LITERACY AND NUMERACY STRATEGY
The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat
Initiatives
Schools On The Move: Lighthouse Program
Many Ontario schools have developed effective practices to help their students achieve better results. Our Schools on the Move: Lighthouse Program was launched in 2006 to celebrate and connect schools that are making significant and sustained progress in student achievement. The goal is for schools to network with other schools that have similar backgrounds and challenges, in order to learn successful strategies for improving student learning in literacy and numeracy.
Schools on the Move are schools where principals and teachers are using high-yield, research-based strategies, data analysis to chart student progress, and large blocks of uninterrupted learning time for literacy and mathematics instruction. Mastering new approaches empowers teachers to cultivate relationships with other schools, reinforcing each others' efforts and sharing practices that work in their schools. This supportive networking climate increases momentum to improve student achievement within and across districts in Ontario.
The Schools on the Move: Lighthouse Program reflects a wide range of schools from low-performing schools that are "beating the odds" to improve student learning, to high-performing schools which show that improvement is always possible.
The Schools on the Move: Lighthouse Program began in 2006 with the involvement of 23 schools from across the province. The selected schools represent the geographic diversity of Ontario, the Catholic and public boards, and the French-language and English-language boards. There is at least one school from each of the five geographic regions. An additional 42 schools entered the program in 2007, and the number of schools in this program is expected to increase to about 100 by May 2008.
Student achievement officers (SAOs) from The Secretariat work collaboratively with school boards to select schools from across the province that:
- use research-based strategies in classrooms across the school
- demonstrate improvement over three years with EQAO testing scores
- possess a clear, internal focus on student learning and performance
- focus on data to help close the gap for specific groups of students who are not reaching their potential
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