DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES FOR 2005/06 The following four developmental themes have been identified for the 2005/06 school year as a complement to the ongoing work of Directions committees.  They are supported by the work of those committees as well as many of the activities recorded in this report.  The Board’s Developmental Objectives will be reviewed at its annual retreat, which is scheduled for February 28th (with stakeholders) and March 1st (Board and staff). District Accountability Contract (Bruce Beairsto) The District Accountability Contract was published at the end of October to support themes identified by schools in the School Performance Plans that the Board approved in July.  The goal areas identified in the contract, which are expected to remain constant for the foreseeable future, were literacy and social responsibility.  These goal areas are increasingly the focus of district professional development programs and Learning Services support to schools. The District Accountability Contract and School Performance Plans represent one concrete way in which the performance assessment, continuous improvement, and learning community aspects of the Directions framework are enacted. Excellence for All (Kathy Champion) More than a decade ago, Inclusion began as a special education initiative which advocated that students with identified learning and behavioural challenges attend their neighbourhood school and receive the supports they needed to be successful.  However, Inclusion has now evolved into a more expansive belief in the right of all students to fully participate in the life of their classroom/school, and the responsibility of the district and its staff to enable them to do so.  Thus, “Inclusion” includes special education services and English as a second language services as integral and complementary to the curriculum which is responsive to the diversity of learners in our schools.  There has been, and continues to be, a district focus on developing and enhancing classroom assessment and instructional practices that support and motivate all students.  This work employs the values, concepts, and practices by Mel Levine such as Management by Profile, Robert Marzano, Multiple Intelligences, Critical Thinking, Universal Design for Learning, etc., to complement the district’s own considerable contributions to the theory and practice of inclusive education. Graduation Program (Greg Ponsart) The new Graduation Program that has been introduced by the Ministry of Education requires considerable time and attention from school and district staff to implement its requirements.  One focus of this implementation is on the Graduation Portfolio, ongoing monitoring of Planning 10, and the issues surrounding provincial examinations at the Grades 10 and 11 levels. Additionally, the district is working to enhance trades training and other nonacademic options for students.  This work includes the development of partnerships with local businesses and both public and private post-secondary institutions.  Carpentry (Cambie) and Automotives (McNair) were introduced as pre-apprenticeship trades training programs this year.  Next year it is planned to introduce Cosmetology and Plumbing. Supervision (Bruce Beairsto) Supervision has often been seen as a patriarchal process of evaluation and control.  The district seeks to reframe supervision as a collaborative process to encourage and support reflective practice and teamwork.  This began in 2004 with a new supervision process for the Superintendent and was then extended to Area Superintendents, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Director of Instruction (Learning Services).  It is currently being extended to other senior and excluded staff (both in the Board Office and at the Works Yard). Senior staff have been working with RASA for the past year to develop a statement of expectations that will assist in the recruitment and selection of administrators as well as in the supervision process.  That set of expectations is currently being developed into a rubric format similar to the Performance Standards that are used by teachers for student assessment.  In September, we will begin a multiyear cycle employing a fully developed supervision process with school principals. We are also discussing with the Richmond Association of School Administrators how this process can be adapted to the supervision of vice principals by principals.  That process will begin in pilot form next year. It is hoped that aspects of this process may be extended to teaching and support staff in the future.  In the  meantime, the supervisory processes defined in Collective Agreements continue to be used with all new staff and in any case where there is cause for concern about performance. Other Although they have not been identified as district developmental objectives, Fine Arts (Jim Martens), Health (Bruce Beairsto and Rob Inrig), and Leadership Development (Greg Ponsart and Diane Brow) are additional areas of concern to the Board to which senior staff have been assigned in order to ensure that the strong focus on academic issues that is reinforced by the District Accountability Contract does not result in neglect of these essential aspects of a well-rounded educational program in the district. <<Prev -- Table of Contents -- Next>>