Transcript Slide 1

MFI Information Session
Joint Presentation by the
Curriculum Services & Planning Departments
February 25, 2008
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Agenda
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Introduction - Purpose of the Information Session
FSL Program Review
FSL Programs
Expansion of MFI Sites
Frequently Asked Questions
Q&A
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
OCDSB FSL Program Review –
Elementary
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
FSL Review: Objectives
• to improve the effectiveness of delivery and instruction for
FSL programs;
• to ensure that students throughout the school district have
equitable access to FSL programs;
• to ensure that FSL programs have viable and sustainable
enrolments; and,
• to ensure that FSL programs are cost effective.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
FSL Review Process &
Timelines
• Structure: Ad Hoc Committee (Dec 2006…), FSL Support Team
(Mar – Jun 2007), FSL Staff Sub-Committees (Nov 2007…)
• Process: literature review (Feb – May 2007), stakeholder surveys
(Mar – Aug 2007), central data (Mar – Aug 2007), synthesis & report
writing (May – Aug 2007), consultation on recommendations (Oct
– Nov 2007), consultation on program locations (April – May 2008)
• Communication: literature review (May 2007), interim report
(Jun 2007), final report (Sep 2007), final recommendations (Dec
2007), letter to parents of elementary students (Jan 2008)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Effective FSL Delivery Models and
Instructional Practices
• Key Elements of the FSL Review:
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Description of the types of FSL programs
Motivating factors to enroll in/be successful in FI programs
Teaching requirements/qualifications
Learning environment
Student outcomes
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Equity of Access and
Viability & Sustainability of Enrolment
• Key Elements of the FSL Review :
 Characteristics of students enrolled in FSL programs
 Enrolment patterns, attrition/retention rates, split-grade classes
 Accessibility
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Cost Effectiveness of FSL Programs
• Key Elements of the FSL Review:
 FSL Ministry Grants
 Comparative Costs
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Approved Motion: 18 December 2007
A. The Late French immersion (LFI) program be phased out beginning September
2008, with a phase-out strategy which will ensure, subject to there being sufficient
enrolment, that students currently enrolled in grades 4 to 7 continue to have access
to a Late French immersion program and that any student who does not have
access to an MFI program in Grade 4 has access to an LFI program.
B. Effective September 2008, the OCDSB program delivery structure for French as a
Second Language will be:
• Core French (maintaining current time allocation of JK/SK 100
minutes/week; grades 1-8 200 minutes/week);
• Early French Immersion (EFI) (SK to grade 8);
• Middle French Immersion (MFI) (grades 4 to 8);
with Late French immersion offered in accordance with the phase-out plan.
C. The phase-out of LFI and the introduction of new MFI sites be implemented as
detailed in the implementation plan outlined in Report 199-07 to Education
Committee.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Approved Motion (continued)
D. The FSL sub-committees on Core French and French Immersion established by
Board motion on 25 September 2007 will be staff committees that will undertake the
work as described in the motion and will report on their work in February and June
2008.
E. Staff develop an accountability framework designed to measure the outcomes
achieved as a result of the changes made to FSL programs as they relate to the
following objectives established by the FSL Review Ad Hoc Committee:
• to improve the effectiveness of delivery and instruction for FSL programs;
• to ensure that students throughout the school district have equitable
access to FSL programs;
• to ensure that FSL programs have viable and sustainable enrolments; and,
• to ensure that FSL programs are cost effective
• and that the accountability framework be presented to the FSL Review Ad
Hoc Committee no later than June 2008.
F. Staff evaluate the FI program against the accountability framework in a report for
May 2011 to determine if the remaining LFI sites or other solutions satisfy unmet
needs, particularly those of at-risk or immigrant students or students newly arrived
to the district, and bring
forward
a report
outliningCommunity
any recommended changes to the
Our
Focus: Learning,
Leadership,
Elementary FSL Programs
in the OCDSB
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Core French Program
In the Core French program, students develop basic oral
comprehension and communication skills. The program is
mandatory for all elementary students not enrolled in French
Immersion.
Note: A student who successfully completes the Core French program is
expected to have a basic level of proficiency in the French language.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Core French in the OCDSB
• 100 minutes per week of French instruction - JK, SK
• 200 minutes per week of French instruction - grades 1-8
Note: Instruction in Core French serves as an important base for
students entering one of the OCDSB’s French Immersion
programs (EFI or MFI).
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Early French Immersion Program
In the Early French Immersion (EFI) program, students are
provided with the opportunity to become functionally bilingual
through an earlier and a maximum exposure to French.
Note: A student who successfully completes the EFI program, and later
enrolls in a secondary level program which meets the requirements to obtain
the OCDSB Extended French or French Immersion Certificate, is expected to
be able to communicate with ease and feel comfortable in either language
community (English or French) and also accept employment, training or
further education in either language.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Early French Immersion in the OCDSB
• 20 minutes daily French instruction - JK
• 150 minutes French instruction - SK (100%)
• 300 minutes French instruction - grade 1 (100%)
• 240 minutes French instruction - grades 2-3 (80%/20% F/E)
• 180 minutes French instruction - grades 4-6 (60%/40% F/E)
• 150 minutes French instruction - grades 7 and 8 (50%/50%)
Note: Mathematics instruction in English begins in grade 4
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Middle French Immersion Program
In the Middle French Immersion (MFI) program, students are
provided with the opportunity to obtain a solid foundation in
English language skills in the primary grades before starting
intensive study of a second language.
Note: A student who successfully completes the MFI program, and later
enrolls in a secondary level program which meets the requirements to obtain
the OCDSB Extended French or French Immersion Certificate, is expected to
be able to communicate with ease and feel comfortable in either language
community (English or French) and also accept employment, training or
further education in either language.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Middle French Immersion in the OCDSB
• 20 minutes daily French instruction - JK, SK
• 40 minutes daily French instruction - grades 1-3
• 200 minutes French instruction - grades 4-6 (66%/34% F/E)
• 150 minutes French instruction (grades 7 and 8) (50%/50%)
Note: Mathematics instruction in English begins in grade 4
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Late French Immersion – last cohort in
2010/2011
• At least 1000 minutes per week of instruction in the French language
in
grades 7 and including:
- 300 minutes of French Language Instruction,
- 150 minutes of Social Studies instructed in French,
- 150 minutes of Science and Technology instructed in French
- 400 minutes of instruction in French in other subject areas
• Up to 500 minutes of instruction in the English Language in grades
7 and
8 including:
- 200 minutes of English Language instruction,
- Up to 300 minutes of instruction in English in other subject areas.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Expansion of MFI Locations
• Three new MFI sites have been established for
September 2008: Metcalfe Public School, Kars Public
School/Rideau Valley Middle School and Trillium
Elementary School to provide district-wide coverage for
MFI delivery.
• It is anticipated that, as the strength of the program
grows, new sites will be added.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Criteria for Selection of MFI
Sites
• The development of criteria for establishment of new
programs includes, but is not restricted to, the following
factors:
– Identification of the long-term critical mass
necessary to the program and what support is
required while the program grows
– Identification of locations wherein program delivery
models require consolidation in order to avoid the
fragmentation of programs and resources
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Criteria for Selection of MFI
Sites
• Continued…
– The expressions of interest/commitment for the
program’s inception from the receiving school
community
– Support by means of demographics and geography
that an area can support a new program
– Identification of community school availability and
equity of access for children
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Criteria for Selection of MFI
Sites
• Continued…
– Consideration of financial implications (staffing,
transportation for example)
– Consideration of impact on neighbouring schools
and their future
– Consideration of existing grade/program
configuration in relationship to enrolment and
program viability (K-8 schools, K-6 schools, etc.)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Next Steps – 2008/2009
Timelines - Middle French Immersion Implementation
Information Sessions: 25 February 2008
1:00–3:00 p.m., Confederation Education Centre
7:00-9:00 p.m., Adult High School
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Presentation of Middle French Immersion program issues
Feedback from school communities concerning potential criteria for decision-making and other school community issues
Consultative/Recommendations Stage: 18 March 2008
7:00-9:00 p.m., Confederation Education Centre, library and breakout rooms
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Meetings with school council chairs and principals of schools interested in new Middle French Immersion programs (or other French as
a Second Language programs) in superintendency/geographic areas configurations
Receipt of feedback
Decision-Making Stage:
13 February 2008 - Business Services Committee approval of Consultation Plan
9 April 2008 - Delegations to Business Services Committee
9 April 2008 - Initial recommendations to Business Services Committee re: MFI locations and next steps
22 April 2008 - Board Meeting
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Q Are FSL programs beneficial for my child?
A Yes. Regardless of the FSL program chosen, exposure
to the French language provides children with many
academic and social benefits, including: a deeper
understanding of French and French-speaking cultures,
a greater number of career options, and a lifelong ability
to communicate in French.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Q If I choose a French Immersion program for my child,
will it be a detriment to my child if I don’t know French
myself?
A No, not at all. French Immersion programs were
specifically designed for children whose
parents/guardians have little or no facility in French.
Nevertheless, parents/guardians can still encourage
their children to learn French by providing the
opportunity to hear and speak French in authentic
situations (e.g., take a trip to Quebec, watch French
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television, readOurFrench
books, listen to French music,
Frequently Asked Questions
Q Will my child receive English language instruction in a
French Immersion program?
A Yes. With the exception of senior kindergarten and
grade 1 in the EFI program, where 100% of the
instruction is in French, students in both EFI and MFI
will receive English language instruction for English
Language Arts. By grade 4, students in both programs
will also receive English language instruction for
Mathematics through to grade 8.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Q Is it true that French Immersion is only for “gifted”
children?
A No. Any student enrolled in the OCDSB is eligible for a
French Immersion program. Many children in our
district, from all social and economic backgrounds, are
enrolled in French Immersion programs.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Q Can a student who is currently an English language
learner enroll in a French Immersion program?
A Yes. Research indicates that learning a second, or even
a third, language at an early age is possible, and, has a
positive impact on intellectual growth. Cognitive
development is enriched and enhanced, as immersion
students develop learning skills that they may apply to
their first language, other academic subject areas and
life experiences.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Q Will a French Immersion program mask, or even
worsen, any learning difficulties my child might have?
A No. Academic ability is not directly related to
performance in French language skills. A child’s
learning difficulties in reading, writing, or other subject
areas, will surface regardless of the language of
instruction. These difficulties should not normally be a
barrier to bilingual education. French Immersion
teachers are very aware of children who may be
experiencing learning problems, and, will work with your
Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
child to provideOurthe
learning support services required.
THANK YOU
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community