0 4/09

3

E x ternal Teacher PD

Calgar y Science Scho ol

12 /07/09

7

9 9 Teacher s f rom Wes tmount Char ter Scho ol came in advance of s tar ting a 1:1 pro gram. Neil and Scot t share d a numb er of lessons f rom our 1:1 pro gram, and guide d a tour of the scho ol.

E x ternal Teacher PD

CRC O f f ice

11/25/09

3

1 Scot t Petrone ch ac te d as consultant to Jean H o ef t at the CRC of f ice re garding the development of a 1:1 con ference to b e held in April.

Scho ol V isit

CSS

2. 5

4

Neil Stephenson, Phil But ter f ield and Scot t Petrone ch met with 3 teacher s and 1 parent f rom the Canadian Ro ck ies Scho ol Division to talk ab out Digital Por t folios and assessment of gif te d s tudent s. Te chnolo g y inte gration was one of the big comp onent s of our discussion.

Parent PD

CSS

2. 5

35

Scot t Petrone ch presente d to our parent communit y on the topic of Internet Safet y and relate d it to their child ’s scho ol laptop.

25 Neil gave presentation on inte grating inquir y and te chnolo g y, fo cusing on the inquir y rubric and various e xamples of teacher proje c t s.

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Parent PD

CSS

2. 5

22

Scot t Petrone ch: Intro duc tor y Mac laptop work shop for parent s. Fo cus was showing parent s the me dia literac y comp onent s of Apple laptops. Parent s learne d how to use Apple’s iLife suite.

E xp er t

Calgar y Science School

2

0

Chris Dit tmann had Jill Foran, e ditor of K ayak Maga zine in as as gues t. Jill share d the basic s of graphic design with the s tudent s, and provide d e xample of how to make the s tudent s “p enny b o ok ” s tories more professional and engaging.

E x ternal Teacher PD

7

20

Neil Stephenson sp ent the day at Eliz ab eth Rummel Scho ol in Canmore. Neil worke d with t wo grade 1 teacher s, 2 grade 4 teacher s, their “ Learning Leader ” and scho ol principal. We plan to continue the rela tionship b et we en our grade 4 teacher s.

E x ternal Teacher PD

4

20

Neil Stephenson gave a presentation at the Univer sit y of Calgar y, in D. Michele Jacobsen’s “ D esigning In s truc tional Spaces” cour se. T here were 20 s tudent s in at tendance.

MRU V isit s

Calgar y Science School

12

150

Approx 150 MRU s tudent s at tende d 6 visit s to CSS f rom Jan 26 -28 . T hese presentations include d an intro duction to the scho ol, scho ol tour and print materials ab out CSS and our inquir y- base d learning fo cus .

E x ternal Teacher PD

CSS

3

3

Scot t Petrone ch had a Sk y p e me eting with Warren Dale (an ADE f rom Los Angeles who teaches in an inner cit y scho ol). T hey are lo ok ing at ways to initiate a 1:1 proje c t and wante d to hear ab out our e xp eriences.

T his me eting was set up by G ar y Atk ins (an ADE and music sp e cialis t f rom Toronto).

Scho ol V isit

CSS

2. 5

27

Some of the High Scho ol s taf f at Bishop Carroll came to learn ab out our scho ol ’s 1:1 e xp eriences. T his in clude d a classro om tour and a discussion on the lo gistic s of our 1:1 proje c t.

External Teacher PD

Coast Plaza Hotel

2

30

Scot t Petrone ch presente d on our scho ol ’s te chnolo g y e xp eriences and road to 1:1 learning. T his event was put on by OSI .

6

16

External Teacher PD CBE PD Day

Scot t Petrone ch of fere d Apple PD (iMovie) for Wes tmount ’s s taf f as they get ready to initiate a 1:1 proje c t.

Senator Patrick Burns

3

20

Neil Stephenson delivere d a 2 hour work shop at Sena tor Patrick Burns Middle Scho ol. T he presentation was on inquir y and te chnolo g y, using the Cigar Box Proje c t and other e xamples of s trong inquir y work f rom CSS. Ab out 20 in at tendance, including a numb er of AISI learning Leader s.

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40205

12

18

Neil Stephenson was par t of a t wo day PD work shop at Wes tmount Char ter Scho ol. Neil and John Maschak f rom Apple share d G arageband, iPhoto, G o o gle D o c s, D elicious, wik is and blo gs.

CSS

3

5

A group of teacher s/adminis trator s f rom Tanbridge Academy came to learn ab out our scho ol ’s 1:1 e xp eri ences. T hey are lo ok ing to initiate a 1:1 proje c t ne x t year.

St Martin de Porres High School

6

30

Neil Stephenson gave t wo presentations at the PD day for “Area E Junior and Senior High Scho ols” (Rural Catholic Dis tric t). T he PD to ok place at St Mar tin de Porres High Scho ol.

University of Calgary

3

20

Neil Stephenson gave a presentation in G arr y McK im mon’s Professional Seminar Class at the Univer sit y of Calgar y.

School Visit

Calgary Science School

3

2

Two teacher s (Sher yl Burrows and Bet t y T hies) f rom CBE (John Ware Junior High) came for scho ol visit.

T hey were intro duce d to the G alile o inquir y mo del, G o o gle D o c s, and visite d t wo classro oms. T hey were ver y interes te d in doing collab orative planning with Jenn and Jason through G o o gle D o c s.

HPEC 2010

Red Deer

1.5

5

Tammy O lsen Presente d on Inquir y and Te chnolo g y at Re gional Physical Education Conference. Tammy has since b e en contac te d by par ticipant s to

School Visit

CTS Conference Banff

2

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

05/05/10

Sk y p e Chat

Calgar y Science Scho ol

M arch 1, M arch 17, 2010

Teacher 2 Teacher Conference

B ow Island, AB

03/18/10

Scot t Petrone ch presente d on 2 Topic s: Digital Por t folios - A Work in Pro gress: discusse d our Fine Ar t s initiative this year and presente d content on inf ras truc ture, p olicies and lesson’s learne d.

Per sonalize d Learning - O ur Road to 1:1: share d info on our laptop initiative and the way things have evolve d over 4 year s. T ime was sp ent on inf ras truc ture, p olicies and lesson’s learne d.

50

3

Two visitor s from M as ter ’s Academy (Dore en G ray and Cindy B ack s trom) came to se e our PD mo de l, and how we continue to deve lop our teacher s toward 2 Inquir y- B ase d Learning.

2

Neil Stephenson gave t wo sk y p e present ations to groups of Mount Royal Univer sit y Student s ab out 25 inquir y base d learning.

4

Neil Stephenson gave t wo present ations at the Teacher2Teacher te chnolo g y conference in B ow Island AB. Neil presente d on designing inquir y- base d learning, using the Cigar Box proje c t and other class20 ro oms e xamples f rom CSS.

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PD Session

Wes t Island Colle ge

03/19/10

3

Neil Stephenson presente d during a PD day at Wes t Island Colle ge. The topic was designing inquir y, us6 ing a variet y of classro oms e xamples from CSS.

G EO EC

Canmore, AB

05/0 6/0 8

1. 5

Dave Scot t presente d ab out Citizenship Education and Throughline Q ues tions in So cial Studies . Dave use d the grade 8 Renaiss ance Proje c t as a case s tudy 15 for the session.

G EO EC

Canmore, AB

05/0 6/0 8

1. 5

G re g presente d at the G EO EC conference on his 10 grade 5 endangere d animal proje c t .

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

0 4/15/10

2

We had a vice - princip al f rom Al M adina Char ter Scho ol come to t alk to use ab out 1:1 and G o o gle Do c s . Al M adina will cont ac t us in the Fall when they 1 re quire more follow and PD supp or t .

Scho ol V isit

CSS

M arch 4, M ay 10, 2010

2

Neil Stephenson par ticipate d as a gues t presenter in 30 t wo ISTE webinar s on PBL .

AISI Learning Leader V isit

CSS

05/20/10

3

Scot t Petrone ch and Neil Stephenson hos te d 20 AISI 20 learning leader s f rom the Calgar y Catholic B oard.

So cial Studies Showc ase

Re d and W hite Club, Cal gar y

4

6 CSS teacher s presente d at the So cial Studies Showcase event at the Re d and White club. Present ations on D igit al s tor y te lling, Renaiss ance Proje c t , His tori150 c al Think ing , and G lobal Educ ation.

2

We had thre e represent atives from New Zealand ’s N ational Professional D eve lopment O rganziation (Core Ed) come and visit our scho ol - on the re com mendation of Sharon Friesen and G alile o. We sp ent the more discussing the vision and s truc ture of CSS 3 - with a scho ol tour.

Scho ol V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

05/26/10

0 6/07/10

CSS hos te d a scho ol tour for D r. Dennis Sumara (Dean of Education) and D r. Sharon Friesen (A sso ci ate Dean of Education). The purp ose of the visit was to discussion the p ossibilit y of CSS b e coming a research scho ol as par t of the Facult y of Educations new PACE pro gram .

Also in at tendance were:

Dean’s V isit

Calgar y Science Scho ol

0 6/10/10

3

D r. G ar y Andrews – E xe cutive D ire c tor of Alb er t a Char ter Scho ols D r. Rob er t St . O nge – Alb er t a Education, D ire c tor D r. Bonnie Sharpiro – Univer sit y of Calgar y, Facult y of Education Joanne Steinmann – AISI Co ordinator, Univer sit y of 30 Calgar y

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Feedback

about the

CSS

External Collaboration Initiative:

““The Calgary Science School has been instrumental in assisting Bishop Carroll High School staff with their 1 to 1 Laptop Learning program. Bishop Carroll will begin a 1 to 1 laptop program in the Fall of 2010. Our professional reading lead us to schools who have effectively integrated instructional technology into their schools such as the Calgary Science School. We met with CSS staff to help us look toward effective implementation of not only hardware infrastructure, but primarily the instructional focus in the use of digital technologies.

Our professional collaboration with teaching colleagues at CSS is invaluable for the following reasons.

Discussion with CSS staff helps provide a philosophical and pedagogical rationale for the implementation of digital technology within the school. Our staff visits to CSS enables us to observe digital learning in action and to see practical examples of instructional technology. And finally, presentations from staff at Calgary Science School has provided excellent Professional Development for our Faculty & Staff.” Vice Principal, Bishop Carroll High School “The experience was very practical and inspiring. I really appreciate how much student voice the CSS uses through technology and I hope to incorporate this into my practice.” CBE teacher “This PD has helped guide my teaching and the manner in which I wish my staff to approach teaching and learning.” Principal, Calgary Catholic “The results were very impressive, students wrote about how they had been very unsure and confused about the topic, but after speaking with Neil, they felt a lot more comfortable with the concept. For a group of future teachers, it was inspiring to interact with a school who is actively applying inquiry based learning in a school setting.” Mount Royal University student, Faculty of Education “It was a great PD workshop. It gave me lots of ideas as to how to incorporate more relevant projects into my social studies classes. The access to the Calgary Science

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School website is very useful.” Teacher, West Island College Private School “This was an excellent, useful and relevant presentation. I found Neil to be practical and realistic. What he had to share was applicable to our reality in the classroom. I loved Neil’s attitude towards learning and inquiry based learning in particular. I love the idea of linking to other members and experts in the community.” Teacher, West Island College Private School “This was one of the best PD experiences I have had the pleasure of attending. Neil was so willing to share and collaborate with all the information and materials he has and he was willing to put us in touch with the teachers of his school to do the same. Watching students work and collaborate with the technology was just mind boggling. It’s fantastic to find a school and staff members whose mandate it is to collaborate and share all their expertise and materials. Neil was so willing to share his expertise and resources. The Calgary Science School has even offered to assist with our PD next year.”

CBE teacher “I was impressed with the school generally; the tone, the student engagement, the sense of calm and order that imbued the school. I liked that in many ways it seemed like any other school, except with more and better technology - ie. it wasn’t ‘weird’. I enjoyed the fact that the teachers and leaders were so willing to share with us, too, and everybody in the building seemed happy to be there.” AISI Learning Leader “It was extremely helpful to go into classrooms and see how technology and inquiry based learning was being utilized. This knowledge and experience gives me the ability to talk to classroom teachers in my cohort to discuss how they could implement these ideas into their own teaching practices while giving examples of how it can work.” AISI Learning Leader “My time at CSS was extremely useful. Through classroom observations and discussion, I was able to see 21st Century teaching and learning in action. It will help me to prioritize my focus to be able to develop my B ack to Ta ble of Contents

“coaching” role with teachers in my designated schools.

It made me solidify my understanding of “inquiry-based learning” as the key element in moving forward.” AISI Learning Leader “Recently I used your professional development questions on my own to help change my teaching practice as I am not feeling satisfied at the moment. Your questions and the work your school is doing to practice true inquiry at both a staff and student level is a model I would like to be part of implementing and so I share some of your posts with a couple of my colleagues and we talk about what we can do in small ways to make things happen. To do that I have to be more purposeful in my planning and more aware of the “open” spaces I am leaving for the kids to do the real work.” Teacher from Northhampton, NH, USA ““Student teachers react strongly and positively to Neil Stephenson’s presentations, and often cite his visit as one of the most memorable experiences in my Year 2 Seminars. Specifically, student teachers appreciate that Neil brings rich examples of student work, that he carefully describes the different tasks students have completed along with assessment methods and rubrics designed to give students feedback on the quality of their work. Neil helps student teachers to learn how they might negotiate authentic relationships with experts from across disciplines and beyond classroom walls to benefit student learning. Through Neil’s rich instructional plans and engaging methods of presentation, student teachers can appreciate the depth and sustained nature of innovative inquiry projects from the Calgary Science School, and begin to understand how they might design these kinds of learning experiences for their own students.” Dr. Michele Jacoben, Associate

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Professor, University of Calgary “I would say that Galileo has been able to use samples of student work from the Calgary Science School to illustrate deep understanding of discipline concepts and ways of working, to educational stakeholders throughout the province. These work samples have provided strong images of what deep understanding looks like when teachers deliberately design inquirybased tasks and assessment processes that sponsor authentic, academically rigorous learning outcomes. In working with teachers here in Alberta and elsewhere in Canada, the question we get asked most frequently is, “what does strong inquiry-based work look like?”.

The examples that we direct teachers and principals to look at are those that have emerged from the Calgary Science School. These images of effective teaching practices have provided exemplars for principals to use in discussion with teachers as well as clear professional learning targets for the teachers themselves.” Candace Saar, Galileo Educational Network “I have had the privilege of associating with the Calgary Science School in a variety of venues, from hands-on multiple day workshops, to Internet based presentations, and finally in sessions with fellow teachers from across Canada. In each and every case the strong exemplars from the Calgary Science School bring a great deal of value to the discussions and sessions. The school’s examples are widely used in a large variety of jurisdictions in North America and is always enthusiastically implemented.” John Maschak, Apple Canada Professional Development Trainer

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A ppendix F

Data /impact from the CSS Collaborative Outreach Initiative D uring 2009/2010

the

CSS C oll aborative O utreach I nitiative

• Alberta Assessment Consortium (AAC) • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

worked with :

• Galileo Educational Network • International Society of Technology in

Conference 2010 Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) Conference 2010 Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) Learning Leaders Apple Education Canada ATA Global Environmental and Outdoor Education (GEOEC) Conference 2010 ATA Social Studies Conference 2009 ATA Social Studies Showcase Event Bishop Carroll High School, Calgary Calgary Regional Consortium Canada’s National History Society Central Alberta Regional Consortium Core Ed Professional Development, New Zealand Dean and Associate Dean of Education, University of Calgary Edge School, Calgary Elizabeth Rummel School, Calgary

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Education (ISTE) John Ware Junior High, Calgary Master’s Academy, Calgary Mount Royal University National Museum of Science and Technology New Brunswick School Boards Office Solutions Incorporated Senator Patrick Burns Middle School, Calgary St Martin de Porres High School, Airdre St. Timothy’s School, Cochrane Tanbridge Academy, Calgary Teacher2Teacher Technology Conference, Bow Island, AB The Critical Thinking Consortium University of Calgary West Island College, Calgary Westmount Charter School, Calgary

C algary S cience S chool P re -S ervice Teacher M entoring

Universit y of Calgar y: Year Two Student Teachers Calgary Science School Teacher Tanya Stogre Emily Brown Andrew Bolan Amy Peebles Jennifer Woodard Lisa Nelson and Erin Couillard Shashi Shergill Dean Schmeichel

University of Calgary Student Teacher Heather Miller Tanya McCallum Laine Wiens Kerry Martens Jaime Groeller Jason Cooper Natalie Humenjuk Gareth Melrose

Mount Royal Universit y: Student Volunteers Calgary Science School Teacher Jacquie Moir Amy Peebles Chris Dittmann Greg Neil Kevin Sonico Carolyn Armstrong

Mount Royal University Student Keith McLarty Alexandra Rimmer Rachel Payette Louie Paccalagan George Belkie Rebecca Korasz

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A ppendix G

Commendations and Recommendations for Further C onsideration E x ec ut i v e S u mma ry – D r . G a r ry M c K i n n o n A pril , 2011

Over the two week period of March 7-18, members of the teaching and support staff (44 participants), students (approximately 600) from grades 4 to 9 in their class groupings and parents attending the March 17 and 18 Student led conferences (48 participants), were invited to share feedback in regard to the Calgary Science School by responding to the questions, “What causes you to believe that the Calgary Science School is a very good school and what suggestions for improvement would you like to offer?” The interviews conducted by the superintendent serve as a component of the ongoing school evaluation process. The feedback generated through the two questions (without any prompting) has been organized as commendations or recommendations for further consideration on the basis of common themes which were identified through a thematic analysis process. The frequency of common themes is indicated in parentheses.

The following 11 major areas of commendation (with a response rate of 25% or more) were identified: teachers are treated as

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professionals; the outstanding leadership provided by the school leadership team; the students are excellent; the positive school culture; the Calgary Science School is unique and special; the strong focus on collaboration; professional development opportunities; the outdoor education and field trips; parental support; enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology and the exemplary teaching in the Calgary Science School. Further elaboration of the 11 major areas of commendation with reference to representative comments is as follows: 1. Teachers are Treated as Professionals (31)– Teachers are given the freedom to be creative, build on their strengths, try new things and make mistakes. There is a great ability to be spontaneous in our school– the level of risk-taking is high and you can count on B ack to Ta ble of Contents

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

having the support of the administration. We are given the freedom to make meaning of the curriculum and to bring our own flair and spirit to it.

The Outstanding Leadership Provided by the School Leadership Team (30)– The leadership provided by the school leadership team at all levels is the key to our success. Teachers feel inspired, motivated and more passionate about their work because of the support of the school leaders.

The administrators have made an effort to recognize every member of the staff and to make staff members feel valued and important. The members of the school leadership team are good role models for the teachers and they help the teachers to be good role models for the students.

The Students are Excellent (22)– Staff members describe students as overall having a very positive, respectful attitude, they enjoy being in the school and are motivated to do well as learners. The relationship between teachers and students is collaborative rather than hierarchical. The students are amazing; they try things here they wouldn’t do in other schools.

Positive School Culture (19)– There is a very caring, supportive, positive culture in the school and a strong sense of community and it is a great place to be for students and staff. When you come into this school there is a climate of happy kids– it is a good place to be. There is a strong sense of mutual respect, caring and positive rapport among the students and the teachers– they genuinely appreciate each other. There is a high level of student and teacher engagement in learning activities and the culture of the school is to give it a try.

The Calgary Science School is Special and Unique (17)– There is something very special in the Calgary Science School. There is a strong sense of community and everyone cares for each other.

Staff members are keen, energetic, and flexible and everyone seems to get along well with each other.

It is a stimulating, engaging place– it’s about ideas and learning.

Strong Focus on Collaboration (14)– There is a strong focus on collaboration, which is reflected in

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the organization of teaching teams and discipline partners; teachers are expected to work together and there is strong support for collaborative efforts within the school and beyond.

7. Outdoor Education and Field Trips (14)– The outdoor education programs, field trips and other out of classroom experiences provide unique, enriched learning experiences, which are a special feature of the school. The outdoor education experiences provide great opportunities for building relationships and developing teambuilding skills.

Our ability to take learning beyond the classroom in a meaningful, authentic way through the outdoor education experiences is a very significant strength of the school.

8. Professional Development Opportunities (13)– The emphasis on professional development reflected in the school year calendar (16 days) and funding is a tremendous strength of the school. Teachers are pushed in a positive way to improve practice; it is an expectation to grow as a teacher, but at the same time, the support is there.

9. Parental Support (13)– There is tremendous support from parents for the work of the school. It is great to have the well-organized parent volunteer program. Parents are very good about getting involved in the education of their children in providing support for the school through such things as volunteering for outdoor education programs.

Parents are collaborative; it is part of the culture of the school.

10. Exemplary Teaching (11)– The staff members are very competent and highly dedicated– great staff– exemplary teaching. There are very good teachers in the school who are hard-working and have high expectations for the students and for themselves .We appreciate the strong focus on inquiry and the use of teaching practices which are current and innovative.

11. Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the Use of Technology (11)– The availability of

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technology to enhance learning and teaching and the manner in which it is used to promote student engagement and effective teaching is a unique asset in the school.

I appreciate the focus on using technology to enhance learning and teaching and to authentically engage students in the curriculum in a meaningful way rather than having technology for technology’s sake.

The key recommendations for further consideration identified by the teaching and support staff members are as follows: 1. Outdoor Education Program Enhancements (8)– The outdoor education experiences are outstanding, but there is still more that could be done in terms of relating the experiences to the curricular objectives and in exploring big questions. There should be more emphasis on the leadership development, team building and physical education aspects of the outdoor education programs.

2. School Program Enhancements (6)– Suggested areas in which the existing program could be enhanced included: better utilizing service learning opportunities; developing an integrated approach to the curriculum across all subject areas; combining the grade 7 electives into larger groupings; giving more attention to the health curriculum and exploring the possibility of teaching a second language.

3. Ensure that Curricular Expectations are Addressed (6)– We embrace inquiry but at the same time we need to recognize that there is a place for textbooks and teaching basic skills as a foundation for inquiry. It must be clearly understood by teachers, students and parents that skill development and addressing curricular goals related to student knowledge, skills and attributes is a fundamental component of inquiry.

4. Learning Strategies Program Enhancements (5)– More attention needs to be given to providing more consistency and more structure in the Learning Strategies program. The introduction of the learning strategies program has significantly reduced the amount of time available for teaching the core courses. The impact of the Learning Strategies program should be explored and further enhancements should be made.

5. Timetable Enhancements (4)– The timetabling challenges associated with the fine arts program and in particular the band program, need to be addressed.

6. Provide a Senior High School Program (4)– Consideration should be given to extending the Calgary Science School program to the senior high school level so that it can be

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proven that the CSS approach will work at that level as well.

7. Professional Development Enhancements (3)– There should be refinements made in the organization of professional development activities with a greater emphasis on “producing” rather than “consuming” professional development. We should provide opportunities for teacher teams to develop teaching resources and to share them with other teachers. We should be sharing through professional development activities and blogging our exemplary practices.

8. Better Addressing the Needs of ESL Students (3)– There is a need to do more than what we are currently doing through Learning Strategies to deal with the increasing number of students with ESL background and learning disabilities 9. Enhance the Personalization of Learning Experiences (3)– There are several students who need Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy support. There should be safety nets in place for students who are not succeeding.

10. Enhance the Facility with Change Rooms/ Shower Rooms (3)– The emphasis on having students participate in intense physical activities and the physical education program in general could be supported with the addition of shower room facilities.

The grade 4-9 students were interviewed in their class groupings (four classes at each grade level) and they were most enthusiastic in sharing their perceptions from a student perspective. The major areas of commendation (identified by five or more classes) which were generated through the student feedback included: 1. The teachers are excellent (All classes)– Special qualities which were identified included: engage students through hands-on learning activities (14 classes); let students use different ways of learning (12 classes);

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

use a variety of learning activities (9 classes); are caring and kind (8 classes); engage students through projects which are interesting and engaging (8 classes); are knowledgeable about what they are teaching (8 classes); encourage students to apply their learning to real life situations (7 classes); have a strong focus on helping students to learn and succeed (6 classes); challenge students as learners (6 classes); are open and friendly– talk to students (5 classes); support their students (4 classes); give students help when it’s needed; have a sense of humour (3 classes) and make learning fun (3 classes).

The Outdoor Education Programs and Field Trips (Through a show of hands 100% of students in all of the classes interviewed indicated an appreciation for the outdoor education programs and field trips). Everyone loves the outdoor education experiences. We appreciate the opportunities for hands-on learning, learning beyond the classroom, building relationships and getting to know each other.

Positive School Culture/There is a good feeling in the school (All classes)– Students respect each other and are nice to each other.

Staff members are very helpful and caring.

Learning is fun. Students and staff are like one big family.

Access to Technology to Enhance Learning (All classes by a show of hands)– We are able to learn in different ways with the use of technology. Students, through the use of technology, are able to access important information, be creative and show what they have learned.

The Fo cus on Learn in g t h rou gh I nq ui r y (Al l cl asse s) School Clubs and Extracurricular Activities (8 classes)– Enjoy participating in the school productions. Like opportunities to be involved in various sports teams.

Physical Education Programs (8 classes)– We have excellent physical education and daily physical education programs. We appreciate the great variety of physical education activities.

Well-rounded Program of Learning Experiences (7 classes)– We are getting a wellrounded education with excellent experiences in the core courses and art, drama, dance, music

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(band) physical education and many excellent electives.

9. Service Learning Projects (6 classes)– It is good to have opportunities to help people in need through fundraisers and special projects.

10. Electives and the Opportunities for Choosing Them Given to the Students (5 classes) 11. The Organization of the School Year Calendar (5 classes) Through a thematic analysis of the student responses the following key suggestions (3 classes or more) were identified: 1. Make Changes to the Portfolios for Physical Education and Fine Arts (10 classes)– Changes related to the electronic portfolios in physical education and fine arts and the requirement to be doing a blog should be considered because of the technical problems that are being experienced and the inordinate amount of time required.

2. Make Modifications to Learning Strategies (4 classes)– There is too much time spent on Learning Strategies and there should be some changes made to what is done during this time.

3. Do away with week A and B in the timetable because it is too confusing and does not achieve a useful purpose (4 classes) 4. It would be nice to have a cafeteria operated by the students out of the staff room/kitchen (4 classes) 5. Organize a Student Council or Student Advisory Group (4 classes)– The opinions of students should be valued more – have a student organization to provide feedback to the teachers and administration.

6. Provide one class period each week for students to get caught up on their work (3 classes) 7. Build showers and change rooms next to the gymnasium (3 classes) 8. Provide a second language in the school program (3 classes) 9. Explore the Possibility of having school teams for Grades 4, 5 and 6 (3 classes) The 48 parents who were interviewed during the student-led conferences on March 17 and 18 indicated strong support for the school and an appreciation for

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the learning opportunities that are being provided to their children. The major commendations that were identified (10% or more of the parents) include the following: 1. The Teaching is Excellent (34)– The students are truly engaged in their learning. The teachers do a great job of giving students the freedom to learn. We appreciate the specialized focus of the teachers and their strong skill set.

The rapport of the teachers with students is excellent.

Clearly the teachers have a real passion for teaching in this school.

2. Well-rounded Program which Focuses on All Aspects of Student Learning and Development (30)– We appreciate the interactive nature of the school.

Science School does not reflect well the holistic nature of the program. There is a great variety of learning experiences. The program is well-balanced and the students get the full spectrum.

3. The Outdoor Education program is outstanding (24)– Outdoor Education is the trademark of the school. Students learn a lot about the environment. The outdoor education experiences are great for building relationships and the students develop leadership and team building skills.

4. There is a very positive culture in the school (21)– There is a real sense of community and belonging in the school.

There is a very friendly welcoming environment and our children are very happy here.

5. The Emphasis on Learning Through Inquiry (14) 6. The use of technology in the school enriches learning experiences (11)– Technology enhances the students’ communication with their teachers. The technology in the school is great and it is used properly; not just for playing games. The technology skills of the students are so much more advanced than their friends from other schools.

7. Class Sizes and the Size of the School (6)– We like the cap on class sizes and the overall size of the school.

8. Communication is Very Good and Parents are Kept Well-informed (5)– Like the transparency and open communication. Communication is outstanding– appreciate the weekly update from teachers. We like how everything is online; parents are kept well-informed.

Recommendations for Further Consideration– Parents

parent-teacher interview each year where the parents have an opportunity to talk privately with the teacher.

2. Consideration should be given to starting a senior high school program (6) 3. A greater emphasis should be placed on capitalizing more on parents’ capacities as experts and volunteers (3) 4. Consideration should be given to offering a second language (4)

Concluding Observations

There was a very positive response from the staff members, students and parents to the opportunity to share their views in regard to areas of commendation and suggestions for further consideration relating to the Calgary Science School. Clearly there is agreement that there is something very special about Calgary Science School and there is strong support for the emphasis on providing a comprehensive program with rich learning experiences in mathematics, science, the humanities, physical education, fine arts and a variety of electives. The participants expressed very strong support for the emphasis on learning through a disposition of inquiry, enhancing learning and teaching through the appropriate use of technology and providing authentic, engaging learning experiences in the school and beyond through the extensive outdoor education program.

Major strengths of the school identified by the participants include the: exemplary teaching; positive school culture; open communication; positive attitude of the students; support and active involvement of parents; administrative leadership and the focus on professionalism, innovation, collaboration and exemplary teaching and the emphasis on doing everything possible to have students experience success as learners. Interested individuals are encouraged to make reference to the detailed description of commendations and suggestions for further consideration outlined in the report document which will be posted on the website and made available through the school office.

1. Revise the Structure of Parent-teacher Interviews (6)– Consideration should be given to having one

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Commendations and Recommendations for Further Consideration Dr. Garry McKinnon April, 2011 Over the two week period of March 7 – 18, members of the teaching and support staff (42 participants), students (approximately 600) from grades 4 to 9 in their class groupings and parents attending the March 17, 18 Student led conferences (48 participants), were invited to share feedback in regard to the Calgary Science School by responding to the questions, “What causes you to believe that the Calgary Science School is a very good school and what suggestions for improvement would you like to offer?” The interviews conducted by the superintendent served as a component of the ongoing school evaluation process. The feedback has been organized as commendations or recommendations for further consideration on the basis of common themes which were identified through a thematic analysis

Commendations– Teachers and Support Staff Feedback

1. Teachers are Treated as Professionals– Teachers are given the freedom to be creative, build on their strengths, try new things and make mistakes. (31) • We are able to step out of the boundaries and help students learn in different ways.

• There is strong support from the administration and not too much pressure.

• This is an awesome place to be a teacher and teachers choose to be here.

• We are given the freedom to make meaning of the curriculum and to bring our own flair and spirit to it.

• Innovation is fostered.

• There is a great ability to be spontaneous in our school – the level of risk-taking is high and you can count on having the support of the administration.

• There is a strong sense of trust in the school.

• We are encouraged to be different and that is what a charter school is all about.

• Not ever ything we tr y is successful but we learn from the mistakes.

• Opportunities to be flexible in organizing learning activities is huge. You need flexibility to organize such things as a whole week for challenge-based learning.

2. The Outstanding Leadership Provided by the School Leadership Team– The leadership provided by the school leadership team is greatly appreciated. (30) • Leadership at all levels is the key to our success.

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• Teachers feel inspired, motivated and more passionate about their work because of the support of the school leaders.

• Leadership team members have done a great job of hiring great teachers– teachers who are passionate about education.

• The support from administration is like that in no other school in which I have taught.

• The administrators are very welcoming, approachable and open.

• There are not a lot of administrative demands on teachers’ time, which makes it possible to focus on instruction.

• We should celebrate the lack of bureaucracy in our school.

• I appreciate how the administrators have made an effort to recognize every member of the staff and to make staff members feel valued and important.

• The leadership team members are excellent in articulating a vision for the school.

• I a p p r e c i a t e t h e d e t a i l e d fe e d b a c k generated through the teacher evalua t i o n p r o c e s s.

• The leadership has a hands-off focus–- no bureaucracy–- it’s a special feature to be able to interact with the superintendent.

• Teachers are given a lot of meaningful input; the timetable committee is a good example.

• Leadership makes this a great place to be.

I appreciate how the administration and Board trust in the staff and encourage staff members to try new things.

• The leadership team members are truly enabling; they really listen.

• I appreciate how well organized things are in the school and that is very important.

• The leaders are good role models for the teachers and they help the teachers to be good role models for the students.

• The leadership team is unique-different than other schools.

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• Our school administrators really embody what we are trying to do as a school community– respect for teacher professionalism.

3. The Students are Excellent– The students overall have a very positive, respectful attitude, they enjoy being in the school and are motivated to do well as learners. (22) • It is great to be dealing with students who want to be here and to have their cooperation.

• The students really want to be here and that is the key.

• This is the first school I have seen where students are not afraid of the adults; they see the adults as partners.

• Our students are serious about learning.

• The relationship between teachers and students is collaborative rather than hierarchical.

• The students are amazing; they try things here they wouldn’t do in other schools– e.g. boys dancing.

• The students are open to new experiences.

• The students are very responsible group-there is no issue with graffiti etc.

• The students love the school.

• It is great to have students from all quadrants of the city and to have the cultural diversity.

• Students show initiative and demonstrate creativity in their work.

4. Positive School Culture– There is a very caring, supportive, positive culture in the school and a strong sense of community and it is a great place to be for students and staff. (19) • There is a strong sense of community among everyone; people take care of each other here– students, staff and administration.

• When you come into this school there is a climate of happy kids– it is a good place to be.

• There is a strong sense of mutual respect, caring and positive rapport among the students and the teachers– they genuinely appreciate each other.

• Teachers do so much with the students outside of the school– like camping – and the students see the teachers as real people.

• There is a good feeling in the school.

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• There is a culture in the school of recognizing good things and minimizing the negative.

• There is a strong sense in the school that we are all in this together.

• There is a high level of student and teacher engagement in learning activities and the culture of the school is to give it a try.

• Students are asked for their input– e.g. articles in the Spectrum.

• Nice people to work with; cheerful and helpful.

• Staff members are very willing to share resources and are very supportive of their colleagues.

• There is an honest, respectful, hard-working, relaxed culture in the school and it is great to see students working in the hallways and having the freedom to explore as learners.

• Relationships are very strong– there is a strong sense of honour and loyalty.

5. The Calgary Science School is Special and Unique– There is something very special in the Calgary Science School. (17) • For some teachers who have not been in other schools, they may not realize how good it really is here. Every teacher should have some experience in another school so they appreciate how good it is here. (4) • It is a great place to work– people get along well and there are social activities such as the potluck meals which make it a good place to be.

• The first thing that hit me was the sense of community and how everyone cares for each other. I have never seen anything like this in other schools.

• Staff members are keen, energetic, flexible and everyone seems to get along well with each other.

• I like the idea of secondments; it is good to have staff going to other schools; people don’t realize how dynamic this school really is.

• Staff members love working in this school.

• There is never a day when I don’t want to come to this school.

• Appreciate the freedom to learn in different ways–inquiry is great–- students and teachers can think outside of the box.

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• It is very rewarding to be a teacher in this school.

• There is more preparation time than what you would find in other schools.

• It is a stimulating, engaging place from a teacher perspective–- it’s about ideas–- it’s professional growth opportunities.

• Teachers are free to push themselves as far as they want to go in their professional practice.

• As a charter school there isn’t a lot of bureaucracy and we are able to maximize the impact of the resources which we have available.

• It is a great school because we focus on the right things.

• There is always something interesting going on in the school– as they say, it is never an ordinary day – so very true.

• We know this is a great school because this is where we would want our children to be as students.

6. Strong Focus on Collaboration– There is a strong focus on collaboration which is reflected in the organization of teaching teams and discipline partners; teachers are expected to work together and there is strong support for collaborative efforts. (14) • I like the focus on collaboration in the school and how we are encouraged to work with other schools.

• The organization of teachers as grade level teams and subject area partners is a real strength of the school. Teachers are not islands onto themselves; they don’t feel isolated; collaboration is huge.

7. Outdoor Education and Field Trips– The outdoor education programs, field trips and other out of classroom experiences provide unique, enriched learning experiences which are special features of the school.

(14) • There is an appropriate allocation of resources for off-site learning experiences.

• The outdoor education experiences provide great opportunities for building relationships and developing teambuilding skills.

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• The outdoor education programs are dynamic and evolving and they provide a very unique experience for the students.

• Our ability to take learning beyond the classroom in a meaningful, authentic way through the outdoor education experiences is a very significant strength of the school.

• A key aspect of the outdoor education experience is building positive relationships among teachers, students and parents.

8. Professional Development Opportunities– The emphasis on professional development reflected in the school year calendar (16 days) and funding is a tremendous strength of the school. Clearly there is an expectation that teachers will continue to grow professionally. (13) • Teachers are pushed in a positive way to improve practice; it is an expectation to grow as a teacher, but at the same time, the support is there.

• Teachers receive adequate funding for teaching resources and professional development.

• Professional development has always been a key aspect of the school– the climate of mutual curiosity is exceptional here.

• There is a common internal passion to keep moving forward and to always improve teaching practices.

• The professional development oppor tunities are incredible.

• Everyone is willing to learn and to take advantage of professional development opportunities as lifelong learners.

• The PD funding is very good.

9. Parental Support– There is tremendous support from parents for the work of the school. (13) • It is great to have the well-organized parent volunteer program.

• Parents are very good about getting involved in the education of their children in providing support for the school through such things as volunteering for outdoor education programs.

• Parents are collaborative; it is part of the culture of the school.

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10. Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the Use of Technology– The availability of technology to enhance learning and teaching and the manner in which it is used to promote student engagement and effective teaching is a unique asset in the school. (11) • Through technology students learn to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways and they are learning to be creative.

• I appreciate the focus on using technology to enhance learning and teaching and to authentically engage students in the curriculum in a meaningful way rather than having technology for technology’s sake.

• It is natural for students to use their laptop as a learning tool– technology is not an add-on.

Exemplary Teaching– The staff members are very competent and highly dedicated–great staff–exemplary teaching. (11) • It is a very busy, high energy place and staff members are working hard.

• Appreciate the strong focus on inquiry and the use of teaching practices which are current and innovative. (5) • There is a great focus on teaching students how to access and manage information in a meaningful way and how to access and manipulate knowledge.

• There are very good teachers in the school who are hard working and have high expectations for the students and for themselves.

• There is a clear and united vision of what we want teaching and learning to look like and we have a very dedicated staff who understand the goals and embrace them. It has made it possible for us to develop documents such as the exemplary teaching and learning descriptors and to have a strong commitment from the staff.

• Staff members work very hard.

• Appreciate the focus on having the students understand what they’re doing and having them take responsibility for their learning.

• The teachers are strongly committed to the school and the mission of the school.

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• There is a strong focus in the work of the teachers on teaching students how to be good learners and to explore their areas of interest.

• There is a fair bit of pressure here, but it’s not bad– we thrive under pressure and it causes us to be creative and innovative.

• Freedom to learn in a different way– inquiry is great–students and teachers can think outside the box. (2) • Staff is diverse– there is a good balance of young and old– it’s good to have experts from their fields and a variety of rich background experiences.

• It is very good to have teachers teaching in their area of specialization.

11. Professional Collaboration Coordinator– The assistance and support and advocacy on behalf of the school provided by the Professional Collaboration Coordinator is greatly appreciated by teachers. (5) • Neil’s position has moved the school so far and the influence has gone far beyond the school.

12. Planning and Preparation Time– The amount of time allocated in the timetable for planning and preparation promotes good organization, creativity and collaboration. (4) • The provision in the timetable for common planning time is appreciated.

13. Equipment and Teaching Resources– The school is well equipped and teachers are provided with adequate resources. (4) 14. Technology Coordinator– The assistance and support provided by the technology coordinator is appreciated. (3) • Scott provides an educator’s perspective rather than looking at technology from the technician’s perspective. You don’t measure success by the ratio of computers; it’s all about how technology is being used to enhance learning and teaching.

15. Support Staff Members– The support staff members work hard and make a very significant

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contribution to the success of the school. (3) • The office staff members are friendly and helpful and they get along well each other.

• The office staff members are key communicators for the school. Well-Rounded Program– The school provides a well-rounded program with opportunities in the fine arts, physical education and electives as well as the core courses. (3) 16. Excellent School Facility– It is a great school facility and the location next to the Weaselhead is a real asset. (3) • The IAC and staff room renovation were great enhancements to the school facility.

17. Library Resource Centre– The library is a great resource centre– it is an instructional space and a multipurpose learning area. (2) 18. Promote the involvement of teachers and students in blogging about their learning and teaching– We need to get students and staff involved in blogging and realize that it is sharing and learning from others and not bragging. We need to build a network and to be connected. The whole purpose is to be connected. (2) • We need to do more sharing with our colleagues in blogging about what we are doing in our classrooms. We need a forum for sharing.

19. Teacher Input– The teacher voice and viewpoint is valued and respected and teachers are meaningfully involved in the decision-making process. (2) 20. School Year Calendar– Appreciate the provision in the school year calendar for professional development and breaks at appropriate times in the year, which keeps people from feeling, drained. (2) 21. Extra-Curricular Programs– There are so many outstanding extracurricular activities that enhance the students’ learning experiences. (2) 22. Class Size– Appreciate the class size which makes it possible to connect with the students.

23. Teachers Feel Valued– There is a strong sense that our work as teachers is highly valued by everyone– students, parents, administrators and members of the board. (2) 24. Mentorship and Induction of Beginning Teachers– First year teachers have been given tremendous support through the orientation and ongoing mentorship from the

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administration and colleagues.

25. Positive Relationships with the Lakeview Community– The relationship with the Lakeview community is good and that is very important.

The closed campus policy is working well.

26. Sharing Exemplary Teaching Practices– The emphasis on sharing exemplary teaching practices within the school and beyond is a real strength of the school.

27. Learning Strategies– The Learning Strategies initiative has been good, but we have not achieved its full potential.

28. Accountability and Transparency as a Char ter School– Appreciate the level of accountability and transparency we have as a charter school– other schools should be the same.

29. Research Focus– Appreciate the connection to Galileo-the research focus and the inquiry rubric.

Recommendations for Further Consideration-Teachers and Support Staff Feedback

1. Outdoor Education Program Enhancements– The outdoor education experiences are outstanding, but there is still more that could be done in terms of relating the experiences to the curricular objectives and in exploring big questions. (8) • It would be a valuable experience for the students to set up their own tents.

• There should be more emphasis on the leadership development, team building and physical education aspects of the outdoor education programs.

• Outdoor education experiences should not be disjointed. For example Fort Steele must be much more integrated in inquiry with more ties to the curriculum.

• Outdoor education experiences in some ways are under utilized. We need to look at them

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•

•

2.

• • • • • •

as a living laboratory and have more inquiry, more rigour and more curriculum related learning activities.

Teachers commit a significant amount of their personal time to the outdoor education programs and consideration should be given to having a day in lieu for a weekend spent at camp. (2) The outdoor education experiences are very draining for teachers. In coming back from Fort Steele teachers are missing two days of the weekend and should be given two days off– need more time to refuel.

Program Enhancements– (6) Ser vice learning has been a challenge. It is not always easy to find projects and it seems that we haven’t done it justice.

We could do more in having an integrated approach to the curriculum across all subject areas.

The grade 7 electives could be combined into larger groupings and it would work better.

More attention should be given to the health curriculum – it seems to be getting shortchanged.

The possibility of teaching a second language should be explored further.

There are opportunities to enhance math/science programs through the development of common goals and vision, changes in the disposition in teaching math and science and the use of more innovative teaching practices in keeping with the spirit of inquiry.

3. Ensure that Curricular Expectations are Addressed– It is very good to have professional freedom, but it is important as well to have structure and checks and balances to ensure that the curriculum is being appropriately covered. (6) • We embrace inquiry– at the same time we need to recognize that there is a place for textbooks and teaching basic skills as a foundation for inquiry.

• It must be clearly understood by teachers, students and parents that skill development and addressing curricular goals related to student knowledge, skills and attributes is a fundamental component of inquiry.

• Inquiry doesn’t get enough airtime. We should go back to the inquiry rubric and continue to make enhancements.

• You might say the reason we need Learning Strategies is because we are not doing inquiry well enough.

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4. Learning Strategies Program Enhancements– More attention needs to be given to providing more consistency and more structure in the Learning Strategies program. (5) • The introduction of the learning strate gies program has significantly reduced the amount of time available for teaching the core courses. In the past, being able to spend extra time above the required minimum in the core courses was a key to our success. The impact of the Learning Strategies program should be explored fur ther.

• We are experiencing a time crunch more than ever and it seems there is less time to appropriately address all of the curricular expectations. Although there is merit in the learning strategies program, it takes time out of the core. Through the learning strategies you are addressing student individual needs but it is not the same as having time to adequately address the core expectations. Don’t remove Learning Strategies but find more of a balance.

• There is much more pressure this year at the junior high level in covering the curriculum. Learning strategies is taking time away from the core. I would like to see a resource teacher for all students to provide the extra help they need rather than taking time out of the core.

5. Timetable Enhancements. (4) • Consideration should be given to modifying the timetable to provide for one hour at noon. We have lost something with the shortened noon hour. There aren’t as many staff members having lunch in the staff room and there isn’t time to have that special treat of going out once in a while for lunch.

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• The time tabling challenges associated with the fine arts program, and in particular the band program, need to be addressed.

6. Expanding the Program– Consideration should be given to having kindergarten– grade 3 or having another grade 4 to 9 program to see if it is possible to replicate what is happening in the Calgary Science School or expanding the program to senior high school.

7. Provide a Senior High School Program– Consideration should be given to extending the Calgary Science School program to the senior high school level so that it can be proven that the CSS approach will work at that level as well. (4) 8. Professional Development Enhancements– There should be refinements made in the organization of professional development activities with a greater emphasis on “producing” rather than “consuming” professional development. (3) • We should provide opportunities for teacher teams to develop teaching resources and to share them with other teachers.

• We should be sharing through professional development activities and blogging our exemplary practices.

• We need to emphasize inquiry rubric more in our professional development activities and on an ongoing basis.

We should celebrate and showcase what we are doing through inquiry and look at ways for continuing to enhance learning and teaching through inquiry– we need to infuse inquiry in an all that we do.

• Provide opportunities for teachers who have not taught in another school to spend some time visiting other schools in order to develop an appreciation for all that they have in the Calgary Science School. (3) • Teachers need to realize that they have won the lottery of teaching by being here.

• Every teacher here should teach somewhere else so they appreciate how good they have it.

• As an extension of the work involved in developing the descriptors of exemplary teaching and learning in the Calgary Science School, we need to continue professional development activities with the school leadership team involving the development of a framework which

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describes exemplary leadership in the Calgary Science School.

• There would be merit in providing opportunities for teachers to spend time in each other’s classes and to get a feeling for the big picture through an activity similar to the board retreat.

• Further enhancements should be made to the mentorship program for new teachers.

9. Better Addressing the Needs of ESL Students– There is a need to do more than what we are currently doing through Learning Strategies to deal with the increasing number of students with ESL background and learning disabilities. (3) • There are concerns related to ESL learners and the need to bridge the gap between the home and the school; many parents are not English proficient.

• Ideas for restructuring learning strategies should be explored; there is a need for more in-depth, one-on-one work.

• It would be good to have more professional development focusing on working with students with special needs and differentiating instruction.

• There is a need to formalize ESL programs to meet the needs of the growing number of ESL students.

10. Enhance the Personalization of Learning Experiences. (3) • Consideration should be given to developing IPP’s for students because some students are falling through the cracks and there is not as much emphasis on addressing individual needs as there should be.

• There is an image that there is no special education program in the Calgary Science School and thus no way to help students with special needs.

• We need to do more work on creating a mind set as a school community relating

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to the Alberta Education Inclusive Model of education in which students with special needs are accommodated.

• There are several students who need Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy support.

• We need to adapt to the Alberta Education Action on Inclusion and to be prepared to deal with a greater range of student needs.

• There should be safety nets in place for students who are not succeeding.

11. Enhance the Facility with Change Rooms/Shower Rooms– The emphasis on having students participate in intense physical activities and the physical education program in general could be supported with the addition of shower room facilities. (3) 12. Promoting Collaboration– Although collaboration is a huge strength in the school there is still more that can be done to encourage teachers to work together as teams and to take advantage of the many advantages associated with collaborative working relationships. (3) • We need to have more planning time with our grade level partners. It would be good to have one hour each professional development day for cross-curricular planning.

The format for the PD days could be: grade level meetings; curriculum team meetings and team meetings.

• Strategies should be implemented for having more opportunities for teachers to get into other schools and to pick up ideas from other teachers within our school and beyond. As a school community we don’t want to become isolated and insular.

• Although collaboration is a strength of the school, we really need to continue to work on having everyone working together as grade level teams. There is huge potential to do so much more as teams in jointly planning and implementing learning activities.

13. Staff Social Activities and Community Building– A continued emphasis should be placed on promoting staff social activities and community building through the organization of activities in which everyone can participate. It is good to get the staff together for informal interaction and socializing. (3) 14. Promote the Permanence of Charter Schools– It would be great if charter schools were given permanence because there would be more control over enhancements to our school facility and we could have our own outdoor education facility. We should try to get more funding from Alberta

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Education to enable us to do what charter schools should do. (3) 15. Make Excellent Substitute Teachers Available– A concerted effort should be made to enrich the quality of substitute teachers because they have a significant impact on the quality of learning experiences. Some of our substitutes are gems and we want all of them to be good. (2) • This should be a very good school for substitutes. The problem is some are not very good at building positive relationships.

16. Take time to Savour Accomplishments Before Moving on to the Next Innovation. (2) • It is important to avoid having teachers feel pressure to always improve. We need to take time to enjoy the excellent practices which are in place and all that we are accomplishing before moving onto the next innovation.

• We have been dealing with a lot of significant changes this year and we need to learn not to try to do everything and to focus on one or two things and do them well.

17. Recognize the Pressures Associated with the Charter School Mandate– Recognition needs to be given to the fact that there is tremendous pressure associated with being a charter school and maintaining a high standard of excellence. (2) • There are always new initiatives, pressures to be constantly improving and expectations associated with being a charter school which develops exemplary teaching practices.

18. Enhancing Daily Physical Activity Programs through Professional Development– It would be good to have more emphasis and professional development for teachers related to Daily Physical Activity. (2) • DPA has been great– we need more support to keep it going– even though the support

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has been very good. It takes a lot of effort to bring about this significant change.

• The use of Ipads and hear t monitors should be explored fur ther.

19. Strive to Keep Everyone Informed– Communication is good but it could be better– people are not always aware of what is happening. (2) 20. Review Student Assessment Practices– There is a need to review assessment practices. Students feel the marking system of percentages in the junior high grades using rubrics is unfair because a three on a rubric is translated to a percentage of 75%. 75% is not good enough; they are high achievers.

It is important that we are consistent in the approach that we take to student assessment. (2) 21. Focus on Promoting Student Engagement– We need to focus more on the third pillar of our school, which is student engagement.

22. Maintain a Balance in the Use of Technology– The flip side to technology being a tremendous strength in the school is that technology can take away from quality learning if you don’t keep it in balance.

23. Enhance the Role of Curriculum Leader– The role of curriculum leader could be further enhanced through, for example, providing opportunities to do some research and to individually mentor teachers.

24. School Leadership Team Members in the Classroom– We would benefit immensely from having our school leadership team members in the classrooms team teaching and being involved with the teachers in action research and getting teachers to do more blogging.

25. Maintain a Focus on the Charter Pillars– Sometimes it seems like we are too scattered and we don’t have a clear focus. We should say no to some things and get really good at the three charter pillars. We can get better at inquiry and the effective use of technology.

26. Marketing the Calgary Science School– There should be more emphasis on marketing the rich diversity of learning experiences in the school. There are some misconceptions associated with the name of our school. Parents see it as a science school and they don’t always realize that there is such an incredible range of rich learning experiences being offered.

27. Promote Research Initiatives and Research-informed Practices– • I like the research focus in the school but we could be doing much more.

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• We need to focus more on research. There are so many exciting initiatives taking place in our school. We should identify areas to research and to promote exemplary teaching practices.

• It would be good to have incentives for teachers to promote a focus on research and to make practice public to bigger audiences through such things as blogging.

28. Provide more Opportunities to Hear the Student Voice– Strategies for providing more opportunities to hear the student voice should be considered. (3) 29. Student Leadership Programs– We need to do more to promote student leadership and to get away from the focus on boys and girls being separate for leadership development programs.

3 0 . Pro m o t i ng Env i ro nm e nt a l Co ns c i e nt i o us ne s s – There should be more emphasis on promoting environmental conscientiousness among students and staff and staff members need to be good role models.

31. Expand the School Athletics League– Opportunities for students in school athletics could be enhanced by expanding the league beyond a few charter schools. It has been a loss to have the Foundations for the Future schools withdrawing from the league.

32. Assess the Level of Student Fitness– Since physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle are strongly promoted in the school, consideration should be given to having some type of testing and/or research to document the level of fitness of the students.

33. Extend the Use of the Weaselhead and the Cross Conservation area– • Possibilities for using the Weaselhead to extend classroom learning experiences should be explored further in order to access its full potential.

• We should consider how we can fully utilize the potential of the Weasel head and we should explore other outdoor education sites such as the Cross Conservation Centre.

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34. Fundraising– Fundraising for specialized programs such as band instruments should be encouraged.

35. School Administrators Being Available to fill in for Teachers– When administrators say they will be available to fill in for teachers they should not cancel out at the last minute.

36. Have more e -mail free Fridays– The volume of e -mails keeps us from doing what is most impor tant– personal interaction.

37. Fine arts program commendations– There are some incredible things happening in the fine arts program.

38. Enhance the Role of Parent Volunteers– We could do more in giving parents an authentic role as volunteers in the classroom.

39. Articulate a Consistent Approach to Deal with Student Discipline– Teachers should be involved in a discussion of their philosophy and approach in regard to discipline in order to make it possible to develop clear, concise procedures and to increase the degree of consistency among teachers. Is it fair to say that some students in the junior high level believe that there isn’t anything that can be done to them. Is there a need for detentions and suspensions?

40. Finding a Sense of Balance in Personal and Professional Lives– We need to continue to explore strategies for achieving an appropriate balance in our personal and professional lives.

Commendations – Student Feedback

1. The teachers are excellent. (all classes) Special qualities which were identified included: • Engage students through hands-on learning activities.

(14 classes) • Let students use different ways of learning. (12 classes) • Use a variety of learning activities. (9 classes) • Caring and kind. (8 classes) • Engage students through projects that are interesting and engaging. (8 classes) • Our teachers are knowledgeable about what they’re teaching. (8 classes) • We can apply our learning to real life situations. (7 classes) • Strong focus on helping students to learn and succeed.

(6 classes) • Challenge students as learners. (6 classes) • Open and friendly– talk to students. (5 classes) • We feel supported by our teachers. (4 classes)

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• Have a sense of humour. (3 classes) • We are able to get help when we need it.

(3 classes) • Learning is fun. (3 classes) • Focus on individualized learning. (2) • Help students to learn things in a deep way. (2) • Approachable– students are not afraid to talk to their teachers.

• Teachers build time into the class to do projects so it is not all for homework.

• Give students a second chance to complete an assignment and to do it better.

• Innovative learning opportunities– fresh and new.

2. The Outdoor Education Programs and Field Trips– (Through a show of hands 100% of students in all of the classes interviewed indicated an appreciation for the outdoor education programs and field trips).

• Ever yone loves the outdoor education experiences.

• It is great that everyone gets to be involved in outdoor education.

• Like to have the free time to do things like building forts at Camp Sweet.

• There is a great variety of outdoor education experiences.

• We learn a lot from the experiences.

• We build relationships; get to know our teachers and fellow students and we make friends.

• We like to get outside of the classroom to learn.

• We appreciate the opportunities for handson learning, learning beyond the classroom, building relationships and getting to know each other.

3. Positive School Culture/There is a good feeling in the school. (all classes) • Students respect each other and are nice to each other.

• Staff members are very helpful and caring.

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Staff members are very open and friendly to the students.

Learning is fun.

Appreciate the special days in the school.

Relationships are positive.

Everyone is treated equally and with respect.

We have fun together.

It is a safe place to be.

We have an encouraging, accepting, supportive, respectful learning environment.

We look forward to coming to school.

We have more freedom than we would in other schools.

Everyone is approachable.

We like to have guests come to our classes to provide background information and to share their expertise.

It feels like we’re all friends in CSS. Students and staff are like one big family.

4. Access to Technology to Enhance Learning. (All classes by a show of hands) • We a re a bl e to lear n i n d i f ferent ways w i t h t h e u s e of te chnol ogy.

• In doing our short story with technology it was easier to review our work and present it through digital cartoons.

• Students, through the use of technology, are able to access important information, be creative and show what they have learned.

• It is great that every classroom has a Smart Board.

5. The Focus on Learning through Inquiry. (all classes) 6. School Clubs and Extracurricular Activities.(8 classes) • Enjoy participating in the school productions.

• Like opportunities to be involved in various sports teams.

7. Physical Education Programs. (8 classes) • We have excellent physical education and daily physical education programs. (8 classes) • Appreciate the great variety of activities we have to be involved in.

19.

Well-rounded Program of Learning Experiences.

(7 classes) • We are getting a well-rounded education with excellent experiences in the core courses and ar t, drama, dance, music (band) physical education and many excellent elec tives.

9 . E l e c t i ve s a n d t h e O p p o r t u n i t i e s fo r C h o o s i n g Th e m G i ve n t o t h e S t u d e n t s.

(5 classes) 10. The Organization of the School Year Calendar. (5 classes) 11. Opportunities for Hands-on Learning Activities in the Science Lab. (4 classes) 12. Science Fair Project Learning Experiences. (3 classes) 13. The Library Provides an Excellent Resource Centre for Learning. (3 classes) 14. There is something special in the Calgary Science School and it is very true that, “It is never just an ordinary day”. (3 classes) 15. The Peace Festival, special programs and student assemblies. (3 classes) 16. Band/music. (2 classes) 17. Enjoy art and the variety of learning experiences.

18. Dance program. (2 classes) 19. The IAC is an excellent facility for a variety of activities. (2 classes) 20. There are not too many rules in the school and students are given responsibility.

21. Opportunities given to students to be leaders and to learn to work with others.

22. The Robotics Program.

23. The playground is great.

24. Appreciate opportunities to provide feedback from the student perspective.

25. Appreciate the Learning Strategies program.

Recommendations for Further Consideration– Student Feedback

1. Make Changes to the Portfolios for Physical Education and Fine Arts. (10 classes) • Changes related to the electronic portfolios in physical education and the requirement to be doing a blog should be considered because of the technical problems that are being experienced and the inordinate amount of time required.

2. Make Modifications to Learning

8. Service Learning Projects. (6 classes) • It is good to have opportunities to help people in need through fundraisers and special projects.

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S t r a t e g i e s . (4 classes) • There is too much time spent on Learning Strategies and there should be some changes made to what is done during this time.

• Students should be split up more for special programs in Learning Strategies based on what students need.

• M a n y s t u d e n t s d o n’ t f i n d L e a r n i n g S t r a t e g i e s t o be wor thwhile.

3. Do away with week A and B because it’s too confusing and does not achieve a useful purpose. (4 classes) 4. It would be nice to have a cafeteria operated by the students out of the staff room/kitchen. (4 classes) 5. Organize a Student Council or Student Advisory Group.

(4 classes) • The opinions of students should be valued more– have a student organization to provide feedback to the teachers and administration.

6. Provide one class period each week for students to get caught up on their work. (3 classes) 7. Build showers and change rooms next to the gymnasium. (3 classes) 8. Provide a second language in the school program.

(3 classes) 9. Explore the Possibility of Having School Teams for Grades 4, 5 and 6. (3 classes) 10. Organize a school soccer team. (2 classes) 11. Add more equipment to the Outdoor Activity Centre.

(2 classes) • Students miss the wave equipment and it should be replaced with something else.

12. We would like to spend more time in the science lab doing experiments. (2 classes) 13. We would like to have more physical education.

1 4 . We n e e d m o r e d a i l y p hys i c a l a c t i v i t y a n d gym equipment.

15. Add some more activities to the physical education program like squash and swimming.

16. It would be good to have a fun sports day every year.

1 7 . Have more day t rip s to ex ten d l ea r ni ng b eyo nd t he classro om.

18. Consideration should be given to changing the name

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of our school because it is much more than a science school.

19. It would be good to have a family dance.

20. Sometimes it seems we spend too much time with technology and it would be good to just do some handwritten work.

21. We would like to have a fun outdoor field day on the last day of school.

22. Do more projects as an entire school.

23. It would be good to have more plants and animals in our classrooms.

24. Band should not be mandatory so it is possible to take some of the other options.

25. Add a climbing wall to the IAC. 2 6 . We n e e d n e w p r o j e c t o r s fo r t h e S m a r t B o a r d s.

27. We should enhance Clem’s garden.

28. It would be good to have more young adult books in the library.

29. We would like the lunch period to be a few minutes longer.

30. Take some time from the morning recess and add it to an afternoon recess.

31. Daytimers should be added to our computers.

3 2 . We s ho ul d have t wo o r t hre e m i nu te s b e t we e n c l a s s e s to a l l ow t i me to ge t to t he b at hro o m .

3 3 . We s h o u l d u s e l e s s p a p e r a n d m o r e t e c h n o l o g y.

34. The potential for using iPads should be explored further.

35. We should have some activities recognizing and celebrating the different cultures in our school.

36. Consideration should be given to having a school safety patrol and/or pedestrian lights at crosswalks.

37. We would like to have more access to the gymnasium outside of class time and to have staff members assigned to supervise.

38. There is a huge change in workload from grade 8 to grade 9 and the grade 8 students

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should be better prepared for this change.

39. It would be good to have a day where the students teach the teachers.

40. The marking system for rubrics should be based on a 1 to 4 scale rather than 1 to 5, and percentages should begin at grade 7.

41. It would be nice to have a weight t r a i n i n g f a c i l i t y.

42. More fine arts for grade 7, 8 and 9.

43. It would be good to have exposure to other forms of technology beyond Apple.

44. Provide more life skills training in areas such as banking and the stock market.

45. Students should help the caretaking staff with cleaning up classrooms.

46. We would give up the recess break for a onehour noon hour.

Commendations– Parents

1. The Teaching is Excellent. (34) • The students are truly engaged in their learning. (6) • The teachers do a great job of giving students the freedom to learn. (4) • Appreciate the specialized focus of the teachers and their strong skill set. (3) • The rapport of the teachers with students is excellent.

• Teaching is phenomenal.

• Like the attitude of the teachers; they enjoy being here.

• Appreciate how teachers engage students through projects, challenges and problem-solving activities.

• The teachers go the extra mile.

• Clearly the teachers have a real passion for teaching in this school.

• Teachers push students to be the best they can be.

• The learning experiences go beyond book learning and the students are able to learn in different ways.

• Great teachers– best ever.

• Te a c h e r s k n o w t h e s t u d e n t s v e r y w e l l – special relationships.

• The students are able to choose their projects and how they will learn.

• Students go more in-depth in their learning and they are very enthused.

• Teachers are so enthusiastic their attitude rubs off on the students.

• Teachers are innovative and are not afraid to try new things.

• The teachers are developing thinkers not test-takers.

2. Well-rounded Program that Focuses on All Aspects of Student Learning and Development. (30) • Love the school. (4) • It is a good school for boys. (3) • Appreciate the interactive nature of the school. (2) • Science School does not reflect well the holistic nature of the program.

• There is a great variety of learning experiences.

• The program is well balanced; the students get the full spectrum.

• Students are given independence to work and learn and they’re not spoon-fed.

• The focus on hands-on learning is excellent.

• Learning is fun for the students.

• Learning is tailored to the students needs.

• School is not work; it is fun and engaging.

• The students embrace learning.

• Students are challenged to do their best.

• Appreciate all of the opportunities our children have for learning.

• You don’t have to be a gifted student to do well.

• A strong work ethic is promoted.

• Students are taught to be responsible.

• Student creativity is promoted.

• Students develop independent skills.

• Learning in this school is more engaging than in other schools.

• It is more than a science school.

3. The outdoor education program is outstanding. (24) • Outdoor Education is the trademark of the school.

• Students learn a lot about the environment.

• The outdoor education experiences are great for building relationships.

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• The students develop leadership and team building skills.

4. There is a very positive culture in the school. (21) • There is a real sense of community and belonging in the school. (5) • Very friendly, welcoming environment. (2) • Our children are very happy here.

• Like the focus on relationship building.

• The staff me mbers treat the s tud ent s l i ke t h e y a re re a l pe opl e.

• Students feel part of the larger learning community.

• The school has limited rules; respect is the key.

• Students respect each other and work well together.

• It is the staff that makes the school great by building positive relationships.

• Staff members listen and care.

• The students are provided opportunities to provide leadership outside in the real world and they are shown how they can make a difference in our world.

• Students are supported with their learning and dealing with social emotional issues.

• The students treat each other with respect and that comes from the teachers treating the students with respect.

• There is a very positive parent-teacher interaction and a sense of working together.

• Respect and positive relationship building is learned in the school and it is very strong.

• There is a real passion for the school reflected in parents, staff and school administration.

5. The Emphasis on Learning Through Inquiry. (14) 6. The use of technology in the school enriches learning experiences. (11) • Technology enhances the students’ communication with their teachers.

• The technology in the school is great and it is used properly; not just for playing games.

• The technology skills of the students are so much more advanced than their friends from other schools.

7. Class Sizes and the Size of the School– Like the cap on

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class sizes and the overall size of the school.

(6) 8. Communication is Very Good and Parents are Kept Well-informed (5) • Like the transparency and open communication.

• Communication is outstanding– appreciate the weekly update from teachers.

• Like how everything is online– parents are kept well-informed.

9. Appreciate the focus on meeting the needs of the students. (3) 10. The physical education and daily physical activity programs are excellent. (3) 11. There is an excellent music program. (3) 12. There is an excellent drama and dance program. (2) 13. The School Council is very active and serves an important role in supporting the school. (2) 14. Impressed with the professionalism of the school; it is not haphazard.

15. Appreciate the dedication of the staff overall.

16. The enrichment activities are very good.

17. The various clubs and extracurricular activities enhance the learning experiences of the students.

18. Like the modified school year.

19. Appreciate that the school is a closed campus.

Recommendations for Further Consideration– Parents

1. Revise the Structure of Parent-teacher Interviews. (6) • Consideration should be given to having one parent-teacher interview each year where the parents have an opportunity to talk privately with the teacher.

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• Never have been a real fan of student-led conferences– feels forced– false environment.

2. Consideration should be given to starting a senior high school program. (6) 3. A greater emphasis should be placed on capitalizing more on parents’ capacities as experts and volunteers. (3) 4. Would like to see a second language being taught. (4) 5. Consideration should be given to having “soft” uniforms.

6. Would appreciate having more information about what the students have learned as it relates to the curriculum.

7. Would like to see more emphasis on math and science.

8. There are concerns related to safety with parents-double parking at the end of the day.

9. The possibility of having teacher-student interviews should be explored.

10. Provision should be made for having the students talk to others about how great the schools; they are excellent ambassadors for the school.

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11. There could be more emphasis on hearing the student voice.

12. There should be less homework in grade 4.

13. Develop more strategies for introducing new students into the school and helping to make them feel comfortable.

14. Have more strategies for dealing with the transition the grade 4 students are making to a new school and new way of learning.

15. There should be more time for students to eat their lunch.

16. Would like to see more girls in the school.

17. Since students come from all parts of the city it would be good to have some kind of a social event for parents to bring everyone together.

18. Consideration should be given to working with other schools to help the students leaving grade 9 make the transition to a different approach to learning; it is a big adjustment for the students.

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