Khowhemun Elementary

District Information

School Name: Khowhemun Elementary
School Address: 2918 Cliffs Road,
                            Duncan, BC, V9L 1C5, Canada
School Phone: 250-746-7845
School Fax: 250-746-7849
Principal: Charlie Coleman
Principal email: ccoleman@sd79.bc.ca

Demographics

Number of Students: 365
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: * See note below
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 21%
Percent of Special Education: 10%

1. White 50% *
2. Black
3. Hispanic
4. Asian/Pacific Island  5% *
5. Aboriginal 45% *

Racial/Ethnic Percentages:  * See note below

*NOTE:  In British Columbia, Canada we do not track demographic data in the same way.  While we have some informal lunch programs, we do not track “free and reduced lunch”.  We also do not track ethnicity, except for the number of self-identified Aboriginal students (Native-Canadian) who represent 45 percent of our student population. Approximately one-third of our students come from families earning less than $30,000 per year and one-third reside in single-parent families. Our student population placed our school in the “high needs” category assigned by the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Nevertheless, as our student population has become increasingly at risk, we have seen significant gains in student achievement and have sustained those gains.

 

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends –

Percentage of Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations on the Provincial Math Examination administered each June.

2002  - 65%
2003 - 87%
2004 – 86%
2005 – 89%
2006 – 87%

Percentage of Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations on the Provincial Reading Examination administered each June.
2002 – 67%
2003 – 73%
2004 – 79%
2005 – 83%
2006 – 81%

We have also celebrated the results of our student surveys which show significantly higher levels of satisfaction than students in our district or province.

 

BC Satisfaction Surveys.  Percentage (%) responding “all of the time / most of the time”

Student Survey Questions                    School     District    Province
Do you like what you are learning at school?         90               66      66
Do the adults in the school treat you fairly?           90               78      78
Do your teachers help you with your
     schoolwork when you need it?                        90               80       82
Do your teachers care about you?                       98               92        92
Do you feel safe at school?                                 94               81        84

 

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant. 

Over the last few years, our student population has changed dramatically.  Each of the last three Septembers we had two full classes worth of “walk-in” registrations, most of whom were working below grade-level when they arrived. The most critical data for us became the tracking of individual progress of these “at risk” students.  This allowed us to target our interventions, especially reading intervention, even more effectively. 

 

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact upon students and/or teachers.

Student Results

As noted in the Data Collection above, student results have been positive.  Several areas deserve highlighting:

• With a significant change in student population, we were initially concerned with the “reading results”.  However, over time we saw measurable gains in “whole school”, “Aboriginal” and “at risk” groups.
• Nobody “fell through the cracks”, as each student’s progress was monitored and interventions were individualized to students’ needs.

 

Teacher Results

Perhaps the most powerful result has been enhanced professional collaboration.  The staff has become a true learning community, making full use of “collaboration time” and “school-based in-service” with a focus on instructional strategies that support students’ achievement.  We have documented the process and progress of our collaboration meetings.  As part of the classroom action research, individual teachers have also documented their process and progress with students in the classroom.

Highlights from staff comments and observations:

• It has helped staff come together with a common vision to improve student achievement
• It helped our staff focus on “key questions” and doing what works
• Excellent collaboration and staff who share expertise
• Gave us a sense of purpose…focus on collaboration and student achievement
• We talk constantly about our successes, things that didn’t work and brainstorming new ideas
• A lot more conversation about assessment
• Kids move up levels much more quickly
• My entire class increased their reading level
• Allows me time to focus on group needs:  fluency and comprehension.
• I have grown as a teacher because of this project and I see the difference it has made for my students

 

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Staff became much more fluent in the use of common assessments including BC Performance Standards, Running Records and PM Benchmarks.  Teacher teams, especially our Reading Intervention Teams, monitored student progress on a much more frequent basis.  This allowed for us to make adjustments quickly and to implement interventions more effectively.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Instead of waiting for annual Provincial (state-wide test) scores or year-end report card results, the staff was able to create and re-create reading groups and other intervention strategies “on the fly”.  Intervention became much more fluid. Additional time and support was created by the flexible scheduling that resulted from this.

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

Teachers initially formed collaborative teams at new monthly PLC sessions.  As they became more comfortable with this collaborative, results-based structure, the teacher teams started to meet more often than just the scheduled meeting times.  It became “the way we do business”.  The focus became more and more on student results and alternative interventions based on student needs.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

“Top 40 Schools in Canada”, Today’s Parent Magazine
Exemplary Elementary School Award (Canadian Association of Principals)
Principal Presented Outstanding Young Educator Award (ASCD)
Canada’s Outstanding Principals (The Learning Partnership)
Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education: School Improvement Grant
University of British Columbia School Leadership & Innovation Grant
Write-ups in several newspapers, magazines and journals