STATEMENT OF EDUCATION POLICY ORDER

Ministry of Education's Mandate for the School System OIC 1280/89, effective September 1, 1989

Mission Statement:

The purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable learners to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy society and a prosperous and sustainable economy.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Each school year, the Superintendent of Schools must prepare and submit to the Board and the Minister of Education a report on student achievement for the previous school year.  This annual report is intended to serve two purposes:

• To acknowledge District responsibility for improving student achievement, and
• To provide information that will facilitate subsequent planning during the development of School Plans and the District Achievement Contract.

Evidence used to report student achievement must include provincial and local (district) measures.  The report can include local data such as commonly used, district-wide assessments/instruments and school and teacher classroom assessments.

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2012/2013 

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2011/2012 
* The Ministry template indicates the current school year but the report measures student achievement for the previous school year; e.g., 2011/2012 report measures 2010/2011 data.

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2009/2010

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2008/2009

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2007/2008

Superintendent's Report on Student Achievement 2006/2007

SCHOOL PLANS

In each school year, school planning councils in British Columbia are required to prepare and submit a school plan to the Board of Education for its approval.  The school planning council develops, monitors, and reviews the school's goals for improving student achievement.  School Plans are an important component of the  Ministry of Education's achievement framework and reflect the District goals identified in the Achievement Contract, while addressing the uniqueness of each school's individual circumstances.

Summary of School Plans and Goals 2011/2012

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT AGREEMENT

An Enhancement Agreement (EA) is a working agreement between a school district, all local Aboriginal communities, and the Ministry of Education.  EAs highlight the importance of academic performance and more importantly, stress the integral nature of Aboriginal traditional culture and languages to Aboriginal student development and success.  Fundamental to EAs is the requirement that school districts provide strong programs on the culture of local Aboriginal peoples on whose traditional territories the districts are located.

The North Vancouver Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement is intended to enhance the academic achievement of Aboriginal students in the North Vancouver School District.  It establishes a collaborative partnership among the Skwxwú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, all other Aboriginal peoples residing in North Vancouver, North Vancouver School District, and the Ministry of Education to share in decision-making and goal-setting.  This is a five-year Agreement extending from June 30, 2011 through June 30, 2016.

North Vancouver Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement 2011-2016 

DISTRICT LITERACY PLAN

School districts are responsible for preparing an annual district literacy plan that focuses on four strategic components, also know as the "4 Pillars" of literacy:

• School readiness in young children
• Reading success in schools
• Reading success for adults
• Reading success for Aboriginal people.

The North Vancouver Board of Education recognizes the significant role that it plays in the education of people of all ages within our community.  The District Literacy Plan is a statement of commitment to work collaboratively with key community stakeholders to improve literacy for all residents of the North Shore.  Through the process of developing the District Literacy Plan and participation in the development of the North Shore Community Literacy Plan, the School District has identified specific needs and priorities that are reflected in the literacy goals that have been established for each of the 4 Pillars of literacy.  The District Literacy Plan sets out the objectives and strategic actions for improving literacy in North Vancouver School District.

District Literacy Plan 2012/2013  

DISTRICT ACHIEVEMENT CONTRACT

The School Act requires British Columbia's Boards of Education to prepare and submit annually to the Minister of Education an Achievement Contract.  The District Achievement Contract identifies areas of focus for the improvement of student success, describes strategic actions, and outlines processes to monitor and adjust programs to improve results. 

While developing the District Achievement Contract 2011/2014, the School Services Leadership Team has considered (1) district-wide data on school goals and (2) the numbers of schools choosing goals and objectives in specific areas. 

The goals, objectives, and actions included in the District Achievement Contract represent a convergence of inputs that have arrived through a variety of sources.  Prominent among these sources are:

• The Superintendent's Report on Achievement
• School Plans and the feedback of the School Planning Councils
• The Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement
• The District Literacy Plan
• Early Learning Programs [Firm Foundations, Early Learning Foundations (ELF), StrongStartBC]
• The District Review of May 2007
• The Ministry of Education's District Achievement Contract Guidelines.

Based on the review of student-related evidence using Provincial, District, and school-based information, the goals set out in the District Achievement Contract 2011/2014 are as follows:

• To improve the success rates of students who are not meeting expectations for reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking as measured by Performance Standards
• To improve completion rates for students in the School District by emphasizing the safe, caring, and relational aspects of instruction in our schools
• To increase awareness of the goals of the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement and participation in efforts to achieve these goals for Aboriginal student success.

District Achievement Contract 2011/2014 - June 2012