Response to the Proposed Changes to French Instruction for Kindergarten and Primary Early

French Immersion

Alta Vista School Council

Committee of the WholeNovember 17th, 2015

Concerns- Proposal

• OCDSB recommendations present a solution to an undefined and unidentified problem, present no evidence or analysis, and do not provide any other options for consideration

• Context for review is unclear – Appears to be primarily undertaken in the context of a review of Full Day Kindergarten in Report 15-108,

however reference that it flows from the FSL review undertaken by the Board in 2007

• Questionable research in support of review– Nancy Wise’s 2009 study with Chen is quoted in support of introduction of English in Grade One, however

she has penned the attached in response to her research being included https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/french-immersion-crossroads-nancy-wise-ph-d-?trk=prof-post&trkSplashRedir=true&forceNoSplash=true and signed the petition by RBPS Council opposing these changes

– To support the two year kindergarten configuration, research from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2004) is quoted, explaining the importance of relationships in a young child’s world. However, the same article refers to children’s relationships with kindergarten teachers “children who develop warm, positive relationships with their kindergarten teachers are more excited about learning, more positive about coming to school, more self-confident and achieve more in the classroom”, yet the proposal means kindergarten students will have MORE points of contact and LESS ability to develop said relationships with their teacher.

Concerns -Implementation of Proposal

• Proposal to introduce 50/50 English/French instruction in JK will increase the number of teacher contacts– Previous concerns about the number of teachers contacts in the Board led to the 2009 decision to implement a partial rotary

model for intermediate students for reasons that included limiting the number of teacher contacts for intermediate (Grades 7-8) students

• JK classes are recommended to move to 50% French/50% English two years after the OCSDB fully implemented Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK). Legacy issues from the move to FDK remaining unaddressed include addressing behavioural problems in classrooms and insufficient French-speaking ECEs to fully staff the Senior Kindergarten classes; how will these be addressed adding 50% French instruction?

• Proposal moves to a Board-wide implementation on two of the three proposals effective September 2016: Why are changes on this scale not being done on a “pilot” basis to provide for a robust understanding of implementation challenges and lessons learned?

• There has been no consideration made to impacts on the English language programs in our schools, particularly in dual-track schools where enrollment numbers in English are already exceptionally low and English language only schools. Many of these schools have kindergarten students who are ESL learners, have their needs being considered and has research been done supporting their language learning environment ?

Concerns- Consultations

• Announced and consulted in less than a month, done under the banner of “proposed changes to French instruction for kindergarten and primary early French immersion”– Not evident from the title that the changes impact French instruction for ALL kindergarten students

and not just those in early French immersion

• Consultations and communications carried out in English only with no public announcements announcing consultation process, although OCDSB’s guiding principles for consultation http://

www.ocdsb.ca/med/pub/Publications%20%20Updated/Guiding_Principles_Consultation.pdf), reference an essential component to “Reach out to the broader community — engage participants who are typically less inclined to become involved in formal consultations (for example, parents facing language barriers)”

– OCDSB has many multicultural English schools: “school population reflects the cultural, linguisitc and socioeconomic diversity of our international, urban community within a proud Canadian context” (Charles Hulse PS), “Hawthorne Public School has an enrolment of 290 students representing over 40 countries of origin” (Hawthorne PS), and “We count approximately 75% of English Language Learners among our school population” (Queen Mary PS)

– Consultation Strategy outlined in Report No 15-115 mentions “an additional series of consultation meetings hosted in dual track schools in different locations across the District”

– Multicultural Liaisons Officers exist at schools; were they called on to assist?

Concerns- Consultations (cont)

• The Consultation Plan, outlined in Appendix A of Report 15-115 provided for communication to existing, involved OCDSB parents only and not to the public – Communication occurred via the district website, OCDSB social media, OCASC, school councils, school

newsletters, and communication to elementary teachers, early childhood educators and educational assistants and Venues for consultation included OCASC, PIC, ACE, ACED&C, School Council Training Day, SEAC, and the four information sessions

• Primary method of consulting was through sending email to the parents of the 47,990 students (based on 2014 data) currently in the elementary system – 29,435 of these students will be unaffected by proposed changes to math , 38,998 of these students will be unaffected by

proposed changes to English in Grade One, and 47,990 will be unaffected by proposed changes to JK – Although approximately 4500 new JK students enroll each year (4362 in 2014), no efforts were made to ensure that

parents of incoming students for 2016-17 and future years were consulted, and only would have been if they had a child already in the system

• Of the 47,990 elementary students’ parents who were invited to take the survey or attend one of four consultation sessions, OCDSB received 200 emails (staff and students), 2958 public responses to the survey, and 187 people attended the four public consultation meetings

• Note: Source: Enrollment Statistics Summary, October 31, 2014, Attachment A to Memo 15-018

Concerns-Consultations (cont)

• OCDSB has highlighted the response rate as “extremely successful in soliciting feedback from parents” and has highlighted this “impressive response to the public and staff surveys” response rate as “strong parent support” for the move to a 50/50 model and “strong support” for the change to English language instruction in mathematics.

• OCDSB references Policy P.110. Gov in their Consultation Plan– Includes a commitment to “meaningful consultations”, defined as “planned, purposeful,

democratic process for involving knowledgeable, interested and affected groups and/or individuals”

– Allows for the provision of “relevant background material in advance and by an accessible means”

– Will “actively seek the views and engage in dialogue with a variety of interested, affected groups, and/or individuals and key sources of information”

Concerns- Driver for Changes

• Review of Full-Day Kindergarten has been acknowledged, as well as link to 2007 FSL review

• However, proposal comes at a time when the OCDSB is facing significant financial pressures – Full Day Kindergarten costs prior to 2014-15 were provided for in a separate grant– Move to Full Day Kindergarten resulted in increased spending – Overall reserve funds are down significantly

• Proposal offers $500,000 in cost-savings through the reduction of five kindergarten homerooms and allows the OCDSB to receive an additional $2 million in revenue as a result of the additional FSL grant for the changes in delivery of French in JK.

• Is the rationale financial or pedagogical?

Conclusion

• If proposed changes to the delivery of French instruction for both Kindergarten and Primary French Immersion students are adopted, OCDSB will now offer:– One of the lowest amount of French language instruction in an Early French

immersion program in Canada – No option of English only instruction for JK/SK– No French instruction in the subject of mathematics at any point

• Are we confident that there is sufficient rationale, analysis, and evidence to support these changes? Are we confident that the right people have been consulted? Are we confident that the consultation process and these changes respect the Guiding Principles of the OCDSB (Appendix B)?

• Will the Trustees consider revisiting the proposal to dramatically change our kindergarten and Primary EFI programs, ensuring exploring a full range of options and full consultation with all impacted stakeholders, in advance of voting for these changes?

Appendix B: Guiding Principles of the OCDSB

• To make students our primary focus• To support programs and services which challenge all students to

achieve their personal best• To recognize and value the diversity of our community by ensuring

equity, accessibility and fairness of learning opportunities• To consider the input of students, parents, staff and the wider

community through meaningful consultation• To make efficient, effective and innovative use of our resources,

based on solid planning and best available information• To foster vital and mutually beneficial relationships between schools

and their communities• To make professional, transparent decisions with integrity and

respect for all