Measures of Student Achievement and Success
Evidence of student learning is collected over time from a variety of sources (observations, conversations, and student products). Students will receive multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of the curriculum expectations. Student grades are based upon achievement criteria and meeting the curriculum expectations. Information about Assessment & Evaluation may be found here:
OCDSB Parent Guide to Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting
OCDSB Procedure - Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting of Student Achievement
Ministry of Education - Growing Success
SCHS students have consistently demonstrated excellence in both our academic and extracurricular programs. Recognizing excellence and a commitment to reaching personal goals are an important part of the culture at SCHS.
Students are honoured academically at two major events each year: Undergraduate Awards Ceremony and Graduation.
In 2022‐23, 164 of our 283 graduates were named to the SCHS Honour Roll in recognition of achieving an overall average of 80% or better. Of these, 55 were winners of the OCDSB Silver Medal, recognizing an average of over 90%. Forty-four scholarships and special awards, with a total value of more than $37,000, were presented at Graduation on June 27, 2023. Nineteen students earned their SHSM Red Seal.
Our Grade 10 students completed the 2023‐2024 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test with a success rate that was above the provincial average.
Our students compete in numerous provincial contests including: Pascal Grade 9, Cayley Grade 10, Fermat Grade 11 and the Euclid Grade 12 math contests, the University of Waterloo Grade 11 Avogadro Chemistry Contest, and the OAPT Grade 12 Physics contest. Many French students are awarded the DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française), the official French-language diploma awarded by France's Ministry of National Education.
To assist students in setting personal academic goals, all Grade 9 students receive diagnostic testing in English and Mathematics. Results are used to establish individual needs and remediation targets.
The participation rate in both our intramural and interscholastic athletics programs is high. SCHS offers twenty‐eight interscholastic teams and a wide variety of individual and team intramural sports. In 2023‐2024 several SCHS students competed at the provincial level in a variety of sports.
Students’ work in the arts is celebrated throughout the year at dance shows, art shows, Band concerts, and drama productions hosted by staff and students of the school.
Our school is a caring community. Clear evidence of this is reflected the school's ability to raise funds for a variety of charities, including the Ottawa Humane Society, the Youth Services Bureau, and the Richmond and Stittsville Food Banks.
School Improvement Plans and Initiatives
At South Carleton High School, we constantly strive to enhance educational opportunities for students and to improve our learning and instructional environment. Each year, we develop “School Improvement Plans” based on the performance of our students and identified requirements of the new curriculum. The focus this year will include:
- South Carleton staff are committed to creating a respectful community of learners by focusing on connecting and reflecting across all subject areas as measured by the indicators of progress
- Continuation of the SCHS "Oracy Skills" initiative. This plan will see the continuation of activities in our English programs that are intended to develop students’ oral skills in formal debates as well as cross‐curricular literacy initiatives
- Numeracy improvement initiatives. This initiative, centered in the junior mathematics program, is designed to ensure all students acquire mathematics skills required for everyday use.
- Our staff are actively engaged in developing curriculum strategies that engage the 21st Century learner. The continued focus is the development of an improved entry plan model for Grade 8 students. Working with staff from our feeder schools will help in the design of an improved entry process for Grade 8 students to ensure a successful transition to high school.
- As a staff, we also focus on the learning skills component of the students’ academic program. Each subject department is developing the learning skills required for success, by teaching explicitly those skills at each grade level in the various subject areas.
Although these initiatives will receive major attention this year, there are other ongoing initiatives which include:
- Increasing communication with students and parents through the various media.
- Encouraging increased parental involvement and engagement
- Inclusion and accessibility practices
- Improving the physical plant.
South Carleton Awarded 2017 Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Achievement Award
South Carleton was one of 17 schools from across the province awarded the prestigious Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Recognition of Achievement Award from the EQAO in 2017.
The award was presented to schools that demonstrated growth in helping students with Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) meet provincial literacy standards. Support for exceptional learners resulted in four consecutive years of increased success rates on the OSSLT at South Carleton. The award emphasizes equity and inclusion and aligns with the theme of the EQAO Forum, “Data, Equity and a Culture of Hope.”
SCHS Principal at the time, Colin Anderson, said, "It is a huge honour to receive this recognition and it is a testament to the exceptional work done over the last four years by the entire staff supporting our exceptional learners and particularly the work done by Kelly Francis as our LST and Cathy Amini and Melanie White as our English heads and leads on OSSLT."