Powell River Board of Education comments on graduation stats

The graduation rates in school district 47 (SD47) are on the up.

The graduation rate in the school district has increased from 70 to 80 percent in the past three years, according to statistics from the provincial government.

“While it is important not to read too much statistics for small populations, the upward trend in graduation rates for Indigenous, Diverse and English-Speaking Students (ELL) in SD47 is encouraging,” said instructor Allison Burt. “We know that graduating from high school is an important indicator of success beyond high school, but we also know that there are various personal reasons and circumstances that make this difficult for some students.

“We continue to support all students beyond the cohort senior year to meet their educational and transition goals by frequently enrolling students for dual credit and continuing education opportunities to earn both their high school diploma and credits at various post-secondary institutions. ”

Burt said increasing graduation rates and improving student readiness for life after high school is a focus of the Powell River Board of Education / SD47’s strategic plan.

According to Burt, graduation rates for indigenous and British Columbia-based students have increased provincial and local levels from the previous 2018/2019 school year. In the 2019-2020 school year, the most recent for which statistics are available, the graduation rate of BC-based students in SD47 reached 80 percent, its highest level in five years.

In the years 2019 to 2020, the graduation rate of indigenous students in SD47 was 65 percent (out of 26 students), compared to 58 percent in the previous school year 2018 to 2019.

Burt said SD47 also saw a significant surge in graduation rates for students with disabilities and diverse abilities and ELL students from 2019 to 2020. The graduation rate for students of different character reached 70 percent (out of 40 students) and 77 percent (out of 14). for ELL students an increase of over 10 percent for both cohorts compared to the previous year.

Commits to improvements

Burt said SD47 is committed to improving learning success and equity of learning outcomes for every student in the district.

“The increase in graduation rates is promising, but we know we still have a lot to do to achieve level learning outcomes, especially for indigenous students,” added Burt.

According to the six-year graduation rates on the BC Department of Education website, the typical graduation rate for Indigenous students across BC was 65 to 80 percent last year.

“To address these parity gaps, we committed to an action justice project with the Department of Education and launched an justice scan to identify practices and guidelines that could pose obstacles for indigenous learners in our district,” said Burt.

COVID-19 restrictions this year prevented some of the face-to-face dialogues, but SD47 officials were able to start some focus group discussions and preliminary information gatherings with indigenous rights holders, students, community partners and other stakeholders, as well as SD47 staff.

“We hope we can garner more votes over the next year as we continue to self-assess the educational experience for Indigenous students,” said Burt. “Working together will help us respond in a strategic way to create the conditions for indigenous students to succeed. Other districts in British Columbia that have progressed further through the Equity-in-Action project have seen positive changes in both student performance and well-being as a result of the collaborative project.

“We have also improved the way we monitor student success across the district. This includes bringing staff and leadership teams together on a regular basis to analyze each indigenous student’s learning goals and records to aid their development. “

Invest in indigenous learning

Burt said SD47 is also investing in a district leader for indigenous education for the 2021-2022 school year. The district leader will take the lead on indigenous learners’ success and learning.

“Our goal is to continue the improving trend in graduation rates and other student performance metrics over the next five years and to equate indigenous students for the next five years,” said Burt. “All students deserve to graduate and cross the stage with dignity, purpose and opportunity.”

Graduation rates for the current 2020-2021 school year won’t be available until the fall, after the Ministry of Education compiles the numbers across the province

Indigenous Achievement Coordinator Jessica Johnson said the school district is committed to improving the success of indigenous students.

“The Equity-in-Action project gave the district the time and tools to assess our successes and critically evaluate the places we need to improve,” said Johnson. “The recommendations from this project will help guide the district on a clear path that supports and enriches the educational experiences of indigenous learners. We look forward to more social engagement that will be possible in the coming school year as the COVID-19 restrictions will be further relaxed. “

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/powell-river-board-of-education-comments-on-graduation-stats/