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STAR Catholic continuing trends of quality Catholic education

STAR Catholic trustee column for Ponoka submission.

We speak often about how welcoming our STAR Catholic schools are, how our talented staff are dedicated to the students they serve, and how those students are eager to explore and achieve.

Sometimes those things are hard to measure. What is success?

One way we can see some numbers back up the stories of achievement in and out of our classrooms is the annual Accountability Pillar Overall Summary. The Accountability Pillar Overall Summary not only helps school boards measure success but it also helps assess progress in meeting learning goals.

In STAR Catholic we are proud to say we have maintained a very high rating a three year average of 90.6 per cent in providing safe and caring schools. Our education quality also remains very high with a 90.5 per cent rating this past year and a 91.5 per cent three year average.

Both of these metrics speak to the hard work set out by our students, staff and families and are embodied in STAR Catholic’s board priorities and indicators. Strengthening student learning and well-being is a top priority for the board. Creating a safe and welcoming school environment, rooted in the Gospels and the divine plan Christ has for all of us, truly creates a space where students can learn.

We continue to work hard to produce the best results for our students and our STAR Catholic families, and that’s why analyzing areas of improvement is just as important as celebrating success. Our recent Diploma Excellence results are one of those areas showing a need to delve deeper and examine the improvement that can be made. Those results saw a slip from those students meeting a measure of excellence on their diploma exam this past year. STAR Catholic’s three year average in this regard has been high, so a decrease is something to keep an eye on, but is not necessarily indicative of a trend.

In STAR Catholic we continue to work to engage with parents in regards to the education, well-being and the academic and spiritual growth of their children in our schools. We are proud to say that engagement is more than well received, it is positively reciprocated by our parents. Our school division received an 82.4 per cent ranking in that regard, which is above our 80.5 per cent three-year average.

Meanwhile, STAR Catholic continues to see high levels of achievement in Provincial Achievement Test Excellence, and preparation for students in the areas of citizenship and work preparation.

The Accountability Pillar Overall Summary will be posted as part of our Combined 3 Year Education Plan and Annual Education Results Report by November 30th. The report can be found in Reports and Documents, under the Division tab at www.starcatholic.ab.ca.

We are proud of our achievements as one of the highest performing school divisions in the province, and remain determined to keep improving in all areas. These results are a positive affirmation, but STAR Catholic is much more. It is staff devoted to their classrooms and the students therein. It is families involved, trusting and valuing Catholic education offered in our schools. And, it’s the collective story of children learning, celebrating faith and all of these partners growing together in Christ.

Dan Svitich dan.svitich@starcatholic.ab.ca is a Ponoka Trustee on the STAR Catholic Schools Division Board. STAR Catholic Schools has more than 3,900 students in 11 schools located in Beaumont, Drayton Valley, Leduc, Lacombe, Ponoka and Wetaskiwin.