INNISFAIL - Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) trustees have approved the new 2024-25 Education Plan, which supports the division’s three education priorities of academic excellence, social emotional well-being and career connections.
The approval came during the board’s June meeting meeting.
Kurt Sacher is the Innisfail-headquartered division’s superintendent.
“I think what is key to note is that we’ve been focused on the same three goals for quite awhile now, but what’s really important to note are three new strategic imperatives (instructions) that are inserted into the plan,” Sacher told the Albertan.
“So to support academic excellence, there’s an adaptive learning strategic imperative that is inserted. Inside the social, emotional well-being goal, there’s a complex needs imperative. And there’s a career connections imperative that supports our connections goal.
“We’ve had committees involved in all three of those area in the course of this year and they are set up to really move forward next year.”
The academic excellence priority calls for Grade 1-8 students across the division to “participate in standardized assessment in literacy and numeracy to determine level of ability and inform teaching practice," and for Grade 9-12 students to “collaborate through professional learning days with a focus on resources, assessments and instructional delivery.”
As well, teacher teams will “analyze student data through the collaborative response model and put necessary interventions in place” and the division will “support implementation of new curriculum through collaboration and professional learning.”
The plan calls for 93 per cent of CESD students to be reading at or above their respective grade level, with Grade 1-9 students participating in standardized assessment in reading.
The social emotional well-being priority calls on CESD staff to develop an “inclusive mindset and plan that supports the social well-being of students” and that there is a “school-wide commitment to anticipate, value and support diversity and learner differences.”
The plan also calls for each student to achieve an attendance rate of 90 per cent or higher.
The career connections priority calls for 60 per of CESD students to transition to post-secondary education within six years of Grade 10, and that high schools will “ensure exploration of post secondary opportunities including site visits and/or post secondary fairs.”
“Of particular note is to address context needs for schools with 200 or more students we are putting in place one individuals who is a student support lead, who is there to support students, staff and the administration in dealing with complexities that we are facing,” said Sacher.
The complete 2024-25 Education Plan can be found on the CESD website.
