Accountability and Assurance
Foothills School Division is responsible for assuring our stakeholders and the public that we are fulfilling our responsibilities and students are successful. This assurance arises from the combination of policies, processes, actions, and evidence that help build public confidence in the education system. This is achieved through relationship building, engagement with education partners and by creating and sustaining a culture of continuous improvement and collective responsibility. Foothills School Division’s Education Plan and Annual Education Results Report (AERR) are evidence of a continuous improvement process and are core documents for demonstrating accountability and providing assurance. The Education Plan and AERR inform one another for continuous growth.
Our FSD strategic planning process is outlined in FSD AP 100: Three-Year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Report and AP 101: Annual Education Results Report. Our three-year fixed education plan sets out what needs to be done, including determining priorities, outcomes, measures, and strategies using the most recent results and is aligned with the strategic direction of Alberta Education’s Three-Year Business Plan. Our AERR provides the results obtained from implementing the plan and actions taken to meet responsibilities in the key assurance domains. By analyzing the results, we develop insights, draw conclusions, and determine implications arising from the results. We use results to improve the quality and effectiveness of education programs and improve student learning and achievement. Areas that are identified as needing improvement, along with stakeholder engagement input and provincial direction, are reflected in the outcomes and strategies in the education plan.
Our Education Plan clearly identifies priorities and outcomes to be achieved, measures used to assess progress, and research and practice-informed strategies implemented to achieve our goals. Foothills School Division has established a system of accountability for results that encompasses our schools. The division priorities and processes provide strategic direction to schools in the development of their plans and in engaging stakeholders on an ongoing basis to provide assurance in advancing goals. This is outlined in AP 118: Annual Assurance Actions and AP 102: School Annual Education Plan Results Report. Engaging with our stakeholders has been critical in the development and implementation of our education plan and annual education results report. Effectively engaging stakeholders in the development of our education plan and sharing results has contributed to shared governance, being more responsive to local needs; increasing stakeholder understanding of education matters; and improving decision-making.
