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Writer's pictureJoanna McKay

Inclusive Schools Network Presents: At-Risk Community of Practice (CoP)






Why join our community of practice?

Please read below to find out more.





Purpose: To support and assist school board professionals in aligning and anchoring best practices in the following areas:

1.      Identifying at-risk students in general education classrooms;

2.     Promoting preventative practice, policies, and programs to increase the likelihood of student success;

3.     Recommending appropriate evidence-based interventions.


Goals: To create a Community of Practice (CoP) in English-speaking educational network as it relates to at-risk students to:
  1. Promote professional learning;

  2. Encourage communication and collaboration among members;

  3. Share experience and expertise;

  4. Provide opportunities for practical applications.


Background:

As a Center of Excellence (CoE), Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) is a provincial resource mandated to support and assist the English-speaking educational network, the provisions of the Education Act, and the ministerial guidelines, to promote the educational success of all students by ensuring the transfer and appropriation of knowledge. As such ISN offers support to school board professionals through workshops, professional development sessions, training and the creation of resources and materials.


            In spring of 2023-24, ISN invited the Special Needs Network of Anglophone Professionals (SNNAP) to attend an in person meeting to discuss the priorities in their school board for at-risk students and what professional development and/or other supports were needed to best support teacher’s and student’s needs. The goal of this meeting was to discover and define the top 2-3 needs of the SNNAP community (within ISN's mandate) and determine how to best meet these needs so that ISN’s action plan would reflect the actual needs of the community.

            Twelve SNNAP members from nine school boards confirmed their initial interest. However, due to a number of different circumstances, five participants from 5 school boards participated in the discussion (one participant joined later as they were unable to attend the in-person meeting).

            The meeting was structured to identify participants (and the school boards they represent) needs by understanding why we do what we do, how we do it best and finally what is it that we need to do.





The following needs were identified:

  • knowledge and application of evidence- based best practice/tier 1

  • collaboration with subject consultants

  • practical resource and toolkits.


Participants of this meeting were given the opportunity to join a steering committee to co-construct this project which has led to this project proposal.

 





Objectives:
To create a Community of Practice (CoP) in English-speaking educational network as it relates to at-risk students to:

1.      Promote professional learning: The following questions would underpin the professional learning of the CoP:

a.     How do we know if students are at risk?

b.     What preventative measures need to be put in place to mitigate risk factors?

c.     What do we do once a student has fallen off track?

2.     Encourage communication and collaboration among members and share experience and expertise (participants will be asked to share formally and informally)

a. What current practices are in their school boards;

b. How school board teams have successfully led training to improve teacher practice/student learning;

c. Successful models of accompaniment with school teams;

d. School board project/initiatives that have created lasting positive change;

e. Reflections on practice.

3.    Provide opportunities for practical applications.


 

Please join us for our first meeting-in person!

We want to hear from you to understand your school board's needs when it comes to supporting at-risk students; each session will be tailored to reflect the needs of the community and we need your input and participation. We highly encourage that a minimum of one participant per school board.


Further information regarding the location and date will be provided soon. Please fill out the form to get things started.



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