Report

Members of the committee included representatives of Department of Education, NLTA, NLSBA and NLTA.

Below is a summary of points made by Joan Combdon, NLFSC representative. For the most part, there was agreement by the NLTA and NLSBA representatives on reaction to recommendations.

Please check Supporting Learning, the report of the Minsiterial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom to match recommendations to numbers (www.gov.nf.ca).

All present were in agreement with many recommendations, including #15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 33, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 54, 58, 62, 63, 68, 70, 72, 75, 77(strongly), 79, 80 and 82.

Rec #1: Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation: Make sure outcomes are indeed what we desire. Foundation does not exist in all program areas. Importantt to have consistent standards across Atlantic provinces. Expressed concern about the length of time regarding development and implementation of curriculum issues.

Rec #3: Learning Resources and Curriculum Implementation: What would focus of investment be - for example, which areas?

Rec #4: Curriculum Pilots: Pilots should be done on a cross-section of urban and rural areas -- only way to assess whether would work in both situations. Pilots also serve as professional development for teachers.

Rec #5: Teacher Reference Materials: Present materials not meeting needs and objectives eg. Grade 4, 5, 6 science curriculum (was told those are currently being addressed). Teachers do not have time to research own resources.

Rec #6: Web-based format for teacher resources: Would help in sharing of curriculum resources, provide more access.

Rec #7: Inservice for new curricula: Maybe needs to be done the year before, for implementation and action the next year.

Rec #8: 42 credits: Implication for rural areas? How feasible? What about exceptional students who can finish in shorter period of time? The choice of courses might be more importantt than the actual number of courses.

Rec #9: Student Programs: May not be realistic in smaller schools with present allocations, limited choice in rural communities.

Rec #11: Personal Development Courses: Agree. Challenge in rural areas.

Rec #12: Local Courses: Advanced placement courses provide enrichment, some cases only form of enrichment.

Rec #13: Local Course Content: Should it be the role of a high school education to offer local courses on topics such as job training? Or should it be the role of a high school to teach students how to question?

Rec #14: Grade 8 History: Underway. If this the only level at which it is offered, should be mandatory.

Rec #16: Teacher Allocations for Music and Art: Need to be over and above all current allocations.

Rec #17: Distance Learning in music and art: Research shows that children who are exposed to a quality art and music program do better academically overall. Can we afford not to invest? This recommendation implies a large number of networked computers, which will need a lot of support. There are approximately 1500-1800 networked computers in Dist #3 with two technicians. In industry the standard is 1 technician per 65 networked computers.

Rec #18: High School Program: How realistic will it be to deliver these programs by distance education for less academically inclined students?

Rec #24: Multi-level Teaching: Look to MUN Faculty of Education for this.

Rec #25:Special Education Services: This needs more than inservicing of teachers. Overall still seems to be a lack of support services. Until adequately addressed, protests will continue.

Rec #30: Pathways: Was told it is well underway in most boards.

Rec #31: ISSP: In process of being implemented.

Rec #32: Strategy for informing parents re special needs: Brochure in development process (Parent's Guide to Support Services).

Rec #34: Monitoring: Objected strongly to tone - more policing tone than research. Department could charge Districts with this responsibility. Should be trying to get a handle on actual instructional time.

Rec #35: Examination Days: Mid-year exams have remedial potential. Should be monitored -- not all schools would need to cut down their schedule. Exam time should not encroach too much on instructional time.

Rec #39: Links - Early Childhood Years: Communities in Schools program as well.

Rec #44: Teacher Training and Supply: Agreed. Huge job fairs being organized in St. John's focussing on MUN's education graduates, many attracted elsewhere.

Rec #46: Teacher Inservice Days: Perhaps teachers would be willing to have additional unpaid days if professional credit was received.

Rec #47:Professional Development Alliance: Suggested Faculty of MUN need to be included.

Rec #48: Guidance Counsellors: Must be over and above current allotment.

Rec #49: Alternate Education Programs: Working group in NLTA looking at it. Need resources in order to accomplish.

Rec #50: Disruptive Students: Agreed. Was told some work has started.

Rec #51: Five-day Extension for Principals: Should boards be in control of these days? Does this include VP? Should there be varying allotments based on school size?

Rec #52: Secretarial Hours/Technical Support: Gave examples of additional duties principals and VPs carry out - cuts into instructional time, not wise use of resources

Rec #53: School Scheduling: Presently not a targeted skill for inservice. Might MUN include some of this on its course on prinicpalship?

Rec #55: Audit Team: Like old school inspectors? Realistically can two people do this? Is it redundant - are controls already in place? Don't directors and assistant directors already do this? NLFSC, NLTA and NLSBA felt these things already being done. Should additional resources be spent?

Rec #56 and #57: Teacher Allocation Framework: In actual fact, has not benefitted all schools - detrimental to SNES and urban schools. Should we have a cap on class sizes? It should not be structured so that it's a trade off in urban schools for rural areas.

Rec #59 and #64: Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation: Importantt to deliver such services to teachers (professional development) as well as students. What would the ratio be of e teachers to students? Need extensive teacher support services. Need integrated approach.

Rec #65 Director Appointment: Discussion on both sides. Answering to two masters? In current system, ultimately the Department still has final approval. Rationale is to try to develop more consistent modes of operation across the province. Points of merit made on both sides. Made point that some parents have concerns as to where would directors take direction from, yet the spirit of the recommendation is an attempt to provide consistency.

Rec #66: Shared Support Services: Agreed. There is some sense in some segments of social services and education being linked. Social workers based out of schools are an example.

Rec #67:Dep't/Board Communication Protocal: To be established.

Rec #69: School Construction: Means the design manual should be reviewed and revised to bring into line with this recommendation.

Rec #71: Public examinations: Are global issues included? Response that these are usually more locally taught, outcomes related to local issues, hard to develop a provincial exam.

Rec #73: Public examinations - questions: Whatever is developed has to be current and reliable, with teacher input.

Rec #74: Public examinations - multiple choice: A move to multiple choice where appropriate but not completely. Essay questions demonstrate a better understanding of the material covered.

Rec #76: Public examinations and APEF: Agreed. Take as much as possible, but cannot be bound by APEF's time constraints.

Rec #78: School Reporting System: Value of the assessment only as good as its interpretation. Confidentiality could be an issue, especially with regard to smaller schools.

Rec #81: Underperforming schools: Concern that schools might be labelled.

Rec #83: Assessment: Current plan.

Rec #84: Assessment results to parents: Being done in many areas.

Rec #85: Public examination results: Could cause high school leaving marks to go down, some implications regarding university entrance, however provides accountability.

Rec #86: Research on approaches to serving special needs students: Since this area has such a wide range of stakeholders, importantt this research be done with a collaborative approach.