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First Nations and Métis Education Plan

2012-2015

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First Nations and Métis Education Plan

Introduction

The First Nations and Métis Education Plan guides school divisions in an annual planning, monitoring, and reporting cycle that is aligned with the school division’s Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) to improve achievement outcomes for all Saskatchewan students. All school divisionswill develop a three-year First Nationsand Métis Education Plan(FNMEP) as a component of the Continuous Improvement andAccountability Framework (CIAF).

South East Cornerstone Public School Division (SECPSD) is committed to First Nations and Métis Education with the goal of building, supporting and assessing equitable opportunities and achievement for students of First Nations and Métis ancestry. There continues to gaps in First Nations and Métis student achievement levels when compared to other students. The First Nations and Métis Education Plan (FNMEAP) reflects SECPSD’s commitment to implementing promising practices in order for all students to demonstrate academic achievement and well-being.

First Nations and Métis education is a priority with the SECPSD Board of Education.

Purpose

The purpose of this plan is to:

•Improve student achievement for First Nations and Métis students;

•Close the achievement gap between First Nations and Métis students and other students

•Increase First Nations and Métis parent, family and community engagement

•Enhance partnerships with First Nations and Métis homes and communities

•Improve First Nations and Métis graduation rates

•Improve First Nations and Métis transitions

•Shape SECPSD to be more culturally relevant, sensitive, welcoming and affirming

These policy goals are written as areas of priority.

Reporting

A comprehensive report on achievement outcomes for First Nations and Métis students as well as the documentation of projects funded through the First Nations and Métis Education Achievement Fund (FNMEAF) are included in this report.

A completed FNMEP will be posted in a prominent location on the school division website along with other accountability documents.

First Nations and Métis Education Plan (FNMEP)

School Division:South East Cornerstone Public School Division Date:Dec. 2012Year of FNMEP Cycle:1

Contact:VeldaWeatherald – Superintendent Contact Information: (306)577-3383

Section 1: Context

  • Outlines the facts and circumstances of the school division as they pertain to the current state of education for First Nations and Métis students.
  • This section includes community factors and core indicators data such as:
  • First Nations and Métis demographics;
  • Information of the school division’s current programming for First Nations and Métis education;
  • Characteristics of the local community; and,
  • Information on formal and informal partnerships with First Nations and Métis organizations and authorities.
Currently South East Cornerstone Public School Division (SECPSD) has 8250 students and of those students 320 are self-declared as First Nations or Métis. Of the self-declared FNM students, 16 students are enrolled in prekindergarten, 30 students are enrolled in grade 10; 15 students are enrolled in grade 11; and 16 students are enrolled in grade 12, leaving 243 students enrolled in kindergarten to 9. This data indicates that approximately 4% of SECPSD’s student population is comprised of self-declared First Nations and/or Métis students.
Our school division currently employs an elder to assist in the delivery of cultural and treaty education in Arcola School. In addition the division provides funding for elders to provide ad hoc services to Carlyle Elementary School and Gordon F. Kells High School. All schools are expected to include First Nations and Métis outcomes across curricula. Beginning in the fall of 2012, SECPSD began supplying the services of an Early Learning and Care Consultant to our three First Nations communities. Prior to this time these services were available only to students who lived off reserve. Currently our school division provides early learning and care services to 51 children, ages 0 to 5, across the division. Of those children 12 are FNM, which is approximately 24% of the school division’s early learning and care caseload.
There are three First Nations communities within the borders of SECPSD: Ocean Man, Pheasant Rump and White Bear. There is a K to 9 school in the community of Ocean Man; however, some elementary student choose to attend school in Stoughton. All students from Ocean Man First Nation attend Stoughton Central School for grades 10, 11 and 12. All students from Pheasant Rump First Nation attend Arcola School in the town of Arcola. White Bear First Nations has a kindergarten to grade 12 school; however, a significant number of the students from White Bear choose to attend Carlyle Elementary School and Gordon F. Kells High School in the town of Carlyle.
South East Cornerstone Public School Division is currently working with the Treaty 4 Student Success Program as part of an informal partnership. The goal of the partnership is to work together to help improve learning outcomes for FNM students enrolled in SECPSD schools, to improve First Nations curricular outcomes for all students, and to develop strategies to improve engagement of First Nations and Métis students, parents and communities. As well, SECPSD has an informal partnership with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner. Our curriculum coordinator and elder have worked with OTC to update the grade 4 treaty education and matrix development.

Section 2: The FNMEP

  • Goals identified based on Inspiring Success: Building Towards Student Achievement (2009).

Four Goals as identified in Inspiring Success: Building Towards Student Achievement
Goal 1: Equitable outcomes for First Nations and Métis learners.
School Division Goal (s) / Performance Indicators & Baseline Data
Improved educational achievement for First Nations and Métis learners:
  1. Early Learning
  2. By June 2017, school readiness for First Nations and Métis students will be equivalent to those of non-aboriginal students in the school division.
  3. By June 2017, staff will support students PreK to grade 3 during transition by utilizing the procedures and processes as developed in the SECPSD Transition Plan
  4. By June 2017, 95% of grade 3 students will meet grade level expectations for reading fluency (SECPSD median scores for AIMSweb R-CBM used as the indicator measures).
  1. Math Achievement
  • FNM students in SECPSD will achieve at levels equivalent to school division norms in numeracy as reported by AIMSWeb Early Numeracy results, SECPSD Goals of Mathematics assessments (Grades 4, 7, 10), Outcomes Based Reporting (System Report Cards), and final marks by June 2017.
  1. FNM students in SECPSD will show increased graduation rates as reported by high school persistence rates in the Core Indicators Report, equivalent to the general population in SECPSD.
  2. By June 2017, SECPSD will have a plan for collecting and analyzing FN and M student achievement data including school readiness, achievement and graduation rates.
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  1. Early Learning
  2. The indicators of success over a four year period will be:
  3. Documenting the number of First Nations children on caseload increasing over four years
  4. Documenting the number of visits to homes on three First nations increasing
  5. Connections with supporting agencies and families increasing
  6. Visits and connections with Head Start programs occurring
  7. Readiness levels of FN students improved over next five years as per the EDI (Early Development Instrument), EYE (Early Years Evaluation), and Early Numeracy and Early Literacy of the AIMsWeb at the Kindergarten level.
  8. [ADD Pre-K – documenting visits]
  9. Adherence to SECPSD Transition Plan – processes and procedures
  10. Reading fluency levels of FNM grade 3 as measured according to SECPSD median scores for AIMSweb R-CBM and/or FountasPinnell assessments
  11. Math adequacy levels of FNM students will be equal or higher that their school division non-aboriginal peers based on assessments at the school division level (benchmarking assessments, AIMSweb, school based assessments) and provincial assessments (AFL or similar universal assessments).
  1. Graduation/Persistence Rates.
  1. Disaggregation of assessment data by sub-population

Strategies
  1. Early Learning
  2. By October 2012, SECPSD will implement direct in-home services and transitional support to First Nations and Métis vulnerable children (ages 0-5) and their families on Ocean Man, Pheasant Rump and White Bear First Nations. Prior to August 2012, supports for vulnerable children from birth to age 5 were provided only when each first nation contracted private services. By June 2013, an early learning and care consultant from SECPSD will provide direct in-home services to children (ages 0-5) who are referred and deemed vulnerable, and who agree to accept services, to provide developmental and school readiness support. The early learning and care consultant will also provide transitional support to identified vulnerable children and teaching staff through connection with Head Start programs, prekindergarten and kindergarten programs.
  3. Include Head Start and Early Learning staff from the First Nations programs and/or schools in Early Learning and Care in-services
  4. Identify children who require supports and provide interventions to move towards meeting developmental milestones
  5. Present at IMPACT sessions - Early Learning consultants participate and share information in IMPACT Early Learning Fair
  6. Collect referrals at IMPACT
  7. Review referrals provided by other outside agencies and families.
  8. Early Learning and Care – direct support to identified children
  9. Provide families with information to support their children
  10. Supporting pre-K teachers and the learning environment with Early Learning Consultants – modeling and collaborations
  11. Establishment of a working Early Learning Committee
  12. Development and implementation of a transitions handbook (procedures, timeline & checklist)
  13. Support the holistic development of prekindergarten to grade 3 students by creating an early learning program in SECPSD in which the principles of early learning are foundational
  14. Universal screening in place for PreK to grade 4 students
  15. Occupational therapists employed by SECPSD
  16. Speech and Language Pathologists supporting PreK-3 classrooms
  17. Use of research-based effective instructional strategies for reading fluency (accuracy, rate, and prosody) for classroom instruction (Tier 1).
  18. Ensure classroom teachers, administrators, and superintendents have access to and are aware of research-based effective instructional strategies. Distribution methods may include curriculum newsletter, web-site, consultants, and professional development. (break this into smaller actions)
  19. Provide superintendents and principals a model of what to look for in the classroom. (Examples include checklists, videos, conversation guides)
  20. Opportunities are provided to coordinators and consultants to stay up-to-date with current research.
  21. Provide classroom teachers with suggestions of research-based effective practices for fluency (accuracy, rate, and prosody) for students who have been identified as requiring Tier 2 intervention.
  22. Coordinators will research intervention practices in order to better guide classroom teachers.
  23. Develop a plan that helps teachers attach an appropriate intervention to student learning needs/gaps.
  24. Supporting Tier 2 students through leveled literacy intervention (Fountas and Pinnell)
  1. Math Achievement
  2. Administer math assessments
  3. Analyze and act upon results
  4. Develop a large-scale division-wide assessment plan
  5. Create large-scale math assessments
  6. Mathematics Curriculum Implementation with fidelity
  7. Employ curriculum consultants to support teachers
  8. Purchase common major resources for schools
  9. Review mathematics time allotment in schools
  10. Establish mathematics-based professional learning communities
  11. Establish mathematics-based book circles
  12. Offer mathematics division-wide workshops for professional development
  13. School action research projects
  14. Response to Intervention (RTI) implemented in all schools
  15. Learning support teachers employed to support students in all schools
  16. Universal screening tool in place
  17. Using outcomes reporting as identification of students requiring intervention
  18. First Steps in Mathematics (Grades K-8)
  19. AIMSWeb Early Numeracy
  20. Numeracy Nets
  21. Key Math
  1. Graduation Rates
  2. Opportunity for special projects in high school related to First Nation culture or other interests
  3. Increased variety in options for obtaining high school credits other than the traditional approaches, including online education options
  4. Career development
  5. Transition Program; seats will be reserved for FNME students
  6. Identify gaps in learning in the middle years and provide interventions through both RTI and classroom instruction
  7. Explore the possibility of establishment of in-school daycares
  8. Tell Them from Me data to determine student needs re: engagement
  9. Explore mentorship program with successful First Nations graduates
  10. Credit recovery process
  11. Dedicate an additional 0.5 FTE as a RTI coach to the four schools with a high FN student population to support closing learning gaps.
  12. Hiring of FNM transition worker for Middle Years and High School FN students
  13. To assist FN middle years students in the transition to high school credits
  14. To work on helping students choose credits
  15. To assist and monitor FN student success
  16. To provide support to FN students in their career choices
  17. To help students transition from high school to either post-secondary education or work
  18. Hiring of school community coordinators in our schools with high FN populations
  19. Assist with engaging FN communities in the effort to improve FN student attendance

Goal 2: All learners to have knowledge and appreciation of the unique contributions of First Nations and Métis peoples to Saskatchewan.
School Division Goal (s) / Performance Indicators & Baseline Data
All students will demonstrate improved knowledge and understanding of First Nations and Métis histories, cultures, world views and ways of knowing. / Indicator: Improvement of division results in the Treaty Essential Learnings’ Survey data.
Strategies
  • Involve FN and M education partners in professional development opportunities, events and consultations.
  • Development of a list elders and knowledge keepers from the three First Nations within our school division in order to ensure ways of knowing are addressed by individuals from appropriate First Nations.
  • Development of three FNM local advisory councils from Ocean Man, Pheasant Rump, and White Bear First Nations to advise the schools in the communities of Stoughton, Arcola and Carlyle around topics such as, FNand M local histories, cultures, world views and ways of knowing.
  • Work with FN and M partners to develop a local protocol to be used by all schools in SECPSD around inviting elders and other FN and M speakers to classrooms and schools.
  • Provide classroom teachers with professional learning opportunities for teaching treaties in the classroom.
  • Identify specific outcomes within the curriculum to monitor the actualization of First Nations Métis content in classroom instruction by reviewing report card submissions
  • Ensure that teachers intentionally plan for instruction in First Nations Métis outcomes through year plans
  • Social Studies PLC – Grade 4 outcomes on FNM governance
  • Use of school audits to determine needs and develop cultural responsiveness training
  • Through our school division intranet, develop mechanisms for sharing strategies and resources
  • Increasing awareness of appropriate FNM resources through the curriculum consultants
  • First Nations elder available to all schools to assist in the areas of treaty education, FN culture and language,
and historical perspective from FN point of view
Goal 3: Data collection and reporting on measures outlined in the Ministry’s First Nations and Métis Education Policy Framework that demonstrate accountability towards improved educational outcomes.
School Division Goal (s) / Performance Indicators & Baseline Data
By June 2017, SECPSD will have a plan for collecting and analyzing FN and M student achievement data including school readiness, achievement and graduation rates. /
  • Student assessment data disaggregated into sub-populations groups (including AIMSWeb, report card marks, division assessments, provincial assessments, etc.)
  • EYE data disaggregated into sub-population groups
  • Data regarding graduation rates, retention and progress of all FNM students collected and analyzed.

Strategies
  • Students will self-declare FNM status on school registration forms. This would also be related to goal #1 as it would allow disaggregation of data on all assessments.

Goal 4: Shared management of the provincial education system by partnering with First Nations and Métis peoples at the provincial and local level.
School Division Goal (s) / Performance Indicators & Baseline Data
SECSD Board of Education and First Nations Communities working together for the improvement of FNM student outcomes /
  • SECPSD and First Nations representatives meeting yearly to plan and work together.
  • Local advisory councils to be established on the three FN communities, including student representatives
  • FN representation on School Community Councils

Strategies
  • Development of First Nations and MétisLocal Advisory Councils which will include elders, parents and students from each school’s respective FN community
  • School-community coordinators will be tasked with engaging parents and FN communities
  • School-community coordinators will help facilitate FN Local Advisory Councils
  • Board engagement and committee work
  • Work with T4SSP to facilitate meetings between the SECPSD board and FNM stakeholders
  • Development of communication plan between SECPSD schools and First Nations schools (Ocean Man & White Bear) on shared priorities.

Section 3: Resource Allocation

The identification of resources (human, financial, program, professional development) used to support the goals of the plan, including the resource allocation of the First Nations and Métis Education Achievement Fund.

  • Ensure priorities for budget development include FNME
  • First Nations and Métis Education Achievement Fund will be used to support the hiring of an early learning and care consultant who will lead in the area of Early Learning and Care home supports and transitional support.
  • Curriculum, Early Learning and Student Services consultants will support the areas of improving the achievement of FNM students
  • RTI coaches

Section 4: Communication Plan

A summary of how a division will communicate the results of its FNMEP to the community within its CIAF; it includes board office contact information andthe website location for the FNMEP.

  • Communications officer to post information on the school division website (
  • Inclusion in the SECPSD strategic plan (Skovision)
  • Sharing of the plan with school administrators, who will then disseminate information to their school staffs
  • Inclusion within the CIAF report

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