Beliefs and Understandings
The principal and staff of Alexandra School share the following beliefs and understandings:
~ all students can achieve high standards given sufficient time and support
~ all teachers can teach to high standards given the right conditions and assistance
~ high expectations and early interventions are essential
~ teachers need to be able to articulate what they do and why they do it.

SCHOOL GOAL
To improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy as measured by the % of students achieving level three or four in EQAO Assessments.

Primary SMART Goal - LANGUAGE
Using various fiction and non fiction text forms, 75% of primary students will improve their writing levels as evaluated by writing exemplars.

HIGH YIELD STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL INCLUDE:
~ increasing oral communication skills (model, framework)
~ increase opportunities for real writing and rapid writing
~ Explore various text forms through implicit teaching
~ Display student writing at a variety of levels with exemplars, anchor charts and rubrics
~ Use rubrics, exemplars and anchor charts during planning, teaching, assessing and reporting to parents
~ Exploring other high yield strategies specific to gender
~ incorporate various text forms into math program
~ develop Reading Buddies to include the 6+1 writing traits

Primary SMART Goal - MATH
To better use known high yield strategies to improve all student achievement in math on report cards, unit tests, teacher observation and EQAO scores.

HIGH YIELD STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL INCLUDE:
~ use of math manipulates at least three times/unit
~ increase oral and written communication in math to clarity understanding
~ increase the variety of problem solving strategies through communication
~ incorporate various text forms into math program
~ participate in Math Buddies Program

Junior SMART Goal - Language
All junior students will maintain or improve their current level by at least an increment (eg. 2- to 2) in the CASI Junior Assessment in the Thinking strand.

HIGH YIELD STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL INCLUDE:
~ implicit teaching of higher order thinking skills more frequently
~ student use of "sticky note" reading strategy
~ teaching and encouragement of Text Talk strategy
~ reading responses from students are expected to contain answers to the question using proof from the text and personal opinions or connections
~ Sharing strategies to promote oral language including Think/Pair/Share and Elbow Partners
~ Graphic organizers are used to help students form their thoughts - not as finished products
~ Students will frequently work in groups
~ Use of the new 'star strategies'
~ Leadership roles during reading/writing buddies

Junior SMART Goal - Math 9 (Measurement)
50% or more of students in each grade will be at or above grade level on math unit tests, using the Math Matrix Instructional CD and Math Manipulatives as support in lessons.

HIGH YIELD STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL INCLUDE:
~ organization of shared math manipulatives
~ use of math manipulatives as support in lessons
~ Use of Math Matrix resource Binder and Instructional CD as support in lessons
~ focusing implicitly on the new curriculum
~ leadership in math buddies