Staff
The Rainy River District School Board received a report on the Early Developmental Instrument (EDI) and other support for early learners at its monthly meeting held May 2 at the Atikokan High School.
Heather Bridgeman, the Early Years Primary Division co-ordinator, spoke to the board about the EDI, which was completed for all Year Two kindergarten students across the district by their teachers in 2015.
She explained the EDI is a population measure of children’s developmental health and well-being at the entry of school.
It is a population measure for development in physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication skills, and general knowledge.
Bridgeman explained the EDI assesses the strengths and needs of children in the community to provide a benchmark for monitoring child development trajectories.
Along with the teacher-completed EDI, a survey was sent home in 2015 for parents to fill out voluntarily
Bridgeman said the EDI and the surveys received are used to make informed decisions about curriculum and support for Early Years students.
Other supports for students (Early Years or otherwise) also were outlined for the board.
These include daily breakfast programs, outdoor classrooms, integrated technology, before- and after-school programming, speech and language services, and special education services.
Access to indigenous language, literacy, and numeracy supports are included, as well.
Also at last Tuesday’s meeting, the board:
•heard a presentation highlighting the Atikokan High School’s music program for the board’s monthly Recognition of Excellence;
•approved a revision of the mileage rate, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017, to follow Canada Revenue Agency reasonable rates of $0.54/km on the first 5,000 km and $0.48/km thereafter;
•authorized the use of vote-by-mail for the 2018 school board elections; and,
•received an update on the Atikokan student accommodation review and the Municipal and Facility Partnership Consultation, which took place April 26 at the North Star Community School.
