casa winter 2004 2005o.b5z.net/i/u/10063916/f/new 2012 files/fall_2004.pdfaligning professional...

CASSCONNECTIONThe official magazine for the College of Alberta School Superintendents

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Teaching with TechnologyAlso Inside:Preventing BullyingTeaching Young MothersAlberta's Learning Language InitiativeEmbedding Professional DevelopmentAnd much more...

Teaching with TechnologyAlso Inside:Preventing BullyingTeaching Young MothersAlberta's Learning Language InitiativeEmbedding Professional DevelopmentAnd much more...

4 Fall 2004• The CASS Connection

The CASS ConnectionThe official magazine for the College of

Alberta School SuperintendentsFall 2004

Published for:The College of Alberta School

Superintendents#1200, 9925 – 109 Street

Edmonton AB T5K 2J8Phone: (780) 451-7106

Fax: (780) 482-5659Email: [email protected]

www.cass.ab.ca

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2004 Matrix Group Inc. All rights reserved. Contents maynot be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part,without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Messages:Barry Stangeland, CASS President

Maria David-Evans, Deputy Minister of Alberta Learning

Innovation and Success:Toward a Safe and Caring Place

Palliser Regional Schools tackle bullying

Overcoming the Odds

Golden Hills School Division works toward success for

young mothers

CASS Talks Technology:Let’s Get Technical

The Tools of the Trade

Programs and Reports:Learning Languages

Alberta’s Learning Edge

The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement

Aligning Professional Development to Student Success

Legal Talk: Better Safe Than Sorry

Buyer’s Guide

contents

On the coverA student in the Fort Vermillion School Districtconnects with teachers and students in other

schools, with the help of learning suites.

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The College of Alberta School Superintendents 5

A s CASS president, I am pleased

to provide a report for this, our

second edition of the CASS

Connection, the official magazine of the

College of Alberta School Superintendents.

Provincial executive has established the

following priorities for the 2004-2005 fis-

cal year:

• Complete the “Revisioning of CASS”

process that we began last year. The

Zone directors will be discussing with

the membership, at zone meetings, the

“CASS Strategic Focus Workshop” doc-

ument. This document includes a new

mission, vision, core functions, values

statements and the principles of practice

for CASS. With feedback we plan to

present this document to the member-

ship for approval at the next Issues

Forum.

• Establish CASS as a “Professional Orga-

nization”. This had unanimous support

from the membership at our last Annu-

al General Meeting and is supported by

the Minister and Deputy Minister of

Learning. We are planning to have a

proposed “College of Alberta School

Superintendents Act” developed for the

spring sitting of the legislature. Feed-

back from our membership will be very

important as we proceed.

• Continue to develop and implement

the “Conceptual Framework for a

Superintendency Leadership Formation

Program”. We believe that this program

will assist in preparing superintendents

and provide ongoing professional devel-

opment to support them in their role as

CEOs of school jurisdictions.

• Proceed with the work began in the

paper commissioned by CASS, “Quality

Standards of Practice for School Princi-

pals”. This document was used this past

summer in the “Start Right” program

for beginning school administrators.

• We will also develop criteria for the use

of our legal reserve fund which will

require approval by the membership.

These priorities, along with other items

that arise, will make for another very busy

year for your executive.

I had the pleasure of attending the “Start

Right” program for beginning school

administrators and the zone summer confer-

ences. They were all successful and provided

great opportunities for the sharing of knowl-

edge and networking. Thanks to the mem-

bers who organized these events! This year

CASS will again provide many opportunities

for the professional development of our

members. We have added a “Human Resources

Symposium” to be held in conjunction with

the November “Issues Forum”, which will be

beneficial for our members.

CASS is very appreciative of the extra

funds provided by Alberta Learning to

school jurisdictions for reducing class sizes.

It is our hope that this will enable all school

jurisdictions to meet the average class sizes

recommended by the Learning Commission

and thereby provide an enhanced learning

environment for students.

I am pleased to inform you that enough

school boards expressed interest in the Sup-

plementary Pension Plan (SiPP) that it will

proceed. A special thanks to Jim Gibbons

for all his hard work to make this available

to our members.

There have been some changes to the

executive so here is an updated list. Lee

Lucente - Executive Director; Barry Stange-

land - President; Barbara Gammon - 1st

Vice President; Mary Lynne Campbell - 2nd

Vice President; Pat Dorney - Past President;

Rick Berry - Zone One Director; Dean

Lindquist - Zone 2/3 Director; Paulette

Hanna - Zone 4 Director; Jim Mclellan -

Zone 5 Director; Chris Smeaton - Zone 6

Director; and Jeremy Simms - Metro Direc-

tor. Please contact any one of us about any

issue and we will try to provide the support

required.

May you all have a very rewarding and

successful year. ■

Barry StangelandCASS President

6 Fall 2004 • The CASS Connection

T his summer I had the opportunity

to meet with many of you at CASS

summer conferences throughout the

province. As always, I enjoyed the opportu-

nity to discuss the successes and the chal-

lenges we face in our work to make Alber-

ta’s K-12 learning system the best it can be.

As is true in most professional fields, Alber-

ta’s education landscape is constantly changing.

CASS, ASBOA, teachers, school boards, gov-

ernment, and parents have worked well togeth-

er to ensure students’ needs are being addressed

in our rapidly changing environment.

And work well we must, because I

believe that it is a sin for senior education

leaders — or all CEOs for that matter —

to act without knowledge, or to have

knowledge, but not act. It is especially easy

for leaders to commit these transgressions

during a time of transition and rapid

change.

Increased responsibility and authority

for school boards and superintendents are

at the hub of this transition. Not only must

you advise your boards about the different

options and opportunities available to

them, but you, too, have new roles and

responsibilities. This demonstrates Alberta

Learning’s confidence in your ability to

take knowledge-inspired action in support

of Alberta students and our learning system.

With the implementation of the new fund-

ing framework in September 2004, the govern-

ment will be transferring the majority of deci-

sion making to school boards and to you —

the people who know your jurisdictions best.

The new funding framework will

require a different kind of leadership.

While the framework provides jurisdictions

with maximum flexibility in how funds are

spent, it will require you to provide advice

and analysis in identifying local needs and

priorities. Through the accountability pillar, the

new funding framework also requires increased

public accountability — not only for the use of

the resources, but for the results achieved.

Likewise, achieving the recommendations

of the Learning Commission will require con-

tinued leadership from you. Superintendents

will be expected to take a lead role in estab-

lishing learning communities and implement-

ing annual professional development plans for

teachers that are directly connected to school

improvement goals outlined in their three-

year education plans. You will also be

involved in reporting on class sizes as all juris-

dictions move to reach the class size averages

recommended by the Learning Commission

by the 2006-07 school year. Superintendents

and their senior teams will be working with

Alberta Learning and other education part-

ners to implement the majority of the recom-

mendations of the Learning Commission.

Amendments to the School Act (Bill 25)

and the Teaching Profession Act (Bill 26) also

give superintendents new responsibilities. For

example, superintendents have a new option

in dealing with issues of teacher competence

— providing you with not only new authori-

ty, but greater opportunities to ensure teach-

ing continues to be of the highest quality, and

our students are learning from the very best.

CASS’s decision to pursue professional

status is another example of leadership in

action. Becoming a professional association

with stand-alone legislation would raise the

profile of superintendents as a defined entity

and provide superintendents with additional

responsibilities and authority, such as educa-

tion and training requirements, compulsory

on-going professional development, a stan-

dard of practice and code of conduct.

As a member of a professional organiza-

tion, superintendents, not the school boards

you represent, will be accountable for your

decisions and your actions.

Strong leadership from our province’s super-

intendents will enable our K-12 learning system

to not only manage change, but embrace it as a

catalyst for growth and new opportunities for

our students as we strive to continuously

improve Alberta’s learning system.

Once again, thank you for your ongoing

hard work and commitment. My best wishes

to each of you for another successful school

year. ■

Maria David-EvansDeputy Minister of Alberta Learning


Incidents of bullying are occurring in

every school across the country. And, while

Palliser Regional Schools prides itself on

providing a positive and secure school climate

for students, incidents of bullying continue in

spite of district values and goals aimed at provid-

ing a safe learning environment for all students.

Bullying in Palliser schools has no

greater nor lesser presence than in virtually

any other school system in North America.

Whether society is prepared to admit it or

not, bullying is a part of life for students in

every school — public, separate and pri-

vate. In the past, school systems have not

adequately addressed this issue. Efforts

often tend to be superficial at best, and

usually look for a “quick fix” when a “quick

fix” is neither possible nor appropriate.

Over the past six years, the issue of bully-

ing in schools across North America has been

catapulted into the headlines by horrific and

tragic school shootings and suicides. In the

2000 – 2001 school year in Palliser, two sepa-

rate and major incidents of bullying were

identified first at the school level and, as they

continued to boil over, at the division level.

Both incidents, one involving boys and one

involving girls, occurred at the junior high

level. In both, the school staff had difficulty

acknowledging the severity of the bullying.

These separate incidents highlighted for us a

lack of understanding of the situation.

Utilizing the Alberta Initiative for

School Improvement funds, Palliser

Regional Schools undertook a student sur-

vey to reveal the prevalence of bullying

behaviour in schools. The study, entitled

Toward a Safe and Caring Place (Ellefson

and Goslin, 2002), indicated that one third

of students identify bullying as a problem

for themselves and that on any given week

35 per cent will be victimized in this man-

ner. This number was most dramatic at the

junior high school level, where bullying

behaviour was almost considered a “specta-

tor sport”. Clearly students would rather

tell a friend or a parent before telling either

a sibling or teacher, citing they were less

confident in the latter two’s assistance.

Interestingly, 4 to 8 per cent of students

could be considered pathological bullies,

seeing no problem with their behaviour.

Typically, one skilled bully picked on three

targeted victims. Depending upon the grade

level, between 40 and 60 per cent of stu-

dents considered themselves as bystanders.

It was on this large, uncommitted group

that Palliser wanted to focus its educational

program. The study concluded with making

four recommendations, namely the develop-

ment of a system-wide vision and goal

regarding reducing bullying behaviour, a

transparent response protocol, a consistent,

integrated, pro-social education program,

and monitoring and tracking behaviours.

Embedded in Palliser Regional Schools’

Vision Statement and explicitly addressed

by policy is the commitment to effectively

eradicate bullying from the school experience


Toward a

Place

andSafe

Caring

By John Bolton, Barbara Gammon, Khym Goslin, and Doug Orr

(Palliser Regional Schools)

of children attending Palliser schools. This

focused investment in school climate strives

to ensure that no student in Palliser schools

will ever have to come to school in fear that

others may verbally or physically bully them.

“Imagine that you are in middle school

and very much alone. Every day you dread

tomorrow and you have to drag yourself to

class where children tease and taunt and point

at you. The more you squirm, the sweeter the

chase. There is no escape and hardly anyone

ever comes to your assistance. Sometimes a

child does not have to have a particular physi-

cal trait for other children to hone in on,

sometimes they just pick on someone for the

heck of it and the hate becomes infectious

with group leaders and their followers within a

school.” (Dellasega, 2001)

Any initiative to address bullying in

schools needs to be policy driven in order to

be successful. In Palliser, five policies

address the issue of bullying from various

perspectives. Like most jurisdictions, Palliser

has in place a Discipline and a Safe School

and Harassment policy, which are founda-

tional to the provision of a secure learning

environment. Palliser Schools’ ground-breaking

policies concerning student supervision and

bullying, however, are unique within the

province. While many jurisdictions address bul-

lying in the context of “harassment”, given the

nature of bullying and its public profile, it was

deemed necessary and appropriate to design

and implement policy specifically targeting bul-

lying behaviours — a policy of “zero avoidance”

in dealing with incidents of bullying.

Teachers often assume that they are

aware of the relationships among students

based on their own classroom and supervi-

sion observations. Survey results do not

support this belief. Despite teachers believ-

ing and expressing the view that schools are

free of bullying, parent surveys indicate

concern about the safety of the learning

environment. Research confirms that par-

ents and students often have a much more

accurate picture of the extent and nature of

bullying in schools, and that teachers are

often the last to become aware of problems

(Ellefson and Goslin, 2002). Students generally

confide in parents and friends, rather than talk-

ing to teachers or other school authorities about

bullying.


Who are the Bullies?

Children become bullies in many different ways - there is not a single type ofbully. The following characteristics have been identified primarily through researchon boys who bully. We know little about girls who bully.

• Gender. On surveys more boys report bullying than girls, but the discrepancybetween boys' and girls' rates of bullying is not as great in playground observa-tions. Boys report more physical forms of bullying; girls tend to bully in indirectways, such as gossiping and excluding.

• Age. In Canadian surveys, 11-to 12-year-old students reported bullying othersmore than younger (9- to 1O-year-old) and older (13-to 14-year-old) students.

• Temperament. Bullies tend to be hyperactive, disruptive, impulsive, and overac-tive.

• Aggression. Bullies are generally aggressive toward their peers, teachers, parents,siblings, and others. Bullies tend to be assertive and easily provoked. They areattracted to situations with aggressive content and have positive attitudes aboutaggression.

• Physical Strength. Boys who bully are physically stronger and have a need todominate others. In contrast, girls who bully tend to be physically weaker thanother girls in their class.

• Lack of empathy. Bullies have little empathy for their victims and show little or noremorse about bullying.

Who are the Victims?

Children become victimized for many different reasons and there is not a singlevictim type. For some children the following characteristics may be present beforebullying occurs; for others they may develop as a result of bullying.

• Gender. On surveys, boys and girls are equally likely to report being victimized.

• Age. Victimization decreases across grade levels: 26% of Grades 1-3 childrenreport victimization compared to 15% of Grades 4-6 and 12% of Grades 7-8children (Pepler et al., 1997). Children in lower grades are more likely to be vic-tims of older bullies, whereas children in higher grades are more likely to be vic-tims of same-age bullies. lounger students experience more direct bullying,whereas older students experience more indirect bullying.

• Temperament. Some victimized children have a tendency to be anxious andwithdrawn. There is more evidence of this among preschool children thanamong school-aged children.

• Physical Appearance. Research has not supported the popular stereotype thatvictims have unusual physical traits.

• Self-esteem. Victims often report low self-esteem, likely because of repeatedexposure to victimization.

• Depression. Both boys and girls who are victimized report symptoms of depres-sion such as sadness, and loss of interest in activities.

• Anxiety. Boys and girls who are victims report symptoms of anxiety, such astenseness, fears, and worries.

Information courtesy of the National Crime Prevention Council. For more infor-mation go to www.prevention.gc.ca

Palliser’s bullying policy makes explicit

the expectation that two-way communica-

tion with students and parents must hap-

pen early in the school term and be repeat-

ed regularly throughout the year. Both

students and parents need to recognize

their right and responsibility to report

problems as soon as they know about them,

and the school’s responsibility to be open

and responsive. “Serious About Bullying”, a

brief self-contained presentation produced

by district staff and distributed to all schools,

assists schools with the task of informing

their communities about Palliser’s plan to

clearly address bullying behaviour in schools.

Those familiar with the work of Barbara

Coloroso will recognize that Palliser’s policy

on bullying in schools has adopted her

“three r’s” for dealing with incidents of bul-

lying behaviour; restitution, resolution and

reconciliation — “fixing what you did”,

determining how to prevent the incident

from occurring again, and healing the hurt

that was done (Coloroso, 2002). Coloroso’s

“fourth r”, repentance, is ideally a by-prod-

uct of the process of reconciliation.

Efficacious implementation of policy

addressing bullying behaviours requires

adoption of a system-wide program to

ensure commonality and consistency when

dealing with bullying. While many pro-

grams are available, Palliser has selected

“Focus on Bullying” (B.C. Ministry of

Education, 2001) which complements the

excellent material in the Alberta Safe and

Caring Schools program and aligns with

the suggestions of expert Dan Olweiss,

author of the “Bullying Prevention Pro-

gram” (Olweus, n.d.). In order to provide a

consistent and contiguous message to all

students, K-12, a team of secondary teachers

produced an “appendix” of age-appropriate

materials and instructional strategies to allow for

the incorporation of the “Focus on Bullying”

program into secondary-grade core courses.

Research (Ellefson and Goslin, 2002)

reveals student concerns that teachers are not

around when and where problems occur, and

further clearly delineates a direct relationship

between increased supervision and decreased

incidents of bullying. Consequently, Pallis-

er’s new Student Supervision policy includes

an unequivocally directive statement pre-

scribing “active supervision”, which requires

teachers to be on the playground and in the

hallways, interacting with students. Additional-

ly, as data suggests that many bullying problems

occur during class changes, policy stipulates that

teachers are at their classroom doors observing

and supervising these transition times.

Toward a Safe and Caring Place continued


While many jurisdictions address bullying in the context of “harassment”, given thenature of bullying and its public profile, it was deemed necessary and appropriateto design and implement policy specifically targeting bullying behaviours — apolicy of “zero avoidance” in dealing with incidents of bullying.

All these policies are linked to Palliser’s

position of “zero avoidance” for bullying inci-

dents which makes explicit the expectation

that whenever staff become aware of a prob-

lem they will take immediate steps to inter-

vene and respond appropriately. One of the

key components of the successful implementa-

tion of any program is, monitoring progress.

Concise and accurate monitoring of imple-

mentation provides critical data for the cele-

bration of successes, the identification of prob-

lem areas, and planning for improvement.

Two crucial aspects of Palliser’s “Focus on Bul-

lying” project are regularly monitored and

reported — student behaviour and progress of

program implementation.

In order to accurately and meaningfully

report student behaviours, a common lan-

guage and definition of terms needed to be

established. Additionally it was important to

create some means of not only reporting stu-

dent behaviour, but of actually measuring the

reduction of severity of inappropriate behav-

iours, presumably as a result of the implemen-

tation of the “Focus on Bullying” program in

all schools. The first of these necessities was

met by reviewing existing literature on the

issue of bullying and student behaviours for

descriptors and definitions. This information

was brought forward to a steering committee

for refinement and consensus. Each of twelve

definitions ranging from “play fighting” and

“other behaviours” to “severe bullying” and

“unwanted/inappropriate sexual behaviour” is

ranked on a scale from 1 – 4. This common

vocabulary is provided to all school staff as a

key component of their introduction to the

“Focus on Bullying” program.

Utilizing simple tracking software, schools

record the number of student incidents in

each of the appropriate categories, according

to the agreed-upon common definitions.

From this data it is possible to track what

kinds of incidents are occurring, where inci-

dents are occurring, who is involved, and to

determine an “incident-severity index” for

each month. This allows school staff to make

crucial and timely decisions concerning effec-

tive and appropriate responses and interven-

tions. This data is also reported monthly to

the district office to provide a broader perspec-

tive concerning the efficacy of the anti-bully-

ing protocols and procedures.

Additionally, schools report their progress

toward full implementation of the “Focus on

Bullying” program, while the district in turn

provides on-going staff development and sup-

port to schools. Information from both the



The success of Palliser’s “Focus on Bullying” initiative relies on parents, studentsand staff communicating openly and striving together to reduce incidents ofbullying and to repudiate the acceptance of bullying behaviours in the schoolcommunity. To this end, parents are key partners.

student incident data and the program

progress reports allows district staff to make

informed decisions about the nature of the sup-

port required to help schools effectively imple-

ment policies and procedures aimed toward

reducing bullying behaviours in Palliser schools.

Successfully defeating bullying in Palliser

schools will require partnerships working col-

lectively to achieve a common goal. The suc-

cess of Palliser’s “Focus on Bullying” initiative

relies on parents, students and staff communicat-

ing openly and striving together to reduce inci-

dents of bullying and to repudiate the acceptance

of bullying behaviours in the school community.

To this end, parents are key partners.

Parents have an instinctive need to protect

their children from harm. Clear and open

communication with parents is embedded in

Palliser’s bullying policy and procedures. Par-

ents are encouraged to report to their child’s

school incidents in which they believe their

child is being bullied. Further, schools want to

be made aware of situations in which a par-

ent’s child is witnessing bullying behaviours,

or if they believe their child is bullying others.

Classroom lessons, K – 12, will increase stu-

dent awareness about the unacceptable nature of

bullying and how their attitudes and interven-

tion can help prevent bullying in their schools.

Students need to be empowered to share their

concerns about students who are being bullied,

with responsible adults and to trust that their

concerns are taken seriously. Affirming the right

of the “bystander” to stand up and speak out is

crucial to affecting positive change.

Teachers are an important link in the

chain of cooperation against bullying behav-

iours. Teaching and support staff knowledge-

able about bullying and confident in report-

ing, intervening, and responding to bullying

behaviours will make a difference for students.

Bullies need to understand clearly that their

behaviour is unacceptable, and that schools

will respond promptly, persistently, consistently

and appropriately to reduce those behaviours.

Parents, students and staff working togeth-

er can reduce bullying behaviour throughout

Palliser schools. This goal can be achieved

through increased awareness of what bullying

is and how to respond to it. Palliser Regional

Schools intends to change behaviours, actions

and attitudes in order to significantly reduce

the incidents of bullying behaviours. ■



ReferencesColoroso, B. (2002). Bully, the bullied, and the bystander. Toronto, On, HarperCollins.Dellasega, C. (2001). Surviving Ophelia: Mothers share their wisdom in navigating thetumultuous teenage years. Cambridge, MA, Perseus Publishing.Ellefson, B. and K. Goslin (2002). Toward a safe and caring place, Palliser Regional Schools:1 – 22.B.C. Ministry of Education (2001). Focus on bullying: A prevention program for elementaryschool communities. Victoria, BC, Government of British Columbia.Olweus, D. (n.d.). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services. 2003.

Our creation story is one of perse-

verance, profound wisdom and

courageous leadership. In the ear-

liest days of our operation, Elder Raymond

Crowchief was teaching me about the histo-

ry of the plains tee pee. “ Its construction was

genius,” he said. “They built it round so it

could withstand the prairie winds. They could

always take it where they needed to go. It did

not hurt anything where it had stood.” I would

later reflect on his words and realize how mean-

ingful they would be in this new “outreach”.

We too were going where we were needed, and

we would require flexibility and strength to

meet the challenges these winds of change

would bring. Most importantly we would need

to be ever mindful and do no harm.

In 1996 Golden Hills School Division

opened three outreach schools within their

jurisdiction. One year later, through the

urging of social worker Genny Solway of

Siksika, a small number of students from

the Siksika Nation registered at the Strath-

more StoreFront School. Consistent with

the schools mandate, most of these stu-

dents were young expectant mothers. The

social safety net of the Nation poured

resources into our program and the stu-

dents responded with academic success.

The ensuing relationship enriched our

entire program as we began to embrace,

through their example of integrating servic-

es, this community based method of coor-

dinated service delivery. Our students

thrived within this supported educational/

social environment. We soon discovered

that our optimism was far too complacent.

Our students had their babies and one by

one our roles diminished.

Transportation became an overwhelm-

ing issue. Bussing the infants with their

parents was not an option as insurance cov-

erage and associated costs were prohibitive.

Some suggested that these young women

should place their children in day care and

attend the mainstream schools. This option

was exercised by some students, and

though we supported their desire to contin-

ue their education, we continued to be

concerned about parent/child bonding,

breast feeding and other parenting issues.

Some students continued with us through

Virtual School, but problems regarding lack of

access to technology (including no telephones)

continued to compromise their chances to

complete their high school education.

In spite of these challenges and disap-

pointments these young women were hun-

gry to regain their previous success. Month

after month they continued to call, always

inquiring if there were new developments

that would somehow allow them to attend

school with their children. Their persistent


Overcomingthe

OddsThe Gleichen Siksika OutreachSchool helps young mothers realizetheir dreams

By Denise Peterson, Teacher/PrincipalGolden Hills School Division

hope was a driving force in our efforts to

find a way to meet these needs.

After more than five years of consulta-

tion and research a decision was made.

There would be a new school. Amelia

Clark, Superintendent of Siksika and Mr.

Edwin Holt, Associate Superintendent of

Golden Hills announced that they were

proceeding in a partnership. Said Edwin

Holt, “At the end of the day Amelia and I

agreed…this school must go forward

because it is the right thing to do. These

young women need and deserve an educa-

tion.” Having convinced their respective

authorities of the need for this new pro-

gram, a new set of challenges were born.

The program would be cost shared. Sik-

sika would fund their students under

INAC guidelines. The Nation also provid-

ed start up funds for the school’s opera-

tion. Golden Hills would supervise the

operations and staffing of the school. A

joint committee was struck for the pur-

pose of interviewing prospective staff.

Siksika provided two vans complete with

car seats, to transport our new students.

Measurements for accountability and

outcomes would be established. The

Principal would be responsible to report

to both Siksika and Golden Hills.

The school would eventually be situ-

ated in the community of Gleichen, in

the United Church. The program would

be accessible to students in the communi-

ties of Bassano, Gleichen, Hussar, Siksika

and Standard. We held community

meetings to address concerns, and natu-

rally the concept received mixed reviews

within the community. Most important

in preparing people for such a change was


the necessity of providing all members of

the community the opportunity to voice

their concerns and play an integral role in

seeking satisfactory solutions. We came to

an agreement for seeking resolution to

potential problems. In September 2003,

the Gleichen Siksika Outreach School

opened for business. In the first days I was

overcome with humility and emotion

when, one by one, all 17 students from the

StoreFront School in years past (now parents)

came with their children to register for school.

Now that our education plans were firm-

ly in place we began to actively seek out com-

munity partnerships. We wanted our part-

nerships to be equal, meaningful, and fully

integrated into the context of community.

We were committed to entering into partner-

ships where we could provide mutual sup-

port. We sought partnerships with service

providers and local business. Public Health

played a crucial role as healthy children stand

a much better chance of academic success.

Health nurses, nutritionists, opticians,

dentists and doctors joined us in a concert-

ed effort to provide our students with

access to the best possible care. For exam-

ple, Dr. Joni McNeeley set up a Tuesday

morning clinic for the express use of our

students. The school’s role would be to

ensure students were able to follow through

with appointments (we would arrange

transport) and prescription access. Public

Health set up bi-weekly clinics and infor-

mation sessions in the school. Students

were allowed to incorporate these sessions

into their CTS Community Health pro-

gram. Twice weekly parenting classes were

held at the school. Pre- and post-natal

nutrition and breast-feeding support pro-

grams were coordinated between the school

and public health (Siksika & Strathmore).

Local food banks donated their excess food

to help support this program. In exchange,

students clean the food bank buildings and

wash and stock shelves. Their volunteer

hours are incorporated into the CTS Com-

munity Volunteerism credit. When local

employers hire our students we offer to

design and make their business cards,

(InfoPro) and assist in their advertising

(Enterprise & Entrepreneur). We partici-

pate in the ‘Communities in Bloom’ proj-

ect as well as other initiatives with the Gle-

ichen & District Agricultural Society. To be

good community members, we clean our

neighbourhood, shovel sidewalks for sen-

iors and assist with odd jobs. Our students

receive countless benefits from these rela-

tionships, the most important being the

opportunity to be a part of the community.

Our students are learning to reconnect to

their families, schools and communities.

Our results in this initial year of opera-

tions are encouraging. We had our first

graduates, and our first group of students

moved on to post secondary education.

This September 2004 our numbers have

increased by one-third. We face ongoing

challenges in meeting the academic needs

of our students, but we are committed to

moving forward in the belief that by bring-

ing together all the resources of our com-

munity we can weave a safety net that will

ensure each student the best possible

opportunity to succeed.

For more information, please contact

me at [email protected]

or at (403) 734-0190. ■


Overcoming the Odds continued

“At the end of the dayAmelia [Clark,Superintendent ofSiksika] and Iagreed…this schoolmust go forwardbecause it is the rightthing to do. These youngwomen need anddeserve an education.”Edwin Holt, AssociateSuperintendent ofGolden Hills

By Ken Dropko, Superintendent of Fort

Vermillion School Division

Our goal is to “provide the best pos-

sible education to all students,” in

the Fort Vermillion school district

and we are well on our way to making this

happen. Being a rural and remote district

— we can be found in the extreme north-

west corner of Alberta — we needed a way

to better serve our 3800 students who are

scattered over a geographical landmass of

250,000 kilometres (about five times the

size of Denmark).

But we were faced with our own unique

challenges including communities that vary

in size and in culture (about one third of

the student population is First Nation,

another third Mennonite and the final

third is made up of a diverse mix of stu-

dents typical to North American communi-

ties), and some communities have only 60

high school students. From this stems two

major issues, 1) the recruitment and reten-

tion of teachers and 2) accommodating

large numbers of students who have not

had rich language development experiences

in the home.

We were faced with a problem but we

knew we could no longer accept geography

as a tolerable excuse for poor student

achievement. So in order to level the play-

ing field between students in our region

and their urban counterparts, we turned to

technology — in particular, learning suites.

The Fort Vermilion learning suites are

designed to provide broadcast quality video

and audio to each of the five high schools

in the district, a division run band first

nation school, the central office and other

classrooms that are part of the Netera video

classroom network. While the price tag

may be big, about $125,000 per suite, we

realize that the benefits are even bigger for

students: they don’t have to leave home to

have access to the courses they want; they

can see their teacher and classmates even

though they may be four hours away; if

absent students can access lessons via a

secured web access point; there is potential

to access courses from outside the division;

new teachers might be drawn to the divi-

sion because of the leading edge technology.

But the number one impetuous for cre-

ating the suites was to improve upon the

quality of the distance education program

being offered within the division. Prior to

the learning suites all distance education

classes were taught using an audio graphics

system that consisted of a conference phone

in each room and a shared SMART board.

Students could only see what the teacher

was writing on the shared whiteboard and

heard the teacher through the phone line.

Interaction was limited and supervision was

problematic.


Lets

TechnicalGet

Premier Ralph Klein joined Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, as well as other officials,school staff and students when the Fort Vermillion School Division launched the use of theirlearning suites.

One district connects students to a world of learning

“

However, the video suites improve upon

this experience by providing two way video

into each classroom. What makes this sys-

tem different from traditional videoconfer-

encing is the technology chosen to broad-

cast over the network. Traditional video

conferencing is usually based upon a stan-

dard known as H.320 or H.323. H.320 is a

technology used to allow video conferenc-

ing over standard Switched 56, or ISDN,

lines. The available bandwidth for this

technology tended to be between 56 kb/s

and 256 kb/s. While this may be adequate

for a meeting between two individuals with

very little motion, it does not lend itself to

a dynamic teaching environment where the

teacher moves around and interacts with

the children. H.323 is the same basic tech-

nology, however it is designed to run over

IP networks, such as the Supernet. The

quality of H.323 improved vastly over the

older H.320 standard and speeds upwards

of 2 mb/s are capable with this protocol.

The quality of the newest H.323 standards

comes very close to broadcast quality.

At the front of our classrooms are two

32” television monitors. On the left moni-

tor is a split screen of the students that are

in the videoconference. The right hand

monitor is a full screen image of the

instructor. With a press of the control

panel the instructor can move any one of

the spilt screens over to the right (full

screen) side so as to allow for remote pre-

sentations etc. The number of streams that

are sent and received highlights another

difference in the learning suites compared

to a traditional videoconference. In the

Fort Vermilion system there are two

streams coming into each classroom. The

stream that shows the students and the

stream that shows the teacher. Traditional

video conferencing is limited to one

stream, thereby forcing the viewer to

choose between a split screen or a full

screen of the presenter, but not both at the

same time as we have done. This capability


Lets Get Technical continued

We were faced with aproblem but we knewwe could no longeraccept geography as atolerable excuse for poorstudent achievement. Soin order to level theplaying field betweenstudents in our regionand their urbancounterparts, we turnedto technology — inparticular, learningsuites.

adds a great deal to the cost and complexi-

ty of the system as well as requiring twice

as much bandwidth.

Also in the front of the room is a 62”

SMARTboard rear projection screen. This

screen is used for the interactive computer

sessions. The instructors are able to display

anything that is a computer-generated

image on to all of the other classrooms

whiteboards simultaneously. In our system

Netmeeting is used to provide the interac-

tivity and sharing of programs. The

instructor can, at anytime, give control of

the board over to any other site to allow

students to demonstrate a concept.

The large screens are also used when

the instructor chooses to show a movie or a

3-D object on the document camera to the




Talking TechnologyJust how does your school compare with the rest of Canada? Check out these statistics on computer use in the country. Source: StatisticsCanada

IT in Canadian elementary and secondary schools, 2003/04 school year

All schools Elementary Secondary

Number of schools 15,500 10,100 3,400

Proportion of schools with Internet-connected computers 97.7 98.2 99.1

Average number of computers 71.6 53.2 134.2

Average number of Internet-connected computers 66.3 48.4 127.8

Median number of students per computer 5.0 5.5 4.3

Median number of students per Internet-connected computer 5.5 6.0 4.6

Proportion of computers by Internet-connectivityInternet-connected 92.7 91.0 95.3

Not Internet-connected 7.3 9.0 4.8

Proportion of computers by processor speedLow speed 28.5 34.5 22.6

Medium speed 54.3 51.1 57.8

High speed 16.1 12.9 18.8

Proportion of schools by Internet access methodDial-up access 8.6 8.0 3.9

Always-on access 85.8 84.2 93.2

Unknown type 9.5 11.6 5.5

class. Once that choice is made the system

automatically changes the SMARTboard

image away from the computer to the

selected device so that students are able to

view the material more easily. On top of

the board is a camera that is used to

send the image of the whole table

or can be moved to zoom in on

a particular location in the

room.

Located on each table

are a series of buttons that

allow the students to ask

questions of the instruc-

tor. When a student

presses the red question

button, the instructor’s

touch panel changes

screens and alerts the

instructor that a ques-

tion is waiting and shows

where the question is

coming from. When the

instructor accepts the ques-

tion (by pushing the button

on the panel) the cameras auto-

matically move and zoom in on the

location where the question was asked

and the split screen changes configuration

to make the questioner larger. There is also

a second yellow button on each table that is

used to provide anonymous feedback to the

instructor perhaps giving an indication of

students not following a topic.

At the back of each class are two 27”

monitors hung from the ceiling. These are

for instructor use. The left image is always

a split screen image of the other classes and

the right monitor is a confidence monitor

that shows the outgoing signal of the

instructor. In this way the instructor will always

maintain eye contact with the camera that is

sending that stream. Between the two monitors

a camera is used to send the instructor images.

However, even with its initial success,

we did learn a few lessons in the process.

For example, the importance of setting

timelines and regularly monitoring the

progress of planning, developing and

implementing the project cannot be under-

estimated. As well, we would say that the

value of really spending time to consider

the courses to be offered, orientating stu-

dents and parents to their new “classroom”,

and setting protocols to address issues such

as class size should not be overlooked.

Even with these concerns, we feel that

the potential that the learning suites offer is

limitless. Now teachers, parents and stu-

dents alike know that the North, too, can

be a pocket of excellence and that through

the use of the SuperNet and the learning

suites, we can create a network that knows

no boundaries. ■



T here will be a few less my dog ate

my homework’s heard in Edmon-

ton Public Schools classrooms this

fall. That’s because as students get back into

the swing of things, many parents will have

the opportunity to take a sneak peak into

the academic lives of their sons and daugh-

ters with SchoolZone, an online informa-

tion system which allows parents to check

the attendance records, class schedules AND

homework assignments for their children.

The concept was created over a year ago

when the district was looking for new ways

to share school information with parents in

a secure online environment. When no

“quick fix” program was found, they looked

for ways they could develop it themselves.

Now, using portal technology and the con-

venience of the Internet, parents can log on

with their own unique I.D. and password

to check their child’s daily homework

assignments, school news, attendance,

marks and upcoming events.

Widely received by parents in the area,

SchoolZone will be implemented over the

next 2-3 years. This past May 2004, 15

new schools were selected to begin imple-

mentation starting in October 2004, and

the district will add an additional 30

schools throughout the course of the 2004

- 2005 school year. Currently there are more than

10 schools and thousands of teachers, students

and parents taking advantage of the system.

“It’s a great resource,” explains Darwin

Martin, Supervisor at District Technology

in Edmonton Public. Martin has been

involved with the program since day one,

responding to feedback and listening to

users in an effort to work out any kinks the

program may have. But, he says the feed-

back has been overwhelmingly positive.

“SchoolZone is definitely providing better

access to information. Parents now have a

much easier time keeping track of how

their children are doing academically and it

allows them to support the learning process

in the school and in the home.”

And, while parents can keep track of

their children’s academic career, students

can also take advantage of SchoolZone. For

example, if a student is sick they can easily

check what they missed without having to

rely on friends to bring them their home-

work. Or, if they are learning a second lan-


Tools Trade

The

of the

Parents, staff and students in Edmonton’s Public Schools get in the ‘zone’

Now, using portaltechnology and theconvenience of theInternet, parents can logon with their ownunique I.D. andpassword to check theirchild’s daily homeworkassignments, schoolnews, attendance, marksand upcoming events. Continued on Page 29


The Tools of the Trade continued

guage or about an event in history, the

teacher can post audio or video clips so stu-

dents can hear words and phrases or see

clips of different events in history. Addi-

tionally, students can access online practice

questions in preparation for upcoming

exams. The system marks the questions and

provides immediate feedback to the student.

Martin explains that schools across the

district have been invited to test out the pro-

gram. As well, about a dozen other school

districts have expressed interest in using

SchoolZone technology. For example, Aspen

View school division in Athabasca is imple-

menting it next year at a cost of $1 per stu-

dent (there is currently no charge to schools

or parents using the program in Edmonton).

Martin points out that it’s important for

schools to consider options like this, which

is why his team is currently working with

three other school boards, helping them to

implement SchoolZone and, which is also

why they are very open to partnering with

other school boards across Canada.

For more information contact Darwin

Martin at [email protected] ■


The Tools of the Trade continued

At a GlanceHere’s how SchoolZone can work for you:

• Homework Channel — Classroom teachers will be able to display homework expectations forstudents/parents to view. Links to uploaded documents, such as project descriptions, can bemade available to parents and students. The events and homework will be displayed in amonthly calendar format and a daily agenda format to encourage time management skills.

• News Channels — These channels communicate classroom, school and district news/announce-ments to all users. Items with dates are viewable on a calendar that is customized for each user. Par-ents can select to be automatically notified by email of new or upcoming events posted in the portal.

• Planner Channel — A uniquely designed channel will facilitate a teacher's planning with: links tooff-site resources, homework expectations, class announcements and the ability to upload doc-uments to the portal, all on one page. Teachers will have the ability to share personally devel-oped resources with other teachers.

• Test Generation — Teachers will be able to create tests from an online question bank (60,000questions) with this channel. The tests can be printed and used in class or posted online for studentsto practice at home. The test results are marked and made available immediately to students.

• Student Info — Students (and their parents) will be able to view marks for their assignments,attendance information, and progress report information. Additionally, Grade 3, 6 and 9Provincial Achievement Test scores will be accessible.

• Online Resources — Links and authentication to resources such as the Online Reference Cen-tre, Alberta Curriculum, LearnAlberta.ca, eTrain and ICT projects.

• Student Email — A secure email application for students to use in a controlled environment.

• LCMS — Learning Content Management System is an on-line course management tool for stu-dents and teachers. It includes e-learning tools for communication, collaboration, communitybuilding, assessment creation, and management of online learning courses. It provides flexibilityfor instructional design and professional content, as well as administrative control.

Shhh…do you hear that? Guten Mor-

gen. Comment allez-vous? Como

estas? What’s going on? Well, come

September 2006 you won’t just be hearing

‘I before e except after c’ from classrooms

throughout Alberta. That’s because not only

will students in grades four to nine be master-

ing the mechanics of English, they will also be

learning the do’s and don’ts of another language.

Alberta is leading the way with its new

Learning Languages Initiative, which is one

of the first of its kind in Canada. It will

ensure that high school graduates across

Alberta have what it takes to compete

nationally and in an ever-global market.

Beginning in the 2006 school year, each

student in grade four will begin the process

of learning a second language. Then, for

the 2007 school year, the initiative will

apply to students in grades four and five,

2008 will affect those in grades four, five

and six…and so on. By 2011, each student

in Alberta, from grades four to nine will be

studying a second language.

“The reality is that students are seeking jobs

around the world,” explains Dr. Lyle Oberg,

Minister of Learning in Alberta. “This initiative

will give our students that extra boost, enabling

them to compete in a global economy.”

But giving this opportunity to students

did not come without a lot of hard work.

Meetings were held between Alberta Learn-

ing and school boards, teachers, parents

and students. New programs have been and

still are being developed along with guides

to implementation and new teaching

resources. But, when it all came down to it,

Minister Oberg says the Initiative is widely

accepted. “Typically when government

brings in a new idea there are ‘boos’ from

some people but this one was different. It is

almost universally accepted across the

province and it has a lot of people very

excited to get the ball rolling.”

Throughout the course of implementa-

tion, there have been a number of key rea-

sons identified as to why students should

be learning languages. These include:

• A better understanding of people who

are different linguistically and culturally;

• The development of great cognitive

skills in such areas as mental flexibility,

creativity and divergent thinking;

• The obtainment of practical communi-

cation skills for increased job opportu-

nities with businesses and industries

that compete on global scale;

• An enriched educational experience

that promotes personal growth and

cultural understanding.

Everyone agrees that the Initiative is a

great opportunity for students as learning a

second language will only prove to benefit

them in the long run. Alberta Learning is

expecting that students will need approxi-

mately 30 minutes per day of instruction

time to learn languages including French,

German, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and

Ukrainian. And, with the help of Alberta’s

SuperNet, expected to be completed this

year, learning these languages will go hi-

tech. Because language teachers are not

always widely available, especially in rural

areas of the province, the SuperNet will

ensure that no matter where they are locat-

ed, students will have the opportunity to

discover another language.

Connecting more than 4,500 provincial

government facilities, schools, health care

facilities and libraries, the SuperNet will

bring learning to life as a student studying

Spanish in Taber will be able to speak

directly with and interact with his or her

teacher and fellow classmates at another

school in another city. With this power to

connect comes the reassurance that small

town students will not miss out on learning

the languages that their big city counter-

parts have available to them.

“Technology and the SuperNet are what


LearningLanguages!

Students in Alberta are in for some seriouslanguage learning with some programsstarting this fall and all compulsory by 2006

will make this Initiative doable,” explains

Dr. Oberg. “If a school doesn’t have some-

one to teach German or any other language

for that matter, students can still learn it.

Technology will allow students to partici-

pate in classroom activities, ask questions,

contribute to discussions and benefit from

the class — even if they are hundreds of

miles away.”

As well, he explains, help has been

given to existing teachers who want to go

back to university so they themselves can

learn how to instruct language classes. “We

want to explore all means possible to

ensure that our students are benefiting

from the access to second languages,” he

says.

While students in Alberta will not be

required to have a second language to

graduate, the option to continue learning

after grade nine is open. The half an hour a

day of language instruction will give stu-

dents in grade four to nine a beginner level

of competency while continued education

in high-school will take them to an inter-

mediary level, helping them to continue

with their second language studies at uni-

versity.

There is no doubt that Alberta has taken

the lead when it comes to language learning.

Will other provinces follow suite? Dr. Oberg

hopes so, after all he says, “this Initiative will

prepare students for life after graduation.

Whether it be speaking another language on

vacation or showcasing their knowledge to

obtain a high paying job — students are def-

initely going to reap the rewards.”

For more information visit www.learn-

ing.gov.ab.ca ■


Learning Language continued

Canada’s Communicating• Canadians reported more than 100 languages in completing the census question on mother

tongue. The list includes languages long associated with immigration to Canada: German,Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, and so on. However, from 1996 to 2001, language groupsfrom Asia and the Middle East again recorded the largest gains.

• In 2001, almost 5,335,000 individuals, about one out of every six people, were allophones,that is, they reported having a mother tongue other than English or French. This was up12.5 per cent from 1996, three times the growth rate of 4.0 per cent for the population as awhole.

• The census also reaffirmed the position of Chinese as Canada's third most common mothertongue. Almost 872,400 people reported Chinese as their mother tongue, up 17.9 per centfrom 1996. They accounted for 2.9 per cent of the total population of Canada, comparedwith 2.6 per cent five years earlier.

• Italian remained in fourth place, and German fifth, although their numbers declined. Punjabimoved into sixth, and Spanish slipped to seventh.

• The census showed that 9 out 10 people speak English or French most often at home.

• Only 10.5 per cent of the population spoke a non-official language most often at home, farlower than the 18.0 per cent who reported a non-official language as their mother tongue.

• Just over 5.2 million people reported that they were bilingual, compared with more than 4.8million five years earlier, an 8.1 per cent increase. In 2001, these individuals represented17.7 per cent of the population, up from 17.0 per cent in 1996.

• Nationally, 43.4 per cent of Francophones reported that they were bilingual, compared with9.0 per cent of Anglophones.

“The reality is that students are seeking jobs aroundthe world. This initiative will give our students thatextra boost, enabling them to compete in a globaleconomy.”Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Learning


Please Support theAdvertisers

who make thispublication possible

Alberta promotes life-long learning,

excellence and opportunity

W ith summer already a fading

memory, teachers, professors,

administrators, students and

parents have turned their attention back to

school. What better time to introduce the learn-

ing community to Alberta’s Learning Edge!

Alberta’s Learning Edge is the slogan

that has been adopted by partners in the

learning community to raise awareness of

the excellence in and importance of the

province’s world-class lifelong learning system.

“The new slogan captures the fact that

Alberta is a world leader in education and

that learning gives us the edge we need as

individuals, and as a province, to compete

and succeed in the new knowledge econo-

my,” says Alberta Learning Deputy Minister

Maria David-Evans. “It is a slogan we hope

Albertans will come to embrace as being syn-

onymous with excellence and opportunity.”

The Learning Edge slogan and a recent-

ly developed accompanying graphic are

part of a cross-stakeholder initiative to pro-

mote the province’s learning system.

The initiative grew out of concerns by

leaders in the learning community that,

despite their best individual communica-

tions efforts, there is an overall lack of

knowledge, understanding and apprecia-

tion of our learning system, its complexities

and the opportunities it affords.

It was developed after representatives

from the Alberta School Boards Associa-

tion, the College of Alberta School Super-

intendents, the Alberta Association of Col-

leges and Technical Institutes, the

Universities Coordinating Committee and

Alberta Learning agreed to pool their

efforts to promote what was originally con-

ceived as the “Year of Learning”.

In February 2004, the idea was brought

to a larger gathering of education partners that

included associations representing teachers

and instructors, students, and parents. Most

participants expressed an interest in joining in

the initiative, particularly as it relates to high-

lighting the importance of learning.

“People around the table agreed the idea

had a lot of potential in terms of raising

awareness of education, and so they wanted

to be a part of it,” says David-Evans, who

led the discussions.

Simply put, the Learning Edge initiative

is a coordinated communications strategy

that seeks to build on and enhance the indi-

vidual communications activities of learning

stakeholders — including those not involved

in the initial discussions — to help Albertans

better understand the many features of and

choices and opportunities available within

our world-leading learning system.

Central to the strategy is a set of key

messages that highlight the importance of

lifelong learning to individuals, as well as to

society, and the need to ensure Alberta’s

learning system continues to be among the

best in the world. Stakeholders are encour-

aged to integrate these messages into their

regular speeches, publications, web sites,

and other communications material and

activities, and to use the Alberta’s Learning

Edge graphic to reinforce these messages

wherever possible.

Alberta Learning will be sending stake-

holders an electronic copy of the Alberta’s

Learning Edge graphic early this fall with

suggestions as to how it might be used. The

department will also develop information

packages that stakeholders may use in their

communications, create an Alberta’s Learn-

ing Edge web site that stakeholders will be

encouraged to link to, and work with stake-

holders to coordinate and maximize oppor-

tunities to spread the word.

“The success of this initiative will

depend on the level of commitment among

all learning stakeholders, including govern-

ment,” says David-Evans. “We have some-

thing important to say. Together, we can

make sure we are heard.” ■


Alberta’sLearning

Edge

Alberta’sLearning

Edge

“The new slogan captures the fact that Alberta is aworld leader in education and that learning gives usthe edge we need as individuals, and as a province, tocompete and succeed in the new knowledgeeconomy. It is a slogan we hope Albertans will cometo embrace as being synonymous with excellence andopportunity.” Maria David-Evans, Alberta Learning’s Deputy Minister

AISI encourages

student learning by

understanding

unique needs and

circumstances

AISI has given us the opportunity to

learn from each other and has provid-

ed the forum to learn what other

schools are doing. This has been an

invaluable experience at [our school].

— AISI Participant

The goal of AISI is to improve stu-

dent learning by fostering initia-

tives that reflect the unique needs

and circumstances within school jurisdic-

tions (Alberta Initiative for School

Improvement Education Partners Steering

Committee, 1999). Developed through a

collaborative partnership in 1999, AISI

was first implemented in all Alberta

school authorities in the 2000/2001

school year. AISI provided $68 million

targeted funding annually to school

authorities for specific local improvement

projects. CASS is a member of the part-

nership along with Alberta Learning, the

Alberta Home and School Councils’ Asso-

ciation (AHSCA), the Alberta School

Boards Association (ASBA), the Alberta

Teachers’ Association (ATA), the Associa-

tion of School Business Officials of Alber-

ta (ASBOA), and the Alberta University

Faculties of Education.

Cycle 1 of AISI developed a program

that contributes to improved student

learning and performance. It established a

foundation of trust between government

and education stakeholders. It created a

model for collaboration that has been

employed in other government initiatives.

It established accountability measures and

criteria to provide evidence that the ini-

tiative is working. Continuous improve-

ment has become AISI’s modus operandi.

AISI had a positive and sustained

impact during Cycle 1. More than 90 per

cent of all projects exceeded their baseline

on the majority of measures every year. On

average over the three years, 48 per cent of

the projects improved student learning and

57 per cent improved satisfaction (students,


The Alberta The Alberta Initiative for Initiative for

School Improvement Improvement School

parents, and teachers). Differential effects

were found for groups of students, curricu-

lar areas, themes and instructional strate-

gies. Generally, projects that targeted stu-

dents who were at risk or had

mild/moderate disabilities needs showed

greater improvement in achievement than

those in regular or gifted programs. AISI

had a greater impact on satisfaction (stu-

dents, parents and teachers) than on stu-

dent achievement.

During its first three years of imple-

mentation, AISI had a profound impact on

the culture of schools in Alberta. There is a

renewed focus on learning as the central

purpose of schooling. Teachers, students,

parents and administrators are developing a

common language of school improvement.

With 90 per cent of Alberta schools

involved in an AISI project, the language of

improvement — goals, strategies, measures,

baselines, targets, and results — is now

widely understood and used. More teachers

are routinely reading the research literature

and becoming better versed in research-

based practices for improving teaching and

learning. This openness to evidence and

new ideas contributes to a culture of con-

tinuous improvement in schools.

Teachers and administrators are making

better informed decisions about student

learning and instructional practices based

on solid evidence collected through appro-

priate assessment strategies that include

standardized tests, rubrics, observations,

and teacher-made approaches. Schools and

districts are surveying students, parents,

and staff to get their input into educational

processes and desired outcomes. There is an

increased emphasis on professional devel-

opment with schools using a variety of

strategies to meet local needs. School

jurisdictions now use markedly different

PD models that have evolved from one-

time experiences to focused, collaborative

and ongoing job-embedded activities tar-

geted at meeting specific learner needs,

characteristic of professional learning

communities. A culture of shared/distrib-

uted leadership has become common in

Alberta schools. Teachers and administra-

tors made a concerted effort to engage

parents in meaningful ways in their chil-

dren’s learning and school improvement

activities.

Cycle 2 (2003-2006) of AISI began

with the 2003/2004 school year. There are

currently about 460 projects. Cycle 2 is

consolidating emerging knowledge and

synthesizing what works. It is building on

the lessons learned and commitment from

the first cycle and expanding AISI’s sphere

of influence to more teachers and students

in Alberta. During Cycle 2, greater focus

on collecting the right data, in-depth analy-

sis of promising practices, and further dis-

semination of findings is fundamental to

the future success of AISI.

Project teachers, students and educational

assistants can bring their new knowledge,

skills and attitudes forward to new teaching

and learning situations, continuing to build

upon the foundation provided. — AISI Par-

ticipant

The provincial report for the first cycle

of the Alberta Initiative for School

Improvement (AISI) is currently available

online at www.learning.gov.ab.ca/k_12/spe-

cial/aisi/ThirdYear/Full_Report.pdf

It provides results of the first cycle of

AISI (2000-2003) and discusses lessons and

impacts of this three-year, $204 million

province-wide initiative. ■


• AISI funding increased to $123 for K-12 public students for the 2004/2005 schoolyear.

• The fourth AISI Conference will be held in Calgary, February 13-15, 2005.

• AISI was featured in Education Analyst (2004), which focused on school improve-ment programs.

• In June 2004, the School Improvement Branch received an Alberta Learning Excep-tional Contribution Award for its work on AISI.

• CASS is represented by Ed Wittchen and Lorne Radbourne on the AISI EducationPartners Steering Committee, as well as Dot Negropontes, Lissa Steele, DeanLindquist and Manny Ferreirinha on the AISI Professional Development WorkingGroup.2003). Edmonton, AB: Alberta Learning.

AISI Facts

References

Alberta Initiative for School

Improvement Education Partners

Steering Committee. (1999). Framework

for the Alberta Initiative for School

Improvement. Edmonton, AB: Alberta

Learning.

Alberta Initiative for School

Improvement. (2004). Improving

student learning: Provincial report for

cycle 1 (2000-2003). Edmonton, AB:

Alberta Learning.

Alberta Initiative for School Improvement continued

With 90 per cent of Alberta schools involved in anAISI project, the language of improvement — goals,strategies, measures, baselines, targets, and results —is now widely understood and used. More teachersare routinely reading the research literature andbecoming better versed in research-based practicesfor improving teaching and learning.

By Cathy Faber, System Principal, Innovative Learning Ser-

vices, Calgary Board of Education

Embedding professional development (PD) activities and pro-

grams into the everyday work of educators is emerging as a

key strategy to address ongoing curricular and technology

developments, limited resources, and increasing demands on time.

Embedded PD is based on the premise that educators already possess

foundational skills and knowledge that support instructional and

community directions. (Miller, 1999) Embedded PD also recognizes

that educators learn best from each other, and within defined con-

texts. The notion of the external expert who arrives for the one-day

cure has proven itself largely ineffective as teachers struggle to contex-

tualize and realize the potential of “solutions” that do not align with

their identified needs. (Spark & Hirsh, 1997, p. 2)

Perhaps more significantly, on-the-job PD creates opportunities

to link professional practice directly to student outcomes thus mak-

ing everyday professional learning responsive to the context and

expectations of the community it serves. It provides validity to the

approaches and instructional strategies teachers develop and use.

Data within and among schools can be shared on a weekly or

monthly basis and act as windows on managed change, data-driven

decision-making, and priorities for resources. (Ellis & Miller, 2004,

p.7) This approach shifts the onus on school and jurisdictional lead-

ers to develop policies and marshal resources that support the link-

ages between student learning and professional support and growth,

building systems thinking into professional development and change

efforts.

What does embedded professional development look like in the

everyday context of work for educators? What would change from

having educators attending lectures, workshops, institutes and con-

ferences?

At the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) one strategy for

embracing embedded professional development has been through

the development of technology supported and networked environ-

ments that may be shared with students, parents, and stakeholders.

A new service unit within the CBE, Innovative Learning Services

(ILS), has been created to work closely with the Information Tech-

nologies (IT) Department to build and support research and profes-

sional development opportunities for educators that examines cur-

rent assumptions, beliefs, practices, and outcomes impacting student

success, organizational capacity, and managed change at the CBE. In

addition, ILS works with Curriculum Support and Student Service

departments to extend and enhance learning options for all students

and staff as alternative and blended programs are built onto technol-

ogy supported learning environments.

New Ways of Learning in New Learning SpacesILS began 18 months ago by identifying a number of technology

supported learning spaces that would enable educators to have ways

of bringing together community, collaboration, and information into

their daily working environment and planning time. These learning

spaces include:

AligningProfessionalDevelopmentto

StudentSuccessThe following article summarizes information presented at

the CASS-Alberta Learning Annual Conference held April

2004 in Edmonton, Alberta.


38

• A learning management system

Enhances students' opportunities to learn anytime anywhere. Dis-

tributed learning occurs through the use of Internet tools such as

discussion groups, email, electronic calendars, content modules

and online quizzes. Courses are password protected and allow

educators complete control over access to the course and the use

of content and tools within the course. As a professional develop-

ment environment, educators can now learn with colleagues in a

secure environment that can be developed to meet their own

learning needs.

• A digital learning repository

Provides a storage and retrieval technology for digital educational

resources. Educators are able to store their collaboratively devel-

oped educational resources. Learners, educators and parents are

able to retrieve content and build online/distributed learning

courses and projects by linking to Learning Repository resources.

• The project server

Provides a space for all classroom teachers and administrators to

create collaborative learning projects, resource sharing environ-

ments and spaces in which to create and develop innovative

learning resources and online inquiry-based learning. This serv-

er is an excellent alternative for teachers who wish to post proj-

ect content on the Internet but don't need some of the other

tools that the learning management system has to offer. Assistive

technologies can address a multitude of learning styles and

learning opportunities.

• A staff intranet

Offers a password-protected space accessible through the Staff

Tools link on the CBE Website. Teachers can login to their out-

look mail, stay current on developments within the CBE, Alberta

Learning and other educational institutions, and visit a commu-

nity of practice to read interesting articles, find out about profes-

sional development opportunities and contact curriculum specialists.

This first step of integrating a number of learning and working

spaces into the everyday life of educators offered new ways of con-

necting, sharing, testing, measuring and storing activities and infor-

mation with other educators, students, parents and external commu-

nities. At the same time, educators needed support and opportunities

to learn about these new environments and see how others were

using them.

Building Communities of PracticeAsking educators to work as learners to build understandings by

sharing practice, examining student work, and experimenting with

new instructional and information strategies, can be supported

through connected, networked, secure communities, focused on

common agendas or goals. Building opportunities for educators to

connect face-to-face and then continue their work on a day-to-day

basis has begun in the CBE through a variety of communities, estab-

lished and supported by networked technologies. Currently there are

Communities of Practice emerging in curricular areas such as Sci-

ence, Social Studies, Mathematics and English Language Arts as well

as within support services such as the High School Counselors, Off

Campus Support, Student Records Systems (SIRS), English as a Sec-

ond Language, and Aboriginal Education. Accessing information,

collaborating on projects, or building common resources is support-

ed anytime, anywhere.

New educators connect with experienced staff when help or

information is needed. Jurisdictional practices and expectations are

built over time, and within a comfortable, secure learning environ-

ment. Communities aren’t left without face-to-face time but contin-

ue to build their relationships and expertise on an everyday or every

week basis within web pages, discussion areas, chat rooms and shared

calendars. There is no waiting for those two or three opportunities

throughout the year when educators from across a jurisdiction can

meet to talk and work together.

• Connect to and access resources

• Share expertise, skills and understandings

• Help each other

• Explore new ideas

• Contact your specialists and experts

• Share similar interests

• Learn from each other

• Design with your colleagues

Educators looking for support and information through struc-

tured learning programs also have access to professional development

online courses. Topics such as “Teaching and Learning Online”, “E-

valuator” and E-designer” focus on issues related to working online

with students. There are also online courses focusing on strategies for

Aligning Professional Development to Student Success continued

Action research, researchsupport teams and newdata collection toolkitsallow educationalcommunities andconnected classrooms toset and measure goalsand targets, strategize,problem solve andaddress barriers tostudent success.

working with exceptional learners, off campus support teams and

student work experience programs as well as courses directed to

information literacy issues. These online PD courses are available

throughout the year and can be accessed when and where educators

can find time. Groups of educators can work through issues, com-

plete assignments, and even gain University graduate credit as they

study with colleagues. For example, at the University of Calgary, edu-

cators may choose to take CBE e-PD courses for graduate elective

credit in the Graduate Division of Educational Research (GDER).

Each course is a half-course equivalent and can be taken as part of

the Post Degree Continuous Learning (PDCL) program at U of C.

Prior learning accreditation is considered and those educators who

have already completed the Calgary Board of Education e-PD cours-

es may not have to repeat that work.

Accessing ResourcesWhere CBE educators have engaged most active in day to day

professional learning is with the use of learning resources that are

available online either as linked resources or downloadable files that

can be customized or re-purposed. Linking learners to a multimedia

presentation on gravity, a clip of Shakespeare, a java applet on veloci-

ty, or a walk through a virtual museum, provides educators with

ready resources that support differentiated instruction, formative

assessment and collaborative project or inquiry-based learning. While

resources abound on the Internet, CBE teacher librarians and cur-

riculum specialists also participate in selecting resources that attend

to Alberta learning outcomes. Building our resources through inter-

active pages helps to engage learners and parents, as well as educators,

in working with connected and supported learning.

Visit the CBE Library at http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/curriculum/library

Aligning Professional Development to Student SuccessThe linkages between successful student learning and engaged,

successful professional practices are being mapped and directed

through these technology enhanced and technology supported

opportunities within the Calgary Board of Education. Action

research, research support teams and new data collection toolkits

allow educational communities and connected classrooms to set

and measure goals and targets, strategize, problem solve and

address barriers to student success. Over the past year research has

directed the ongoing learning in professional communities in

high school science, junior high integrated occupational pro-

grams, assistive technologies, and with educators focused on

information literacy.

Not incidentally, educators use their own day-to-day learning

to extend and enhance student opportunities to connect, share

and build new ways of learning and knowing. Project and

inquiry-based learning for educators is translating into inquiry

and project based learning for students. Program initiatives such

as high school Career Pathways allow both educators and students

to work beyond time and space to connect relevant and purpose-

ful agendas. Educators are more able to study and share their stu-

dents’ work on a regular basis as one approach to enhancing their

own professional practice.

By connecting educators in supported and extended learning

communities, professional development becomes connected to

student learning and continuous, ongoing professional improve-

ment. Each day provides opportunities for educators to identify

how their own learning enriches their practice. ■

References:

Ellis, Patricia, Miller, Janet, (2004). Professional develop-

ment plan, building capacity to ensure academic excellence

for all children. Retrieved August 12, 2004 from

http://www.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/fileBroker.php/9068/PD_Pl

an_03-04.pdf

Miller, Steven, (1999). Embedded professional devel-

opment, Project MEET Policy Strand, Mass Networks

Education Partnership. Retrieved August 12, 2004 from

http://www.massnetworks.org/resources/MNEParticles/embe

dded-pd.pdf

Spark, Dennis, Hirsh, Stephanie, (1997). A new vision

for staff development. Retrieved August 12, 2004 from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/1997sparks/1997spa

rkstoc.html



CASS Thanks YOU!

The team at CASS would liketo extend a big thank you toeveryone who makes TheCASS Connection such a greatsuccess. Without thesupport of advertisers andthe commitment ofeducational leadersthroughout the provincewho dedicate their timetowards writing greatarticles, this magazinewould not be possible. But,because of everyone’s hardwork, CASS is able to putout a publication that assistseducators across Alberta.

Thank you to everyonewho makes The CASSConnection a huge success!

T wo recent legislative changes have

implications for employers regard-

ing the issue of workplace safety.

A number of significant updates have been

made to Alberta’s Occupational Health and

Safety legislation, with the most recent

change having come into effect in the spring

of 2004. The changes include: increased

fines, a wider variety of penalties for work-

place health and safety violations and new

safety-related obligations on employers.

The Criminal Code was also amended in

March 2004 by Bill C-45. These amendments

impose a legal duty on employers to provide a

safe workplace, failing which an organization

may be subject to criminal sanctions.

Changes to Alberta’s OccupationalHealth and Safety Legislation

Employer Obligations Generally

under Alberta’s Occupational Health &

Safety Legislation

The Alberta Occupational Health and

Safety Act provides that employers must do

everything that they can reasonably do to

ensure the health and safety of workers.

The Act and its corresponding regulations

and code of rules require employers to: pro-

vide and maintain safe equipment, ensure

proper handling and storage of dangerous

chemicals, ensure workers are given proper

training, advise workers of workplace haz-

ards, monitor workers exposed to hazards,

and have safe work policies and practices in

place. Contraventions of the Act, regula-

tions or Code can result in substantial fines

or imprisonment.

Recent Changes to Alberta’s Occupa-tional Health & Safety Legislation

Recent changes to Alberta's Occupa-

tional Health & Safety legislation have sig-

nificant implications for employers. The

legislative changes have been implemented

by way of a three step process:

1. The Occupational Health & Safety

Act was amended in December 2002.

One of the most significant amend-

ments provides for the use of an Occu-

pational Health & Safety Code to set

out the detailed technical rules and

requirements necessary to carry out the

intent of the legislation.

2. The new Occupational Health &

Safety Regulation took effect on

March 31, 2003. This Regulation deals

primarily with administrative and poli-

cy issues which are not covered by the

Occupational Health & Safety Code.

3. The Occupational Health & Safety

Code came into effect on April 30, 2004,

and sets out detailed technical require-

ments to support the Act and Regulation.

a. Amendments to the Occupational

Health & Safety Act

In December, 2002 the Occupational

Health & Safety Act changed in six (6)

major ways. The updated Act provides for:

• increased maximum fines;

• alternative penalties (aside from mone-

tary fines & imprisonment);

• the implementation of an Occupational

Health & Safety Code;

• on the spot administrative fines;

• publication of the names of the “best

and worst” safety performers; and

• an extension of the timelines for prose-

cution of an offence under the Act.

Maximum Fines Increased

The maximum fine for a first offence,

for a contravention of the Act, regulation

or Code, has been increased from $150,000


LegalTalk

Changes to Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety legislation and the Criminal Codeplace increased legal responsibility on employers to provide a safe work environment

By Angela Town, Solicitor, ASBA Legal Services

to $500,000. The maximum fine for a sec-

ond or subsequent offence has been

increased from $300,000 to $1,000,000.

Other fines have increased proportionately.

Alternative Penalties

With the changes to the Act, courts

may now assess penalties other than fines

and jail sentences for violations of the Act.

Courts may now order any penalty they con-

sider appropriate, such as requiring an

employer to establish effective health and

safety programs, implement specific training

or workshops, or perform community service.

Occupational Health & Safety Code

The Act provides the authority to the

Minister of Human Resources and

Employment to adopt an Occupational

Health & Safety Code. In an effort to

streamline the regulatory process, the

Code, in conjunction with the Regulation,

replaces 11 different Occupational Health

& Safety Regulations, namely: Chemical

Hazards Regulations A.R. 398/88, Desig-

nated Worksites A.R. 306/77, Designated

Worksites A.R. 91/78, Designation of Joint

Worksite Health & Safety Committee A.R.

218/77, Explosives Safety Regulations A.R.

272/76, First Aid Regulation A.R.

48/2000, General Safety Regulation A.R.

448/83, Joint Worksite Health & Safety

Committee Regulation A.R. 197/77, Mines

Safety Regulation A.R. 292/95, Noise Reg-

ulation A.R. 314/81, and Ventilation

Regulation A.R. 326/84.

On the Spot Administrative Fines

Provisions to allow Occupational

Health & Safety officers to issue on the

spot fines for a contravention of the Act,

Regulation or Code, have been contemplat-

ed for future inclusion in the Act. Whether

or not a system of administrative fines will

be introduced will depend in part on

whether similar processes have been shown

to be an effective deterrent in other juris-

dictions.

Publication of Names of “Best and

Worst” Safety Performers

With the implementation of changes to

the Act, Alberta Human Resources and

Employment will now have the authority

to publish the safety records of Alberta

employers on its website and in other pub-

lications.

Extension of the Prosecution Period

Previously prosecutors had to com-

mence a prosecution against an employer

within one year from the date of the alleged

offence. With the new changes to the Act,

prosecutors now have up to two years with-

in which to gather information and begin a

prosecution.

b. Occupational Health & Safety

Regulation

The new Occupational Health & Safety

Regulation consolidates many of rules of an

administrative and policy nature that

appeared in the eleven (11) regulations that

were repealed in April 2004. In addition, a

number of changes have been implemented

through the Regulation. Changes of partic-

ular relevance to school boards include:

• Critical work place documents must be

in writing and available to affected

workers. An employer is required to

have a report, plan or procedure in writ-

ing and available to employees where

the legislation requires the employer to

do so.

• Employers must ensure that workers

perform safety related duties. Employers

must have a system in place to monitor

workers and ensure that they comply with

their safety related duties under Occupa-

tional Health and Safety legislation.

• Workers must report any unsafe equip-

ment to the employer. Workers must

immediately report unsafe equipment

to their employer. Employers are

accountable for ensuring that equip-

ment is safe to use and unsafe equip-

ment is removed.

• Workers must be trained to safely oper-

ate equipment. Employers are required

by law to ensure their workers are

trained in the operation of any equip-

ment that the worker is required to

operate in the course of their duties.

The training must meet certain criteria

and the employer is responsible for

determining the content and duration

of the training. This does not mean that

the employer itself must provide the

training. However, the employer must

make arrangements so that the worker

will have received the appropriate train-

ing before they operate the equipment.

c. The Occupational Health & Safety

Code

The Occupational Health & Safety

Code came into effect on April 30, 2004. It

contains detailed technical requirements to

support the Occupational Health & Safety

Act and Regulation.

The combined effect of the Code and

the Occupational Health & Safety Regula-

tion is to combine duplicate rules which

existed under the eleven (11) repealed regu-

lations, to eliminate unnecessary rules, to

clarify existing rules, and to add certain

new provisions.

The Occupational Health & Safety Code

is organized into 39 Parts, dealing with vari-

ous workplace conditions and hazards.

Parts 1-3 address Core Requirements

Applicable to all Industries, such as Defin-

itions and matters of General Application;

Hazard Assessment, Elimination and Con-

trol; and Specifications and Certifications.

Parts 4-29 cover Requirements Applic-

able to all Industries, dealing with various

workplace conditions and hazards, such as:

chemical handling and storage, confined

spaces, emergency response, first aid, lifting,

workplace violence, and working alone.

Parts 30-39 cover Requirements

Applicable to Specific Industries and

Activities, such as Demolition, Diving

Operations, Excavation, Explosives,

Forestry, Healthcare and Industries with

Biological Hazards, Mining, Oil and Gas

Wells, Residential Roofing and Tree Care

Operations.

Some highlights of the Code that may

be particularly relevant to school boards,

include:

• Under Part 2 - Hazard Assessment, Elim-

ination and Control, employers are

required to assess a worksite and identi-

fy existing or potential hazards before

work commences. Employers must pre-

pare a report providing results and spec-



Legal Talk continued

ifying how hazards will be controlled or

eliminated. This report must be in writ-

ing and available to workers.

• Part 4 - Chemical Hazards, Biological

Hazards and Harmful Substances, con-

tains rules regarding exposure to

asbestos, silica and coal dust. Provisions

restricting the use of asbestos in build-

ings have been transferred from the

Alberta Building Code to the Occupa-

tional Health and Safety Code.

• Under Part 5 - Confined Spaces, employ-

ers are required to have a code of prac-

tice in place governing practices and

procedures for workers entering and

working in a confined space, and to

establish an entry permit system for

confined space entry.

• Part 7 - Emergency Preparedness and

Response, provides that employers must

have in place an emergency response

plan for the purpose of responding to

an emergency requiring rescue or evacu-

ation. This plan must be in writing and

available to workers.

• Part 9 - Fall Protection, provides that

workers working on flat roofs are no

longer exempt from the need to use fall

protection.

• The requirements under Part 11 - First

Aid remain largely identical to those

previously contained in the, now

repealed, First Aid Regulation.

• Under Part 27 – Violence employers are

required to develop policies and proce-

dures regarding potential workplace vio-

lence. These policies and procedures

must be in writing and available to

workers. “Violence” is defined under

the Act as “whether at a worksite or

work related, means the threatened,

attempted or actual conduct of a person

that causes or is likely to cause physical

injury.”

• The contents of Part 28 - Working Alone

remain identical in substance to the

working alone requirements that were

implemented in the year 2000 with

additions to the General Safety Regula-

tion; however, the wording has been

simplified and reorganized. The work-

ing alone portion of the Code applies if

a worker is working alone at a worksite

where assistance is not readily available,

and there is an emergency or the worker

becomes ill or injured. This section

requires employers to assess their work-

place and take preventative measures

that eliminate or minimize the hazards

associated with working alone.

• Part 29 - Workplace Hazardous Materials

Information System (WHMIS) provides

that employers may not store a con-

trolled product without a WHMIS or

MSDS or label information for more

than 120 days, unless the employer is

actively seeking the supplier label or

MSDS and placards have been provided

in the storage area. Further, information

presented on an MSDS is to be no

more than three years old.

Due Diligence It may be possible for an employer to

avoid liability for a violation of provincial

OH&S legislation if the defence of due dili-

gence can be established. An employer must

demonstrate that it has ensured the health

and safety of workers “as far as it is reason-

ably practicable”.

Due diligence requires employers, and

employees in supervisory or managerial

positions, to take all reasonable steps to

ensure the health and safety of workers

before an incident occurs.

Due diligence is a culture and a way of

doing business. To be duly diligent an

employer must implement an effective sys-

tem to identify, evaluate and control haz-

ards. Elements of an effective system

include:

• workplace hazard assessments;

• implementation of control measures to

eliminate or reduce risks from hazards;

• clearly communicated company policy

and management commitment;

• worker competency and training;

• an inspection and monitoring program;

• emergency response plans;

• proper investigation of incidents; and

• effective administration of the program.

The steps you take to ensure the safety of your

workers should be documented in writing. These

records are essential so that you can evaluate your

system. It may enable you to form the basis of a

due diligence defence in the event of an incident.

Bill C45 (An Amendment to the CriminalCode Regarding Workplace Health andSafety)

Attention to the issue of workplace

health and safety is also an issue at the fed-

eral level. Bill C45, An Act to amend the

Criminal Code (criminal liability of organi-

zations), resulted in certain amendments to

the Criminal Code. The Bill was pro-

claimed in March 2004, and was, in part, a

response to certain recommendations that

came out of the judicial inquiry into the

1992 Westray mine disaster in Nova Scotia,

where 26 miners lost their lives. Bill C45

establishes criminal liability for all organi-

zations, including, large corporations,

medium-sized businesses, small businesses,

public bodies, school boards and munici-

palities, for serious violations of workplace

health and safety. Bill C-45 places more

responsibilities on directors and managers

and those employees responsible for safety,

to ensure safety in the workplace.

Bill C45 deals only with the criminal

responsibility of the organization. It does

not change the law regarding the personal

liability of directors, officers and employ-

ees, but does extend the scope of represen-

tatives for whose activities the organization

may be held criminally liable.

Bill C45 refers to “organizations” instead

of corporations. The definition of “every

one” “person” and “owner” under the Crim-

inal Code has been broadened to include an

“organization”. A “pubic body” is included

in the definition of an “organization”.

Bill C45 establishes, for the first time, a


Due diligence requiresemployers, andemployees in supervisoryor managerial positions,to take all reasonablesteps to ensure thehealth and safety ofworkers before anincident occurs.

Criminal Code duty on “everyone who

undertakes, or has the authority, to direct

how another person does work or performs

a task … to take reasonable steps to prevent

bodily harm to that person, or any other

person, arising from that work or task.”

This legal duty elevates the stigma and the

penalty associated with serious contraven-

tions of health and safety laws to that of a

crime, extends the legal duty to maintain a

safe work environment to a new level, (i.e.

foremen or even co-workers may now be

included within the scope of individuals

required to comply with the duty), and

places a duty on individuals to take reason-

able steps to prevent harm to members of

the general public who may be affected by

the work or task as well.

Elements of the Offence

To obtain a criminal conviction the

Crown must prove: (1) the commission of

a prohibited act; and (2) intent – the requi-

site guilty mental state.

To prove that a prohibited act has been

committed by an organization, the Crown

must prove that the physical act was com-

mitted by employees of the organization.

Bill C45 widens the scope of individuals

who may be deemed to act on behalf of an

organization, beyond that of employees, to

include: directors, partners, members,

agents and contractors, as well as employ-

ees. These individuals must be acting with-

in the scope of their employment at the

time of the alleged crime.

Whether or not the necessary intent was

present depends on the mental state of

mind of the “directing mind” of the organi-

zation. The “directing mind” for purposes

of Bill C45 is a “senior officer”. Bill C-45

defines a senior officer as including every-

one who has an important role in: (1) set-

ting policy; and (2) managing an important

part of the organization’s activities. This

definition focuses on the function of the

individual rather than on a particular title.

The new definition also provides that direc-

tors, the CEO and the CFO of an organiza-

tion are, by virtue of their position, auto-

matically deemed “senior officers.”

Further, an organization may be held

liable not only where its representatives com-

mit the offence themselves, but also if they

are party to an offence, (i.e. if the representa-

tive “aids or abets” or “counsels” another

person in the commission of an offence).

Offences

An organization may be convicted as a

result of Bill C-45 for criminal negligence

or where specified intent exists.

Generally, for an organization to be

found guilty of committing a crime of neg-

ligence under Bill C-45 an individual must

have acted so carelessly or with such disre-

gard for the safety of others that criminal

punishment is appropriate. The Crown

must establish that one or more employ-

ees of the organization committed the act

and that a senior officer should have

taken reasonable steps to prevent the

employee(s) from carrying out the act. In

such cases a court will consider whether a

system should have been in place to pre-

vent the act from occurring and, secondly,

whether the lack of such a system was a

significant departure from the standard of

care expected under the circumstances. In

making this determination, a court will

consider other practices put in place by


Legal Talk continued

The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act provides that employers must doeverything that they can reasonably do to ensure the health and safety of workers.The Act and its corresponding regulations and code of rules require employers to:provide and maintain safe equipment, ensure proper handling and storage ofdangerous chemicals, ensure workers are given proper training, advise workers ofworkplace hazards, monitor workers exposed to hazards, and have safe workpolicies and practices in place.

the senior officer as well as similar prac-

tices at other organizations.

Bill C45 sets out three ways that an

organization may be deemed to have com-

mitted a crime requiring awareness of a cer-

tain fact or specified intent. In each case,

the focus is on the senior officer who must

intend for there to be a benefit to the

organization as a result of the criminal

act. This intent may be proven in three

ways: (1) the senior officer actually com-

mits the crime; (2) the senior officer directs

others to undertake the dishonest act; or

(3) the senior officer knows employees are

going to commit an offence but does not

stop them because he wants the organiza-

tion to benefit.

Sentencing

As corporations cannot be imprisoned,

the Criminal Code provides for fines

where corporations are convicted of

crimes. For summary conviction offences

(less serious offences), Bill C45 has

increased the maximum fine for summary

conviction offences from $25,000 to

$100,000. For more serious indictable

offences, there is no limit on the fine that

may be imposed.

Factors provided for under the Criminal

Code that a court will consider in fining an

organization, include matters such as: seri-

ousness of the crime, the extent of the

injury caused, whether death results, eco-

nomic advantage sustained, the degree of

planning involved, public interest, and

prospects of rehabilitation.

Bill C45 provides for “corporate proba-

tion”. A judge may impose conditions such

as, requiring the organization to: provide

restitution to victims, establish policies, or

inform the public of the offence, the sen-

tence and the remedial measures being

undertaken. A court may also make an

order regarding supervision of the any such

efforts undertaken by the organization.

Summary

Bill C-45 demonstrates the importance

that the federal government is placing on

health and safety issues. With the passing

of Bill C45, the threshold required for an

organization to be charged and convicted

of a crime for health and safety violations

has been substantially lowered.

Organizations must assess their cur-

rent occupational health and safety

programs, report ing re lat ionships ,

training budgets, and the overall level

of commitment to workplace health

and safety, and make improvements

where necessary.

An ef fect ive occupational health

and safety program, including appro-

priate training, monitoring, policies

and procedures, that is clearly com-

municated throughout the organiza-

tion will go a long way to proactively

ensuring corporate compliance with

legal obl igat ions , and more impor-

tant ly, the hea l th and sa fe ty o f

employees.

This article is provided for information

only and should not be construed as providing

legal advice. �


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Accounting Curriculum SoftwareIntuit Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Acoustic MaterialsECKEL Industries of Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Acoustic SolutionsMJM Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

AcousticsGWP Wallworks Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Architecture & Interior DesignThe Workun Garrick Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Assertive Non-Violent Crisis InterventionCrisis Prevention Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Audio VisualACA Audio Visual Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Audio / Visual ProductsMatrix Video Communications Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Audio Visual Technology ProductsTorcomp Systems / Crosstec Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Benefits ProviderAlberta School Employee Benefit Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Books - WholesaleHans Schafler & Company Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Carpet Cleaning SuppliesFibreclean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Catholic EducationACSTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Circuit Strength Training EquipmentApex Fitness Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Club Moo / Alberta MilkAlberta Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Conference Centres & HotelsChip Hospitality - Mayfield Inn & Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Distance EducationAlberta Distance Learning Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Educational Book StoresThe Teachers’ Book Depository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Educational MaterialsCanadian Centre for Energy Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC

Educational PublisherScholastic Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Educational ToursFehr-Way Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Electronic Bilingual Dictionary ProductsSharp Electronics of Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Employee Assistance ProgramsOrganizational Health Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Flags & Flag PolesThe Flag Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

French Language Book StoresLibrairie Monettee Itée . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

French Language ProgramsOxford University Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

FurnishingsCDI Furnishings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Hand & Hair DryersComac Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Heating Boilers / Related EquipmentW. Dalton Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Hotels & Conference CentreCrowne Plaza - Chateau Lacombe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

HVAC Water TreatmentSpecified Technical Sales Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Insurance & Risk Management ServicesLloydsadd Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Insurance Career & EducationalResourcesThe Insurance Institute of Canada . . . . . . . . . . . .44

International Truck & Engine CompanyInternational Truck & Engine Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26-27

Learning ResourcesLearning Resource Centre - Alberta Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Life InsuranceIndustrial Alliance Pacific Life Insurance Company . .4

Management ConsultantsWestern Management Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Manufacturer EquipmentNilfisk Advance Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Music Sales / LessonsAllegro Music Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Musical InstrumentsMother’s Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19


guidebuyer’s

Natural Cleaning SuppliesSFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Networked Class Room ProductsTorcomp Systems / Crosstec Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Networks & IT SolutionsNovell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Noise controllGWP Wallworks Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Noise Control SolutionsECKEL Industries of Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Outdoor EducationCentre for Outdoor Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Plumbing FixturesCanadian Aqualine Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Professional DevelopmentNelson Thomson Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Professional DevelopmentTTG Systems Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

RecyclingCalgary Bottle Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

School Administration SoftwareKimputer Evolutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

MasterWorks Software Systems Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . .29

School AttractionsCanadian Petroleum Interpretive Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

School Banking SoftwareKimputer Evolutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

School Equipment & SuppliesShanahan's Building Specialties Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

School LightingHolophane Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

School of HairDelMar College of Hair Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

School Software & Educational MaterialSoftware 4 Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Seating ProductsIrwin Seating Company Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBC

ServiceMatrix Video Communications Corporation . . . . .44

Ski-Snowboard Equipment, Clothing &ServicesSki Cellar Snowboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

SoftwareTSC Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Window TreatmentsGWP Wallworks Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47


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