Ministry of Education
Student Success Commission To Focus On Greater Student Achievement
McGuinty Government On The Side Of Ontario Families Who Want The Best
Public Education For Their Children
TORONTO, May 29 - A unique partnership between the McGuinty
government and education leaders has delivered its first recommendation on how
to boost student achievement, Education Minister Sandra Pupatello said today.
"Our government is on the side of Ontario families who want the best
public education for their children," said Pupatello. "That's why we've
created the Student Success Commission, which puts teachers' federations,
school boards and the government on the same side of the table to reach
consensus on how to improve our education system."
The commission, which began meeting on March 30, has been charged with
providing advice and endorsements on the government's student success
initiatives while the education system is reshaped to place the success of all
students as the paramount priority. The commission reports directly to the
Minister of Education and works closely with the ministry and the Learning to
18 Working Table.
"The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association welcomes the
opportunity to dialogue with the government and their partners in education on
these key initiatives," said OECTA president, Donna Marie Kennedy.
As its first task, the commission has developed and endorsed a set of
guiding principles and practical implementation strategies that will make sure
that credit recovery programs are high quality and delivered consistently
across the province.
Credit recovery helps students recapture a lost credit by receiving more
individual instruction and strategies focused on only the course expectations
that were not successfully achieved. It is a key intervention, particularly at
the Grade 9 and 10 levels. Research shows students who fail one credit early
in high school are at significantly greater risk of dropping out.
Data collected from students who undertook credit recovery courses,
supported through the government's innovative lighthouse projects for student
success, show an 82 per cent success rate. Of the 4,482 credits that were
attempted for recovery last year, 3,688 were achieved.
"The Student Success Commission is a valuable forum for examination and
dialogue on the government's Student Success Strategy," said Rick Johnson,
president of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association. "The endorsement
on credit recovery is evidence of this."
The Student Success Commission is just one way the McGuinty government is
improving publicly funded education in Ontario. Other initiatives include:
- Delivering peace and stability through four-year agreements
- Introducing a bullying prevention strategy and school safety audits
- Introducing legislation to keep students learning until at least age
18.
"No government initiative is more essential to Ontario's future than our
plan to give students more relevant and high quality education choices that
will keep them learning until age 18 or graduation," said Pupatello. "The
Student Success Commission is helping us work towards giving every student an
Ontario Education Advantage."
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
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STUDENT SUCCESS COMMISSION
The Student Success Commission is a unique partnership composed of six
members representing all teacher federations and six representing all levels
of school board management. The first of its kind in Ontario, the commission
will allow for real engagement between high level professionals in the
education sector. It will focus on the success of all high school students.
The commission was created to advise the minister with respect to the
implementation implications of current and proposed student success
initiatives and to endorse mutually agreed to solutions.
The commission began meeting on March 30 and has already endorsed a set
of guidelines and implementation strategies for credit recovery. Over the next
two years, the commission will continue to examine current and future high
school initiatives that are part of the government's $1.3 billion student
success strategy. The strategy includes:
- Student success leaders hired at every school board
- 1,300 new high school teachers hired with 800 dedicated to student
success programs
- Technological education equipment and facilities upgraded
- 131 lighthouse pilot projects aimed at increasing credit accumulation,
reducing drop-out rates, linking more programs with colleges and
encouraging students who left school to return and complete their
diploma requirements
- Up to two co-operative education credits being counted towards a
student's 18 compulsory graduation credits
- New Specialist High Skills Majors that will be part of the regular
high school diploma
- Dual-credit programs that will allow students to earn several credits
through college, apprenticeship and university courses
- Up to two credits for ministry recognized external credentials and
programs such as 4H.
The Student Success Commission will also review, endorse and provide
advice to the minister on the most effective student success programs being
run by individual school boards or proposed by the ministry and the Learning
to 18 Working Table, so all Ontario students can benefit from innovative
solutions. As well, the commission will look at programs introduced by other
provinces and countries for comparison and new approaches.
The members of the commission are:
- Pierre Coté, Director, Communications and Political Action, Ontario
Secondary School Teachers' Federation
- Ruth Dawson, Professional Services, Elementary Teachers' Federation of
Ontario
- Bernard A. Ethier, Directeur général adjoint, Association des
enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens
- Jeff Heximer, Director, Professional Services, Ontario English
Catholic Teachers' Association
- Moe Jacobs, Executive Lead, Student Success Commission, Ministry of
Education
- Louise d'Amour, Director, Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de
l'Ontario
- Dale Leckie, Director, Protective Services, Ontario Secondary School
Teachers' Federation
- Jamie McCracken, Director, Ottawa Carleton Catholic District School
Board
- Randy Palermo, Principal, Toronto District School Board
- Helen Reid, Principal, London District Catholic School Board
- Martha Rogers, Director, Upper Grand District School Board
- Ken Thurston, Executive Supervisory Officer, York Region District
School Board
- Larry Trafford, Director, Professional Services, Ontario English
Catholic Teachers' Association.
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca
Contact Info
For further information: Contacts: Michelle Despault, Minister's Office,
(416) 212-3747; Public Inquiries: (416) 325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514, TTY:
1-800-263-2892; Tanya Blazina, Communications Branch, (416) 325-2746
