MOOSE JAW — All schools in Prairie South School Division annually create a learning improvement plan (LIP) that focuses on goals around student learning and well-being that they then ensure are measurable and timely.
According to the organization’s 2023-24 school and division improvement accountability report, presented during the board’s November meeting, for the learning goal:
- 28 schools focused on reading
- 10 schools focused on writing
- 12 school focused on math
Some schools had multiple goals, which is why these numbers don’t add up to the 40 total schools in the division. Also, these numbers were the same as during the 2022-23 school year.
Meanwhile, for the student well-being goal:
- 21 schools focused on belonging, relationships or engagement
- Two schools focused on mental health
- Eight schools focused on other, such as credit attainment or attendance
These numbers were also the same as during the 2022-23 school year.
The report noted that while most LIPs showed growth in 2023-24, only 31 of 81 school plans met their targeted goal — an increase of one from the previous year — while one school LIP did not report because it had multi-year goals.
“We asked them to create a SMART goal, where it’s measurable, attainable (and) reliable, and most of them set their goals a little high,” superintendent Derrick Huschi told trustees during the meeting.
“So we are working on trying to get them (to identify) students’ name, strength and need to try and make sure our goals are a little bit more attainable,” he continued.
“But we have seen that … half the schools reported that they didn’t quite achieve the goals they wanted to achieve this past school year.”
Staff at each school developed their LIP goals using data they acquired from their students and attempted to align the plans with the provincial education plan, the report said. Moreover, they worked to ensure that their plans were responsive to students’ needs, which meant the LIPs varied and were based on “local context.”
Schools regularly review the progress of their LIPs, analyze and evaluate the outcomes of the work plans, and modify them throughout the year. Schools may also access support from the division office for learning support teams, consultants or superintendents.
Furthermore, staff share their schools’ LIP work plans with their school community councils (SCCs) and update the documents to include input from those leaders. Schools also review their plans with their superintendents four times a year and communicate the goals and results publicly at least three times a year.
The report noted that during the 2023-24 school year, the division held three SCC networking sessions in Rouleau, Gravelbourg and William Grayson in Moose Jaw, with SCC members from all schools invited to attend. The division then posted any “innovative ideas” from those gatherings on its website.
Division administration also created a Prairie South School Community Facebook page to bring people together, with 135 people joining the page.
