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Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) in central Alberta, Canada, comprises 29 schools that serve approximately 7,300 K-12 students. The expansive, largely rural territory served by WCPS takes about 2.5 hours to traverse by car. Nearly 750 or approximately 10% of students in the division self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Metis.
“We just tested our students, and about 85% increased their reading levels over the pandemic. We were all ready to attack learning gaps, but that was not our issue,” says Marg Brookwell teacher lead, West Country Outreach School.
These results, coming from a small outreach school, are significant for two reasons. First, they represent a group of students who could be deemed as “at risk for dropping out,” and given another scenario, may have slipped through the cracks during the pandemic.
Secondly, a mere seven years ago, student achievement levels for high school assessment (diploma exams) and K-9 assessment (PAT) fell far below the Alberta average.
Technology integration plays a critical role in narrowing the gap. Unlike districts that have contracts with many edtech and digital providers, WCPS has kept it simple. As a result, Hāpara stands out as the key digital resource in place at Wolf Creek prior and during the pandemic, according to Sean Lougheed, Director of Education Services for the division.
“One of the tools that supported Wolf Creek staff and students during the 2020-21 school year while they participated in hybrid learning both online and face to face was Hāpara, an online instruction platform that allows teachers to create and facilitate interactive online instruction,” explains Lougheed.
Since 2015, Hāpara Workspace has increasingly enabled the division to deliver flexible learning options and rigorous content to all high school students through the division’s Enhanced Learning Model, 64 core curriculum courses (math, sciences, social studies and English) developed by many of the division’s most experienced master teachers. Above and beyond the Enhanced Learning Model, several of WCPS’s over 400 teachers have built or adapted courses in Workspace for elementary through high school. Across WCPS, teachers interacted with Hāpara Workspace 156,624 times during the 2020-21 school year, the equivalent of 846 interactions per school day.
“Through the effective utilization of online tools like Hāpara Workspaces and instructional flexibility, WCPS students were able to continue their learning as they transitioned to and from learning at home and at school, which helped to minimize any potential learning gaps for students,” says Lougheed. “Going forward, WCPS will continue to utilize online instruction to support the flexible learning needs of students and families.”
Along with logistical and academic challenges impacting student achievement, many students are dealing with social-emotional issues affecting their learning. In the division’s most recent profile of student needs taken before the pandemic, individuals requiring social-emotional support surpassed the number having significant academic needs.
Historically, one way Wolf Creek has addressed the need for access for its diverse populations is through alternative schools, including five that serve Hutterite colonies and two outreach schools designed to help students in outlying areas. These flexible learning environments that emphasize individualized learning serve students who learn more effectively outside a traditional school setting and individuals who could be deemed at risk for dropping out for many reasons.
Alva Holiday, principal at West Country Outreach School, emphasizes that the barriers for her students are not intellectual. Her priority is to work on anything getting in the way of their education before jumping into academics. Her skilled staff successfully offers various types of school work to meet their academic requirements and goals, which involves extensive training. “Communicating closely with the community and our families, we all work together holistically on the psychological, emotional, physical and intellectual areas so that the whole student is being served,” Alva explains.
Alva Holiday, principal at West Country Outreach School, emphasizes that the barriers for her students are not intellectual. Her priority is to work on anything getting in the way of their education before jumping into academics. Her skilled staff successfully offers various types of school work to meet their academic requirements and goals, which involves extensive training. “Communicating closely with the community and our families, we all work together holistically on the psychological, emotional, physical and intellectual areas so that the whole student is being served,” Alva explains.
West Country has also removed competition from the classroom. New students often feel like they’re not good learners and have had to compete. “We just say you’re not clones. You’re individuals. Therefore, your experience has to be individualized,” says Holiday. “When they meet their own goals, they get so much positive reinforcement here.” Having the ability to provide differentiated assignments for students in Hāpara has been a huge asset for the teachers at West Country in promoting individualized learning.
In an outreach setting, students complete their work at a pace they can handle. “I always say to students, do your very best in the circumstances you find yourself in,” explains Lacombe Outreach School principal Robert Reid.
Similarly, Reid appreciates not having to get the Workspaces perfect the first time around. “There are going to be mistakes, but that’s OK because we need to get this out so that students can get their credits,” he says. “One of the things so wonderful about this Hāpara platform is its flexibility because it is so easy to manipulate and tweak.”
Here, principals carry an extremely heavy workload that includes teaching and even guidance counseling roles above and beyond the typical responsibilities of the position. Reid is a perfect example. Along with curriculum development, managing staff and directing the maintenance team, he is in charge of the foods program, an agriculture career track. In addition, Reid meets personally with each high school student each month to provide orientation. His students joke that much like a hamster, he never stops moving and is always on the go.
“We laugh a lot,” says Reid, who adds, “I truly believe that children should experience joy every day in their life, per psychologist Nicholas Hobbs, known for experiential learning.”
Yet, in all seriousness, to sustain that dedication to their districts, schools and learners, education leaders like Reid benefit enormously by organizing their workload. The level of convenience Hāpara offers gives busy teachers more time to engage directly with students. “Hāpara is very user-friendly,” says Reid. “Probably the thing that I like the most is that all the assignments are in one place. There’s an ease of use for me, from adding students to sharing and setting it up.”
Hāpara Workspace has created a common language for professional development that wasn’t there before, adds Lougheed. “Teachers can talk the same language, not just about the same academic content, but the same exam, video content, or lesson structure.” In Lougheed’s eyes, Hāpara’s role in allowing educators to streamline through collaboration has significantly impacted educators’ ability to carry out the initiatives that turned around the numbers and experience for Wolf Creek students.
Like educators having a common language, Brockwell notes that students come to her class from other schools already versed in Workspace. “Students are able to move throughout the district and find consistency in Workspace. While some nuances may be different between teachers and schools, they have this foundation with technology.”
She believes that this foundation in using an instructional management system is critical to students as they embark on whatever postsecondary endeavor they choose.
Now, not only are learners graduating in higher numbers than previously, they are more broadly prepared. The number of students achieving excellence on the PAT and DIP exams, having doubled or tripled at most WCPS schools, impacts the number of students who qualify for wider options regarding post secondary programming.
Moreover, beyond test scores and metrics, learners completing their studies at Wolf Creek have been equipped to be socially and emotionally independent thinkers who understand themselves and can overcome obstacles to achieve what fits who they are as individuals.
Alberta educational consultant Adelee Penner explains that provincial numbers only begin to tell the complete story, especially for learners who self-identify as First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Taking four and five years to complete high school is typical throughout this province, yet can affect tracking for First Nations, Inuit and Metis students with three-year tuition agreements, elaborates Penner. “Many students will go back to school on their reserve and graduate; however, that isn’t reported in Wolf Creek graduation results, so that gap is actually smaller than recorded. While our provincial data is valid, it can’t tell the whole story of how education leaders and Indigenous leaders unite to wrap around our kids.”
