Course looks to spark secondary success for Grade 8 students

The Algoma District School Board's Sparking Secondary Success course helps Grade 8 students earn a high school credit ahead of the game.

Some students who participated recently spoke at the ADSB's general meeting about the program.

Following is a full release from the school board on the course:

In the 2021-22 school year, Algoma District School Board (ADSB) piloted the Sparking Secondary Success (SSS) initiative at a school site in the district. Proving to be immensely successful, ADSB continued to offer the course at select schools. Now, Sparking Secondary Success is available to all Grade 8 students and registration is currently open for the 2024-25 school year. Since its inception, over 235 ADSB students have taken part in and successfully completed the program, each student earning a Grade 9 credit.

At the Oct. 29 regular board meeting, Trustees heard from students who completed the Sparking Secondary Success course last year. Student feedback was unanimous. All agreed that the SSS course made their transition to high school smoother. Many spoke of how they improved their time management skills and how this is benefiting them in Grade 9. Others shared that knowing the layout of the school and meeting secondary teachers in advance of entering high school was a great benefit. Still others spoke about gaining confidence in themselves and their learning which has added to their overall school experience.

While accelerated learning opportunities are provided in all ADSB 7-12 schools, the SSS course is focused on supporting the transition to secondary school by providing an opportunity to earn a credit prior to starting Grade 9. The credit earned is the Grade 9 Healthy Living and Individual/Small Group Activities (PAI1O) which counts as a compulsory credit for their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The course also focuses on supporting students in understanding themselves as learners through the four domains of well-being: physical, social, emotional, and cognitive.

Students explore their strengths and interests, utilizing an educational online tool (My BluePrint) to look at their pathways into secondary school and beyond. Throughout the course, students develop their understanding and skills (i.e. organization, study skills) to support their success in high school. They also plan a leadership event for their elementary or intermediate school and assist in Recess Re-Think, where they act as mentors to Grade 5 and 6 students who are training to become recess coaches.

Most of the course work is completed asynchronously through EDSBY. The course is designed to be flexible, and, with a few exceptions, students are not required to “attend” on specific days. They may sign into EDSBY on evenings or weekends to complete their course work which typically takes about 2 hours each week. Students participate in one virtual and four in person experiential learning days. These days will include special guests, team building, mental health exercises, physical health exercises and will take place on PD Days throughout the school year.

Students are encouraged to maintain a well-being journal and will complete logs around particular aspects of well-being including their physical and mental health, nutrition and sleep and then reflect on how these connect to the four domains of well-being.

Research tells us that credit accumulation at the end of Grade 9 is a key predictor for graduation, and provincial statistics have shown that if a student gets behind by one credit in Grade 9, only two thirds of these students will graduate in 5 years and the impact of additional missed credits further decreases graduation rates.

Algoma District School Board is very pleased to share that our data shows that Sparking Secondary Success is helping our students stay on track for graduation. Based on our 23/24 student data, 94.5% of Sparking Secondary Success students earned 8 or more credits by the end of their Grade 9 year. Additionally, on average, students who completed the Sparking Secondary Success course have 3.1% fewer absences per year than ADSB students as a whole.

Registration for the 2024-25 Sparking Secondary Success has been extended to Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Parents and/or guardians are encouraged to register by accessing this link. For questions or further information please click here or send an email.