PRINCE ALBERT — The number of students who need Intensive Support and Inclusion and Intervention Programs (IIP) in the Prince Albert Catholic School Division remains stable.
Each year in December the Ministry of Education requires school divisions to submit the number of students that need IIPs. Superintendent Charity Dmytruk presented the data to the board at their regular meeting on Monday.
Dmytruk also presented early data on EYE (Early Years Evaluation), which shows how ready students are for Grade 1.
The point of both presentations was to show the board how students are doing early in the school year.
“I think on both those fronts, the data that was presented really provides the initial capture of our EYE, the early years,” Education Director Lorel Trumier said. “We know that our teachers have assessed and are working toward improving those domains with our students.”
The IIP data shows 237 current students — roughly seven per cent of the student population — are enrolled in Inclusion and Intervention Plans this school year. That’s down from 245 students (eight per cent of the student body) last year, and up from the 177 students (six per cent of the student body) in the second year of reporting in 2018-2019.
Trumier said there is some complexity in the data since total student body has increased. In 2023 there were 3,058 students enrolled in the division. In 2024 there are 3,165, so the percentage is lower but the numbers are the same.
Although the number of IIP students has grown, the school division staff numbers have not. Trumier said that shows why class complexity was an issue during the STF labour disruptions in 2024.
"We do know the complexity of a class size and composition have been very concerning over the years and it is why our teachers were moving towards that in the goals of bargaining,” Trumier said. “The data certainly shows we have many students with intensive needs. We need to meet their needs too. We always try to again inform the board of the different elements of our organization, and this is a very important one.”
The Ministry of Education collaborates with other ministries to collect prevalence rates of students with specific diagnoses. The information is then used to develop programs, approaches and supports to meet the needs of students currently enrolled in schools and to support their smooth transition as they leave school and enter the community.
This information is also part of the data used to determine each school division's Supports for Learning funding.
"Those reports are really to continue to keep the board informed that we are monitoring and trying to ensure that it's part of our consideration for our operations and our school division and to support students,” Trumier said
Dmytruk also presented early data on EYE (Early Years Evaluation), which shows how ready students are for Grade 1.
Students are broken up into three tiers after being evaluated. Tier 1 requires quality classroom instruction. Tier 2 requires quality classroom instruction plus targeted small-group instruction and Tier 3 requires quality classroom instruction and individualized instruction.
The fall 2024 data set showed 53 per cent of students required Tier 1, 26 per cent required Tier 2 and 21 per cent required Tier 3.
Trumier said the data shows that aftereffects from the COVID-19 pandemic and learning disruptions are still being seen.
"I think we're still certainly feeling some of the impacts of COVID because all the resources to the early years support for families in this community, they were really not available. We're five years out, but this would have been students that were age one and maybe even two,” Trumier said,
She said teachers are working to get students to a better place.
"We understand that there's some work to do with our students as they enter, but our teachers are striving to get that to a better place right off the hop and that's why we bring it to the board so that they understand that is what we are doing,” Trumier said.
