December 23, 2009

Sun West's Literacy Goal

This column concludes a series of four columns on student achievement and measures Sun West is undertaking to improve student achievement.   As indicated in previous columns, national assessments by the Council of Ministers of Education indicate that Saskatchewan students are not acquiring knowledge and skills in the categories of reading, science and mathematics as successfully as students in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.  These provinces emphasize life-long learning and independent learning skills, in their curricula and assessment practices, more successfully than Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education and school divisions are in the process of implementing measures and practices similar to those in other provinces to improve student achievement.  This column will discuss Sun West’s literacy goal and how this goal will improve student achievement.

While literacy is generally understood as the ability to read and write, in educational jargon, the term literacy is generally applied to the core knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to understand and function in each field of knowledge.  Sun West is focusing on the three literacies of reading, writing and mathematics, as each is a required field of knowledge crucial for general functioning within society.  Literacies such as reading, writing and mathematics are required across a broad range of fields of knowledge and are crucial for general functioning within society. Due to the importance of these three areas, curricula and assessment practices that promote life-long learning integrate teaching reading, writing and mathematics skills across the whole range of school subject areas, rather than limiting them to specific classes. 

It was for this reason that shortly after its creation in 2006, the Sun West School Division set a division-wide goal related to reading. Starting in January 2006, the school improvement plan for Sun West schools included the following literacy goal: every Sun West student will read at grade level or beyond, or at the level determined by their personal improvement plan, or student support plan by June 2009. To achieve the goal, Sun West teachers developed reading strategy handbooks and other resources, so, reading could be used as part of instruction in all subject areas. Assessments done in June 2009 indicated that  70.8 per cent of Sun West students either met or exceeded the reading goal. 

Having experienced success with the reading goal, Sun West expanded its literacy goal for 2009-12 to include writing or mathematics.   Sun West’s new literacy goal is: by June 2012, all Sun West students will increase achievement by at least one level in one of the following literacies: reading, writing or mathematics. Each Sun West school will select one of the three literacies and focus their school learning improvement plan over the next three years on it.   

Helping students develop literacy skills that they can use across all disciplines, as well as throughout their lives, is an important aspect of providing students with life-long learning skills. It is these skills that will improve achievement overall and as result we can expect Sun West and Saskatchewan students to be more successful in upcoming assessments by the Council of Ministers of Education.

This column concludes the series on student achievement.  This is also the last column in 2009.  In the first column of 2010, I will be writing about the importance of providing students smooth transitions to post-secondary institutions and the workforce.  If you have any questions about student achievement, literacy goals or education in general in Sun West, please contact me at info@sunwestsd.ca or go to our website at www.sunwestsd.ca for more information.