Île-à-la-Crosse School Division Chairperson Duane Favel believes local control of education has a lot to do with the success of students. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Annual report

Annual report shows big gains for Île-à-la-Crosse School Division

Mar 19, 2019 | 5:03 PM

There’s been some major improvements when it comes to academics for students in the Île-à-la-Crosse School Division.

According to the division’s most recent annual report, the on-time graduation rate has spiked from 47 per cent in June 2017 to 61 per cent in June 2018. The number of high school students who obtain eight or more credits in an academic year has also gone up significantly from 38 per cent in 2016-17 compared to 54 per cent in 2017-18. Île-à-la-Crosse School Division Chairperson Duane Favel attributes some of the increase to local control of education.

“I think it makes a difference when we get to decide the decisions for the school division,” Favel, who is also the mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse said. “We get to decide in partnership with our director of education … and have conversations to determine where the resources should be directed. We make decisions when we feel there’s needs in certain areas [and] we’re able to quickly redirect resources and address some of the concerns.”

The vast majority of students attending school in Île-à-la-Crosse are either Métis or First Nations. In fact, the number of non-Indigenous students is so low, their academic performance is not revealed in the annual report to avoid identifying individuals or very small groups of students. When compared to other First Nations, Métis or Inuit (FNMI) students across Saskatchewan, those in Île-à-la-Crosse are over-performing their peers by far.

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For instance, the provincial on-time graduation rate for FNMI students is 45 per cent while the average for those in Île-à-la-Crosse is 61 per cent. There’s also a wide disparity when it comes credit attainment as 31 per cent of FNMI students across the province receive eight or more in single year compared to 55 per cent in Île-à-la-Crosse. Only 10 years ago, students in Île-à-la-Crosse where comparable to other FNMI students across the province.

“Incorporating language and culture into the curriculum has been extremely important for us,” Favel said. “[Students] feel like coming to school and feel the programming is relevant. They can in engage not only in academics, but culture and language. For the ones who do a lot of sports, that keeps them working hard as well.”

Île-à-la-Crosse School Division Director of Education Dave Dornstauder also attributed some of the students success to a focus on attendance, literacy and language. For example, he stated there’s more of an emphasis on on-hands learning, field trips and lab work. With teachers providing lessons in a more engaging way, Dornstauder believes more students will be interested in coming to school, especially those who struggle while in the classroom.

In the fall, the board of education also made it mandatory for high school students to take Michif language classes in Grades 10, 11 and 12. The classes are locally-developed, Dornstauder added, and will be phased in over the next three years.

“It’s being taught by local people here in the community and it’s been very well received by the kids,” he said. “They are doing similar things at the elementary level.”

The Île-à-la-Crosse School Division includes 362 students who attend classes either at Rossignol High School or Rossignol Elementary School. There are 27 teachers, 14 educational support staff and three principals.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno