Numeracy and Literacy – Another Layer of Student Support

This year, we are adding two very important Department Head (Team Leader) positions to our staff: Mathematics 6-8 and English Language Arts (ELA) 6-8. As the District Strategic Plan 24-28 has identified Numeracy and Literacy as goals that will improve student success, adding these two positions aligns staffing and our school budget with these goals.

All enrolling teachers at Clayburn Middle School teach either Mathematics or English Language Arts, so there is a team of 12 teachers in the Mathematics Department and a team of 13 teachers in the ELA Department. They all discuss our students’ learning needs, how we can best address these learning needs with school goals and the most impactful instructional strategies to address these goals.

While Clayburn and our teaching and support staff have excellent instructional practices, this additional collaborative approach is recognized in research as having the highest impact on student learning. This approach is called Collective Teacher Efficacy, which means that the teacher has group discussions, group planning, and group idea sharing, where everyone plays a role in our students’ learning success. This is a powerful piece to add to an already effective learning environment.

In addition to the two new Math and ELA Department Head positions, each department will be given a budget from which to support their goals – perhaps purchasing new resources, paper or digital, that can add to the tools we use.  The next step for Math and ELA is to have students complete the Vernon Reading Comprehension assessment and the Math “SNAP” assessment, which will help us look at student learning gaps and strengths.  These assessments started in the third week of September and will be completed and assessed as soon as possible.

Alysha Reid, one of our Gr. 8 teachers, is our new Math Department Head. She feels that taking on this new position is an incredible opportunity to foster a collaborative environment where teachers can share innovative strategies and work towards joint goals. She is excited to engage in meaningful discussions about student learning needs and to work together to create a curriculum that inspires confidence and enthusiasm for mathematics. Alysha looks forward to empowering teachers and students, ensuring that students feel supported in their learning journey and recognize the relevance and joy of mathematics in their everyday lives.

Kerri Parsons, one of our Gr. 7 teachers and our new English Language Arts Department Head, believes in fostering a love for literature and critical thinking among her students. She feels passionate about creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment and is looking forward to collaborating with colleagues to enhance our curriculum

We are looking forward to interesting conversations, goal planning, and the sharing of instructional practices as we move forward in the years to come.

REG GABRIEL, PRINCIPAL
Clabyurn Middle School