School board wants to get students back to finish Grade 12

NEWS RELEASE

ALGOMA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

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Algoma District School Board (ADSB) Superintendent Marcy Bell updated trustees on the implementation of the Re-Engagement and Student Success Initiatives.  As part of the Re-Engagement project, staff at each ADSB secondary school are allocated as re-engagement leads to identify school leavers. School leavers are students who have left school without completing an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).  

As in past years, re-engagement leads contact these students and provide assistance in finding secondary programs to support getting them back into school. This mentoring, support and ongoing outreach continues throughout the year to promote student success. The Ministry of Education has funded this initiative for Grades 12 and 12+, however, within the Algoma District School Board, re-engagement leads work with school leavers at all grade levels.  

In 2016-2017, close to 400 school leavers were contacted by schools throughout the Algoma District School Board. Of these school leavers, 155 returned, resulting in 182 credits achieved. As well, 10 per cent of these school leavers graduated with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

In addition to the re-engagement leads, student success teachers and teams work collaboratively on a daily basis to advocate for students, monitor student achievement and promote credit accumulation and graduation. There are a variety of alternative and flexible programming options for school leavers and students requiring a different program including Algoma Education Connection programs, Outdoor Education, Late School, North Shore Adolescent Centre, Experiential Learning and other site-specific programs across the board’s secondary schools.

As well, there is a continued focus on Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) as a potential re-engagement program, and in 2016-2017, 32 school leavers came back to school through the SAL program. 

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