Commitment to Success – Consultation

We acknowledge that the lands upon which we live, learn and work are the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe peoples. We thank them for sharing these lands and commit, as an organization, as educators and as individuals, to an ongoing relationship that recognizes and respects the lands, traditions, and culture of the Anishinaabe people.

Background

The Ministry of Education requires school boards to develop a Commitment to Success Plan. The Commitment to Success Plan includes the context of the school board, its educational services, the needs of schools and centres, the challenges it faces and its orientations, objectives, indicators, and targets.

Each school board plan must also incorporate the orientations, objectives and indicators set by the Ministry of Education. These objectives and orientations are aligned with the Ministry’s 2023-2027 strategic plan.

To develop its Commitment to Success Plan the Western Quebec school Board must undertake a consultation process with its stakeholders. The consultation will take place through the month of April and will include the following groups:

• Management Advisory Committee, March 2023
• Parents’ Committee, April 2023
• Special Education Advisory Committee, April 2023
• School and Centre Governing Boards, April 2023
• WQSB staff and students, April 2023
• Community members, April 2023

On this page:

• Background
• Goal of the Commitment to Success Plan
• School Board Context
  • Schools and Centres
  • Framework for Success – Four Directions
  • Challenges
  • Provide feedback
• Ministry of Education Objectives
• Western Québec Data and Targets for Ministry Objectives
• Western Quebec School Board areas of focus to achieve the objectives
  • Provide feedback

Goal of the Commitment to Success Plan

The goal of the Western Québec school Board’s Commitment to Success Plan is to share, with all educational personnel, parents and communities, a common vision of our reality and challenges to generate concerted action around the orientations and objectives that impact student learning and success. The plan also provides an opportunity for all to understand the orientations, directions, and strategies the school board is undertaking to ensure educational success for all its students.

School Board Context

The Western Québec School Board comprises 25 schools and six adult education and vocational training centres across two administrative regions, 07 and 08. The board’s territory is large, covering more than 90,000 square kilometres and spread over 155 municipalities. Schools and centres are located throughout this territory with the largest located in the urban tract of Gatineau. The sheer size of our territory and the dispersion of the English-speaking population within that territory have required an organization of schools and centres to meet this challenge and ensure access to our clientele.

The school configuration is as follows: 13 elementary schools, 2 Junior high schools (secondary I and II), 2 secondary schools (secondary I to V), 2 senior secondary schools (secondary III to V), 1 kindergarten to secondary II school and 5 kindergartens to secondary V schools. WQSB operates four joint adult general education and vocational training centres, one adult general education centre and one vocational training centre. In addition, several of our schools now have full-time four-year old Kindergartens.

Schools and Centres 

Elementary Schools

Secondary Schools

Kindergarten to Grade 11 Schools (K-11)

Adult Education and Vocational Training Centres

Programs and Services

Programs and services offered by the Western Québec School Board include four-year old kindergarten programs, enriched French academic programs, adult general education, vocational training, transition and induction programs, Work Oriented Training programs (WOTP), life skills programs, adult education distance education services, customized training services, recognition of acquired competencies services and daycare services. WQSB offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities in sports, cultural, character building, and community-oriented activities along with a variety of student-centered services offered in our schools and centres.

Community Learning Centres

The Western Québec School Board has four Community Learning Centres (CLC) that are integral to the following schools: St. Michael’s High School, St. John’s Elementary School, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School, and Eardley Elementary School. Each CLC has a community development agent whose role is to facilitate community partnerships, service-based learning and contribute and enrich student life. Funding for the CLCs is provided through the Entente Canada-Québec.

Framework for Success – Four Directions

In order to ensure student success, Western Québec is building a framework for success to ensure its schools and centres are viable, sustainable, and provide the same quality of opportunity for all.  At the same time, Western Québec is committed to increasing graduation and qualification rates in all sectors and closing the achievement gap (reducing the disparity between the performance of groups of students) for all students.

Our core purpose has been articulated by the Minister of Education in the Policy on Educational Success.  In it he states “the government is working to ensure that everyone can achieve their full potential.”  He goes on to say that “success means providing everyone with the opportunity to display their talents at any stage of life.”

The Western Québec School Board is engaged and determined to realize the Minister’s stated objectives. Each of our four strategic directions and system alignment goals are focused to ensure that all of our decisions are based on individual student achievement.

Our directions

Alignment

WQSB strives to ensure that all improvement plans, resources and communications are aligned to Ministry of Education directions and WQSB goals.

It is through these strategic directions and the organization and delivery of services centred on a knowledge management system that Western Québec has set its objectives, strategies and actions.

Challenges

COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought major disruption and impact to the 2019 to 2021 school years. Educational services were disrupted for periods of time and student life was very different with social distancing, class “bubbles”, masks, online classes, virtual celebrations and few extracurricular activities. School, centre, and board staff adapted quickly and adeptly to changing situations and learning delivery. They took on many different roles to ensure student needs were served under challenging conditions. While we have returned to a more normal year in 2022-2023, the impact of the pandemic on student learning, social-emotional and mental health is evident in our schools and centres. Despite staff shortages and limited access to outside services the focus of our schools and centres remains on the success and well-being of our students.

While not all directly influential on student achievement, other factors impact the board’s ability to make the most efficient and effective use of its resources. The overarching issues that continue to confront the WQSB include distance and dispersion (impacts the organization of schools and centres to ensure accessibility), socio-economic factors (impacts student achievement), recruitment and retention of qualified staff in our rural schools and centres (impacts the quality of teaching and learning, and service availability).

Demographics

The Western Québec School Board youth sector demographics have continued in an upward trend moving from 7298 in 2017-2018 to 7816 in 2022-2023 (based on September 30 enrollment). If we include the four-year old kindergarten numbers our youth sector population in 2022-2023 is 8011. This increase is consistent across both rural and urban sectors of the board.

Demographic projections indicate that Western Québec’s student population will increase from 2022-2023 to 2026-2027. Enrollment is stable or growing in most schools although in some of our rural schools challenges still exist in delivering the Basic School Regulation (BSR) offerings to students. Three of these schools have fewer than 80 students at the secondary level. In all cases additional staffing is assigned to ensure the continued delivery of quality teaching and learning.

The growth in our urban area (primarily the Gatineau corridor) has created its own set of challenges, specifically overcrowding in some schools. This has required a change in the use of space to accommodate the student numbers (library and cafeteria space converted into classrooms) and requests to the ministry for the construction of additional space.

Due to the nature of the offering (variable entry and exit) it is difficult to track demographic changes in Adult Education and Vocational Training but in general there has been a decline in rural centres and stability in urban centres. The decline in the rural centres makes it challenging to offer viable programs, especially vocational training.

To continue to provide English-language adult and vocational training, resource allocation must be adjusted to accommodate smaller numbers.

Projected youth sector enrollment for WQSB

Data from Ministère de l’éducation : Line 1 – Preschool enrollment; Line 2 – Elementary enrollment; Line 3 – Secondary enrollment

Socio-economic

Western Québec has a significant portion (12 of 25) of its schools that are 8, 9 or 10 on the Ministère de l’éducation Indice de milieu socio-économique scale. It is important to note that on the scale a kindergarten to secondary V school is assigned a ranking for both primary and secondary separately. Schools are classified on a range of 1 to 10, with 1 being considered the least socio-economically disadvantaged and 10 being the most socioeconomically disadvantaged. Several factors contribute to the classification including family income and mother’s level of education. These schools are designated as New Approaches New Solutions (NANS) schools and they focus on specific orientations to contribute to student success. These include three kindergarten to secondary V schools ranked 8, 9 or 10 and eight elementary schools ranked 8, 9 or 10, and one secondary school ranked 8, 9 or 10. In addition, and one school designated as a 7. While the MEES does not designate Adult Education centres on the socio-economic ranking scale, it is important to note that 3 of the centres are located in the same geographic areas as schools ranked as 8, 9 or 10. A significant portion of the population of learners in these centres are not in employment nor do they possess an initial diploma.

Schools ranked 7, 8, 9 or 10 benefit from the New Approaches, New Solutions (NANS) measure provided by the Ministry to increase student success. In addition, NANS schools now benefit from additional resources to provide support in early literacy and numeracy, support for students with special needs, and additional support in academic subjects at the high school level. Our NANS schools have made significant progress in student achievement. Although many of the cohorts are small, results on the MEES and board objectives in our NANS schools continue to show improvement. This is evident in the success on the uniform exams at secondary IV and V levels. There is also progress, although slower, in the core subjects of French Second Language (FSL), English Language Arts (ELA), and Math at the elementary level. At the board level, we have focused on providing additional support in the core subject areas as well as programs targeted to improve the quality of teaching and learning. At the school level, schools have developed and embedded strategies that focus on both prevention and intervention for identified groups of students.

Indigenous Learner Success

The Western Québec School Board has a significant Indigenous student population (approximately 12%). Much of the Western Québec School Board is on un-ceded Algonquin land and there are 10 Indigenous communities in the region in which Western Québec provides educational services through its schools and centres. Several Western Québec schools and centres have significant First Nation, Metis, and Inuit student populations (40 to 78%).

Canadian and Québec educational statistics indicate a significant gap in the success rates of Indigenous learners in comparison to non-Indigenous learners. This is an area of focus for the board and Western Québec continues to develop and deliver a culturally relevant curriculum and an Indigenous pedagogy approach where possible. The board has engaged several community members and elders to work in developing resources, provide staff training, and support to students. In addition, Western Québec has established key partnerships with Native Friendship Centres in both Val d’Or and Maniwaki and works closely with several Indigenous community partners. WQSB adopted several strategies to ensure adequate support for Indigenous students. These include a centralized approach for use of the MEES Aboriginal success grant in our schools and centres with Indigenous students. The board supports the receiving schools through a network and research-based professional development for staff. The focus of additional assistance is language of instruction, French second language, certifying subjects in secondary, engagement and retention.

Students with Special Needs

The population of students with special needs in Western Quebec Schools has continued to increase over the last years, with a slight decline during the 20-21 school year when online learning and COVID exemptions were a factor in enrollment rates.  Currently 29.7% of WQSB students have an active Individualized Education Plan.  Most students with special needs are integrated into regular classrooms, with the exception of our specialized, enclosed settings:  The Haven (McDowell), Aylmer Centre (Lord Aylmer), Transition Class (Eardley), Chelsea Centre (Chelsea Elementary), and South Hull Centre (South Hull).  These enclosed settings meet the specialized needs for students with more complex developmental, intellectual and/or physical needs.  The Centres are board facilitated programs where students from a variety of schools receive access to these services.  In addition to these enclosed settings, the Western Quebec School Board has three Nurturing Support Centres where social, emotional, behavioural and adaptive support is the focus.  NSCs are located at Buckingham Elementary, Hadley/Philemon Wright High School, and St. Michael’s High School.  The approach in these Centres is developmental, trauma-informed, and attachment-based.  Our vast territory poses a challenge in equitable delivery of service, however, recent use of telepractice and online platforms has permitted increased access to professional and consultative services.  The recruitment of qualified staff continues to pose a particular challenge in access to English speaking Professionals.  Our rural and northern schools have difficulty in the recruitment and retention of qualified staff (Professionals, teachers, and support staff).  With the changing trajectories, offers of delivery and access to outside health and social services, students and families encounter difficulties in access to bilingual and timely support and services outside of our school board, resulting in higher demands within the school board.  Mental Health and well-being are a priority at Western Quebec School Board and has been a notable factor in the educational and social success of students.  Our adult education and vocational centres continue to experience similar realities regarding special needs, mental health, well-being, and access to bilingual and timely services.

Recruitment and Retention of Staff

The Western Québec School Board employs more than 1,500 people in several categories of employment, most of them working directly with students. Recruiting and retaining qualified personnel is a significant challenge, notably in the teaching and professional fields. The challenge we have in recruiting and retaining qualified teaching staff is across all subjects but is even more evident in specialized areas such as French, Math, Science and Special Education. The labour shortage in education and supporting professional services (health and social services) is a reality province wide that continues to have significant impact on our schools and centres.

Provide Feedback

Ministry of Education Objectives

The table below outlines the Ministry of Education Objectives and indicators.

Western Québec Data and Targets for Ministry Objectives

The table below outlines the Ministry objectives and the WQSB data.

Western Quebec School Board areas of focus to achieve the objectives

Ministry of Education Objective 1 – Increase the success of students

Objective 1.1 – Increase the qualification and certification rate after 7 years

Areas of Focus:

• Support for core subjects of English, Math, and French Second Language from elementary through secondary
• Early literacy and numeracy support in NANS schools
• Early literacy and numeracy support in non-NANS schools
• Consistent and relevant assessments and aligned curriculum in core subjects.
• Quality of teaching and learning
• Focused support from board professionals for students with special needs
• Students at risk of leaving (transitions, additional support at secondary, SARCA services)
• Quality Professional development for all categories of staff
• Adult and Vocational Education Teacher Networks –focus on aligned evaluation and assessment and delivery.
• Success on Ministry of Education certifying subjects at secondary (additional support in NANS schools)
• Rich learning environments beyond the classroom (extracurriculars)
• Quality professional development for staff
• Networks for core subjects
• Support for socio-emotional and mental health
• Support for literacy and numeracy in Adult Education

Objective 1.2 – Increase the graduation and qualification rates of boys

Areas of focus:

• Support for core subjects of English, Math, and French Second Language from elementary through secondary
• Early literacy and numeracy support in NANS schools
• Early literacy and numeracy support in non-NANS schools
• Consistent and relevant assessments and aligned curriculum in core subjects.
• Quality of teaching and learning
• Focused support from board professionals for students with special needs
• Students at risk of leaving (transitions, additional support at secondary, SARCA services)
• Quality Professional development for all categories of staff
• Success on Ministry of education certifying subjects at secondary (additional support in NANS schools)
• Rich learning environments beyond the classroom (extracurriculars)
• Quality professional development for staff
• Networks for core subjects
• Support for socio-emotional and mental health

Objective 1.3 – Increase the graduation and qualification rates of élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (HDAA)

Areas of focus:

• Focused support from board professionals for students with special needs
• Early intervention – quality k4 programs
• Support for core subjects of English, Math, and French Second Language from elementary through secondary
• Early literacy and numeracy support in NANS schools
• Early literacy and numeracy support in non-NANS schools
• Consistent and relevant assessments and aligned curriculum in core subjects.
• Quality of teaching and learning
• Students at risk of leaving (transitions, additional support at secondary, SARCA services)
• Quality Professional development for all categories of staff
• Adult and Vocational Teacher Networks –focus on aligned evaluation and assessment and delivery.
• Success on Ministry of Education certifying subjects at secondary (additional support in NANS schools)
• Rich learning environments beyond the classroom (extracurriculars)
• Quality professional development for staff
• Networks for core subjects
• Support for socio-emotional and mental health
• Support for literacy and numeracy in Adult Education

Objective 1.5 – Increase the success rate on the ministry grade 6 math exam.

Areas of focus:

• Support for core math elementary to secondary
• Early literacy and numeracy support in NANS schools
• Early literacy and numeracy support in non-NANS schools
• Consistent and relevant assessments and aligned curriculum in core subjects.
• Quality of teaching and learning
• Focused support from board professionals for students with special needs
• Quality Professional development
• Math Networks

Objective 2.1 – Increase the graduation rate in vocational training programs

Areas of focus:

• Vocational training teacher networks focused on aligned evaluation and assessment and delivery.
• Quality of teaching and learning
• Vocational training industry partnerships
• Students at risk of leaving (tutoring and retention support, SARCA services)
• Quality professional development
• Promotion of vocational training
• Support for literacy and numeracy skills