Review of the SAGE Quest Program
Community Report
Superintendent Responsible for Programs of Choice
Scott Sincerbox
Review Completed by:
Trisha Woehrle and Necole Sommersell,
Evidence-Based Education and Services Team (E-BEST)
November, 2008
Introduction
In addition to the high-quality programming offered at neighbourhood schools, a number of alternative programs focussing on sports, academics, science, arts, and languages are offered within the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB). These programs, referred to as Programs of Choice, are designed to meet the educational needs and interests of students in the Hamilton community. Programs of Choice are typically developed in response to parent and community requests and the individual needs of students. The HWDSB acknowledges that children are motivated by different things and can learn effectively in diverse ways. Programs of Choice focus on accommodating these differences (Barrett, 2006).
Current HWDSB Programs of Choice include: the SAGE (Scholastics, Arts, and Global Education) program at Strathcona Elementary School, the SAGE Quest program at Ryerson School, the Sports Academy at R. A. Riddell Elementary School and Westmount Secondary School, the Hockey Canada Skills Academy at Sherwood Secondary School, and the Mandarin Language Program at Prince Philip Elementary School. Since Programs of Choice operate within the public school system, they are subject to the same regulations and polices that govern all public schools. In addition, HWDSB wants to ensure that new Programs of Choice are effectively implemented and that existing Programs of Choice are operating as intended and meeting their stated goals. Therefore, periodic reviews of Programs of Choice are necessary to ensure the success and sustainability of these unique programs.
The SAGE Quest Program
The SAGE program was HWDSB’s first Program of Choice. Beginning in September 2002, SAGE intended to provide families with an educational choice that was built around family participation and community building. SAGE strives to use innovative teaching methods to deliver the Ontario Curriculum with a focus on the arts, global education, and recreation.
In 2004, the SAGE Quest program was created to extend and adapt the spirit of the SAGE program into an innovative middle school program. SAGE Quest is open to all grade 6, 7, and 8 students within the HWDSB. The program began with two teachers and expanded to include a third teacher during the 2007/08 school year. The purpose of this program is to develop independent learners and critical thinkers through a strong arts and science base. SAGE Quest has five stated goals. The goals are:
1) To ensure teachers, students, and parents form an active, supportive and collaborative learning community.
2) To use innovative teaching methods to build on and enhance skills necessary for high school.
3) To explicitly teach time management/ organization to develop individual accountability, self-confidence, independence, and success.
4) To foster an appreciation of the arts and recreation.
5) To develop an awareness of the moral and ethical issues that exist in the world today.
HWDSB requested that a review of the SAGE program be completed during its first year of operation (2002/03 school year) to gather information about the success of the program, areas of strength, areas in need of improvement, and community satisfaction. A second review was completed during the 2006/07 school year to ensure that the program was meeting its stated goals and to assist with developing a future vision for the SAGE program. One recommendation resulting from this assessment was for a review of the SAGE Quest program to be completed. This recommendation along with the need to review all HWDSB Programs of Choice encouraged a review of the SAGE Quest program during the 2007/08 school year.
Evaluation Plan
E-BEST (HWDSB’s research department) developed the evaluation plan and completed the review of the SAGE Quest program. The beginning / draft plan was shared with members of the SAGE Quest Steering Committee for comment and suggestions. Modifications to the draft evaluation plan were made based on the feedback received during the Steering Committee meetings or through e-mail consultations.
A mixed-methods design, including the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data, was followed during this review. Data was collected from all program stakeholders through surveys, interviews, or focus groups. Student enrolment data as well as academic assessment scores were obtained from Ryerson school records or through HWDSB’s student information system.
The information gathered during the review included:
1) details and a description of this unique program.
2) examples of student success (e.g., samples of student work, levels of student achievement (accountability)) that can be shared with the community.
3) evidence that the SAGE Quest program was meeting the stated goals.
4) information about the program that can assist the SAGE (JK-5) program in setting a future plan for their program and setting.
A description of the method used with each stakeholder group is listed below.
Focus Groups. Current SAGE Quest students, graduates of the SAGE Quest program and current SAGE Quest teachers participated in separate focus groups. Each SAGE Quest class in the 2007/08 school year participated in a focus group session. The evaluators visited the grade eight class twice due to concerns that all students did not express all of their views during the first focus group session. Graduates of the SAGE Quest program who were attending Highland Secondary School (n=3), Saltfleet Secondary School (n=2), Westdale Secondary School (n=5), or Westmount Secondary School (n=8) participated in focus groups hosted during their lunch break at their school. The current SAGE Quest teachers (n=3) not only provided information during their scheduled focus group session but were available for follow-up questions throughout the review process.
Interviews. The current and past principals and vice principals of Ryerson School and the Trustee responsible for schools in Ward 1 (which includes Ryerson Elementary School) participated in structured interviews. The current vice principal and principal of Ryerson School were also available throughout the review to liaison between the evaluation team and all stakeholder groups, provide supplementary information about the program, answer additional questions as they arose, and provided support to the evaluation team.
Surveys. Parents of current SAGE Quest students, parents of students who graduated from the SAGE Quest program, and parents of grade five students in the SAGE program were invited to complete an on-line survey. Survey links were shared with all parents to allow all parents the opportunity to share their experiences and comments. Responses were obtained from 50 current SAGE QUEST parents (27 (54%) grade six parents, 15 (30%) grade seven parents, and 14 (28%) grade eight parents, 32 (67%) of parents indicated that their child had attended SAGE), 5 parents of SAGE Quest graduates (three of the children had attended grades 4 and 5 in the SAGE program and all had attended grades 6 to 8 in SAGE Quest), and 8 SAGE parents of students in grade five.
Observations
The evaluators completed informal observations of the SAGE Quest school environment, a classroom meeting, and the culminating projects (presentation boards) that were on display for a parent’s night.
Enrolment Numbers. Yearly enrolment numbers, as well as the number of students on the waiting list were collected from the school principal.
Academic Assessments. Academic assessment data was acquired through HWDSB’s student information system. The data included the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) for grades six to eight and overall EQAO levels for reading, writing, and math for grade six students. The academic achievement of the SAGE Quest graduates in secondary school was assessed through the examination of grade nine EQAO, success rate on the Ontario Literacy Test (grade 10) and credit accumulation.
Evaluation Findings
Student Enrolment
As noted above, the SAGE Quest program is located in Ryerson Elementary School which is situated in lower Hamilton. Students from within and outside the Ryerson school catchement area participate in the program. Table 1 provides the student enrolment numbers from the beginning of the program (2004/05 school year) to the 2008/09 school year. The total number of students in the program may have fluctuated (slightly) over the school year. The totals that are presented in the table for the 2004/05 to the 2007/08 school years were based on the June enrolment numbers for each school year. The 2008/09 enrolment numbers were based on the September enrolment report.
Table 1: Student Enrolment in the SAGE Quest Program
2004/05 School Year*
Grade 6 / 24 / 35
Grade 7 / 11
2005/06 School Year*
Grade 6/7 / 22 / 47
Grade 7/8 / 25
2006/07 School Year*
Grade 6/7 / 29 / 48
Grade 8 / 19
2007/08 School Year*
Grade 6 / 27 / 73
Grade 7 / 28
Grade 8 / 18
2008/09 School Year
Grade 6 / 24 / 75
Grade 7 / 24
Grade 8 / 27
Note: * numbers were as of June in the school year.
During the 2004/05, 2005/06, and 2006/07 school years, two teachers were responsible for the grade 6, 7, and 8 students. In order to accommodate three grades, split classes existed for two school years. Due to the increased interest in the program, student enrolment increased at SAGE Quest during the 2007/08 school year which resulted in a third teacher being hired to support the program. In addition to the classroom teachers that were assigned to each class, students also accessed teachers from the Main program for their art and music classes.
The SAGE parents and current SAGE Quest parents provided several reasons for wanting to enrol their child in to the SAGE Quest program. Many parents wanted their child to “continue with a similar programme philosophy” and the program was a natural progression from SAGE.
Parents were interested in the curriculum focus on global awareness and social issues and appreciated the ‘positive and nurturing environment’ that SAGE Quest provided. Many parents also described how the SAGE Quest program “works best for our child’s learning style” and was “geared to self-motivated, independent learners”. Parents also noted a similarity between program and family values and that SAGE Quest allowed parents to be involved in their children’s education. The goals of the program also attracted many families as well as keeping their children with their friends in middle school.
A few of the current SAGE Quest parents described how SAGE Quest is a nice transition or ‘in-between’ step from a small Montessori-based school or private school into a larger secondary school. Several parents commented that they would be home schooling their children if it was not for the SAGE Quest program. One parent wrote: “we were home schooling all three of our children and our oldest was ready to enter grade eight in preparation for high school. SAGE Quest was an amazing option for use to enter the system within a program that was dynamic and alternative enough to satisfy our family’s academic and social values. If it was not for SAGE Quest we would have directly entered (our child) into high school and I do not think he would be as successful as he has been. That was our first child – our second child stopped home schooling and entered the system in grade six – why? SAGE Quest!”
Some parents noted that their child was unhappy at their neighbourhood school and they were looking for other options. One parent wrote: “sounded like something that would be a better fit for my child who was unhappy in his current school” and “his home school wasn’t meeting his learning needs – he was experiencing bullying and had come to hate school”. Only one SAGE parent explained that their child would not enrol into the SAGE Quest program the following year due to the family’s proximity to the school.
Program Description
One of the goals of this review was to obtain a description of the SAGE Quest program and to learn how the program is similar and/or different from a traditional classroom setting. All stakeholder groups were asked to describe the program, explain how SAGE Quest is distinct from a traditional classroom program, and identify the strengths of the program and areas that could be improved.
Several stakeholders believed that SAGE Quest provided a ‘bridge’ between the SAGE program and secondary school. This program offered middle school student with the opportunity to continue with the SAGE philosophy but with more of an experiential and independent learning style. SAGE Quest provided the necessary skills during these transitional years to prepare students for the independent learning and critical thinking skills required in a secondary school setting.
Stakeholders also described the ‘culture of caring’ and ‘community of care’ that SAGE Quest promotes as a unique aspect of the program. Current parents and parents of graduates believed that SAGE Quest offered a “safe and more inclusive environment” than what is available in a traditional classroom. Within the SAGE Quest program, regular ‘class meetings’ are held to discuss issues, share information, and engage in discussion. Stakeholders believed that these meetings helped with team building and conflict resolution skills. SAGE Quest also had a no punishment or extrinsic rewards rule. This reduced / eliminated competition within the classroom and a view that everyone is supported to learn and reach their full potential.
The focus on the global education and social issues was also highlighted as an attractive element of the SAGE Quest program. The students were encouraged to explore real-life issues which many stakeholders believed, increased student engagement and facilitated their learning. Stakeholders believed that children learned that: “the world is larger than their home and neighbourhood and they can make a difference”.
All stakeholders described the variety of teaching methods that SAGE Quest teachers used to help facilitate learning and engage the students. One parent wrote: “the teaching approach used within SAGE Quest respects different learning styles and personalities. It recognizes that students have different strengths and weaknesses and children are accepted for who they are”. The parents, principals and Trustee also believed that “good teaching methods” were being used within the program and that the teachers were very creative in their teaching. Teachers also used key principles of differentiated instruction in their teaching. For example, parents noted that: “teachers obtain input from students about what they want to learn” and students had more freedom to explore what interested them. Teachers would accommodate different learning styles (they would approach the curriculum from and angle that best suits each child’s best learning style), build on the student strengths, offer tiered lessons to facilitate academic growth, and provide students with choice on assignments and how to demonstrate their key learnings. One parent described the partnership that existed between the student and teacher and the benefits of working together to learn. This parent wrote: “the opportunity is fostered by teachers in the classroom for students to be active participants and co-creators of their education. There is a clear emphasis on embracing student-centred approaches to develop skills for self-directed learning”.