At A.R. MacNeill Secondary, we believe literacy is the foundation for success in every area of learning and life. Literacy empowers students to read critically, communicate effectively, think deeply, make meaningful connections, and contribute confidently to their communities.

Building on our existing school priorities of instructional quality, parent partnership, and student connection, our focus for 2026-2027 is to strengthen literacy across all curricular areas through consistent instructional practices, shared language, and targeted support for learners. Our goal is to increase students' confidence and resilience as readers while developing their ability to comprehend, analyze and respond to increasingly complex texts. This focus reflects the school's commitment to strengthening literacy development through intentional teaching and common practices across classrooms.

Through our Graduation Literacy Assessment (GLA), classroom-based literacy assessments, teacher observations, and collaborative staff discussions, we have identified literacy as an area requiring continued attention and support. Staff have noted challenges across subject areas related to reading comprehension, understanding complex texts, responding to a range of question types, making meaningful connections.

Our Grade 8 team has also identified key literacy areas to work on:

• Word skills and vocabulary development
• Identifying main ideas and supporting details
• Responding to text with evidence
• Making meaningful connections
• Building reading confidence and comprehension resilience
• Making inferences

These findings reinforce that literacy development is the responsibility of all educators and is most effective when students experience consistent expectations, language, and strategies across their learning environments.

Baseline evidence will include:

• Cross-grade reading assessments
• Graduation Literacy Assessment (GLA) results
• Classroom-based literacy assessments
• Teacher observations and anecdotal evidence
• Student voice and reflections
• Learning update data across curricular areas

Initial data and staff discussions suggest that students would benefit from greater support in comprehending complex texts, identifying key ideas, responding effectively, and applying literacy strategies consistently across learning contexts.

As a school community, we will:

1. Establish and maintain common cross-curricular literacy practices and instructional language across classrooms.
2. Explicitly teach reading comprehension strategies, including predicting, questioning, identifying purpose, making connections, inferencing, and responding to text.
3. Create opportunities for staff collaboration through department, Grade 8 team, and school-wide professional learning conversations focused on literacy instruction.
4. Embed literacy learning opportunities in all subject areas so students experience repeated practice applying literacy skills in different contexts.
5. Use assessment evidence and collaborative inquiry to monitor student growth and adjust instructional practices throughout the year.
6. Continue building strong partnerships with families by sharing literacy supports and strategies that can be reinforced at home.
7. Support the development of executive functioning skills, including organization, time management, work planning, and self-monitoring, as these skills contribute directly to literacy success.

Students will:

• Demonstrate increased confidence and resilience when engaging with challenging texts.
• Develop their ability to comprehend, interpret, and analyze information.
• Apply literacy strategies independently across multiple subject areas.
• Communicate their thinking more effectively through speaking, writing, and responding.
• Strengthen executive functioning skills that support learning and achievement.
• Experience greater success and engagement across the curriculum.

By creating consistent literacy practices throughout the school, students will be better equipped to access learning opportunities and achieve their full potential.

We will know our efforts are making a difference when:

• Literacy assessment results show increased proficiency over time.
• Students demonstrate improved performance on classroom and provincial literacy assessments.
• Teachers observe greater student confidence and independence in reading and responding to text.
• Students consistently use common literacy strategies across multiple courses.
• Student voice reflects increased confidence as readers, writers, and communicators.
• Learning updates demonstrate growth in literacy-related competencies across curricular areas.
• Educators develop more comfort and confidence in integrating literacy strategies in all areas of learning.

Evidence will be gathered through literacy assessments, classroom work samples, student reflections, teacher observations, collaborative team discussions, and Graduation Literacy Assessment results.

This focus aligns with Richmond School District Strategic Priority #1: Success for All Learners. By strengthening literacy across all curricular areas, A.R. MacNeill is supporting students in developing the foundational skills necessary to engage meaningfully in learning, think critically, communicate effectively, and achieve success both in school and beyond. 

This work also supports MacNeill's ongoing commitment to instructional quality, student connection, and meaningful learning experiences that help all students feel capable, connected, and empowered to succeed.