PSI Strategic Plan Goals
Together with the Leadership Team, PSI’s Board of Governors developed a Strategic Plan consisting of learning centred goals in the areas of Personalised, Thinking and Balanced. In this second year of this plan, we continued our work to develop the school and its approaches in all of these areas.
In the goal area of Personalised, some of the steps we have taken include a process to better review unit plans for personalisation, development of a philosophy of tech integration, which is being revised based on learning from the pandemic experience, and faculty training on personalised learning, including a learner continuum and the differences between differentiated, individualised and personalised learning as outlined in this document.
In the Thinking goal area, we have trained 89% of the faculty in the area of cultures of thinking, including through a November visit by Mark Church, co-author of Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence in All Learners, and consultant with Harvard Project Zero’s Making Thinking Visible and Cultures of Thinking initiatives worldwide. We used MYP student criterion grades to assess student ability to transfer and apply knowledge and skills, and determined that 78.6% of students are showing at least an average of 5 or higher on indicated IB criterion, with a goal to have 80% of students at this level.
With regard to the Goal of Balanced, we continued our efforts to be a welcoming and friendly community, increased primary learner instruction in social emotional topics, adjusted our approach to co-curricular activity enrolment and worked to have students contributing positively to the digital world. We found that prior to the pandemic, we had 84.7% of our students partaking in co-curricular activities. We also found that our level of student counseling referrals for serious social and emotional issues increased by one student in each division; however, that can be explained both through increased enrolment and due to the stress caused by the pandemic situation.
Personalised:
To develop engaged and motivated learners by providing personalised learning opportunities relevant to their lives, interests and ambitions.
I know where I am in my learning and what I have to do to progress.
Parent
12%
73%
2020
5%
83%
2019
G3-5 Students
4%
84%
2020
Secondary Students
15%
77%
2020
Faculty
7%
87%
2020
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 85% by 2020 Parents: rating decreased G3-5 Students: close to target Sec. Students: close to target Faculty: met target
Planned Actions
We plan to increase the transparency of our student evaluation process, so our parents are better informed about student involvement in their own evaluation.
Students are involved in the design of their own learning.
Parent
G3-5 Students
12%
75%
2020
Secondary Students
34%
61%
2020
Faculty
18%
75%
2020
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 75% by 2022 G3-5 Students: met target Sec. Students: growth needed Faculty: met target
Planned Actions
We plan to provide more professional development and coaching for faculty on methods to enhance students experience with personalised learning
Setting and reflecting on goals motivate me to improve.
Parent
G3-5 Students
18%
77%
2020
Secondary Students
28%
61%
2020
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Growth needed for target
Target: 80% by 2020 G3-5 Students: close to target Sec. Students: growth needed
Planned Actions
We plan to update students' goal setting process as part of our integration of the new learning management system.
Students have opportunities for flexible pacing
Parent
G3-5 Students
25%
65%
2020
Secondary Students
23%
63%
2020
Faculty
9%
85%
2020
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Growth needed for target
Target: 80% by 2021 G3-5 Students: growth needed Sec. Students: growth needed Faculty: growth needed
Planned Actions
We plan to provide more faculty training and coaching so that faculty better understand pedagogical approachs to incorporating flexible pacing strategies into unit design.
Example Survey Comments
"Especially for the DP program, PSI needs to provide students with more flexibility. Right now with the distance learning, DP students have a lot of flexibility to work at their own pace - not the same when we were on campus. Flexibility will decrease a lot of stress that DP students have, and therefore I think is a very important addition." —Secondary Student
Most of what I learn in my classes is relevant to me.
Parent
G3-5 Students
8%
83%
2020
Secondary Students
26%
67%
2020
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Growth needed for target
Target: 80% by 2020 G3-5 Students: met target Sec. Students: growth needed
Planned Actions
We plan to create empathy building experiences between faculty and secondary students so that faculty might better understand what learning is relevant to secondary students.
Thinking:
To develop students thinking dispositions and habits by creating a culture of thinking in our classrooms and across our school.
Most teachers help me make connections across the different subject areas.
Parent
G3-5 Students
1%
96%
2020
4%
94%
2019
Secondary Students
17%
79%
2020
15%
82%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 90% by 2020 G3-5 Students: close to target Sec. Students: close to target
Planned Actions
We plan to convene a focus group of secondary students in order to better understand in what ways teachers could better help make connections between subjects.
I am provided with opportunities to generate creative ideas and solutions.
Parent
G3-5 Students
4%
88%
2020
2%
88%
2019
Secondary Students
9%
87%
2020
6%
88%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 90% by 2020 G3-5 Students: close to target Sec. Students: close to target
Planned Actions
We plan to encourage faculty to provide opportunities for creativitiy and provide additional professional development in this area.
Balanced:
To develop cognitively, emotionally, socially, and physically balanced learners.
PSI is welcoming and friendly.
Parent
100%
2020
6%
90%
2019
G3-5 Students
1%
96%
2020
7%
92%
2019
Secondary Students
4%
91%
2020
3%
91%
2019
Faculty
9%
90%
2020
17%
83%
2019
Staff
100%
2020
100%
2019
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Met target
Target: 90% by 2020 Parents: met target G3-5 Students: met target Sec. Students: met target Faculty: met target Staff: met target
Planned Actions
We plan to share these results and celebrate with the community :)
PSI creates an environment where I can usually be myself around others.
Parent
G3-5 Students
Secondary Students
17%
80%
2020
19%
70%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Met target
Target: 80% by 2020 Sec. Students: met target
PSI cares about my well-being.
Parent
G3-5 Students
3%
88%
2020
9%
78%
2019
Secondary Students
22%
69%
2020
24%
70%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 80% by 2020 G3-5 Students: met target Sec. Students: growth needed
Planned Actions
We plan to convene student focus groups in order to better understand students' needs for well-being
Example Survey Comments
"I believe that PSI should care more about the students wellbeing because I know a lot of people including myself that feel a lot of pressure and stress because of the overloading amount of work we are expected to complete and in time. I also believe that students should have more freedom in terms of creativity and doing things that interests them not outside of school but in different classes." —Secondary Student
PSI provides me with opportunities to explore various personal interests.
Parent
G3-5 Students
Secondary Students
18%
77%
2020
9%
90%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 90% by 2021 Sec. Students: close to target
Planned Actions
We plan to meet with secondary students in order to design Exploratories which reflect personal interests
Example Survey Comments
"I believe that PSI should care more about the students wellbeing because I know a lot of people including myself that feel a lot of pressure and stress because of the overloading amount of work we are expected to complete and in time. I also believe that students should have more freedom in terms of creativity and doing things that interests them not outside of school but in different classes." —Secondary Student
I learn how to be responsible online.
Parent
G3-5 Students
7%
89%
2020
4%
90%
2019
Secondary Students
25%
61%
2020
24%
69%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 80% by 2021 G3-5 Students: met target Sec. Students: growth needed
Planned Actions
We plan to review and revise our digital citizenship lessons.
Example Survey Comments
"In trying to teach us how to be safe online or how to organise, you just kind of cram the ideas" -Secondary Student
PSI teaches me how to make positive, socially responsible online contributions.
Parent
G3-5 Students
9%
69%
2020
7%
88%
2019
Secondary Students
12%
74%
2020
10%
79%
2019
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Close to target / Good result
Target: 80% by 2021 G3-5 Students: growth area Sec. Students: close to target
Planned Actions
We plan to review and revise our digital citizenship lessons.
PSI has helped develop the skills needed to effectively utilise global information networks.
Parent
5%
83%
2020
G3-5 Students
Secondary Students
10%
82%
2020
Faculty
Staff
Agree, Strongly Agree (bottom) / Disagree, Strongly Disagree (top)
Goal results
Met target
Target: 80% by 202 Parents: met target Sec. Students: met target
2020 Agrees increased by least 10% vs. 2019
More than 90% Agree/Strongly Agree
More than 15% Disagree
2020 agrees dropped by least 10% vs. 2019
2020 disagrees increased by least 10% vs. 19