By rdnewsNOW staff

Clearview, Wolf Creek school divisions celebrating success of joint efforts

Feb 5, 2019 | 3:30 PM

It’s being described as a rural partnership that has shown real academic gains for students.

At the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) Zone 4 meeting in Stettler Jan. 28, Division and Board officials from Clearview Public Schools and Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) shared the successes of their joint efforts aimed at creating strong, flexible instructional access and curricular outcomes for rural students.

According to officials, school board trustees from around Zone 4 heard how Enhanced Learning Models (ELM) create flexible learning environments by integrating multiple technologies, leading to positive results and an increase in high school completion.

Those technologies include digital content delivered in a platform accessible anywhere and anytime for students.

“The needs of rural Alberta schools vary from those in more urban environments,” says Peter Baron, Superintendent for Clearview Public Schools. “The ELM supports the current work of our teachers, and is especially helpful to beginning teachers and those teaching outside of their training. These additional supports are welcome solutions to some complex challenges.”

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Officials say Clearview and WCPS began ELMs in the 2016-2017 school year, before partnering together in June 2018.

A crucial part of the assessment success has been the two Boards covering the cost for students to access Rock the Diploma, an intensive preparatory session for students wanting to perform well on diploma exams.

This past school year, there were more than 540 WCPS students and 62 Clearview students who took advantage of their respective Board’s offering to fund Rock the Diploma preparations.

“Clearview is fortunate to be involved in a cooperative agreement between rural divisions that is having such a positive result for our students,” adds Clearview Public Schools board chair Greg Hayden. “We are unique boards with unique issues but common goals—student success. Partnerships like our relationship with Wolf Creek on Rock the Diploma and the Enhanced Learning Model, put our smaller rural divisions on equal footing with the larger divisions by providing a number of hours of intense instruction by selected master teachers to compliment the great work of our local teachers.”

“The improvement in Diploma results has been amazing and appears reproducible,” he continues. “Our students are excited and are embracing Rock the Diploma as a real opportunity. As a board we are excited and thankful for the partnership opportunity for Clearview.”

If parents or students are interested in learning more about flexible high school delivery through the ELM or how Rock the Diploma can help them, contact your school principal for more information.

(With files from Wolf Creek Public Schools and Clearview Public Schools)