Calgary Catholic School District receives $3,000 award recognizing innovation
Release date: November 20, 2003
A project aimed at helping teachers provide better service to the growing number of special needs students in regular classrooms, earned the Calgary Catholic School District the 2003 Premier’s Award for School Board Excellence and Innovation. The $3,000 cash award, sponsored by The Document Company Xerox, was presented Nov. 18 at the ASBA’s Fall General Meeting. Judges called Calgary Catholic’s Teacher as Leader -- Resource Support Coordinating Teacher (RSCT) initiative a practical, focused and cost-effective approach to a challenge facing school boards everywhere. Eleven school boards were in the running for the award.
Under the RSCT program, schools identify a coordinating teacher who assumes responsibility for supporting school staff to deliver services to students with special needs at the school. Through the year, these coordinating teachers participated in extensive professional development sessions covering topics such as Learning Difficulties, Literacy and the Continuum of Available District Services. The RSCT teachers, in turn, provide on-site leadership and support to other teachers by: helping them with the development of Individual Program Plans, by supporting the implementation of differentiated instruction in classrooms, by working with staff on instructional programs and by facilitating the ongoing review process for students with special needs.
In its submission, Calgary Catholic said having school-based lead teachers means: student needs are met in a timely, personal way; teachers have onsite support in the modification and adaptation of programs, creation of IPPs and differentiation of instruction; and professional development provided in schools is focused on specific school needs.
Calgary Catholic Board Chair Lois Burke-Gaffney said “We are delighted that the leadership and hard work of District Administration, Instructional Services staff and coordinating teachers have been recognized in this successful innovation. The Resource Support Coordinating Teacher initiative in Calgary Catholic has had a powerfully positive impact on elementary and junior high schools in the district. It has made a real difference to effective teaching and learning, enabling us to meet the needs of our diverse student population.”
The ASBA also presented the Edwin Parr Teacher Award to six outstanding first year teachers. The recipients are: Teneil Marshak, Holy Family CRD No. 37 (Peace River and area); Simone Bauer, Parkland School Division (Stony Plain/Spruce Grove and area); Tara Assinger, Elk Island Public Schools (Sherwood Park and Fort Saskatchewan area); Shannon Davie, Wetaskiwin Regional Division (Wetaskiwin and area); Alexandra Burns, Calgary Board of Education; and Michelle Hadden, Medicine Hat School District No. 76.
Eric Newell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Syncrude Canada, received the ASBA President’s Award, which is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to education. Newell was recognized for the extraordinary nature and contribution over time that he has made to education, to youth development, to strengthening partnerships between education and business and to aboriginal human resources development
For more information contact: Michele Mulder, ASBA President at 1.780.679.5627 (cell).
The Alberta School Boards Association serves and represents all Alberta’s public, separate and francophone school boards.
