How successful are students in New Westminster schools? And just how do you measure “success”?
Those questions – and some answers – were on the agenda at the New Westminster school board’s Feb. 9 education committee meeting.
Maureen McRae-Stanger, the district’s director of instruction, learning and innovation, was joined by other senior district staff – including Tanis Anderson, district principal of early learning; Rav Johal, district principal of equity and inclusion; and Bruce Cunnings, director of instruction, learning services – for a wide-ranging presentation on current data measuring student success in New Westminster schools.
They presented results from a number of tests, surveys and other assessment tools covering a wide range of topics, including:
Literacy and numeracy (Grade 4 and 7 FSAs and Grade 10 Graduation Assessments)
New Westminster Secondary School student learning survey
They looked at assessments that measure students’ intellectual development, human and social development, and career development – and how New Westminster stacks up against provincial numbers on those fronts.
McRae-Stanger noted that “success” can be measured in both qualitative ways, through stories of student success, and in quantitative ways, through data.
The Feb. 9 presentation focused on the quantitative aspects: data regarding the 7,700 students enrolled in New West schools in 2019/20.
“We know that is only part of our story, our learning journey,” McRae-Stanger said. “We have to be looking at the qualitative pieces and the quantitative pieces when we’re making our plans and mapping things out for our students and for student success. …
“It really is looking at that holistic piece of student success in our schools.”
This special School Snapshot report takes a closer look at some of the pieces of their presentation, in five parts.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
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