Guidelines for School Planning Councils
School Planning Cycle
School plans focus on student achievement. Student achievement includes intellectual, human and social development, and career development.
School plans support safe, caring and orderly schools.
School plans reflect the context of the school and the range of students served.
School planning councils consider a range of information in their planning, including classroom, school, district and provincial data.
School planning councils consider the performance of significant groups within the student body, such as, Aboriginal, ESL and special needs students.
School boards determine the format, timing and process for submission and approval of school plans.
School plans developed by school planning councils are an integral part of the district achievement contract and the Ministry of Education district review process.
Collect Information
The school planning council considers:
- information about classroom, school, district and provincial achievement, satisfaction and safety,
- school and district profiles,
- school resource allocation information, including funding and staff allocations to the school,
- the values and perspectives of the school community, including specific groups such as Aboriginal, ESL and special needs students,
- the district achievement contract and, if applicable, the Aboriginal enhancement agreement and the district review report, and
- progress toward achieving current goals.
Analyze
The school planning council interprets information and identifies areas of strength and areas that need improvement. The school planning council shares its findings with the parent advisory council and the school community and solicits feedback.
Develop the Plan for Improvement
Using the information collected and analyzed, and input from the parent advisory council and school community, the school planning council develops plans for improvement.
Plans include:
- clearly stated goals,
- a rationale for the selection of the goals,
- an indication of specific performance targets for improving student achievement, and
- a description of the data the school uses to track its progress over time.
After consultation with the parent advisory council and the school community, the school planning council submits the completed plan to the school board for review. The school board may accept the plan, return the plan to the school planning council for modification or reject the plan and direct the principal to develop an alternate plan.
Implement
School planning councils make plans available to the school community and support the school community as it implements the plans.
Review
School planning councils monitor progress in implementing school plans and provide updates to the school community.
The following education partner groups worked together to develop the School Planning Council Guidelines: British Columbia Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC), British Columbia Principals' and Vice-Principals' Association (BCPVPA), British Columbia School Superintendents Association (BCSSA), British Columbia School Trustees Association (BCSTA), British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF), and First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC). |
