Nearly one-third of Catholic board high school students worried they won’t be prepared for next year: survey
A recent survey of Hamilton Catholic board secondary students found that preparedness for the upcoming school year was one of their top concerns."
More than 30 per cent of students indicated they are worried they will not be adequately prepared for the next year of high school or, for graduating students, post-secondary.
I was not surprised by that at all," said Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District Board (HWCDSB) chair Pat Daly, adding that the board is looking at how to address learning loss from the more than a year of disruptions and intermittent periods of remote learning.
It's critically important that we pay particular attention to that ... not just for next year, but for the next number of years. Clearly, it's had an impact."
In the same survey, which had more than 1,600 respondents from grades 9 to 12, 61 per cent of students rated their academic progress - such as grades, evaluations and other teacher feedback - as the same or better than in previous years.
Daly said grades alone don't equate feeling prepared for next year.
There's so many other components of students' learning experiences, you know, clubs and sports and music and student council ... that they haven't participated in," Daly said.
In a May 2021 HWCDSB parent survey, nearly 75 per cent of parents with students in Hamilton's Catholic school board indicated that remote learning went as well as expected" or worse.
I think like everyone else ... the longer it has gone, the more tired and frustrated people have gotten," Daly said.
Forty per cent of parents said their child or children were either minimally" or not at all engaged during remote learning.
It confirmed our view as a board," said Daly. Clearly the vast, vast majority of parents want their children to participate in full in-person learning."
The majority of students - 53 per cent - reported a decline in mental health over the last year, which Daly said is concerning, but not surprising.
I think we all need to understand that this needs to be a long-term focus," he said.
Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com