Grade 9 Destreamed English

• Streaming means separating students into different course types.

• In Ontario, students are currently streamed for Math, English, Science, Geography, History and French. The course types for these Grade 9 and 10 courses are Academic, Applied and Locally Developed.

• De-streaming means that students will no longer be separated into Academic and Applied Streams.

• Research shows that de-streaming results in better outcomes for students and particularly those who are from equity-seeking groups.

• Restacking the Deck

• Is It Time to Detrack Math?

• Restructured Pathways - Addressing Streaming from Grades 1 to 12 in the Toronto District School Board

• NCSM Position Paper - Closing the Opportunity Gap: A Call for Detracking Mathematics

• Ten Steps to Equity in Education

• Equity and Quality in Education: Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools

• Stop Streaming Students

• Understanding Issues Associated with Tracking Students in Mathematics Education

We will be using the Brightspace platform as our virtual learning environment this year to both complement in-person learning, and serve as a virtual classroom should we have to switch to remote teaching. 

Brightspace Guides for Parents (Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, English) 

My assessment and evaluation practices reflect current Ministry and Board policies. That means focusing on most recent, most consistent achievement of the overall expectations (as opposed to adding up all the grades and averaging them to determine a mark). 

I look for evidence of student learning in many different ways including conversations and observations, not just formal written assignments. In John Hattie’s book Visible Learning, he describes feedback as being “among the most powerful influences on student achievement” (Hattie 2010). However, the type of feedback teachers provide is critical. I will be focusing on giving descriptive feedback and ensuring students really understand their next steps. Research shows that when descriptive feedback is accompanied by a grade, the benefits of descriptive feedback are diminished (Black 2003), so I avoid putting grades on student work. Students will receive grades at midterm and end of term and if a student is in risk, I will contact home.  

You can check your student's evidence of learning by looking in their Portfolio and by looking at their Feedback tracker. You are also welcome to contact me at any time should you have questions or concerns about your student's progress.