Spencer Middle School

To determine what we know about our learners, we asked our students directly and also used data from different sources. Overarching themes indicate there are three primary areas to focus on at Spencer:

• equity, diversity and inclusion;
• the social emotional learning and development of students and staff;
• creating systems and structures to continue to support students with literacy and numeracy development.

We specifcially looked at these sources of data: 1) the Middle Years Development Instrument (UBC survey); 2) school-based course marks in MyEducation; 3) the Equity Survey (school-based, district-supported survey); 4) the Supporting Student Learning School-Based Inquiry Survey (school-based, district-supported survey); 5) the 2021-22 Student Learning Survey (Ministry of Education); and 6) the Foundation Skills Assessment results from 2021-22 (Ministry of Education). 

All grade 6 students completed the Middle Years Development Instrument in 2021-2022. The well-being index measures children’s physical health and social emotional development and highlights areas of critical importance during the middle years. Specifically, the areas the MDI focuses on at the grade six level are: Optimism, Happiness, Self-Esteem, Absence of Sadness and General Health. Based on the well-being index, 33% of grade six students at Spencer are considered “thriving” (district average is 32%), 25% are “medium” or doing OK (district average is 24%), and 42% are “Low”, or not doing so well (district average is 44%). While these percentages suggest Spencer students are doing better for overall well-being than the district average, they also show that 2/3 or 64% of Spencer’s Grade 6 Students are not thriving. These numbers illustrate there is room for the development of partnerships between the school-families/parents and the community. 

The data from both the MDI and the school-based Supporting Student Learning Inquiry (SSL) surveys show that students have a sense of belonging and connectedness to the school, but there is still room for growth. This is especially clear around developing strong adult connections at both the school and community levels. 66% of grade six students felt they had 1-2 adult connections at the school, and 34 % of grade six students do not yet feel they have an important adult connection at the school. While the Covid-19 pandemic has most certainly contributed to these results, it shows that an area to focus on at Spencer is to provide opportunities to develop student-adult-community connections because 1/3 of Spencer grade six students do not yet feel they have an important adult at the school.

About 50% of Spencer Grade 6 students rated their “self-awareness” as low, meaning they are not aware of their feelings or how to describe them. Based on the results of the MDI and SSL surveys, agency is also an important aspect for Spencer students and the ability to have some control and ownership over their learning. This finding connects to the sense that 62% of students feel they can make a positive difference in the world, but some may lack the knowledge or skills on how to do this. Based on these results, an area for growth could be greater emphasis on service learning, as 50% of students indicated they had volunteered in the past, 66% indicated they will volunteer in the future, but only 9% of students are currently volunteering (MDI Grade 6 School Report 2021-2022).

When we looked at the academic perfomance data, it was clear that an area for growth for Spencer is to develop a school-wide system to really get a sense of how students are doing with their learning, especially around literacy and numeracy. In looking at the school specific data found on MyEducation BC (course marks) just under half of Spencer students were receiving ‘emerging’ or ‘developing’ in English Language Arts and Mathematics in 2021-22. The participation levels in the Foundation Skills Assessment for 2021-22 were low (only 22% of grade seven students participated, which is on par with the district average), so it is unclear whether these results are indicative of how students are doing. From the FSA results, however, it shows that 67% of grade 7 students (or 2/3) are ‘on track’ for reading, writing and numeracy. What that means, though, is that 1/3 of Spencer students are not currently reading, writing, or doing math at grade level. This data is on par with the district results as well. This data analysis shows two things: 1) the school could develop a more thorough system for tracking and understanding how students are doing in literacy and numeracy and, 2) there is room to support students become more proficient in literacy and numeracy.

In summary, there are two overarching themes to focus on which would benefit Spencer students and the school community. The lens of equity, diversity and inclusion is embedded with these themes. One theme, or goal, could be a focus on social emotional learning, primarily looking for ways to support students feel more connected to adults at the school and provide a place-based sense of purpose and belonging. The second theme is a focus on learning, specifically in getting a better sense of how Spencer students are doing in areas of literacy and numeracy, and supporting strategies, interventions and pedagogy that supports literacy and numeracy development.