“Education cannot be neutral. It is either positive or negative; either it enriches or it impoverishes; either it enables a person to grow or it lessens, even corrupts him. The mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful. And this occurs through a rich path made up of many ingredients. This is why there are so many subjects — because development is the result of different elements that act together and stimulate intelligence, knowledge, the emotions, the body, and so on.” - Pope Francis

Congratulations for engaging in the “Leading the FSL program in Catholic Secondary Schools” asynchronous learning module.

Note: While the content in this course is mainly focused on the roles of Vice-Principal and Principal, they are supportive for all education leaders- positional or not.

Suggested readings enhance the learning experience. There are various Learning Journal Reflections and actionable items throughout the course for you to consider. The time you spend thoughtfully responding to reflection questions will support your development as an effective Catholic school leader. 

Learning Library professional resources are embedded throughout the course to extend your understanding. A full listing of professional resources is provided here.

Section 3:Guidance Staff as Allies

Who are the key decision makers that influence program retention? - Guidance counselors through their conversations.

Education and career life planning succeeds when the entire school community is informed about it, engaged in it, and committed to it. – Creating Pathways to Success (2013)

As stated in the first part of this module there are many different conversations that have to take place in order to support mindset shifts and change practices.  There are many allies that will support you as the school administrator in supporting these conversations.  The Guidance department can help in many ways, whether it’s facilitating transitions between schools or grade levels, reinforcing the benefits of FSL learning to students, or communicating the opportunities for cultural excursions offered by FSL Teachers. Guidance counselors sit in a unique position to be able to share the greater opportunities that FSL education offers to students with them and their families. They can advocate for FSL programs for all students and support retention in those programs.   

But what might be the key points in a conversation with guidance when you are supporting the FSL programs (French Immersion, Extended and Core French) in your school?

Review the following website and watch the video presentation included: https://transformingfsl.ca/en/student-pathways/

Leadership moves to consider:

As a new or experienced principal in an FSL Catholic school it is important to ensure that your guidance teachers understand what type of FSL programs programs your school has and the differences between them. There can be a wider variety of permutations in French than in any other subject in terms of streams/levels, certificate requirements and application to post secondary life. If a teacher is new to the role or if there are any changes made to one or more secondary French programs it is essential that guidance understand how the FSL flow of student subject requirements work for your Core French, Extended French, and/or French Immersion programs. 

A yearly review of the Guiding Principles of FSL in Ontario schools from the Framework for French as a Second Language in Ontario Schools is recommended to help focus and ground guidance on the importance of their role in supporting the program, as well as your particular schools course options for students in each FSL option and pathway. 

2. Working Collaboratively

Whereas the school principal is responsible for overseeing and managing all of the school’s programs, it is a secondary school’s guidance counsellor who can play the biggest role when helping students and parents decide which programs to take in school and how it will help them develop the skills and qualifications they will need to be successful in their pathway after graduation.

As such it is critical that guidance teachers see themselves as key players in the success of your FSL program’s growth and work with the school administrator, not only promote the program but have one-on-one discussions with students and families regarding FSL as it pertains to their high school options and how it can help them reach their goals in life. Working collaboratively with them on elementary school visits and during the transition from Grade 8 to highschool and course selection time is important, and reiterating French language benefits and options with individual students and their parents is of great value when trying to grow or sustain a vibrant FSL program.  

3. Highlighting Options

A school’s guidance counselor has a key role in supporting each student’s pathway to meet individual academic and life goals.  It is understandable that finding a student’s best fit takes time and needs to be monitored regularly. When discussing French as an option in secondary school, choosing the right course or courses for Grade 9 is important - as is having a vision developed as a French learner beyond Grade 9. Students enter Grade 9 having experienced a French program such as Core, Extended or Immersion.  A guidance counselor's important role in outlining what a student’s French options are at the Secondary level can make or break a student’s ability to fully develop French as a second language and cannot be overstated.  

Most students will not take Core French after Grade 9 unless they see the value in doing so or fully understand their choices ahead. Principals are encouraged to work with their guidance counselors and to be fully versant in how to identify, suggest and promote pathways in Core, Extended and Immersion French. All students, including those with IEPs and Special Education needs should be able to come into Grade 9 and identify themselves as a French learner with a path forward from Grade 9 and beyond. Non-Extended or French Immersion learners should not be discouraged from taking courses taught in French aside from the one compulsory French course required for an OSSD. Just as students are encouraged to consider other subjects beyond the ones which are mandatory for a diploma, so should French be considered. Incorporating this belief into your talking points as a school leader or guidance counselor is very helpful when trying to keep FSL growing in a school. 

Working collaboratively with your guidance staff is essential when trying to ensure that a purposeful plan for FSL is included as part of a student’s transition to high school. 

 Make sure to click on the links within the infographic to access the supports provided! 

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Assignment 5

Choose one of the following  to consider within the context of your own professional growth. 

a. With the help of your guidance staff, complete a flow chart for each one of your FSL programs using the course options offered by your school.  Include all classes that a student must take and also all courses taught in French that are options for students in each program (Core, Extended and Immersion). Include courses by grade, academic level and each program designation. 

Address how students are informed of the FSL options and how the school can best promote them within the school and with parents.

c. Review the FSL/Guidance Partnership chart from Transforming FSL (see Resources) and discuss with guidance staff and all secondary teachers responsible for teaching FSL courses in your school. Together, add a third partner, the school principal, to the chart and discuss what the school administrator’s role in the teacher/guidance partnership is for each step in the chart. On chart paper, complete the third partner’s pillar.

d. Reflect on the following situation:  
You have become the new school principal at a Catholic secondary school with both Core French and French Immersion programs.  You notice that in the fall there is a lineup out the door at the guidance office as students try to get their timetables changed to address conflicts or meet new or changed student options and priorities (i.e., manufacturing, Environmental Science, etc.).  The guidance teacher pulls a number of students out of their FSL scheduled classes to make room for other requested or required classes. 

How do you address this with the counselor, and what other options might you consider? 

Do students see themselves well represented in the FI program? How do you know?

Develop and write down a conversation outline to have with guidance staff.  

Section 4:Summative - Intentional Actions

Glossary (Ontario)

FSL: French Second Language

Core French: Core French is mandatory from Grades 4 to 8 for all students in English-language elementary schools. Students entering Grade 4 must receive French instruction every year from Grade 4 to Grade 8 and must have accumulated a minimum of 600 hours of French instruction by the end of Grade 8. Once an instructional sequence has begun, the program must continue uninterrupted to Grade 8.

French Immersion: In a French Immersion program, French must be the language of instruction for a minimum of 50 per cent of the total instructional time at every grade level of the program and provide a minimum of 3800 hours of instruction in French by the end of Grade 8. French Immersion programs must include the study of French as a second language and the study of at least two other subjects taught in French. These two subjects must be selected from the following: the arts, social studies (Grades 1 to 6) or history and geography (Grades 7 and 8), mathematics, science and technology, and health and physical education. Although the French Immersion curriculum is written for a Grade 1 start, many immersion programs starting in Grade 1 provide instruction in French in all subjects (i.e., for 100 per cent of total instructional time) until Grade 3 or 4, when students begin to study English.5 Instruction in English may then be gradually extended to include other subjects. By the end of Grade 8, students may receive up to 50 per cent of their instruction in English.

NTIP: The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) is the second job-embedded step of professional learning for new teachers, building on and complementing the first step: initial teacher education programs. It provides professional support to help new teachers develop the skills and knowledge to be effective teachers in Ontario.

Access Sections 3 & 4 Here